{"id":2945,"date":"2024-10-17T16:25:42","date_gmt":"2024-10-17T16:25:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/what-is-cheese-grading-why-does-it-matter\/"},"modified":"2024-10-17T16:25:42","modified_gmt":"2024-10-17T16:25:42","slug":"what-is-cheese-grading-why-does-it-matter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/what-is-cheese-grading-why-does-it-matter\/","title":{"rendered":"What is Cheese Grading & Why Does it Matter?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Cheese grading, as opposed to cheese grating, is a very specific process used to evaluate cheese. To learn more about it, we spoke with Kate Neumeier Clarke, who is the president and CEO of Wisconsin Aging & Grading<\/a> (WAG), and a third generation, licensed cheese grader.<\/p>\n

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\"724<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n

Evaluating cheese is the family business and Clarke personally started in the cheese industry when she was just nine years old, \u201cMore than two decades ago, my father, Ken Neumeier, had the vision that aged Cheddar could be a specialty cheese,\u201d Clarke says. \u201cSo, he created WAG in 2000.\u00a0 He noticed that there weren\u2019t a lot of programs available to manage cheeses throughout their life. My dad has worked with many cheese makers and cheese factories helping to define high standards of quality and aging.\u201d In 2018 the company launched a retail Cheddar brand, 724 Wisconsin Select<\/a>, named for Ken Neumeier\u2019s grading license number.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Becoming a Licensed Cheese Grader<\/h2>\n
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\"Kate

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Kate Neumeier Clarke<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Because Clarke lives and works in Wisconsin, she had to have a license before she became a cheese grader. \u201cWisconsin is the only state that requires graders to have a license,\u201d she explains. \u201cI had to pass a written and organoleptic exam that measured my knowledge about cheese and its attributes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Making the grade – on the cheese grader licensing exam – isn\u2019t guaranteed. \u201cThe exam isn\u2019t the easiest,\u201d Clarke says. \u201cIndividuals definitely need to study and immerse themselves in the grading process. It really all depends on their palate, their abilities to grade on a continual basis and their aptitude and passion to want to be a cheese grader.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some people can\u2019t make the grade at all. \u201cOne of the biggest misconceptions is that anyone could or should (be able) to do it,\u201d she says. \u201cFor examples, some people can be \u2018bitter blind,\u2019 which means they are unable to taste the bitter flavor. If that would be the case, they would not be able to get a grading license.\u201d Curious about the standards? You can find them in Chapter ATCP 81 of the Wisconsin Administrative Code<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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What is Cheese Grading?<\/h2>\n

Having a cheese that\u2019s been graded, she says, means that the cheese was produced in a licensed plant under sanitary conditions. A Wisconsin grade mark means that the cheese has been inspected and graded by \u201can experienced and highly trained grader\u201d who was licensed by the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.\u00a0 \u201cIt is your guarantee of consistent and dependable quality,\u201d she says.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

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How are Cheeses Graded?<\/h2>\n
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\"Kate<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n

Cheeses are graded against standards of identity for 72 standardized cheese types, ranging from Asiago to Swiss. Most cheeses are graded on four characteristics: flavor, body and texture, color and finish and appearance. But Swiss cheese types are graded on five characteristics: flavor, body, eye and texture, color and finish and appearance.\u00a0 Non-Swiss cheese can end up with grades of AA, A or Wisconsin state brand, and B. Swiss cheeses can also end up with C or D grades, but those letters don\u2019t mean that they\u2019re the lowest types of cheese, according to the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe most important thing to note is that a standard of identity exists for those 72 types of cheeses,\u201d Clarke says. \u201cA grader will grade a cheese based only on that standard; it is about how well a particular cheese matches the standard for that specific variety. A grader must always stay true to the cheese standard and not let anything else persuade the grade. The cheese speaks for itself.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cheeses that break the mold or don\u2019t fit into those 72 categories can still be evaluated. \u201cThe ones that don\u2019t have that standard of identity are still given feedback on the flavor, body, texture and aroma and to what degree of intensity those are present,\u201d Clarke says.<\/p>\n

Once, Clarke was grading with a customer, and she assumed that his preferred flavor profile was clean, nutty and acidic. \u201cIt was discovered, after grading numerous vats of cheese that he was looking for a cheese that we at WAG had downgraded due to it being \u2018barny,\u2019\u201d she says. \u201cTurns out, there really is a cheese flavor for every preference. He was so happy to have found it, and so was the factory, which didn\u2019t have a rejected product returned. It was a win-win.\u201d<\/p>\n

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How to Evaluate Cheese<\/h2>\n
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\"Cheese<\/p>\n

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Cheese Grading flashcard<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It\u2019s typical to judge a cheese based on how it looks. But if you\u2019re grading or even just tasting a cheese, Clarke advises you to first inspect the aroma. \u201cThe nose knows,\u201d she says. \u201cYou always start by smelling the cheese. Smelling will always give you an indication of what you\u2019re able to taste, both favorable and unfavorable.\u201d<\/p>\n

Aroma is even more important than appearance. \u201cYears back, I was judging at a contest, and one of the categories was a little out of my forte, but I was excited to put my palate to the test,\u201d she says. \u201cWhen they brought out the first sample, I couldn\u2019t believe I was going to have to taste it, based on its appearance, but that cheese turned out to be an amazing cheese, and it ended up winning first place in its category. Then, it took grand champion at a different contest later that year. It showed me that you can\u2019t judge a cheese by its cover.\u201d<\/p>\n

Test your knowledge of official cheese grading terms with online flash cards<\/em><\/a>, developed by the late cheese educator, Pat Palowsky<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0 Cheese grading, as opposed to cheese grating, is a very specific process used to evaluate cheese. To learn more about it, we spoke with Kate Neumeier Clarke, who is the president and CEO of Wisconsin Aging & Grading (WAG), and a third generation, licensed cheese grader. Evaluating cheese is the family business and Clarke … Okumaya devam et “What is Cheese Grading & Why Does it Matter?”<\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":1271,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[395],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2945","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-milk-and-diary"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2945","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1271"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2945"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2945\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2945"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2945"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2945"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}