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SMART SHOPPING: Sharp Cheddar Cheese

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Traditionally, cheddar is made by a process called cheddaring: The curd (made by adding acid-producing cultures and clotting agents to unpasteurized whole milk) is cut into slabs, then stacked, cut, pressed, and stacked again. Along the way a large amount of liquid, called whey, is extracted. The remaining compacted curd is what gives farmhouse cheddars their hard and fine-grained characteristics. When it comes to flavor and sharpness, the longer a cheddar is aged, which can be anywhere from a couple of months to a couple of years, the firmer in texture and more concentrated in flavor (and sharper) it gets. In a recent taste test, Cabot Sharp Vermont Cheddar Cheese came out on top. This cheese, which is aged for five to eight months, was praised for its “sharp,” “clean,” and “tangy” flavor.