There's One Boar's Head Cheese You Should Avoid At The Deli

We think that Boar's Head is the best packaged deli meat brand you can find at your local grocery store, so we were excited to taste its wide selection of cheeses, too. We ranked them based on flavor, texture, and overall enjoyability. But just as not all Boar's Head deli meats are the best, we also found that Boar's Head Imported Switzerland Swiss cheese isn't worth putting in your shopping cart.

While the "imported from Switzerland" label sounds like a promising sign of authenticity, this Swiss cheese came in last place in our ranking of Boar's Head cheeses. Swiss cheese is a relatively mild type of cheese to begin with, but it should have a distinct fruity, almost tangy finish that distinguishes it from the likes of other mild cheeses. Plus, a longer aging process accentuates the tasting notes in any cheese. Since the Imported Switzerland Swiss cheese label says that the cheese has been aged for 120 days, we thought we'd be getting an especially strong Swiss cheese flavor. Unfortunately, the aging did nothing to enhance this cheese's taste. It was so mild, we barely picked up any flavor notes at all when we tasted a slice on its own. Ironically, we had to pair it with meat, bread, and condiments to draw out an inkling of that tangy finish we were looking for. Still, it was too little, too late.

Although the imported Swiss cheese landed in last place, you don't have to discount Swiss cheese completely from Boar's Head's cheese repertoire. We absolutely loved Boar's Head Baby Swiss All Natural Cheese. Even though it was only aged for 30 days, it tasted much richer than the Switzerland Imported Swiss cheese. If you want to venture outside of the Boar's Head brand, we taste tested popular cheese brands and put Kerrygold near the top. The Irish brand has a delicious Swiss cheese which is aged for 90 days.

Swiss cheese may be mild but it has a unique subtly nutty flavor that works well in many dishes, from sandwiches to soup. Perhaps the most famous application for Swiss cheese is in a Reuben sandwich to top corned beef and sauerkraut. To that effect, we ranked corned beef as our all-time favorite deli meat from the Boar's Head brand. The tangy fruitiness of Swiss cheese will also taste great in a ham sandwich. If you're feeling ambitious, use Swiss cheese and ham to stuff a chicken cutlet in a classic Chicken Cordon Bleu recipe. Or melt Swiss cheese over rich and warming French onion soup. Shredded Swiss cheese is also perfect for incorporating into a grilled cheese sandwich or macaroni and cheese casserole in addition to a sharp cheddar.