2011 Contest Classes

COW'S MILK CHEESES  

1    Cheddar, 'Mild'  (0-3 Months)  Natural, unflavored, rindless, cow's milk cheddar aged 1 to 90 days. Made between November 27, 2010 and February 24, 2011.

2    Cheddar, 'Medium' (3 to 6 months)    Natural, unflavored, rindless, cow's milk cheddar aged 91 to 180 days. Made between August 19, 2010 and November 26, 2010.

3    Cheddar, 'Sharp' (6 months  to 1 year)   Natural, unflavored, rindless, cow's milk cheddar aged 181 to 365 days. Made between February 25, 2010 and August 18, 2010.

4    Cheddar, Aged One to Two Years    Natural, unflavored, rindless, cow's milk cheddar aged 366 days to 730 days. Made between February 25, 2009 and February 24, 2010.

5    Cheddar, Aged Two Years or Longer    Natural, unflavored, rindless, cow's milk cheddar aged 731 days or longer. Made on or before February 24, 2009.

6    Bandaged Cheddar   Natural, unflavored, rinded, cow's milk cheddar.

7    Colby  Natural, unflavored colby made from cow's milk.

8    Monterey Jack  Natural, unflavored monterey jack made from cow's milk.

9    Marbled Curd Cheese   Natural cow's milk cheese marbled with colored and uncolored curd, commonly colby and/or jack and/or cheddar and/or mozzarella curd.

10    Swiss Style Cheese  Natural, unflavored, rinded and rindless cow's milk Swiss style cheeses, for example, Emmentaler, Swiss. Aged 60 days or more. Made on or before December 27, 2010.

11    Mozzarella  Natural, unflavored “whole milk” mozzarella in loaf form made from cow's milk, described as mozzarella cheese and low moisture mozzarella cheese in U.S. CFR1 Title 21 Part 133.155 and 133.156

12    Mozzarella, Part Skim   Natural, unflavored part skim mozzarella and low moisture, part skim mozzarella in loaf form made from cow's milk, described in U.S. CFR1 Title 21 Part 133.157 and 133.158.

13    Provolone, Mild  Natural, unflavored cow's milk provolone aged 1-180 days.  Does not include smoked provolone; smoked provolone competes in Class 44, Smoked Soft and Semi-soft Cheeses. Lipase enzyme may be added.

14    Provolone, Aged   Natural, unflavored, cow's milk provolone aged 181 days or more.  Does not include smoked provolone; smoked provolone competes in Class 45, Smoked Hard Cheeses.  Lipase enzyme may be added.

15    Ricotta   Natural, unflavored ricotta made from cow's milk and/or whey.

16    Parmesan   Natural, unflavored parmesan made from cow's milk.

17    Baby Swiss Style   Natural, unflavored cow's milk Baby Swiss style cheeses.  Maximum moisture 43%; minimum fat 45%; eye development throughout.

18    Feta   Natural, unflavored feta made from cow's milk.

19    Feta, Flavored   Natural feta made from cow's milk and flavored with added condiments.

20    Havarti   Natural, unflavored havarti made from cow's milk.

21    Havarti, Flavored   Natural havarti made from cow's milk and flavored with added condiments.

22    Gorgonzola   Natural, unflavored gorgonzola made from cow's milk.

23    String Cheese   Natural, unflavored cheese made from cow's milk; includes blended curd styles and Oaxaca.

24    Cottage Cheese   Natural, unflavored cottage cheese of any curd size with 1% or higher milkfat content, in retail packaging (24 oz. or smaller packages).

25    Fresh Mozzarella    Offered in varieties ciliegine, bocconcini, ovoline, burrata, etc.; fresh mozzarella is unflavored, high moisture, usually full fat, often packed in water and made from cow's milk and/or buffalo milk.  Note:  All sizes and shapes of unflavored Fresh Mozzarella will be considered a single cheese variety, thus only three entries can be accepted from each manufacturing site.

26    Blue Veined Cheeses with Exterior Molding    Natural, unflavored cow's milk cheeses veined with blue molds and ripened to develop surface mold.

27    Blue Veined Cheeses  Natural, unflavored cow's milk cheeses veined with blue molds and no surface mold development (rindless).

28    Brick, Muenster  Natural, unflavored cow's milk brick cheese and muenster cheese.  Aged 30 days or longer; not surface (smear) ripened. Made on or before January 26, 2011.

29    Brie, Camembert & Other Surface (Mold) Ripened Cheeses    Natural, unflavored brie, Camembert and all other surface (mold) ripened cheeses made from cow's milk.  Note: Surface (mold) ripened cheeses with blue mold veining will compete in Class 28.

30    Edam/Gouda, Mild   Natural, unflavored Edam and mild gouda aged 1-180 days, mild made from cow's milk.

31    Gouda, Aged   Natural, unflavored gouda made from cow's milk aged 181 days or longer. Made on or before August 21, 2010.

32    Gouda, Flavored   Natural gouda made from cow's milk and flavored with added condiments.

33    Quesos Frescos  Includes all fresh, natural, unflavored cow's milk Hispanic cheeses, for example queso fresco, queso blanco, panela and other crumbly fresh cheeses.

34    Quesos para Fundir   Includes all natural, unflavored, cow's milk Hispanic cheeses often melted for cooking, for example queso quesadilla, asadero and other sliceable, meltable Hispanic cheeses.

35    Smear Ripened Soft Cheeses   Includes all natural, unflavored cow's milk cheeses (46% or higher moisture), smeared or washed with bacterial cultures during ripening.

36    Smear Ripened Semi-soft Cheeses    Includes all natural, unflavored cow's milk cheeses (40% to 45% moisture), smeared or washed with bacterial cultures during ripening.

37    Smear Ripened Hard Cheeses    Includes all natural, unflavored cow's milk cheeses (39% or lower moisture), smeared or washed with bacterial cultures during ripening.

38    Pepper Flavored 'American' Style Cheeses (Cheddar, Colby, Jack)   Natural American-style, cow's milk cheeses (namely cheddar, colby and/or jack) with added hot chile peppers (e.g. jalapeno, habanero, cayenne, tabasco).

39    Pepper Flavored Cheeses (Other Natural Styles)   Natural, cow's milk cheeses (other than cheddar, colby and/or jack) with added hot chile peppers (e.g. jalapeno, habanero, cayenne, tabasco).

40    Flavored Soft Cheeses   Natural, cow's milk soft cheeses (51% or higher moisture) with added (non-sweet) condiments including herbs, spices, vegetables, meats, peppercorns, oil marinades.

41    Flavored Semi-soft Cheeses  Natural, cow's milk semi-soft cheeses (40% to 50% moisture) with added (non-sweet) condiments including herbs, spices, vegetables, meats, peppercorns, oil marinades.

42    Flavored Hard Cheeses  Natural, cow's milk hard cheeses (39% or lower moisture) with added (non-sweet) condiments including herbs, spices, vegetables, meats, peppercorns, oil marinades.

43    Flavored Cheeses with Sweet or 'Dessert' Condiments   Natural, cow's milk cheeses with added sweet condiments including fruit, nuts, syrup, wine, liqueur.

44    Smoked Soft and Semi-soft Cheeses   Natural cow's milk cheeses, with smoke flavor or naturally smoked. Note: Includes smoked provolone.

45    Smoked Hard Cheeses   Natural cow's milk cheeses, with smoke flavor or naturally smoked.  Note: Includes smoked provolone.

46    Open Class Soft Cheeses  Natural, unflavored cow's milk cheeses with 51% or higher moisture. For example, mascarpone, teleme.

47    Open Class Semi-soft Cheeses    Natural, unflavored cow's milk cheeses with 40% to 50% moisture. For example, farmers, tomme, bel paese, yogurt cheese.

48    Open Class Hard Cheeses   Natural, unflavored cow's milk cheeses with 39% moisture or lower. For example, romano, asiago, cotija.

49    Reduced Fat Soft & Semi-soft Cheeses   Reduced fat soft and semi-soft cheese (a reduced fat version of a soft or semi-soft cheese normally containing 40% moisture or higher) is natural, cow's milk cheese, flavored or unflavored.  Reduced fat soft or semi-soft cheese has a minimum 25 percent reduction in fat compared to a similar or reference cheese.  For example, reduced fat provolone.
       
50    Reduced Fat Hard Cheeses   Reduced fat hard cheese (a reduced fat version of a hard cheese normally containing 39% moisture or lower) is natural cow's milk cheese, flavored or unflavored.  Reduced fat hard cheese has a minimum 25 percent reduction in fat compared to a similar or reference cheese. For example, reduced fat cheddar cheese. 

51    Lowfat Cheeses   Lowfat cheese is natural, cow's milk cheese, flavored or unflavored. U.S. standard of identity cheeses containing 3 grams or less fat per 50 grams of product. See U.S. CFR Title 21 Part 101.62 (b)(2)

52    Reduced Sodium Cheeses   Natural cow's milk cheese, flavored or unflavored, with a minimum of 25% sodium reduction compared to a similar, reference cheese as defined in U.S. Standards of Identity (CFR 21 part 101.61 (6)).

53    Cold Pack Cheese, Cheese Food    Includes cold pack cheese and cold pack cheese food as described in U.S. Standards of Identity (CFR 21 parts 133.23 and 133.24). Flavored or unflavored. Entry label must state "Cold Pack Cheese" or "Cold Pack Cheese Food".

54    Cold Pack Cheese Spread   Includes cold pack style cheese as described in U.S. Standards of Identity (CFR 21 parts 133.23 and 133.24), with an exception for higher moisture content (maximum moisture 54%). Flavored or unflavored. Entry label must indicate that product is "Cold Pack Cheese Spread".

55    Spreadable Cheeses   Natural cheeses heated to inhibit ripening and containing no added condiments. For example, cream cheeses, gourmet spreadable cheeses. Not pasteurized process cheeses as defined in the U.S. CFR

56    Flavored Spreadable Cheeses  Natural cheeses heated to inhibit ripening and containing added condiments. Not pasteurized process cheeses as defined in the U.S. CFR1.

57    Pasteurized Process Cheeses    Unflavored pasteurized process cheese, cheese food or cheese spreads as defined in U.S. standards of identity (U.S. CFR Title 21 Part 133.169, 133.173; 133.179). Entries may be loaves or slices (except spreads.) For example, American, Swiss, Gouda and other pasteurized process cheeses.

58    Flavored Pasteurized Process Cheeses  Flavored pasteurized process cheese, cheese food or cheese spreads as defined in U.S. standards of identity (U.S. CFR Title 21 Part 133.170, 133.174; 133.180). Entries may be loaves or slices (except spreads.) Flavors include smoked flavor and condiments.

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GOAT'S MILK CHEESES   

59    Soft Goat's Milk Cheeses   Natural, unflavored cheeses made from goat’s milk. Includes all rindless, unripened goat’s milk cheeses with no added flavors,  and containing 51% or higher moisture.

60    Flavored Soft Goat's Milk Cheeses    Natural cheeses made from goat’s milk (51% or higher moisture) and flavored with added condiments, smoke or marinade. Includes all  rindless, unripened goat’s milk cheeses with added flavors.

61    Surface (Mold) Ripened Goat's Milk Cheeses   Natural surface mold ripened cheeses, flavored or unflavored, made from goat's milk.

62    Semi-soft Goat's Milk Cheeses  Natural, unflavored cheeses made from goat’s milk containing 40% - 50% moisture. Includes feta, mozzarella, jack, blue or any original semi-soft cheese made from goat’s milk.

63    Flavored Semi-Soft Goat's Milk Cheeses   Natural cheeses made from goat’s milk flavored with added condiments, smoke or marinade and containing 40% - 50% moisture. Includes flavored feta, mozzarella, jack, blue or any original semi-soft cheese made from goat’s milk.

64    Hard Goat's Milk Cheeses    Natural, flavored or unflavored cheeses made from goat’s milk. Includes all aged, hard goat’s milk cheeses containing 39% or lower moisture.

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SHEEP'S MILK CHEESES   

65    Soft & Semi-soft Sheep's Milk Cheeses   Natural, unflavored cheeses with 40% or higher moisture made from sheep’s milk. Includes all rindless, unripened cheeses with no added flavors.

66    Flavored Soft & Semi-soft Sheep's Milk Cheeses   Natural, flavored cheeses with 40% or higher moisture made from sheep’s milk. Includes all rindless, unripened cheeses with added flavors.   Includes flavored feta, mozzarella, jack, blue or any original soft or semi-soft cheese made from sheep's milk.
       
67    Surface (Mold) Ripened Sheep's Milk Cheeses   Natural surface mold ripened cheeses, flavored or unflavored, made from sheep’s milk.

68    Hard Sheep's Milk Cheeses   Includes all natural, flavored or unflavored cheeses made from sheep’s milk containing 39% or lower moisture.

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MIXED MILK CHEESES   

69    Soft & Semi-soft Mixed Milk Cheeses   Natural, unflavored cheeses with 40% or higher  moisture made from mixed milk (blended cow, goat and/or sheep milks). Includes all rindless, unripened cheeses as well as feta, mozzarella, jack, blue or any original soft or semi-soft cheese made from mixed milk.

70    Flavored Soft & Semi-soft Mixed Milk Cheeses   Natural cheeses with 40% or higher moisture flavored with added condiments, smoke or marinade and made from mixed milk (blended cow, goat and/or sheep milks). Includes flavored feta, mozzarella, jack, blue or any original soft or semi-soft cheese made from mixed milk.

71    Surface (Mold) Ripened Mixed Milk Cheeses   Natural surface mold ripened cheeses, flavored or unflavored, made from mixed milk.

72    Hard Mixed Milk Cheeses   Includes all natural, flavored or unflavored cheeses made from mixed milk (blended cow, goat and/or sheep milks) containing 39% or lower moisture.

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BUTTER CLASSES   

73    Salted Butter   Creamery butter, salted minimum 80% milkfat.

74    Unsalted Butter   Creamery butter, unsalted, minimum 80% milkfat.

75    Goat's, Sheep's & Mixed Milk Butter    Butter made from goat's, sheep's or mixed milk; salted or unsalted.

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DEMONSTRATION CLASS   

The Demonstration Class products compete for gold, silver and bronze medals, but do not compete in the Championship Round of judging. In the Demonstration Classes, you may send up to three entries of each unique variety you produce at each manufacturing site.

76    Open Class Shredded Cheese, Flavored & Unflavored   Includes natural cheese varieties, flavored and unflavored, and shredded. Any package size prepared for retail or foodservice distribution.

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The term ‘U.S. CFR’ is a reference to the United States Code of Federal Regulations.  See www.gpoaccess.gov/cfr/index.html