Customer Reviews

Laura Werlins Cheese Essentials: An Insider's Guide to Buying and Serving Cheese (with 50 Recipes)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This fantastic book would be perfect for anyone who wants to learn about cheese. Laura's eight categories of cheese are an excellent way to approach cheeses and understand just by looking what a cheese is likely to taste like. For example, the categories she uses are:
+ fresh
+ soft-ripened
+ surface-ripened
+ semi-soft
+ semi-hard
+ hard
+ washed-rind
+ blue

She spends time discussing the common characteristics of cheeses in each category.
For example fresh refers to un-aged cheese which are likely to have a creamy flavor and generally a light taste. Soft-ripened cheese softens from the outside in because of a bloomy white rind-- brie is the classic example.

This is much, much more approachable for a newcomer than the usual litany of cheese types, names, and places.

Prerequisite: you want to know about cheese, you love cheese
Highlights:
1. colour pictures on each page
2. comfortable printing, editing, and reading (text size)
3. introductions and information of several cheese
4. how to enjoy cheese
5. simple cheese recipe included
6. Not a heavy book
7. Her personal tips on selecting cheese

Cons: it covers about 60% types of cheese.

This book is informative, helpful, instructive, and topics are arranged sensibly as well as beautifully. This is a book that can be picked up at any time, opened randomly, and one would find factual information about cheese types with perhaps a bit of history, or a delectable recipe, or instructions on how to care for a specific cheese type. Laura Werlin is a wizard on cheese, a food enthusiast who has common sense in her back pocket at all times.

Daunted in the cheese section? I learned so much reading this book! I already knew which basic cheeses I liked (Manchego! Brie! Munster!) and which I didn't (um...), but Werlin's accessible definitions, descriptions, and groupings made shopping for cheeses so much easier. Definitely recommend. Bonus: great recipes incorporating many of the cheeses she highlights.

Who knew that cheese could be so incredibly interesting and fun? Ms. Werlin's book is an accessible and interesting read and has inspired me broaden my horizons beyond my mundane grocery store dairy case.

Laura Werlin is an engaging writer with a sense of organization, essential when tackling a subject as big and diverse as cheese. She helps me order my thoughts about cheese, while introducing some killer recipes to keep it all fun and relevant. It is her depth of knowledge about food in general (not just cheese) that makes this book so informative and fun. Terrific photos, too, bring the subject to life. Indispensable reference for anyone trying to sort this vast subject out!

Saw it at a used bookstore. Actually give useful descriptions of the types of cheeses and compares cheeses within the categories. Very helpful. Describes texture, looks, flavors, uses. Not a snobby, "art" cheese book. Pleasing format. Nice writing style.

If you like cheese, this is a great, simple read. I think of cheese as one of the basic food groups, and this book is a good way to increase your knowledge.

This book gives a great overview of the different types of cheeses. I finally decided to become more knowledgeable about cheeses and this is a great first step.

Love all Werlin's other books,so looking forward to this one. There is always something new to learn, and I like to be one of the first to try it out. With the holidays coming up it will solve some of my gift giving choices. No sizes or returns to deal with, and know this book will be welcomed by all. Sherry