TikTok and other social media platforms have played a huge role in recent years in raising the profiles of different cooking cheeses, said Rachel Shemirani, senior vice president of Poway, Calif.-based retailer Barons Market.

Boursin and feta (remember the feta, tomato and pasta craze?) are among the cheeses people are learning about via social that are easy to translate into delicious weeknight dinners everyone, even kids, love, she said.

As is so often the case when it comes to specialty cheeses, education is key, and when a quick video makes that education easy and fun, the sky’s the limit on possible cooking applications.

“Many customers, even though they can talk about charcuterie boards, they still don’t really know what brie is,” Shemirani said.

Pistachio cream is a newer product that Shemirani has been raving about to her friends a lot lately. Even so, they had to ask her how to eat it. Put in on brie? No, she said — think of it more as a substitute for peanut butter or cookie butter.

Or take halloumi, another cheese with all kinds of potential cooking applications. It’s another one most consumers struggle to identify, much less know how to cook with. At a recent trade show Shemirani attended, one vendor had rebranded halloumi as “the grilling cheese.”

“That was really helpful,” she said. “We’ve seen many great products fail in the store because people don’t know how to prepare it.”

With that in mind, Baron’s is rolling out something new this year, a cheese of the month program that will focus on pairing cheeses with other ingredients for quick and easy meal solutions.

The displays will feature a cheese and up to four products that pair well with it. Speaking of halloumi, Barons could pair it with ciabatta, pesto and tomatoes for a new twist on grilled cheese, Shemirani said. “We’re small enough so we can do it. Everyone expands their specialty cheese offerings during the holidays. We want to carry that excitement through the year. People don’t always want charcuterie boards, maybe they don’t want to make fondue in April. But they do always want cheese they can use for easy dinners.”

Basil-flavored burrata is another example of a cheese that’s perfect for something like a spring promotion, where it could be paired with lettuce and other vegetables for a “fresh twist on salad,” Shemirani said.

And any new take on cheddar is “always exciting,” she added.

“Cooking cheese” could be defined in countless ways — you can cook, after all, with most if not all cheeses.

But when Shemirani thinks of specialty cheeses that are great for cooking, she thinks mild — a cheese that can bear well with a variety of other flavors without overwhelming them.

“Not everyone wants blue cheese or other ‘out there’ cheeses,” she said, citing parmesan, asiago and Irish cheddars as other cheeses that can be great cooking aides.

Making it as easy as possible for the shopper is also key. Barons, for instance, carries a brie that comes rind-free, making brie grilled cheeses an easy upgrade on Kraft American singles.

“As people become aware of recipes, that’s the motivating factor — is it easy and crowd pleasing, driving them to cheeses they would not usually buy,” Shemirani said.

People used to get feta just for salads. Then came the TikTok feta/tomato/pasta earthquake, and it changed everything.

“It really opened people’s minds.” And it’s just a matter of time before another cooking cheese takes off in similar fashion. 

The best cooking cheeses, per Martha

“Some cheeses, like feta or Parmesan, deliver immediate pleasure straight out of the package, but turn into a stringy, oily, or just plain globby mess when melted,” Liz Thorpe and Randi Gollin write on marthastewart.com “And yet other cheeses reach a whole other level of molten deliciousness, heightening pasta dishes, omelets, casseroles, and so many other favorites. What gives?”

A cheese’s melt potential comes down to a few key components, they say. For starters, moisture content is paramount to melting, since moister cheeses have more milk proteins that spread out when they hit the heat. The fat quotient is a big factor, too, while acidity and age also play major roles (younger cheeses are oftentimes better melters). Here are eight of the best cheeses for melting — plus alternatives with exceptional meltability.

Here are marthastewart.com’s top cooking cheeses, with comments by Thorpe and Gollin:

Fontina. Fontina can be buttery and a bit fruity; Fontina Val d’Aosta, from Italy’s Aosta Valley, is firmer, more pungent, and nuttier (and always made of raw milk). Whichever you choose, this cheese is a superlative melter. Just remember to remove the rind. Alternatives: Other mildly tangy melters like Danish Havarti and Dutch Gouda make fine substitutes.

Gouda. The production of Gouda includes a step called washing the curd, which is when warm water replaces whey in the cheese vat. Consequently, Gouda has lower acidity than many other cheeses — and, as a result, a “sweeter” flavor profile and a supple, chewy texture.

Asiago. Italian Asiago comes in two varieties: pressato or fresco (young, smooth, and firm, with a mild appeal); and d’allevo or vecchio (aged, dry, and Parmesan-like). While the aged version is an ideal grater, for a smooth melt, seek out pressato. Alternatives: Monterey Jack and colby are also among the best cheeses for melting.

Taleggio. This is a washed-rind cheese, meaning it’s bathed in brine during aging. In the case of Taleggio, the process takes place in caves of Italy’s Lombardy region. The result is a pungent exterior that imparts salty, nutty, and pleasantly doughy notes. Alternatives: Any washed-rind cheese can be substituted for Teleggio.

Reblochon. Several cheeses in the spirit of the famed French reblochon — known for its buttery heft and fruity pungency — are available stateside. One of our favorites is the French Preferes des Montagnes; it works beautifully in the hearty and traditional dish known as tartiflette.

Provolone. Provolone is made using a technique called pasta filata, or “pulled curd,” and the cheese softens into a satisfyingly ropy chew. You can use sliced provolone, available at any supermarket deli, or for a more intense flavor, look for dense and spicy aged provolone from the likes of Auricchio or Wisconsin’s BelGioioso.

Mozzarella. This cheese gained fame as a pizza topping — but, of course, we also love its melty goodness in everything from Roasted Vegetable Lasagne to Classic Paninis. For the ultimate flavor, look for balls of fresh mozzarella (as opposed to the low-moisture kind that comes in blocks, meant for grating), ideally packed in water, though plastic-wrapped is fine.

Gruyère. Made of raw milk from cows grazing on the flower-speckled hills of western Switzerland, Gruyère is the consummate melting cheese. It’s the star of classics like our French Onion Soup and Cheese Fondue, thanks to its gloriously smooth texture under heat. The definitive brand is 1655, though other Swiss brands Emmi Kaltbach and Mifroma are also reliably excellent.