[slabbyd]

Cheddar just won't cut it with this hot weather. Any recommendations out there for a warmth-resistant, hard-wearing cheese, not to strong of taste to layer on some tasty biscuits?

[cweston]

Aged Gouda. It's pretty mild for the first couple days. Keeps 5 days or more even in summer.

[slabbyd]

Mmmm...Gouda. I like Gouda. I once carried a 2 lb block of Cheddar to Kahlalau Beach on the Napali Coast. 85 degrees and high humidity. That thing was a melted nasty mess before it ever came out of the pack. A little wisdom..backpacking in Hawaii requires a completely different set of equipment than the PNW.

[Conrad]

We've been using string cheese (mozzarella) in the little 1-oz snack packages. Wasteful packaging but it seems to do fine in warm weather, is very convenient and cheap. Of course it's nowhere near as tasty as gouda.

[sarbar]

You just need to carry your cheese differently and only buy the real stuff for cheddar (ie..Tillamook). Cheese is fine to carry for days and won't spoil - it does though get soft and oily in hot temps. Still edible. A good cheddar will get limp but won't melt. You can always cut your cheese into 1 or 2 ounce blocks and then dip into paraffin or beeswax to make little cubes to take with you.

[SlowWalker]

That's a Gouda idea!

[Canuck]

[sarbar]

The melting is the oil coming out. Sure it doesn't look good but it will eat just fine in dishes. Though..may I suggest shelf stable cheese for you all? http://www.packitgourmet.com/Wisconsin-Cheddar-Cheese-p180.html They sell a Swiss, an Italian and Jalapeno as well. They also carry freeze-dried cheese: http://www.packitgourmet.com/Freeze-Dried-Shredded-Cheddar-Cheese-p446.html

[mgd]

Goldfish Crackers--the cheese, the cracker, and the fish. It is like a miniature food pyramid contained in one cracker.

[sarbar]

[Sennin]

Should this be in the food forum? Parm Mont. Jack Dry Romono Asiago Manchego Mizithra

[Kim Brown]

I like good Irish cheddar, too – it’s fairly hard, and keeps well. Guyere is another one I like. But just go to the cheese section (the deli cheeses, not where the bologna is) and fondle & squeeze the various cheeses. The hard ones keep best . I’ve had very few problems with regular ole sharp cheddar (I just bought Tillamook cheddar based on Sarbar’s recommendation – perhaps it will keep even better than other brands). Don’t slice it up – keep it in a block. It’s cool enough at nighttime – like a refrigerator – so that it won’t go bad. Might be liquidy each afternoon, but it solids up again at night. I’ve gnawed off the same block of cheddar for up to 4 hot as hell days with no problem. No offense, but I hate those string cheeses, or those in pre-packaged pieces, even the cheddar. There’s something wrong with the way they taste. Sorta like not cheese. Cheese has gotten very expensive the last year or so (or maybe I notice the price now that my income is almost half what it was). Trader Joes has much better prices on the same cheeses that QFC, Safeway, etc. carry.

[Man-inna-hillz]

Manchego French Gruyere Castigliano Sonoma Dry Jack Iberico Aged Goats Milk Gouda Drunken Goat from the Basque region Crotin de Chavignol ...are all excellent hard cheeses that do not sweat excessively, and which go marvelously with bread and salami on a hiking trip.

[touron]

There's a place in Leavenworth that sells cheese and I think makes it too. They have a wide variety... Leavenworth can get really hot in the Summer. I bet they might have some good advice on varieties that can withstand the heat and ways to avoid a meltdown...

[solohiker]

I take hard cheese - parmesian, asagio, romano. They aren't as oily and they have a sharp flavor so a little goes a long way. They're also great for flavoring pasta/couscous at dinner.