Emmentaler cheese is easier to cook with than it looks. Here's how to choose, use, and store it, what to substitute, and 17 recipes to get you started.

What is emmentaler cheese?

Emmentaler is the original Swiss cheese, the big holey wheel that gave "Swiss cheese" its cartoon image. It comes from the Emme valley in central Switzerland and is made from cow's milk into pale gold wheels that can weigh close to 100 kilograms each.

Those famous holes, called eyes, form as bacteria release carbon dioxide during aging, leaving round pockets through the paste. The flavor is mild and nutty, faintly sweet, gentler than its cousin gruyere.

If a recipe just says Swiss cheese, emmentaler is usually what it means, or a close imitation of it.

How to use emmentaler

Emmentaler is a strong melter with a clean, mild flavor, which is why it shows up wherever you want stretch without funk.

Its most famous job is fondue. Melted with gruyere and white wine over a little cornstarch, emmentaler gives the pot its smooth stretch, the backbone of a Basic Fondue (Fondue Neuchateloise).

It melts just as happily into baked dishes. Stirred through dumplings it turns them rich and gooey, the heart of a Kasespatzle (Spaetzle Cheese Noodles), and folded into a custard it carries an Asparagus & Emmenthaler Tart.

It is also a sandwich classic, the holey slice in a ham and Swiss or a Dagwood.

As with any cheese, grate it for a sauce and melt it gently, since even an easy melter splits if you boil it hard.

Pairing and common mistakes

Emmentaler's mild nuttiness pairs with the cold-weather food of its home. It loves ham, cured pork, mushrooms, onions, and crusty bread, and it crowns a bowl of Onion Soup Provencal under the broiler.

The most common mistake is grabbing pre-sliced packaged "Swiss" and expecting real depth. A lot of supermarket Swiss is a rubbery, flavorless copy, while genuine Emmentaler AOP from Switzerland tastes nutty and sweet. For a dish that leans on the cheese, buy the real wedge.

The other slip is boiling it in a sauce or fondue. Pushed too hot, even emmentaler curdles and goes stringy, so keep fondue at a bare simmer and add cheese to sauces off the heat.

Substitutes

Gruyere is the natural swap, made just over the hills and a little firmer and more flavorful. Use it anywhere emmentaler goes, especially in fondue where the two are usually combined anyway.

Jarlsberg from Norway is the closest mild stand-in, a Swiss-style cheese with the same holes and a similar sweet, nutty melt. Many cooks find it interchangeable with emmentaler on a sandwich.

For pure melting in a gratin or sauce, a mild fontina or young gouda also works, smoother and less nutty but reliably gooey.

Buying and storing emmentaler

Look for the name Emmentaler or Emmental and, if you want the real Swiss article, the AOP stamp on the rind. The paste should be pale gold and dotted with cherry-sized holes, with a clean, nutty smell.

Wrap a wedge in wax paper or parchment, then loosely in foil. Keep it in the warmest part of the fridge so the cut face does not dry out.

A firm wedge of emmentaler keeps three to four weeks thanks to its moderate moisture, longer than a soft cheese but less than a very hard grating one.

It freezes acceptably for cooking and comes back better grated than sliced. If a little mold shows on a firm wedge, cut an inch around and below it and the rest is fine.

Quick facts

Where to find emmentaler cheese: Emmentaler cheese is usually found in the cheeses section or aisle of the grocery store or supermarket.

In Chinese

埃曼塔尔奶酪

British (UK) term

Emmentaler cheese

en français

fromage emmental

en español

queso emmental

Recipes using emmentaler cheese

There are 17 recipes that contain this ingredient.

All 17 recipes