What method is best to determine if a cheese melts well?
I have found that a cheese that melts in the microwave or in a fry pan, may not melt as well on a grilled cheese or in a casserole-----sometimes not at all.
Does anyone have a more controlled method to determine the "Melti-ness" of a cheese. and, yes, I made that word up. ;)
Qdog
Typically I would think you would want a relatively low melting point for the type cheese you are looking for. Most of the store "cheeses", and I use that word lightly, are made up of vegetable oil and other Non-cheese ingredients that make them melt easily. The mutschli I did melted nice and if you're looking for an easy cheese to make I would highly reccomend it. The cheddars seem to melt a little higher than we have gotten use to with the store bought stuff. Not sure about Caerphilly but the other guys could tell you.
how acidified the cheese is is important.
Mutschli, Emmentaler, Gruyere, and Raclette are examples of cheeses that usually melt well because they are low acid and have a decent amount of contained moisture.
Emmentaler and Gruyere when aged longer will not melt as well because they acidify more and this changes the texture.
If a cheese, at least of the alpine type, is soft and flexible it will melt well. If it is hard and crumbly it will not melt so well.