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Swiss Cheese Delivery or Pickup
The Instacart guide to Swiss cheese
About Swiss cheese
Swiss cheese is a generic name for the wide variety of cheeses that originally came from Switzerland. In the United States. Swiss cheese often refers to Emmental or Emmentaler. Emmental is a mild cheese made from cow's milk, with a sweet, nutlike flavor. Swiss cheese has a recognizable appearance, known for having large holes, although not every kind of Swiss has the holes. They form when carbon dioxide is released during the maturation process. Cheesemakers can change the acidity, curing time, and temperature to control the size of the holes.Â
Swiss cheese or Emmentaler originally came from the Emme River Valley. It is one of the largest cheeses and takes up to 262 gallons of cow's milk to make a 200-pound wheel. It often has a deep yellow color, with holes that range from as small as the size of a cherry to as large as a golf ball.Â
Swiss cheese comes in several varieties, including extra-hard, hard, semi-hard, semisoft, and soft. The hard and semi-hard types are the most common and readily available in the grocery store. These include:
- Emmentaler. Emmentaler is a semi-hard Swiss. It's made from unpasteurized milk and needs to mature for at least four months, although depending on the producer, it might age longer. Emmentaler has a pale yellow color, marble-sized holes, and a smooth texture.Â
- Gruyere. Gruyere has a sweet flavor with just a touch of saltiness. It has a creamy texture and mildly nutty flavor when young, which becomes bolder and more assertive as it ages. The aging process ranges from five months to a year, and when fully aged, it tends to have small cracks that give it a grainy texture. Gruyere has very few or no holes.Â
- Baby Swiss. Baby Swiss has a pale yellow color and soft and silky texture. It has a mild flavor that buttery and sweet.Â
- Raclette. Raclette fits in between semi-soft and semi-firm. It comes from cow's milk and has notes of bacon and salami with hazelnut. It's often heated under a hot grill to intensify the nutty flavor and the fruity aroma. When it's grilled, the rind becomes crunchy, and it has a delicious savory flavor. It's often poured over potatoes for a delicious side dish.
- Blarney. Blarney is a semisoft cheese made with part-skim milk. You'll usually find it in red wax. This cheese is usually aged for at least 90 days and has a mild flavor.
Add Emmentaler or Gruyere cheese to your cart using the Instacart app, and you can get it delivered within a few hours!
You can use Gruyere, Emmenthaler, and other domestic Swiss cheeses interchangeably. All these varieties melt well and have similar flavor profiles. The flavor differences start to come out with the artisan-produced versions when compared to the mass-produced varieties.Â
Swiss cheese melts well, making it perfect for sauces. Emmentaler and Gruyere's full flavors are delicious in fondue, which is melted cheese combined with wine or brandy. It's served in a pot with the cheese warmed from below to keep it melted. Everyone at the table dips cubes of toasted bread into the cheese using long forks.
You'll also find sliced Swiss cheese when shopping on Instacart. Choose this for sandwiches, or to eat as a snack. Cut hard Swiss cheese into chunks and serve it with a cheese board along with meats and fruits such as apples and pears.
How long does Swiss cheese last?
Swiss cheese will last for up to a month in the deli drawer of your refrigerator. Make sure to wrap it in parchment paper, and then wrap it loosely in plastic. The parchment paper allows it to breathe, and the plastic keeps it fresh.Â
After wrapping it in parchment and plastic, if you wrap it again in aluminum foil, you can put Swiss cheese in the freezer to make it last even longer. Once frozen, it will keep for up to six months. When you are ready to eat it, thaw it in the fridge, keeping in mind that the texture might change. Previously frozen Swiss cheese is better for cooking than using on a sandwich, and once thawed, make sure to use it within a few days.Â
Swiss Cheese Near Me
Buy your favorite Swiss Cheese online with Instacart. Order Swiss Cheese from local and national retailers near you and enjoy on-demand, contactless delivery or pickup within 2 hours.
FAQs about Swiss cheese
Swiss cheese is one of the healthiest cheeses. It is an excellent source of calcium, and it's loaded with protein. It's also healthier than other cheeses because it has less salt, and it contains more vitamin B-12. Some hard Swiss cheese varieties don't contain lactose, so lactose-intolerant people can sometimes enjoy it without having digestive issues. Others, such as Raclette, have very low levels of lactose.
Instacart makes it easy and convenient to shop for Swiss cheese and all your groceries. Fill your cart with everything you need to make fondue or a great sandwich and get it delivered the same day!