A good cheese is something to sniff at

Maria Kegel, Contributor, Jakarta

Cheese does not come cheap. Especially when you consider that 1,000 liters of milk is needed to make one wheel of Emmenthal cheese, which can weigh up to 80 kilograms. Then there is the length of time to produce cheese, which can take months. A wheel of top-of-the-line Parmesan, for example, which has been nicely ripened, can take about eight years.

To help you get the most out of your block of cheese, Kempinski executive chef Donald Pezar and Hilton executive chef Michel Camy give pointers on how to shop, store and serve your purchase.

* Cheese should only be served at room temperature, not cold. Leave it to sit outside the refrigerator for at least 10 minutes. Otherwise, a nice Camembert fresh out of the refrigerator would be hard, relatively bland and tasteless, Pezar said.

"If cheese is cold you just don't get the flavor. It's like serving a fine wine, you don't want it to be too chilled, because the flavors don't blossom until the wine is at room temperature."

* If hard cheeses develop any mold on them, just cut those pieces away. The cheese's freshness should be judged by its smell. "(You can serve it) as long as it doesn't smell like ammonia, as that indicates that it is getting a little bit too far along," Pezar said.

It's difficult to determine the shelf life of cheese, Pezar said, because there are many factors involved, such as if it was made from pasteurized or raw milk and how long it took to ship here.

"Cheese should be nice and fresh-looking, if it has a rind, then it shouldn't be broken. If it is broken, then that is a sign that it may be getting a little bit too old."

* There are cheese knives that have a two-pronged fork pointing downward at the tip, but a simple butter knife will also do just fine to slice your cheese with, Pezar added.

* Pick the cheese up and smell it. It should not smell like ammonia. "If it's got a tiny little tinge (of that smell), that's all right, but if it smells too strong of ammonia, don't buy it as it won't last. It is either spoiled or it will be very, very soon. Go for something that smells a little fresher," Pezar said.

* Cheese should be taken out of the refrigerator an hour before serving and kept wrapped until the last minute, Camy said.

* Wrap cheese in its original packing, or wax paper, aluminum foil, or plastic for storage, and use fresh foil, paper or plastic each time it is rewrapped.

* Cheese should be cut fresh before eating. All the delis offer large pieces of cheese, so get a big chunk, take it home, and slice it just before you eat it, Pezar said.

* Sliced-to-order cheese is the best way to go since once cheese is exposed to air, it starts to deteriorate. "Get cheeses that are cut fresh, and use them up right away, it's much better than buying a prepackaged piece that has been sitting there for weeks perhaps," said Pezar.

* Cheese is best stored in the vegetable crisper of your refrigerator at a temperature similar to that of a cellar, Camy advised. And the least possible amount of time you keep it, the better.

* Serve cheese on a wooden board, offering a variety of textures and tastes, Camy added.

* Soft cheeses, once cut, keep for about a week in the refrigerator. Hard cheeses, such as cheddar and Emmenthal, if wrapped and properly stored in the refrigerator, will keep for two to four weeks, Pezar advised.