Mastering Cheese: Lessons for Connoisseurship from a Maître Fromager

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 like this simply cannot begin to summarize the wealth of information included in this book. In the short time I've spent with it I'm sure I have come nowhere near to taking it all in. This is the most comprehensive, attractive and readable guide to cheese I have ever seen in the English language. McCalman presents it all with the fervor of a lover and true believer. Above all, he is a powerful advocate for small scale, artisanal cheese production, for restoring the character and diversity of real cheese. As McCalman says in the early going, some people are fortunate enough to find their true calling in life, and he found it in the world of cheese. McCalman is a man with a mission to teach us all about the vast array of cheeses made around the world, how to enjoy them in their peak condition and to appreciate all their nuances. This is his magnum opus. The book is as rich, creamy and full of life as a perfectly ripe and runny Vacherin Mont d'Or, as dense and mouthfilling as the very best Salers. If you really care about cheese and want to expand your knowledge and horizons, you want to own this book. I've previously reviewed McCalman's "Cheese, A Connoisseur's Guide," something of a coffee table guide to a rather limited selection of cheeses, marred, in my view, by McCalman's resort to a Robert Parker-like 'point scoring' system that seemed to make no sense at all. This book has no such faults or flaws. It is the book to buy. Just two teeny quibbles: First, I probably could do without the little "chapter reviews" at the end of each chapter. Yes, these are posited as "lessons," but let's not get too pedagogical! Second, and more of a bother, there does not seem to be a bibliography, although McCalman does refer to a number of other books and I assume he did go to other sources for a lot of the information contained here. I'd love to have a list of sources and the ability to seek them out, as this book successfully piqued my interest in learning more. This is sweating the small stuff, however; perhaps both points can be addressed in a second edition someday. As it is, this is a really wonderful resource on the subject of cheese.

This is a wonderfully complete and rounded book, and everyone who takes his love of finest artisan cheeses seriously should not just read, but study it. Mr. McCalman, quite obviously, not only is a true connoisseur and lover of great cheese, but he approaches his subject from a deep and broad knowledge base. It starts with the bio-molecular details of how the original milk constituents get changed during the various steps of cheese making to determine, together with the methods and ingredients applied to the process, the characteristics of the resulting cheese. It is from that basis that subsequent descriptions of the influence of terroir, animal breed, pasteurizing or not pasteurizing, affinage, various stages of ripeness, and so on and so forth, make what kind of difference in what we subsequently taste. Not only that, the authors apply a similar rigor when they describe what kind of wine, or even beer, goes best with which cheese selection. Hence, when we read about a certain cheese tasting best at such and such a stage, if to taste or not taste the rind, and even how to get the most out of the tasting experience itself, it is from that authoritative knowledge base that the recommendations are being made! Ergo: this is no work by some amateur who likes cheese, and decides to write a book about it. Nor is it a cheese "phone book" which lists x-hundred cheeses from across the globe, then describing them in endless repetitions as "flowery", "mushroomy" and "creamy". No, in this book such judgments are applied very specifically, and with precision. They go back to personal conversations with key fromagers, a solid scientific understanding of dairy processing and the bio-molecular foundations of taste science, and an enormous personal experience with the described cheeses that also can afford to warn of mistakes, misconceptions and what not to do. And where you are lucky enough to taste a cheese described in this book, you will devotedly sample it yourself and decide, licking your chops: hmmm... McCalman is definitely correct! In addition, the author(s) engage the culinary and presentational aspects just as authoritatively. With a true artist's touch, and again based on the above noted knowledge and experience, they advise on how to put together meaningful sampling plates, what else to put on it and for what purpose, and how to present it all in a way that delights even the most critical eyes. The pictures in the book will inspire the most discerning host in how to impress even terribly spoiled guests. In my book shelves, this has quickly become the authority and repeatedly consulted reference on one of my personal passions: exquisitely sublime cheese. In this case, God did bless America, and just in time!

This is seriously one of my favorite books. I love food, so naturally I love reading about how my food is made and why it tastes the way it does. Out of all the foods in the world, I am most enraptured by the world of cheese. There is so much history to be learned, and so many exciting options to be explored. The book is just brimming with delightful, educative material and photos that are really just good enough to eat. I've learned a lot about the cheeses I've been familiar with, and I've also discovered so much about new cheeses both foreign and domestic. I still reference this book when it comes to picking out new cheeses at my local store. Pick this up if you need more cheese in your life!

This book provides an excellent entry into the world of cheese...and with gorgeous pictures, it looks great on the coffee table. After recently deciding to embark upon a journey of cheesemaking I purchased this book. I'm only through the first few chapters, but already the insights into the history of cheese and details on different varieties are fantastic. It's a breeze to read and has an odd attractive power of causing all who visit our house to pick it up and thumb through it. My significant other and I have had some great discussions on cheese making...next up research on raising goats! You will love this book if you love cheese and if you know a cheese lover, this would make and excellent gift!

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!

This is a great book. I am a HUGE lover of cheese, and this book does a great job covering all of the bases that a cheese-head might want to know about, such as the history of cheese, how to make cheese, and various types of cheese around the world. My only question is why does it not cover all of the types of cheeses available on the markets today? Port Salut cheese is not mentioned in this book, anywhere? There are others that are not mentioned, but this is just one example. Overall though, I'd recommend this book to a cheese-head-enthusiast.

This book has not only been interesting and informative for an amateur cheese lover like me, but the book itself is a work of art. Sewn binding, top-quality paper, beautiful photographs, great design and layout. Just top quality, similar to Rizzoli art museum books. Beautiful, heavy in the hand, substantial. The artful nature of the book itself lends credence to its topic of fine cheeses. Really fun!

The BEST book on cheese I have ever read. Max's writing style is personal and informative, without the snobbery that many of his peers have. He is not trying to promote himself, rather cheese. From novice to advanced expert, this is a must-have book on cheese.