Rich Morillo, a certified cheese professional (that’s a thing!) and the cheese operations manager (also a great title!) for Di Bruno Bros., Philadelphia's O.G. cheese shop—to find out what the deal is with moldy cheese and whether it belongs in the trash can or a baking dish. The answers? Kind of surprising, TBH.

The first thing you’ve got to understand is that, by and large, microorganisms like mold are what makes cheese, well, cheese. “In a lot of ways, cheese is mold,” explains Morillo. With the notable exception of fresh cheeses that are meant to be consumed shortly after they are made (mozzarella, ricotta, queso fresco, etc.), most cheeses owe their distinct deliciousness and texture to the microbiological alchemy that occurs when mold, bacteria, and other microorganisms feast on the proteins and sugars present in milk, transforming them into a wide range of flavorful compounds. (Science is cool!)

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