During our Taste Buddies After-School program this week, all the budding chefs did a cheese taste test, where we sampled cheeses from Asiago and Mozzarella to Meunster and Goat! Thanks to the fabulous cheese section at Fairway Market, our chefs are now cheese connoisseurs!

To broaden you child’s palate for fine cheeses, try a taste test at home! What a great activity that can be doubled as an afternoon snack! This can be done in 3 simple steps: observe, smell, and taste!

Step 1: Use your eyes! Ask your kids to describe the color of they cheese and/or rind. What does the texture look like? Are there cracks, variations in color, white patches, does it look wet or dry? Is it crumbly?

Step 2: Your nose knows! Smell and taste the cheeses! Is the smell the same when you open the package as when you cut into the cheese? What do you taste buds taste first? What flavors stays in your mouth? What do you taste after you swallow? Decide if the cheese is

• Sweet: on tip of your tongue
• Sour: on sides and back of tongue (Is your mouth watering?)
• Bitter: on the back of your tongue (near your throat) as if you’re trying to swallow something prickly
• Salty: on the front and sides of your tongue

Describe flavors and aromas with words like: nutty, peppery, pungent, milky, mild earthy, fruity, floral, clean, sharp and bold.

Step 3: Talk about texture. How does the cheese feel in your hand? How about in your mouth? Is it creamy, buttery, dry, waxy, greasy, rubbery, crumbly, hard, or soft?

Pictured below are our advanced chefs at Solomon Schechter School of Manhattan after their cheese tasting activity!