Rating: 
Summary: Comte = very few small holes Emmentaler = lots of big holes
Review: I worked as a cheesemonger for five years, have shopped at Mr. Jenkins counter at Fairway in NYC, and have attended American Cheese Society conferences where he has spoken. When I've heard him speak, he has always admitted that there is incorrect and out of date information in this book - it was published in 1996, and since then, some cheeses that were unavailable in the U.S., or only available in pasteurized versions have become available or additionally available in raw milk versions. For example, on p. 159, he states that Bleu d'Auvergne is only made with pasteurized milk. There are versions now that you can buy in the U.S. made with raw milk and have been for at least five years.It's not a huge problem for a casual reader that there are errors in the book - though some of them are factual, many of them are changes caused by the growth in interest in good cheese in the U.S. Availability is changeable, and we get to eat more delicious treasures because of greater interest in cheeses here in America, which includes the promotion of cheeses by Mr. Jenkins. I've heard that he's working on a second edition, but that was a couple years ago, and a revision of a work like this is certainly a long process. That being said, the picture on p. 116 *is* captioned incorrectly. The text above the picture is about Emmentaler. A wheel of Emmentaler (originally from Bern, a bulging Swiss cheese with holes produced by the action of innocuous bacteria added to the curd in production and a smooth, brushed rind) is identified as a wheel of Comte (a cheese from the Franche-Comte region of France with a few small holes, and a flat, bumpy, natural brown rind, pictured on p. 114). This is obviously an editing mistake. Believe me, your average book editor is not going to be identify cheeses by sight at ten paces as a cheesemonger can. If you turn the book upside down and look closely, you will be able to read the words "Grand Cru" on the top of the cheese. It's Grand Cru Emmentaler. Mr. Jenkins tells us himself, "I'm opinionated about flavor and pull no punches." He is opinionated, and his likes and dislikes come through strongly. Don't decide to dismiss a cheese entirely because he doesn't like it, or accept it just because he loves it. You just can't do that with food. This is a chatty, enjoyable, conversational read, but if you want to learn about cheese, don't just read this book. Read others too, and *most importantly*, go out and meet your local cheesemonger and taste all the different types of cheese you can!
Rating:
Summary: A good guide, but don't let it intimidate you
Review: If Anthony Bourdain's motto in "A Cook's Tour" is "Eat what the locals eat," the author of "Steven Jenkins Cheese Primer" (no apostrophe) might add the corollary, "Don't eat what the locals eat if you're not where the locals are." For one of the most important, if depressing, pieces of information in this info-packed book is that we in this country are banned, through the wisdom of our government, from eating authentic European cheeses the way they were intended to be eaten (i.e., made from unpasteurized milk). As a result, many "European" cheeses sold in the US, Jenkins tells us, are pallid and bland -- if not downright heretical -- imitations of their European namesakes. If we want to try, for example, a "real" Camembert, we'll just have to wait until we get to France. (Interestingly, Camembert cheese is not made in the village of Camembert, Jenkins informs us, nor is cheddar cheese made in the English town of Cheddar. Not any more, anyway. And needless to say, "real" cheddar cheese is apparently a very different thing from the mass-produced yellow bricks we find in our grocery store.) The cover of this book describes Steven Jenkins as "America's most opinionated authority" when it comes to cheese, and I've no doubt that's true. His opinions do in fact come through loud and clear. As with any "authority" on matters of taste, you can give his opinions as much weight as you think they deserve. There's no question, though, that Jenkins is immensely informed about his topic. And if you feel a little self-conscious carrying this Primer to your local *crémerie*, rest assured that it would still be easier than trying to memorize all the facts, tips, recommendations, and warnings the book contains.
Rating:
Summary: A good guide, but don't let it intimidate you
Review: If Anthony Bourdain's motto in "A Cook's Tour" is "Eat what the locals eat," the author of "Steven Jenkins Cheese Primer" (no apostrophe) might add the corollary, "Don't eat what the locals eat if you're not where the locals are." For one of the most important, if depressing, pieces of information in this info-packed book is that we in this country are banned, through the wisdom of our government, from eating authentic European cheeses the way they were intended to be eaten (i.e., made from unpasteurized milk). As a result, many "European" cheeses sold in the US, Jenkins tells us, are pallid and bland -- if not downright heretical -- imitations of their European namesakes. If we want to try, for example, a "real" Camembert, we'll just have to wait until we get to France. (Interestingly, Camembert cheese is not made in the village of Camembert, Jenkins informs us, nor is cheddar cheese made in the English town of Cheddar. Not any more, anyway. And needless to say, "real" cheddar cheese is apparently a very different thing from the mass-produced yellow bricks we find in our grocery store.) The cover of this book describes Steven Jenkins as "America's most opinionated authority" when it comes to cheese, and I've no doubt that's true. His opinions do in fact come through loud and clear. As with any "authority" on matters of taste, you can give his opinions as much weight as you think they deserve. There's no question, though, that Jenkins is immensely informed about his topic. And if you feel a little self-conscious carrying this Primer to your local *crémerie*, rest assured that it would still be easier than trying to memorize all the facts, tips, recommendations, and warnings the book contains.
Rating: 
Summary: For Those Wallaces & Gromits Out There
Review: If you're obsessed with cheese, if you plan your weekends and vacations around cheese, if you served on FFA dairy judging teams, if you go to the cheese coolers at the grocers first, if you correct people on their pronunciation of Gouda, if you've had cheese omelettes for breakfast, cheese soup for lunch and cheese casserole for supper - all in one day, then you're a cheese person understood only by other cheese persons. This book is recommended for your private cheese library.
Rating: 
Summary: Cheese Primer
Review: Pity this book doesn't have clear colour photographs. The content is excellent but the edition I have looks rather badly reproduced.
Rating:
Summary: Cheese Primer
Review: Pity this book doesn't have clear colour photographs. The content is excellent but the edition I have looks rather badly reproduced.
Rating:
Summary: Put your money where your mouth is, Steve
Review: Steve Jenkins is one of the most opinionated cheesemongers in the country, and therein lies his problem. Throughout the book his prounouncements and his boasting make him look foolish if not petty. The book is rife with errors and --thank goodness-- is apparently being revised as I write this. Among my favorite errors in the book is a photograph on page 116, "With a sweeping gesture, this cheese shop clerk cuts into a wedge of Comte with a wire cutter." Clearly the cheese is Grand Cru Emmenthal, not Comte. Perhaps he suffers from bad editing, but there is no need to make us all suffer with him. Particularly insufferable is his "American Treasures" section of his overview of American cheeses. Laura Chenel's chevre may have been a 'treasure' 10 years ago, but the stuff available in most markets today, both domestic and norwegian produced, is flaccid, tasteless, and unimaginative. Just perfect for the US market, right Steve? His "Great Cheeses" section has produced a generation of sheep haunting their favorite cheese counters with requests for the grossly commercial Explorateur, the equally commercial rouzaire Gratte Paille, the gruesome Leyden (just try selling that in your cheese counter...bet you will be stuck with it for years!), and boring Boursalt. His top cheeses are all pretty mundane, and unfortunately many novice cheesemongers fill their cases with his recommendations. I tell all my cheese neophyte friends to buy Cheese Primer for a basic education, but they must form opinions about quality themselves. And they shouldn't believe everything Jenkins puts forward-- the fact checker must have been out the day he submitted his manuscript. One other thing to keep in mind is that some cheeses which Jenkins describes as rare or not imported into the US no longer applies. Don't take his word for it. Just go to your favorite cheese shop and ask for one of those cheeses (start with REAL epoisse or Vacherin Mont D'or). But don't ask at one of those places where Jenkins' book is the only one on display. They wouldn't know.
Rating:
Summary: This book is great!
Review: Steve Jenkins writes about cheese with humor, knowledge, and some interesting stories! A great book for the beginning cheese buff to the experienced cheese-a-holic!
Rating:
Summary: Put your money where your mouth is, Steve
Review: The author has a few very good recipes and a good knowledge of various cheeses, but cast doubt on his technical expertise through the following statement on Page 15,"Cream is composed of milk's larger fat globules, which float because they are heavier than water." Any high-school chemistry student should know that cream floats because it is less dense than water -- just like oil. Maybe this was just a gross editing error, but you wonder why a cheese expert would even write this kind of error in a draft. The book does have good descriptions of various cheeses, serving suggestions, etc. However, as a Texas, I was disappointed with the brief section on Mexican cheeses which are delicious and becoming widely available in my region.
Rating:
Summary: Anectdotally interesting but technically suspect
Review: The author has a few very good recipes and a good knowledge of various cheeses, but cast doubt on his technical expertise through the following statement on Page 15,"Cream is composed of milk's larger fat globules, which float because they are heavier than water." Any high-school chemistry student should know that cream floats because it is less dense than water -- just like oil. Maybe this was just a gross editing error, but you wonder why a cheese expert would even write this kind of error in a draft. The book does have good descriptions of various cheeses, serving suggestions, etc. However, as a Texas, I was disappointed with the brief section on Mexican cheeses which are delicious and becoming widely available in my region.
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