The food lab better home cooking through science ( PDFDrive ) 886

and spread like a liquid Depending on the type of cheese, this takes place at anywhere from around 120°F, for super-melty high-moisture process cheeses like Velveeta, all the way up to 180°F and higher, for superdry cheeses like well-aged Parmigiano-Reggiano Once the protein structure breaks down too much, individual microdroplets of fat and water coalesce, breaking out of the protein matrix and causing the cheese to completely break Some cheeses, like feta or halloumi, have a protein structure so tight that no amount of heating will cause them to break or melt Others have emulsifiers added to them to ensure that they melt smoothly at low temperatures without breaking (here’s looking at you, American!) Still others need a bit of assistance from a recipe to remain stable Here’s a chart of some of the more commonly available cheeses, along with their melting properties and best uses