Fontina cheese?

[chris629]

What exactly is this and are there subs?
I am not used to different cheeses or different names for cheeses. We grew up on the basics and then our little ol towns grocery stores (3 of them) don't carry too many, other then the basic, cheeses. So if I can't find this one, what is a good substitute for it?
Thanks!

 

[Raine]

Hope this helps Cheese

 

[jennyema]

Fontina would be probably pretty hard to find in any regular supermarket no matter where you are.

The best sub might depend on what you are making ...

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

Fontina is a semi-soft cheese, similare to Monteray Jack in texture, but a little more creamy. The flavor is a bit sharper than jack cheese, but less powerful than a good cheddar. It is very good with crackers, melted into toasted sandwiches or Grinders, etc. It is strong enough to flavor other ingredients, but not too strong to be eaten by itself. For a substitute, I would probably go with Muenster or Monteray Jack.

Seeeeya; Goodweed of the North

 

[Mylegsbig]

On a side note i threw in a bunch of fontina to a Shells and Cheese macaroni dish and it was amazing!!!!!

 

[Phil]

I think I posted somewhere else...

....that I had just discovered fontina from a recipe it called for. It will now be a staple in my cheeses. Super flavor.

 

[Haggis]

Fontina is an uber cheese when combined with prosciutto and nothing else on a sandwich.

It's a great melter and goes really well in fondues.

 

[QSis]

Haggis,

What does "uber cheese" mean? I'm guessing "excellent" or "great". Close?

Lee

 

[Haggis]

Bit of cross language contamination there.

Uber literally means 'above' in German, but is commonly also taken to mean 'super'. It is the super cheese :P.

 

[Gretchen]

There are two kinds of fontina available and they are quite different. "Real" fontina is Italian. It is very tangy, semi soft, almost like a soft Swiss cheese. Danish fontina is also semi-soft, much milder, and a bit like a soft jack.

 

[Piccolina]

I am not used to different cheeses or different names for cheeses. We grew up on the basics and then our little ol towns grocery stores (3 of them) don't carry too many, other then the basic, cheeses. So if I can't find this one, what is a good substitute for it?

I've subbed Gouda with Fontina and had pretty good results

 

[jpmcgrew]

http://igourmet.com
Check this site out they have every cheese in the world explain them, and give recipes.I have bought from them they are a good company.

 

[kitchenelf]

Possibly you could substitute with Gruyere but Fontina has a great taste that really can't be duplicated. I make a dish called Chicken Lombardi and substituted Gruyere one time - it wasn't the same AT all!!!!!! It had no sharpness or "bite" to it.

 

[grumblebee]

You could substitute gruyere, emmenthal, gouda, edam or beaufort... but like others have said, fontina has it's own unique taste so try to get the real thing if you can.

 

[vagabond]

Fontina for what?

I think you must know the goal of your recipe to choose the right 'fontina' and the right italian soft cheese to 'make a fontina'. For example marzolini as the ones listed on renieri.net are not worldwide known but are wonderful italian soft cheeses suitable for many recipes.