Mastering Cheese: Lessons for Connoisseurship from a Maître

Product Review

Maître fromager Max McCalman, author of The Cheese Plate and Cheese, is steeped in the world of artisanal cheeses like no one else. In Mastering Cheese, he shares the wealth of his expertise to help cheese lovers on their path to connoisseurship.

After years of teaching courses for amateurs at the Artisanal Premium Cheese Center, where he is Dean of Curriculum, McCalman has developed a compelling set of classes for understanding and ex-periencing cheese. A full master's course in a book, Mastering Cheese covers the world of cheese in twenty-two distinct lessons, featuring tasting plates that deliciously demonstrate key topics. For example, a chapter titled "Stunning Stinkers" explains why some of the strongest-smelling cheeses can be among the best tasting and then recommends several stars of this category. Learn about the issues facing real raw-milk cheeses and then go out and taste the differences between these cheeses and those made with pasteurized milk.

For the first time in any of his books, McCalman includes extensive information on the modern artisanal cheese revolution in the United States and prominently features these artisans and their products alongside the famous cheeses of Italy, France, Spain, and the United Kingdom.

Complete with helpful charts and an invaluable index of more than 300 cheeses, Mastering Cheese is the definitive course that you can use in your own home to pursue your passion for cheese.

Customer Reviews

Average Customer Review

(13 customer reviews)

41 of 43 people found the following review helpful

Bravo!, April 14, 2010

Chambolle (Bainbridge Island, WA USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Mastering Cheese: Lessons for Connoisseurship from a Maître Fromager (Hardcover)

I'm here to tell you that this book -- "Mastering Cheese" -- is the real, full meal deal, and then some.

I've spent just a few hours with my newly acquired copy and am already certain I will be spending much, much more time with the book. There is plenty here to absorb. A brief history of cheesemaking. An outline of the basic steps in making various styles of cheese. The many elements of "terroir" and their effect on the texture, appearance and flavor of various cheeses. The basic "palette" of cheese flavors and aromas and the chemical compounds responsible for them, along with a glossary of common descriptive terms. Principles for mixing and matching cheeses for a cheese plate. Brief overviews of the cheeses of France, Italy, Switzerland, Britain, the U.S. and other dairy and cheesemaking regions. There is extensive discussion about the growing number of New World artisanal cheeses being made in Oregon, Washington, California, Vermont and elsewhere. A short review...Read more

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful

Educational and enjoyable, December 22, 2009

Bob Galivan "BobG" (Miami, Florida) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Mastering Cheese: Lessons for Connoisseurship from a Maître Fromager (Hardcover)

As a hard-core cheese devotee, I read more than my share of cheese books. I own both of MacCalmans other books (Cheese: A Connoisseur's Guide to the World's Best and The Cheese Plate), both of which are getting rather well-thumbed.

Mastering Cheese combines those two volumes, along with MacCalman's deep expertise in the cheese world, into an excellent how-to guide for anyone that is interested in taking their cheese experience to another level. It is well written with plenty of opportunities for the aspiring caseophile to expand their knowledge of this delicious, delightful food!

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful

Must read for cheese geeks, January 26, 2010

David Phillips (CHICAGO, US) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Mastering Cheese: Lessons for Connoisseurship from a Maître Fromager (Hardcover)

McCalman breaks lots of new ground in his third book on great cheese--big focus on American artisans, finally a chapter on beer, a more conversational tone--but the knowledge, insights, and ridiculously beautiful images remain. Hats off to Max, too, for (perhaps?) coining the term "cheese farmer."