Which is the greater cheese?


Col says

Another food question has been raised by an esteemed collegue that may even require a seperate post - why does grated cheddar cheese taste better than sliced cheddar cheese ?

Sep 28th, 2006

16 lacklustre pieces of inspiration on “Which is the greater cheese?”

  1. A mouse Says:
    September 28th, 2006 at 2:52 pm

    The question would be whether you use more or less cheese when you grate it compared to slice it. If you use the same amount (or less) when grated, it is probably because with grated cheese there is a greater surface area in contact with your mouth at any one time. This might not be the answer, but it would makes sense, and sense is what we deal with.

  2. col Says:
    September 28th, 2006 at 3:26 pm

    but its not your mouth that does the tasting, t’is only your tongue. And you could fashion a slice of cheese that would fit exactly over your tongue, but I bet it wouldn’t taste as good as grated cheese.

    and when did anyone ever see a mouse using a cheese grater? or a cheese slice for that matter!

    points off for the mouse for an inane answer! his grammer and typing is quite good though!

  3. Consultant M Says:
    September 28th, 2006 at 11:52 pm

    The answer is obvious, as are most that require the application of common sense. A standard cheese grater is, as we all know, a clumsy device to clean properly. Indeed, who amongst us can claim that they have ever satisfactorily scrubbed their holes until shiny, following a good grate of cheese or other food stuff.

    So you see, the flavour impovement that one tastes when cheese is grated is simply a result of the accumulation of tiny particles of food residue that have been left to mature for weeks, if not months, on the grater, patiently waiting to be stroked off with each new passing swipe of the cheese.

    After all we all know that a more mature cheese is better than a mild rubbery one do we not.

  4. Consultant K Says:
    September 29th, 2006 at 8:35 am

    also please do not try to grate brie

  5. col Says:
    September 29th, 2006 at 10:33 am

    ah but i always wash me cheese grater in de dishwasher so there’s no unsightly residue to cause taintage. so that ain’t de answer! its a tougher question than I first thought!

  6. Consultant M Says:
    September 29th, 2006 at 11:46 am

    Oil is the answer. As we know with most oily or fatty food stuffs - bacon, roast beef, olives etc. - the flavour is most strongly carried in the oil or fat. Grating the cheese, simply releases more oil, as there is a greater surface area.

  7. Consultant G Says:
    September 29th, 2006 at 12:01 pm

    This whole debate depends on how you are assessing how good something tastes. Unless we have an objective measure of this, and that you can prove that the cheese really does taste better when grated, then we are all wasting our (and our employers) time.

  8. another mouse Says:
    September 29th, 2006 at 12:02 pm

    Okay, lets think about this. Grating cheese takes longer than slicing cheese, and food tastes better if you are hungrier. So, if he time taken to slice the cheese is Ts, and the time taken to grate the cheese is Tg, then the difference between Ts and Tg will be a measure of how much better the grated cheese tastes.

  9. col Says:
    September 29th, 2006 at 1:02 pm

    it probably would take a mouse longer to grate cheese than to slice it, but normally i would be quicker at grating cos i’m that fast in de kitchen (although i never run with scissors). i do like consultant m’s oil answer tho - delivered with the confidence and assurance that only comes when one know one is talking complete bollix!

  10. col Says:
    September 29th, 2006 at 1:03 pm

    going back to another comment by some pedantic fella it really is hard to type a comment without making a silly typo innit somwere arse!

  11. That mouse again Says:
    September 29th, 2006 at 1:58 pm

    I said surface area right at the very start. Honestly, just beacuse I am a mouse you all ignore me. I have more sense than all you put together. I have to as I am much lower down the food chain than you are.

  12. col Says:
    September 29th, 2006 at 2:24 pm

    see look? another typo! its nerves, it msut be! doh!

  13. Da mouse Says:
    September 29th, 2006 at 3:31 pm

    Well, of course I make mistakes - I have no fingers and have to use my nsoe, sorry nose to tpye wiht

  14. Consultant M Says:
    October 1st, 2006 at 8:52 pm

    I afraid that I must strongly claim intellectual property rights to the comment about the surface area of cheese. I recall a recent (cheese) board meeting of the CCC (in a rather well known cafe chain) where I mentioned, albeit briefly, the surface area argument. I have no idea who this thieving mouse is but I dare say such a devious creature could hide quite easily under the table and spy.

    Anyway, I suggest a further theory.

    I suggest that Col is suffering from Synaesthesia. A condition whereby the stimulation of a particular sense, such as sight, may trigger the sense of taste. For example a person with the condition may taste strawberries when they hear the word train, or perhaps see the colour green when they read the number 10.

    I believe that Col has a mild form of the condition, whereby he experiences a mild cheese taste when he looks at a slicer and a strong cheese taste when he looks at a grater.

    Problem Solved, I’d say.

  15. col Says:
    October 2nd, 2006 at 10:33 am

    feck it anyway - you guys rock! I always wondered why i could taste strawberries when talking about trains - oh, there it goes again - yum! Should I see a doctor?

  16. clarisse the sea lion(ess) Says:
    October 5th, 2006 at 11:13 am

    which gimp is responsible for using the easy singles image as a representation of cheese? Have you ever tried grating easy singles? well, on your way home, buy a pack and then give it a lash when you get in. Then tell us how you got on tomorrow! you cheese pleb!

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