23 Cheeses These Chefs Always Have In Their Fridges

It's always a good idea to have these cheese platter stars on hand.

There's something so beautifully decadent about the cheese cart that parades through the dining room of gourmet restaurants.

Although fresh cheese from the Alpes farm isn't as readily available as if we were at a fromagerie where the cheese options seem endless, you can still put together the perfect cheese platter by stocking up on a few simple grocery store finds. .

Some cheeses are meant to be eaten as is with a freshly baked baguette, others are more suited to being melted, sprinkled on a salad or grilled.

Whether you're looking to impress your guests with an Instagram-worthy cheese platter, want to add a finishing touch to some pasta, or just fancy something salty to snack on, you can't go wrong with these cheeses.

From mozzarella to mimolette, here are the cheeses chefs always have on hand at home and what to whip up quickly for a last-minute dinner or late-night snack.

1 - Gouda

"At home, we have a lot of aged cheeses to nibble on. My favorites are Comté, Mimolette and Gouda aged three months. We also always have a spring goat's cheese tommette, an aged goat's cheese for my daughter who doesn't cannot consume cow's milk."

— Daniel Boulud chef and restaurateur.

2 - Gruyere

“Gruyère is one of those incredibly versatile cheeses. Looking to make a high quality cheese platter? Make a sandwich? one of the first cheeses you look for in all these cases."

— Ian Rynecki, Executive Chef of Pippin Hill Farm & Vineyard in Virginia.

3 - Bianco Sardo

"At Saint Théo we always keep Bianco Sardo stocked in our fridge. It's my favorite and the only finishing cheese we use in the restaurant - no homemade parmesan. The Bianco Sardo which is made from sheep's milk not Sardinian pasteurized cheese is slightly nuttier and not as harsh." — Ashley Rath, Executive Chef of Saint Theo's in New York.

4 - Burrata

"Drizzled with lightly peppery olive oil and topped with a beautiful leaf of fresh basil, the burrata goes wonderfully with fresh tomatoes or pan-fried zucchini."

— Arnaud Faye, Meilleur Ouvrier de France and chef of the Christopher Hotel in Saint-Barth.

5 - Mimolette

"A cheese I always have in my fridge is Mimolette a hard French cheese made in the style of Dutch Edam. Mimolette makes a great grilled cheese sandwich to which I also add shrimp and béchamel The perfect comforting dish!"

— Jean-Paul Lourdes, executive chef of the Standard Grill in New York.

6 - Cabrales

"Cabrales is one of my husband Felix's favorite cheeses. It's a strong and aromatic blue cheese that is really creamy and delicious on the palate. I always have a blue cheese on hand and it's definitely our favorite. It's the best thing to throw on steak sandwiches in a nice big salad or with a little smoked onion jam."

— Katie Button, of Cúrate Bar de Tapas and Cúrate at Home in Asheville

7 - Vegan Cheese

"I love Miyoko's Organic Cashew Milk Mozzarella because it has a high melting point that melts slightly when I need it and also holds its shape. At Etérea I smoke it and fry it for the zucchini taco. "

— Xila Caudillo, Head of Herbal Etérea in New York.

8 - Squeegee

"I always have the classic melty cheeses like Gruyère, Emmental and Raclette at home. Mix the three together and you're basically pouring Swiss fondue over that pasta casserole for dinner."

— Patrick Dahms, Executive Chef of The Hythe, a Luxury Collection Resort.

9 - Pecorino

"Pecorino is super versatile nice and salty with a good twang. One of my favorite guilty pleasures is homemade focaccia grilled over high heat and finished with a good swig of olive oil some toasted ground black pepper and a ridiculous amount of freshly grated pecorino."

— Jeff Hundelt, Executive Chef of Summer House on Music Lane at the Magdalena Hotel in Austin.

"With pecorino you can always prepare good pasta with an empty pantry whether it's carbonara (eggs, bacon, pecorino) a simple fresh tomato sauce or even cacio e pepe which is nothing more than pecorino and black pepper but sublimely delicious."

— Anthony Carron, founder and executive chef of 800° Degrees Pizza and Coast Range restaurant in Solvang.

10 - Camembert

"The cheese that I will always have in my fridge is a soft raw milk camembert. I also have a weakness for my own creation: a salted butter camembert marinated in Calvados and coated in breadcrumbs prepared in my kitchen at Bristol Paris and matured in the new in-house cheese cellar."

— Eric Frechon, chef of the Bristol Paris.

11- Boursin

"The cheese that's always in my fridge is Boursin! I actually brought it for a family meal at Quince when I worked there and once I made it chef Michael Tusk demanded that I keep it in stock. He snacked on it every day and so did I! It's also great in omelettes, pasta sauce or mixed in pizza sauce."

— Shawn Gawle, Executive Pastry Chef of Goodnight Hospitality.

12 - Mobay

“Recently I tasted a Mobay cheese from Wisconsin the state version of French Morbier. It has a layer of sheep's cheese and a layer of goat's cheese separated by a thin layer of vine ash. usually place a few slices on simply toasted country bread with a drizzle of salt and pepper quality olive oil.

— Christian Brassfield, Executive Chef of the Waldorf Astoria Chicago

13 - Grana Padano

"Amazing for pasta dishes like cacio e pepe it's less crumbly and less salty so it's much more forgiving when trying to make a smooth sauce for pasta. I love this grated on my scramble or frittata."

— Narita Santos, head of The Exchange at Freehand Los Angeles.

14 - Blue cheese

"I always have blue cheese (Gorgonzola or Roquefort) on hand because I like to make toast with blue cheese and butter as a snack."

— Eric Ripert, chef and co-owner of the three-star restaurant Le Bernardin in New York.

"I'm a big fan of blue cheese especially from Valdeón de Castilla y León in Spain. It's a goat and cow cheese wrapped in sycamore leaves that is creamy rich salty and spicy. I use it in salads with kale, almonds and pears. I also like to have it on its own on toast with sweet membrillo (quince jelly)."

—Sergio Chamizo, Executive Chef of Mareva1939 at the National Hotel in Miami.

15 - Mozzarella

"I always have a log of low-moisture mozzarella in the fridge. It's the master of melting and the key to pizza, but it can also be the main character in cheddar cheese in sandwiches, grilled cheese and pizzas. nachos. Buy the log and shred it yourself - pre-shredded will never give you the foot-long melted cheese pull."

— Jet Tila, chef and restaurateur

16 - Parmigiano Reggiano

"A very good quality Parmigiano to eat and grate."

— Scott Conant, James Beard Award-winning chef and author of Peace, Love, and Pasta.

"I love Parmigiano-Reggiano aged at least 24 months. It is perfect for a tasty lunch or dinner on your own or to offer your family or friends the perfect Italian appetizer. You can enjoy it alone or pair it with fresh produce bread olives cold cuts and a glass of Italian red wine."

— Fabio Ciervo, Executive Chef of Michelin-starred La Terrazza at Hotel Eden in Rome.

17 - County

"Whether it's my fridge at home or the dressing room at the Maison du Boucher, I always make sure that we are supplied with Comté. It is a semi-hard cow's milk cheese produced in the Jura mountains in eastern France. As a French immigrant now living in the United States Comté is nostalgic for me. If you close your eyes and take a bite of it its delicately brackish and earthy notes transport you to the green mountain pastures. At Butcher's House we melt Comté on our burger and thinly slice it for our classic ham sandwich. At home I like to break off a piece of Comté and tear off a piece of baguette and enjoy both in their rustic simplicity. with a glass of wine."

— Jeoffrey Offer, chef/owner of Butcher's House Brasserie in Costa Mesa, CA.

"I like this cheese because it is very versatile. It can easily be used in simple recipes (cooked, grated over a pasta dish, mixed into a sauce) or simply eaten on its own. My personal preference is the young Comté which is fruitier than the old Comté often served in restaurants."

— Amaury Bouhours, executive chef of the Meurice Alain Ducasse, two Michelin stars in Paris.

18 - Idiazabal

"My favorite cheese is Idiazábal. This traditional, artisanal pressed cheese is made from unpasteurized sheep's milk from the Basque Country or Navarre. It stands out for its hard but soft texture and its natural characteristic light smoky flavor. Idiazábal is the best cheese to snack on with a good bottle of wine and a perfect way to enhance croquetas or enhance any recipe that calls for Parmigiano-Reggiano."

— Mikel Goikolea, Executive Chef of LEKU in Miami.

19 - Burgundy Delight

"I feel like I always have Délice de Bourgogne on hand! This triple cream Brie is incredible because it is slightly acidic like fresh cream, which makes it the perfect complement to a jammy toast with breakfast lunch of an epic spread and of course honeycomb and toast to end the day.”

— Jessica Scott Pastry Chef of 50 Eggs Hospitality Group.

20 - Brie

“My idea of a perfect dinner is toasted baguette, quince spread and a lightly melted Brie. Baked Brie, sliced cold on a sandwich – there's no wrong way to do it.”

— Bonnie Moore Executive Chef of Three Sisters and Sycamore at Blackberry Mountain.

"There are three kinds of cheese that are indispensable to me: goat cheese, simply because it is my favorite, and then both a hard and a soft cheese. I always have a piece of Comté as an option hard and Brie for the soft."

— Jean-Denis Rieubland chef of the Royal Champagne Hotel & Spa.

21 - Marinated Feta

"I almost always have a jar of marinated feta in my fridge. This cheese is unlike any other feta you've tasted - it's a blend [incroyablement] creamy sheep's and goat's milk which is [appétissant] on his but will also enhance a bowl of cereal, a salad or an avocado toast. You can also whisk it and serve it as a dip for vegetable crudités.

— Madeline Sperling, Executive Chef of Zou Zou's in New York.

"Marinated Australian goat feta is a staple in my fridge. It's not as salty as Greek feta and has a creamy texture which makes it a great addition to omelettes to salads or a charcuterie board with bread gate."

— Melissa Sallman, Executive Chef, JW Marriott Orlando Bonnet Creek Resort & Spa

22 - Moliterno al Tartufo

"Central Formaggi's Moliterno al Tartufo is always on hand in my fridge. This black truffle infused aged Italian sheep's cheese is simply sublime. The smooth, oily crumbly texture of the cheese curds and the streaks of truffle chunks black throughout The cheeses are a perfect pairing.A little sourdough bread and a gamay noir to accompany the cheese will be divine.—Cameron Smith Cheesemaker of The Inn at Little Washington three Michelin stars in Washington DC24

23 - Quesillo

"The most beloved cheese in my fridge would have to be Oaxaca. This cheese from Mexico is great for melting because it looks like mozzarella but has a bit more creaminess. The reason I always keep it in my fridge is because I love late night snacks like nachos, quesadillas and tortas (Mexican sandwiches)."

— Daniel Sokolov chef at the Parlor Room in New York.