| Term | Definition |
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| Rindless cheeses | Made without a rind and vary from fresh cheese (Cream Cheese or Fromage Blanc) to cheese wrapped in leaves or vacuum sealed in plastic. The California Milk Advisory Board
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| Ripe | A cheese is ripe when it has reached its optimum flavor and is ready to be consumed. A ripe cheese is also said to be "a' point" - a French term meaning the same thing (literally, 'at the peak'). The Gourmet Cheese Detective
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| Ripening | Nurturing cheese under ideal conditions and with proper handling to control its development over time. Proper ripening is fundamental to enabling many cheeses to fully develop characteristic flavor, color and texture. Fresh cheeses are not aged. Other terms used for ripening are aging, maturation and curing. The California Milk Advisory Board
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| Romano | Italian-style cheese similar to Parmesan but more piquant and salty. Use is the same as for Dry Jack and Parmesan. (Sharp, piquant, Light yellow, Hard to very hard, depending on age)
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| Runny | A term which can be either a positive or negative characteristic of cheese. A Brie is ideally ripe when its interior paste has a soft, almost runny consistency. However, a cheese which has been improperly stored at too high a temperature, may become runny and rancid - and totally inedible. The Gourmet Cheese Detective
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| Salting | A cheesemaker adds salt during the cheesemaking process to slow the fermentation of lactic acid bacteria and dry the curd by drawing out the whey. Salt enhances flavor and creates surface environments advantageous to rinds. Salt can also be added through the brining process. (See Brine)
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| Scamorza | Mild, Italian-style cheese similar to Mozzarella (low moisture, part skim). Traditionally tied with string at top, which gives it a distinctive pear shape. (Mild, Ivory, Semi-firm)
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| Schloss | A German-style washed-rind cheese that has mildly strong flavor when young, becoming more pungent and rich with age. Usually eaten plain with crackers or bread. (Strong to pungent, White interior, reddish rind, Semi-firm, creamy)
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| Semi-Hard Cheese | A classification of cheese based upon body. The descriptions semi-hard and hard refer mainly to moisture content, not to texture. The cheeses in this category actually include a broad range of textures, from semi-firm to very firm and from cheeses that are only weeks old to those aged up to several months or more. Because these cheeses contain less moisture than the soft and soft-ripened types, they hold their shape much better. Examples include young Asiago, Cheddar, Colby, Edam, Fontinella, aged Gouda, Manchego, Provolone and Queso Blanco. The difference between semi-hard and semi-soft cheese is one of moisture: Semi-soft cheese contains more than 45% water, while semi-hard cheeses contain 30% to 45%. A cheese can start as semi-soft, then move to semi-hard via aging, which evaporates the moisture. The California Milk Advisory Board
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| Semi-soft | Cheeses with a 50-75% moisture content, such as Havarti, Fontina, Morbier. The Gourmet Cheese Detective
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| Sharp | Sharp is a descriptive flavor term, referring to the fully developed flavor of aged cheeses, such as traditional Cheddar and Parmigiano-Reggiano. The flavor is actually sharp and biting, but not excessively so. The more the cheese is aged, the sharper the flavor becomes. The California Milk Advisory Board
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| Silage | Animal feed consisting of chopped corn that is allowed to ferment anaerobically, although wheat, barley, vetch and alfalfa are also used. In most places it is used year-round as part of the feed given to many dairy cows, always in combination with other forms of feed. The California Milk Advisory Board
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| Silky Or Satiny | These texture descriptors refer to the mouthfeel of soft cheeses. They can be spreadable or sliced cheeses like a ripe Brie or Camembert. The California Milk Advisory Board
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| Skimming | The removal of fat content from the milk. When part or all of the cream has been removed from milk, the milk is referred to as skimmed (although the more popular consumer term is now fat free). Cheeses made from skimmed milk generally have less fat; some (but not all) remain quite flavorful. Skimmed milk cheeses have less than 20% fat, semi-fat cheeses have 20% to 41% fat, and whole milk fat cheeses have 42% or more fat content. The California Milk Advisory Board
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| Smooth Rinds | Relatively impervious rinds that seal in moisture and seal out unwanted microbes. The California Milk Advisory Board
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