And we have to say, we agree.
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Courtney Kassel is a Brooklyn-based writer and recipe developer with over five years of experience writing and producing food content for various media outlets including Food Network, Food52, Paper Magazine, and more. She is driven by the idea of making the most of every meal, snack, and every bite in between. This means staying on the lookout for new trends and product releases, constantly cooking and experimenting in the kitchen, and spending way too much time on TikTok for "work." In her spare time, she also writes Sifted, a newsletter of recipe recommendations and general food musings.
Published on March 18, 2024
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This month, the2024 edition of the World Champion Cheese Contest took place in Madison, Wis. For over 50 years, the contest has been bringing together dairy producers and experts from around the world to celebrate all things cheese, as well as butter and yogurt. The results of this year's contest are out, and it turns out some of the best products in the world have been under our noses—and in our grocery stores—here in the U.S. the whole time.
Ina Garten's favorite butter brand took the top spot in the salted butter category, while our old standby took home Best of Class in cream cheese. And it turns out another familiar brand came out on top with one of its Cheddar cheeses. Oregon's own Tillamook brought home plenty of awards, but one in particular got top honors this year.
Tillamook's Sharp Cheddar Voted Best of Class
Tillamook's Sharp Cheddar took Best of Class in the Sharp Cheddar (6 months to 1 year) category at the 2024 World Champion Cheese Contest. As one of our favorites, it came as no surprise that the Cheddar took top prize in its category. The cheese received a score of 99.85 out of 100, just edging out another Allrecipes favorite, Cabot. Everything's better with Cheddar.
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We love that when it comes down to it, the category-winning cheese is also one of the most accessible, priced at around $4-5, and sold at most national retailers including Walmart and Target.
Tillamook, which is actually a farmer-owned cooperative, took home several awards including second-place finishes in Sharp Cheddar (6 months to 1 year) with another Tillamook Sharp Cheddar variety, Smoked Hard Cheeses with its Tillamook Hickory Smoked Cheddar, and Cream Cheese with its recently-launched Tillamook Brick Cream Cheese.
It's clear the coop is churning out some pretty top-notch cheese. And the best part is you can be the judge next time you're at the store. Just pick up a block or two and have your own personal cheese contest; It's a grate—sorry, *great*—excuse to eat a bunch of cheese and call it dinner.
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