The Cheese Plate

Rating:
Summary: What about the non europeon and American cheeses
Review: I found this book quite informative when it came to the old and tested cheeses, however there are a lot of excellent cheeses which are beeing made in Australia and New Zealand which can easily compare to the tastes coming out of the US and europe.

Except for this oversight I find this an excellent book

Rating:
Summary: marvelous *
Review: In depth, in tune, and filled with expertise, guidance, and encouragement. This is a gem of a book, and fills me with some of the same enthusiasm about cheeses which the author displays.

The reading is approachable, even though each chapter is stuffed with intriguing cheese facts. I can't imagine there's a better all-around book on cheeses that's been written. Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Perfect Aid to All Levels of Fromager
Review: Masterpiece of a work on cheese. Eight sections guide one through about all there is to know about the subject from a maitre fromager, cheese master.

The sections begin with a history of the subject, then proceeding into a needful discussion of the difference between "artisanal" (handmade) versus "process" cheeses. Chapter Three breaksdown the steps in cheese making.

Chapter Four is a most profitable read, How to buy, store and serve various kinds of cheeses. Neat features here are "How Much? Per-Person Serving" Calculator and "How to Detach A Stuck Wrapper."

Section Five gets us where we want to grow, Tasting. It is remarkably similar to wine tasting, with descriptors such as color, modifiers, density, texture, flavor, and subjective elements.

Chapters Six and Seven are the meat of the book: Cheese Pairings and The Cheese Course. Here we learn to put all learned to use at the menu stage, be it appetizer, last course, or whole course itself. Here are practical suggestions with different settings and differing levels of expertise suggested.

Finally, a tour of the world of cheese, country by country with the author's assessment provided. What I really appreciate here is the addition of "Recommended Pairings" and "Similar Cheeses" .

This well done book will enhance anyone's delving into the world of fromage, with this expert guide moving us into new areas of exploration.

Rating:
Summary: Perfect Aid to All Levels of Fromager
Review: Masterpiece of a work on cheese. Eight sections guide one through about all there is to know about the subject from a maitre fromager, cheese master.

The sections begin with a history of the subject, then proceeding into a needful discussion of the difference between "artisanal" (handmade) versus "process" cheeses. Chapter Three breaksdown the steps in cheese making.

Chapter Four is a most profitable read, How to buy, store and serve various kinds of cheeses. Neat features here are "How Much? Per-Person Serving" Calculator and "How to Detach A Stuck Wrapper."

Section Five gets us where we want to grow, Tasting. It is remarkably similar to wine tasting, with descriptors such as color, modifiers, density, texture, flavor, and subjective elements.

Chapters Six and Seven are the meat of the book: Cheese Pairings and The Cheese Course. Here we learn to put all learned to use at the menu stage, be it appetizer, last course, or whole course itself. Here are practical suggestions with different settings and differing levels of expertise suggested.

Finally, a tour of the world of cheese, country by country with the author's assessment provided. What I really appreciate here is the addition of "Recommended Pairings" and "Similar Cheeses" .

This well done book will enhance anyone's delving into the world of fromage, with this expert guide moving us into new areas of exploration.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent guide!
Review: My husband and I have been to both Picholine and Artisanal and am very happy to have this book. Every page has an interesting tidbit about cheese. We used it yesterday to help select cheeses to go with some very special red wines. Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Very informative
Review: My husband and I liked this book very much. As a reviewer below notes, it is *loaded* with information. It is well written and fun to read.(It is also fairly sparsely illustrated, so the calling it a coffee table book - as one reviewer does - seems pretty far off the mark).

Rating:
Summary: Excellent guide!
Review: Nothing earth shattering in here, but a pretty book, full of accurate cheese data. If you're intimidated by cheese (is anyone intimidated by cheese?), this book is a good way to cram for the next exam.

Rating:
Summary: Coffee table cheese book
Review: Nothing earth shattering in here, but a pretty book, full of accurate cheese data. If you're intimidated by cheese (is anyone intimidated by cheese?), this book is a good way to cram for the next exam.

Rating:
Summary: The Best Cheese Book In Print
Review: What I loved about this book is that it takes an in-depth approach to cheese as opposed to the encyclopedia method. From this book you will learn more about how cheese is made, the factors that the raw materials (milk) will effect the quality of the cheese, along with the rather difficult question of wine and cheese parings. The other nice factor is that it is written in such a matter-of-fact way that it is a pleasure to read.