The Kind Of Cheddar Cheese That's The Best For Melting

Even once you've developed an encyclopedic knowledge of cheese melting points, one that helps you remember the difference between how Grana Padano performs versus Parmesan in a pasta and that American is best for breakfast sandwiches, the smaller gradations can get tricky. There are several cheddar varieties alone, for example, with unique flavor profiles, textures, use cases, and yes, melting points. And to achieve the "best" melt, the TV-ready kind that softens to a lovely, stretchy pull in a relatively short period of time, mild cheddar is the optimal variety.

Mild cheddar is only aged for a few months, meaning that it retains a fair amount of moisture. Your extra sharp cheddars, on the other hand, will be aged for around a year. So, while sharp cheddars are delicious in their own ways, that extra time does cause more evaporation, leading to a drier final product. The extra liquid in a younger cheese like mild cheddar makes it more yielding, and helps it break down into the gooey topping of your burger, quesadilla, or classic tuna melt's desire.

American is the classic of the softened genre, but fontina, Gruyère, and Monterey Jack are also among the top melting cheeses, if that's all you've got in stock. And you can harness the power of steam to get each one to melt a little faster. A few drops of water in a pan and an aluminum foil tent or cover with a deep pot lid will get the vapor circulating and break out a nice sweat to move dinner from the stovetop to the plate a few minutes earlier than the old leave-it-alone method.

If you are working with mild cheddar and you still want that stronger sharp cheddar bite, you can layer both components for a tasty, melty mashup. When applying it in slices on flat surfaces, shave the sharp cheddar extra thin using something like a vegetable peeler. Use that as your base, and cover with the mild cheddar. The cloak treatment will not only mingle your cheeses, but the extra coat will help the sharp slice melt better. If your preparation calls for shredded cheese, you can also mix cheddars just as easily, just try to incorporate a greater proportion of the mild kind for the meltiest results.