My favorite among the inexpensive cheeses has always been Colby cheese. If not for the fact that I can't get it here in Maine, it probably wouldn't be my favorite cheese. I'd prefer a sharp cheddar or a Gouda, I suppose, but these are readily available in most any grocery store in Maine. Since moving here in 2000, the only times I've been able to get Colby cheese has been when I've been out of state. It's pretty common in Texas, and I had no trouble finding it when I lived in California and, in Michigan, since Colby is a Wisconsin cheese, it wasn't too hard to find it there either. I think Colby is what my mom usually bought, but I wasn't such a connoisseur of cheeses as a child. Although we made our own butter, I don't think we ever made our own cheese. It must be more difficult to make cheese. Anyhow, I can't find Colby cheese in Maine. They have some kind of a mixture of Colby with some white cheese, I forget which, but that's not what I want. I was going to buy some online, but it cost more than I was willing to pay.
Duckduckgo says Walmart in ME has it.......I remember seeing it in Biddeford but I have to limit cheese so haven't seen it lately
I have never looked for food in Walmart, so that's possible. We pretty much only have Hannaford and Shaw's up here.
Colby cheese has been my favorite? When I was growing up there was a cheese we bought, a big round cheese called rat cheese in the store where we traded. So called because it had holes in it. I’ve always believed and have been told by people in the business, that was Colby. I haven’t had any trouble finding Colby here in Oklahoma until this pandemic.
Me too. My parents called the cheddar with the thick red wax rind "rat cheese." My favorite cheese is Muenster; it makes the best cheese toast EVER.
That was about the only cheese we every bought, yellow, very mild, dry, sliced in big circles at a little family run dairy store down the street. We always called it longhorn cheese. I guess that only refers to the shape and color. We never knew that much about cheese. Once in a while got some Swiss.
I've never heard of the term "rat cheese" before. Colby Jack, I can get here (that's the one whose name I couldn't remember earlier), but I don't care for that.
When I was a kid it seemed that if there was non-sliced cheese in the house, it was always red-waxed Gouda or Edam. I've significantly expanded my cheese palate in my adult years, and leaned towards the stronger cheeses for eating with fruit or crackers (some recipes call for specific mild cheeses.) I can't honestly say that I've ever had Colby unless it was in a Jack mix for some Mexican dish. I know that my local Walmart carries their own house brand of Colby. I'm going to Kroeger's in Charlottesville tomorrow (where they have the specialty Murray's cheese kiosks.) I'll have to pick some up and try it.
My ex-wife was a vegetarian. Muenster was always her go-to cheese. She would often have a cold Muentster cheese sandwich as a meal. I can't say that I've ever tried it. So when you say "cheese toast," do you mean a grilled cheese sandwich?
No; I mean a slice of cheese placed on bread, then toasted in the Breville open-faced. In the summer, a nice slice of fresh tomato on top is a nice touch.
So I picked up some Colby today. It's pretty good. It's "mellower" than cheddar...even the mild cheddar. And it has a full flavor, as though "depth" is there rather than "bite." Funny I've never tried it before. I was gonna get some at the Murray's kiosk and all they had was half a medium-ish wheel...for under $5!! But it was more than I could eat, so I picked up an 8 oz. bar of store brand in the dairy section. I noticed that the national manufacturers (like Kraft) make anything other than a Colby blend...they do not make just Colby. But it's available in a few stores under a house label. Dunno why. @Ken Anderson Maybe your search for this will lead you to a decent cheese shop in your area. Murray's sells cheddars from $7/# to $35/#, and their Colby was at the $6/# range. For less than the delivered cost of a "meh"Colby, you might be able to grab something real nice outside of a traditional grocery store...and begin a cheese version of your coffee hobby.
I've discovered that Walmart only carried Great Value brand Colby, and Kroeger grocery store only carries their store brand Colby. You got any independent cheese shops/delis around?