The Book of Cheese: The Essential Guide to Discovering Cheeses You'll Love

by Liz Thorpe

EXPLORE THE WORLD OF CHEESE BY ASKING YOURSELF ONE SIMPLE WHAT CHEESES DO I ALREADY LOVE?This is the first book of its kind to be organized not by country, milk type, or any other technical classification. The Book of Cheese maps the world of cheese using nine familiar favorites, what author Liz Thorpe calls the Gateway Cheeses.From basics like Swiss, blue, and cheddar, Liz leads the way to more adventurous types. Love Brie? Liz shows you how to find other Brie-like cheeses, from the mild Moses Sleeper to the pungent Fromage de Meaux. Her revolutionary approach allows food lovers to focus on what they really care finding more cheeses to enjoy. Complete with flavor and aroma wheels, charts guiding you through different intensities and availabilities, and gorgeous photography, this is the only book on cheese you will ever need.

Genres: Food, Cookbooks, Nonfiction, Reference, Cooking

702 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 26, 2017

Reviews

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will resist the temptation to insert all the cheese puns in my review for this book. I love this one so much. Gorgeously laid out, accessible and practical. Liz Thorpe breaks the book down into some of the most well known types of cheese and then gives recommendations from there. One of my favorite food reference books, for sure.

[Dan Crowther · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really LOVE the way this book is organized. It takes the "if you like/love this, then you'll like/love these" concept so often used with automated purchase recommendations and expands the concept to cheese. It then adds to that foundation with by helping new turophiles learn how describe why they love a particular cheese so they can find others either in the same cheese family or with those same attributes.

The main reason it looses a star is the author's early assertion on page 47 that (other than ricotta) it's not worth it to make cheese at home because "purchased cheese will inevitably be better". I've been making cheese at home for more than 10 years and I can say unequivocally this is NOT TRUE.

First, homemade cheese is fresher than anything you'll ever be able to purchase other than directly from the maker. That fact alone means it blows supermarket cheeses away instantly and often puts your homemade cheese on par with all but the best cheeses found well stocked cheese sections of specialty markets/coops.

Second, since most good cheese sells for $19-$25/lb and typical homemade yield is 1# cheese per a $4/gallon of milk. Imagine getting a whole pound of your favorite cheese for only $4 and some of your time.

Couple those two points with the fact that the author continues to decry supermarket cheese in the rest of the book and it's really a no brainer for a turophile to give home cheesemaking a try.
What have you got to lose?

[Sue Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is full of good information, and the organization of "cheeses that are like cheeses you already like" is an interesting and useful idea, but so USA-centric that it is almost unusable by a non-American reader (or resident), as the "reference" cheeses the author uses are not all widely known elsewhere, and the most beloved cheeses of other regions are not present.
If you can get past this hurdle, the knowledge and descriptions of different types of cheeses are excellent and the book is a great resource.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a large book with many photographs. Liz Thorpe worked as a cheese buyer and, instead of a systematic view of types of cheeses, she takes a "If you like *****, you'll probably love this". She has encouraged me to explore some more flavours from my local cheese shop and borrowing this book wil probably encourage you to do the same.

[Olivia Mancini · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was trying to answer the question “what am
I passionate about” and the first thing that came to mind is “cheese!” I bought this book to cultivate this love I have for the most delicious and nuanced food on earth, and I was not let down!

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Picked this book up on my first visit to my neighborhood book store. I'm so lucky that I went there on that cold rainy day!
Initially I was mildly anxious about the cost of the book. However, I now believe it is a PRICELESS reference volume and I'm very glad I own it.

I'm already a cheese fan, but now I'm going to be a much more experimental cheese devotee. I'll include a cheese course in all of the dinners I cook for friends. Starting tomorrow night.

[Suzi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this for my husband and he thinks it's a shopping and travel guide. At least we are eating well during our stay safe, stay at home year. Now we are on to wine pairing...
The reason I got this is because it has photos. We are in redneck Florida, not the epicurean center of the USA. Each of us has, at different times lived in NYC, which is. So at least with this heavy, well-illustrated guide, we can identify that we truly are eating what we read about.

[Mary Keroson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who knew there was so much to learn about cheese!

[JC · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. Great reference and I need this on my shelf! Have a lot of cheeses to eat now...

[anonymous · Rating 5 out of 5]

Her cheese descriptions are fantastic. Some of them read like poetry.

[Jorgon · Rating 3 out of 5]

No much of chemical/bacteriological detail, but nice descriptions and pointers to new cheeses. And it made me hungry.

[Rachel Heller · Rating 4 out of 5]

I rate The Book of Cheese a good book 4.5 out 5. This because it 8s great reference book for foodies and cheeselovers of all ages.

[Diane C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will buy this one. Your ultimate, most informative and user friendly, and well organized book about the world of cheese. After you peruse it, you'll want it on hand.