Cheeses for melting and grilling
Fondue, raclette, pizza, toasties and grilled halloumi: cheese made to melt or char.
Some cheeses are made to melt. Fondue and raclette in the Alps, pizza with mozzarella, Georgian khachapuri with sulguni, Mexican queso fundido, grilled halloumi and paneer tikka, cheese toasties and the queso dips of Texas all depend on a cheese that softens, stretches or chars just right. Choosing well is a matter of chemistry: moisture, fat, acidity and age decide how a cheese behaves in heat.
Why some melt and others do not
A cheese melts when its fat liquefies and its protein network loosens. Young, moist cheeses with moderate acidity, such as mozzarella, Fontina, Gruyère and young cheddar, melt smoothly. Very old cheeses have proteins broken into small pieces and tend to go oily or grainy. Cheeses set with acid and heat, such as paneer and queso blanco, and halloumi, whose curd is cooked in hot whey, keep a firm protein network, so they soften and brown but hold their shape: ideal for grilling and frying.
Melted at the table
Swiss fondue moitié-moitié, half and half, melts Gruyère and Vacherin Fribourgeois in white wine with garlic and a splash of kirsch, and bread is dipped on long forks. Raclette is the name of both the cheese and the meal: the cut face of a half wheel is held to the heat and scraped over boiled potatoes, with gherkins and pickled onions. Mexican queso fundido melts Oaxaca or Chihuahua cheese, often with chorizo, to be scooped up in tortillas.
Stretch and char
Neapolitan pizza uses fior di latte or buffalo mozzarella. Adjarian khachapuri is a boat of bread filled with sulguni and imeruli, topped with an egg yolk and butter that are stirred in at the table. Halloumi and paneer are grilled in slices or on skewers, and paneer tikka is marinated in yoghurt and spice and charred in a tandoor. Greek saganaki is a slab of kefalograviera or kasseri fried in a small pan, sometimes flamed at the table.
Worth knowing
- Fondue: Cheese melted in wine for dipping
- Raclette: Melted cheese scraped over potatoes
- Khachapuri: Georgian cheese bread
- Neapolitan pizza: Pizza with fior di latte or buffalo mozzarella
- Queso flameado: Mexican melted cheese, also called queso fundido
- Halloumi: The grilling cheese of Cyprus
- Paneer tikka: Spiced paneer charred in the tandoor
- Saganaki: Greek fried cheese
Sources and further reading
Original text by the EveryCheese desk, written with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Customs are described as tradition, not as advice. If we have something wrong, tell us.
Melting and grilling on EveryCheese
The cheeses written up so far, best known first.
🇨🇭 Switzerland and 5 moreEmmentalEmmentaler
A yellow, medium-hard Swiss cheese with natural holes, aged for several months.Cow · Semi-hard · Savoury and brothy
🇫🇷 France and 4 moreTrappista cheeseTrapist sir
A semi-hard cow's-milk cheese with a mild flavor and pale yellow paste.Cow · Semi-hard
🇫🇷 FranceRoquefortRòcafòrt
A raw sheep's milk blue cheese aged in the Combalou caves of southern France.Sheep · Semi-hard · Tangy and lactic
🇮🇹 Italy and 4 moreProvolone
A semi-hard Italian stretched-curd cheese aged for at least four months.Cow · Semi-hard · Sharp and tangy-aged
🇩🇪 Germany and 2 moreTilsitTilsiter
A semi-hard smear-ripened cow's milk cheese from East Prussia with a dark yellow rind.Cow · Semi-hard · Savoury and brothy
🇧🇬 Bulgaria and 5 moreKashkavalkaşkaval
A semi-hard yellow cheese from cow, sheep, or goat milk, popular across the Balkans and Turkey.Cow · Semi-hard · Milky and fresh
🇫🇷 FranceComté
A hard, cooked-pressed cow's milk cheese from eastern France, aged up to three years.Cow · Semi-hard · Nutty
🇫🇷 FranceBeaufort
A firm, hole-free Alpine cow's milk cheese from the French Savoie region.Cow · Alpine · Buttery and creamy
🇮🇹 Italy and 4 moreCaciocavallo
A stretched-curd cheese from southern Italy shaped like a teardrop and aged to develop a hard rind.Cow · Stretched curd · Nutty
🇫🇷 FranceLaguioleLa Guiòla
A semi-hard pressed cow's milk cheese from the Aubrac plateau in southern France.Cow · Semi-hard · Nutty
🇳🇱 Netherlands and 1 moreLeerdammer
A Dutch semihard cow's-milk cheese with holes and a sweet nutty taste.Cow · Semi-hard · Sweet and caramel
🇨🇭 SwitzerlandRaclette du ValaisWalliser Raclette
A semi-hard Swiss cow's-milk cheese from Valais, aged for melting or eating.Cow · Semi-hard
🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreSwiss cheese
A yellow, medium-hard cheese with characteristic holes, produced globally in various styles.Cow · Semi-hard · Nutty
🇪🇸 SpainMahónformatge de Maó / queso de Mahón
A cow's-milk cheese from Menorca that ranges from soft and mild to hard and sharp.Cow · Semi-soft · Buttery and creamy
🇫🇷 France and 1 moreTomme
A low-fat alpine cheese from France and Switzerland, often made from skimmed milk.Cow · Semi-hard · Milky and fresh
🇮🇹 ItalyMonte Veronese
A semi-hard cow's-milk cheese from Verona with fresh and aged varieties.Cow · Semi-hard · Sweet and caramel
🇨🇭 Switzerland and 1 moreVacherin Fribourgeois
A Swiss semi-hard washed-rind cheese from the canton of Fribourg with a resiny taste.Cow · Semi-hard · Tangy and lactic
🇺🇸 United StatesColby-Jack
A mild American semi-hard cheese made by blending Colby and Monterey Jack curds.Cow · Semi-hard
🇧🇷 BrazilColony cheesequeijo de colônia
A semi-hard cow's-milk cheese from southern Brazil with a yellow crust and creamy interior.Cow · Semi-hard · Tangy and lactic
🇺🇸 United StatesBrick cheese
A Wisconsin cow's-milk cheese shaped like a brick with an orange rind.Cow · Semi-hard · Sweet and caramel
🇳🇱 NetherlandsParrano
A semi-firm Dutch cow's milk cheese aged five months with a nutty, salty-sweet profile.Cow · Semi-hard · Nutty
🇺🇸 United StatesMonterey Jack
A mild, semi-hard cow's milk cheese from California with a creamy texture and slight sweetness.Cow · Semi-hard · Sweet and caramel
🇨🇭 Switzerland and 5 moreEmmentalEmmentaler
A yellow Swiss cheese with natural holes and a mild savoury taste.Cow · Semi-hard · Savoury and brothy
🇬🇧 United KingdomCheddar
A pressed cow's-milk cheese from England, defined by the cheddaring process and long aging.Cow · Semi-hard · Nutty
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Havarti: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Mahón: Slastic, Public domain, source
- Monterey Jack: Daniel Olsen ( talk ), CC BY 1.0, source
- Beaufort: Coyau, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Emmental: Coyau, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Laguiole: Myrabella, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Leerdammer: M.Minderhoud, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Monte Veronese: La Casara Caseificio Dal 1920, CC BY 2.0, source
- Tomme: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Emmental: Manuel2, CC BY-SA 2.0 de, source
- Comté: Myrabella, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Colby-Jack: Stephen Shep, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Trappista cheese: Shabicht, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Vacherin Fribourgeois: Tombat24, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Roquefort: Thesupermat, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Provolone: Lenore Edman, CC BY 2.0, source
- Caciocavallo: Peachyeung316, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Kashkaval: Nnikolce, Public domain, source
- Raclette du Valais: Martin Steiger, CC0, source
- Swiss cheese: Renee Comet (photographer), Public domain, source
- Cheddar: Gary Bembridge, CC BY 2.0, source