Why does cheese taste so much different melted than cold
Melted cheese tastes different from cold cheese because of the texture and the way it feels in the mouth [1]. When cheese is melted, the proteins that provide its structure begin to break down, and the cheese takes on a creamy texture [1]. In moist cheeses, the proteins are loosely packed with lots of water interspersed between them, so they readily liquefy [2]. However, hard cheeses contain so little water that when they melt, they don’t completely liquefy [2]. As a result, when melted, mozzarella cheese melts into a liquid pool on top of the pizza, while specks of Parmigiano-Reggiano stay separate on the same pizza even after the Parmigiano melts [2]. Aging also affects how cheese melts [2]. In fresh, unaged cheese, the casein molecules are large and stretchy, and they tend to get tangled into ropes, which is why melted fresh mozzarella is stringy [2]. During aging, the casein molecules get attacked by ripening enzymes, which break the casein into small pieces [2]. When an aged cheese like Cheddar melts, these little pieces of casein flow without tangling, and the cheese melts smoothly [2].
The way cheese tastes when it's melted is different from the way it tastes when it's cold because of the way it feels in the mouth [1]. Once a piece of cheese has been heated to around 150 degrees F, the matrix of milk proteins that provide its structure begins to break down, and the cheese takes on a creamy texture that many people find appealing [1]. Our taste buds tend to function at a higher level when temperatures are higher, and foods and fluids have more powerful astringent, umami, sour and sweet flavors in our mouth when they are warm [3]. Within that broad distinction, the younger, fresher cheese is going to give you a better melt [4].