One of the most common questions to ask your cheesemonger is undoubtedly, "What should I pair with this cheese?" and while many "classic pairings" can provide a helpful guide to pairing basics, it's important to remember that there are no hard and fast rules - it's all about what tastes good to you! Cheese pairing is truly subjective, and we encourage you to experiment with different flavors and textures to help you develop your palate and personal preferences. 

As a general rule, you want a pairing to either contrast or complement the flavor of the cheese. It's important to make sure the flavors are balanced and that one does not overwhelm the other, and don't forget about varying textures, too! 

Here are a few tried-and-true pairing suggestions that are sure to satisfy:

Triple Crème: This category includes buttery, silky cheeses like Brillat-Savarin and Delice de Bourgogne. Triple crème cheeses have a very high butterfat content, making them a perfect pairing for sparkling beverages like Prosecco or Champagne - the effervescent bubbles cut through the rich fat of the cheese, lifting the mouthfeel and creating a decadent flavor experience. This category of cheese also pairs well with sweeter fruit jams and preserves, such as Amarena cherry or apricot, or even various types of honey. 
Perfect Formaticum Pairing: The Wire Cutter allows you to easily cut through these soft and delicate cheese without disturbing the paste, ensuring a neat, clean slice every time!

Washed Rind: These cheeses tend to be a bit stinky, encompassing iconic cheeses like Epoisses and Taleggio. If your funky fromage boasts meatier notes, try pairing it with something pickled such as cornichons, carrots, or mushrooms - the acid will balance the funk, and create an experience akin to enjoying a cheeseburger. 
Perfect Formaticum Pairing: Zero Cheese Storage Paper allows the cheese to breathe, which will maintain the right level of humidity to properly store a washed-rind cheese. 

Cheddar - If you prefer to snack on sharp block cheddar, freshly sliced apples are a traditional and seasonal pairing that will highlight both the texture of the cheese and the crispness of the fruit. English-style clothbound cheddars tend to be more savory, making onion jam or even raw red onion an ideal complement, alongside a traditional hard cider. Roasted salted cashews or almonds are also a great way to highlight the nutty notes of many cheddars. 
Perfect Formaticum Pairing: Classic Cheese Storage Bags will create the ideal storage environment for a temperamental clothbound cheddar, keeping the complex flavor fresh until your next snack time. 

Alpine: Some longer-aged alpine-style cheeses like authentic Gruyère or Gruyère-inspired Pleasant Ridge Reserve have a hint of tropical fruit flavors - highlight these flavors by enjoying them with fresh or dried fruit like mango or pineapple. Try out a Swiss tradition by dipping chunks of pear in your next fondue! Alpine styles are also known for pairing well with chocolate. 
Perfect Formaticum Pairing: Our Professional Cheese Knife is sturdy and sharp, making it ideal for making perfect cuts of harder large-format cheeses. 

Blue Cheese: Perhaps the most polarizing cheese style on this list, it may surprise you to know that this piquant and funky cheese is a natural pairing with sweet things like honey and even chocolate! The sweetness helps neutralize the spice of the blue and creates a more approachable flavor. Pears are also a classic pairing for French blues like Roquefort. Enjoy with dessert wine like Port or Sauternes, or even a nice local ice cider. 
Perfect Formaticum Pairing: The sleek new Reusable Sheets are perfect for blue cheeses because they are easy to tightly wrap with and prevent leakage - plus, they can be hand-washed and reused again and again!

Do you have a perfect pairing that we didn't mention? Email us at hello@formaticum.com to let us know! 

As we settle into January and back into our normal routines, you may find yourself with some leftover cheese from holiday celebrations, and fewer opportunities to enjoy them. Here at Formaticum, we believe that every day is the perfect occasion to enjoy good cheese. If you've stored your cheesy bits and bobs in Formaticum Cheese Storage Bags or Sheets, you can rest assured that even a few weeks later, they're still fresh, flavorful, and ready to enjoy. 

But if you're no longer in the mood for elaborate cheese and charcuterie platters, here are a few of our favorite ways to utilize extra cheese:

Macaroni & Cheese - a classic dish with the potential to be luxurious and extravagant. We recommend a blend of 2 harder cheeses like an Alpine and a Cheddar. You can add a "wild card" cheese like Taleggio for funk or a truffle cheese for umami, and the addition of sodium citrate is a cheesemonger's secret to a perfectly creamy cheese sauce, every time. 

Fondue - in the middle of a chilly winter, nothing warms your bones like a fondue dinner. It's also the perfect excuse to shred any small bits of cheese in your cheese drawer and finish that bottle of white wine in the fridge. While the Swiss have strict regional recipes for fondue, any combination of cheese can be used as long as you're pleased with the result. We recommend this recipe from our friends at Gourmino! 

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Quiche or Frittata - These are both ideal vehicles for any leftover vegetables or meat in your fridge, in addition to the cheese. This recipe from Le Gruyère AOP can be adjusted for any cheese combination available to you. A convenient and versatile breakfast or lunch option! Make individual egg bites in muffin tins for an easy grab and go breakfast that will last for a few days in the fridge. 

Grilled Cheese - Whether you're team Butter or team Mayonnaise, we can all agree on one thing - a good grilled cheese is a perfect meal. Add a jam (such as fig), some caramelized onions, and/or a few slices of bacon or ham for an even more delicious treat. 

Fromage Fort - a classic French dish that utilizes any and all cheeses you have on hand, mixed with garlic, white wine, salt, and pepper, and your choice of herbs and spices, to create a dreamy, spreadable mixture. Perfect for dipping or even spreading on bread and broiling for a few minutes, Fromage Fort is the ultimate snack when it comes to versatility and creativity. 

Do you have a favorite cheese-based recipe? Let us know! Email hello@formaticum.com and we may even give it a try in the Formaticum test kitchen. 

As the winter holidays approach, it is never too early to start thinking about gift ideas for your friends, family, and loved ones. There is a Formaticum product for every cheese lover in your life, so we've put together a Holiday Gift Guide to help you determine which products can help you check things off your to-do list during the busiest time of the year!

Why should you gift Formaticum cheese storage products? Simply put, our products are the best on the market for preserving your cheese. Our products have 1 main job, and they do it well. Unlike plastic wrap, which suffocates your cheese by trapping moisture and allowing excess mold growth, Formaticum cheese paper allows your cheese to breathe while maintaining the right humidity levels to prevent your cheese from drying out. 

The biggest advantage of using Formaticum cheese paper is that it can significantly extend the shelf life of your cheese, ensuring that you consume the highest quality product possible. Cheese is a living product, and plastic wrap can leach harmful chemicals into the cheese over time, as well as affect the flavor. Formaticum cheese paper does not contain any harmful chemicals and will not affect the flavor of your cheese.

If you are looking for another way to honor the work of farmers, cheesemakers, affineurs, and everyone in between, consider gifting a Formaticum cheese storage product. 

FOR THE HOST: We all have a friend or family member who loves hosting dinner parties, cocktail hours, girls' nights, book clubs, or just making a cheese and charcuterie board for dinner. Our Cheese Board Liners and Mini Cheese Knives will elevate their presentations to a new level, especially during holiday party season! 

FOR THE STUDENT: If you know someone who loves learning about cheese, the Cheese Log Book is an ideal gift. They can keep track of all the cheeses they try, write down their personal tasting notes, and even learn more about how to taste, serve, and store cheese with the educational pages in this pocket-sized reference book. Pair with a package of Cheese Storage Bags or Paper, because it's likely this person has a fridge full of different cheeses! 

FOR THE PROFESSIONAL: If you have a cheesemonger, chef, or other food professional on your list, they will love our Professional Cheese Knives. The Professional 4-Knife Set is the perfect addition to any foodie kitchen, ensuring that every cut of any style of cheese is as efficient as possible, as well as incredibly stylish - these knives are made in Italy from stainless steel with real walnut wooden handles. 

FOR THE ECO-FRIENDLY: We are proud of the fact that there is a Formaticum product for every lifestyle. Our Zero Cheese Storage Bags & Sheets are completely plastic-free and compostable, while our new Reusable Cheese Storage Bags & Sheets can be hand-washed, air-dried, and reused over and over again for all styles of cheese. Reduce waste without compromising your cheese! 

Of course, any gift containing Formaticum products can be improved with a gift card to the recipient's favorite local cheese shop or specialty grocery store. A thoughtful gift is also a delicious way to support your local small businesses! Browse all Formaticum products on our website, and please don't hesitate to reach out to us at hello@formaticum.com with any questions, comments, or concerns. We wish you a happy and healthy holiday season, and we are thankful for your continued support!

The end of the summer marks an important tradition for Swiss cheesemakers - the Désalpe. After a long summer high up in the Alps, the farmers lead their herds of cows down the mountain and parade them through the town, adorned with flower crowns and ornate cowbells as the town cheers to thank them for their hard work. Attendees of the Désalpe celebrate the end of the summer cheesemaking season with fondue, drinks, and heaping plates of food, as the sounds of traditional Swiss alphorn music mingle with the clanging of the cowbells. 

The celebration comes at the end of the alpage cheesemaking season - during the summer months, farmers and cheesemakers make their way up into the mountains with their cows to spend the season in chalets, Alpine huts that often have no electricity. Some farmers even combine their herds in order to pool milk for a single cheesemaker to work with - this is called coop dairying, a tradition that is very common for cheeses like Gruyère and Comté. While the cows graze on the lush mountain pasture, the town below can focus on utilizing their pastures to harvest and store hay for the herds to eat during the harsh winter months. The seasonal migration of the animals from lower to higher elevations across seasons is known as transhumance, and it is not exclusive to Swiss cheesemaking - many cheeses like Gorgonzola from Italy and authentic Cotija from Mexico involve transhumance too! 

The abundance of diverse flora, grasses, and herbs present in high elevation Alpine pastures are a significant part of what gives alpage cheese its unique and complex flavor - as the cows digest them, their flavors create a terroir in the milk is distinctly Swiss, which only intensifies as the cheese ages. The milk is collected daily, sometimes more than once, where it is made into cheese in a copper vat over a wood-burning fire, imbuing the wheels with a hint of wood smoke.

Over hundreds of years, alpage cheesemakers have come up with ways to achieve the ideal firm texture and savory, nutty flavor of their cheeses as a result of immediate environmental factors - from cutting the curds smaller and heating them at a higher temperature to create a drier cheese, to a sparing use of salt to avoid lugging heavy bags up a mountain, to a standardized larger format wheel that is easier to bring back down the mountain than several smaller wheels. Creating larger, sturdier wheels of cheese ensures the cheese will stay good longer so that the people in the community can consume the nutrients found in liquid milk to help sustain them through the winter months. 

Alpage cheesemaking is no small feat - it requires nearly round-the-clock commitment and backbreaking labor. Those who continue this ancient cheesemaking tradition are lauded and highly respected in Switzerland. So this season, we raise a glass and a pot of fondue to alpage cheesemakers everywhere to thank them for keeping the tradition alive, so that we can continue to enjoy our Gruyère, our Vacherin Fribourgeois, our Sbrinz, our L'Etivaz, and much more. 

Of course, it's important to store these cheeses properly so that you can experience the seasonality and flavor at its best and fullest - Formaticum cheese storage solutions are perfect for protecting your investment and honoring the work of these dedicated cheesemakers and farmers. We recommend our Reusable Cheese Storage Sheets for the best possible results, or our Reusable Cheese Storage Bags for all the benefits of the Reusable material, combined with the ease of the bag format. 

Shop now at formaticum.com and don't forget to enjoy some fondue with friends this holiday season!