The Type Of Cheese That's Most Difficult To Get Sliced At A Deli

Deli counters are the go-to destinations for orders of freshly sliced cheese. Equipped with slicing machine that can be adjusted to cut meats and cheeses in a variety of widths, customers can announce their own preferences for the desired thickness or thinness of their orders, explains Di Lusso Deli Company. While many stores use a number system to represent the width of a cut, slicing machines can vary, and so too, can the slices themselves.

When you step up to the counter, specify the thickness of cheese you would like to have sliced, but don't stop there. Ask to see one cut piece as an sample before the rest of the cheese is cut so you will how know exactly how the slices will turn out. As visions of perfectly layered sub sandwiches and beautiful charcuterie boards fill your head, you may want to think twice before announcing which cheeses you'd like to have sliced behind the deli counter.

Aged cheeses like cheddar and Swiss can be easily cubed to place artfully on a platter, but when sliced in a machine, older cheeses are more likely to crumble and leave behind unsightly pieces in the slicer, notes The Takeout. Those forlorn cheese pieces mean not only more time needed to clean the slicer before and after each cut but also food waste. Instead, order your favorite aged cheeses and bring them home to cut them yourself, recommends The Takeout. Then you can enjoy any cheese crumbles that fall onto your cutting board in the comfort of your own home or add the smaller pieces as a topping for scrambled eggs or onto tonight's chef's salad.

Remember that most deli cheeses dry out faster than other cheese types, warns The Kitchn, so buy only what you think you can consume in one week. After all, who wants any piece of cheese to go to waste?