Crystals Shine in Aged Cheeses

Plush and pillowy, stretchy and melty, or crumbly and crystalline, a cheese’s texture offers as much culinary potential as its flavor. You might know about the cheese curd “squeak,” but there is also appeal in the crunch of tiny crystals found in some aged cheeses. 

Crystals typically appear in two styles. Aged Cheddars may sport a thin, white film of calcium lactate crystals, often when there’s space for lactic acid-containing moisture to collect...