Warm, oozy, crisp, salty, gooey, stringy, soft, creamy, buttery, stretchy... oh, don't mind us. We're just having a moment to reflect on all the reasons why melted cheese is so addictive. Put a cheesy topping on any food and you instantly make it 10 times more exciting and 100 times tastier.
How sad moussaka would be without its cheesy top. Or lasagne, or gratin or - don't even think about it - pizza.
Let's take another moment to enjoy all the times the world has injected some cheesy magic into favourite dishes. If this list doesn't put you into a cheese coma, you're not feasting your eyes enough.
It all starts with the three cheese soufflé, a memorable melting of cheddar, Gruyère and Parmesan into the lightest, cheesiest ball of puff that anyone could ever wish for.
You didn't hear it here, but French onion soup without the cheese is really just watery onion. Shhh...
Turning cheese into a moreish dessert showcases just how versatile it can be. The outside is golden and crusty, the inside is creamy and molten.
Half of Argentina hail from Italian descent, which is why they know a good cheese dish when they see one. The fugazza is all the onion and cheese from your standard pizza, without anything else getting in the way of a good taste.
Where do we even start with cheese's role in this magnificent dish? It brings all of the layers together in one, oozy swoop. As testament to how beloved this dish is, we have approximately eleventy-billion lasagne recipes on SBS Food. Try a few out to find your favourite way to cheese. Here is just a small sample:
We could dedicate this entire article to the Italians stunning treatment of melted cheese. Exhibit B: the parmigiana. Throw enough tomato sauce and Parmesan cheese over the top of any dish and you've essentially parmigianiaed it (this may be the first time you've seen parmigiana used as a verb, but now you know, it won't be the last).
Pizza is surely the leader of the melted cheese brigade. And while a few slices of mozzarella are the traditional topper, feel free to go to town experimenting with blue cheese, ricotta and even feta.
A decent cheese sauce is an essential basic to master. Once you've perfected it, you can slather it over any vegetable, bake and then bow to your admirers. Start with classic cauliflower cheese, and then be sure to move on to this broccoli bake.
Buldak literally means ‘fire chicken’ and that is no exaggeration – this dish is super, super hot! In recent years, the spiciness has been toned down by covering it in cheese... genius! You can also try a version of this dish made with blue cheese here.
This mushroom and chicken doria is another reminder of how good food is when cultures come together (see the fugazza above for a further example). Doria is an Italian-inspired dish that originated in France, but now seems to only exist in Japan where it is phenomenally popular.
While not quite a cheesy topping, we'll allow the camembert-stuffed frikkadel into the mix. The Dutch really know how to mix a tasty meatball, and cheese only adds to their expertise.
You haven't really lived until you've scooped melted cheese up with a corn chip.
Fresh poblano chillies are grilled over charcoal, peeled and stuffed with cheese, dipped in an egg batter, fried and served with a rich tomato, onion and chilli sauce. Where do we line up?
All the carbs are covered in extra carbs and topped with a sprinkle of carbs. We wouldn't want it any other way.
It's the addition of beer that makes a Welsh rarebit more enticing than your standard cheese toastie. That said, don't forget to experiment with your jaffle maker and whatever else you fancy sandwiching together with cheese. Here are some good ideas:
A gratin is a much-loved classic of Belgian cooking, with the cheese and mustard sauce taking centre stage. This is the kind of dish you'd serve for lunch on a cold, misty day.
Kefalograviera, a hard sheep's milk cheese is the cheese of choice in a traditional moussaka. But most of us make do with a packet of grated tasty without too much loss of flavour.
On SBS Food we have almost as many recipes for moussaka as we have for lasagne. Start your journey here:
We couldn't possibly have a cheesy topping list without mention of our very favourite melted cheese of all. This Greek baked chicken dish shows off haloumi's squeaky-clean reputation for lifting a dish to the heavens.
Actually, any kind of cheese can bring out the divine in your dish. All you have to do is melt it.
SBS Food is a 24/7 foodie channel for all Australians, with a focus on simple, authentic and everyday food inspiration from cultures everywhere. NSW stream only. Read more about SBS Food
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