According to the Mayo Clinic, some moldy cheeses are safe to eat after the mold has been sliced off, while others are toxic.

The answer depends on the type of cheese, says Mayo Clinic nutritionist, Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D. "Molds are microscopic organisms that have thread-like roots that burrow into the foods they grow on," she says.

There are good molds and there are bad molds. Most molds are harmless and safe to eat (unless you are allergic to mold, of course). These molds are even used to make some kinds of cheese, including brie, roquefort, gorgonzola, and camembert. Some bad molds produce mycotoxins, which can make you sick.

With hard and semisoft cheese, such as parmesan, Swiss, romano and cheddar, you can cut away the moldy part and eat the rest of the cheese, says Zeratsky. "Keep the knife out of the mold itself so that it doesn't cross-contaminate other parts of the cheese," she warns. "Cut off at least one inch around and below the moldy spot."

With soft cheeses, such as brie, chevre, blue cheese and ricotta, however, the mold that grows cannot be safely removed so these cheeses should be discarded. The same goes for any cheese that has been shredded, crumbled or sliced.

The cheese board that is used for slicing and serving cheeses, the selection of which is also known as a cheese board, can be made out of a variety of materials. The majority, it seems, are made from small slabs of marble, which are attractive and simple. This ceramic cheese plate is attractive, but certainly not simple. It was handmade in Italy and carefully imprinted with the shapes and logos of different cheeses, accented with the print of a cheese knife. And while it may be the ultimate gift for a cheese lover, it can also be used by novices to create a basic cheese selection and plate it elegantly, using the imprints as guidelines. It measures 12"x12" and is $150.

[via BLTD]

A British chef has concocted what is, essentially, an incredibly expensive cheese on toast. Tom Bridge's version of the usually frugal dish known as rarebit, or cheese on toast, is dressed up with L'Aquila White Umbrian truffles and matsutake mushrooms on top of Warburtons Toastie white bread and Lancashire cheese. The toast and cheese are the ordinary ones that Bridges uses in his home. The asking price is £345, or about $600, and the chance to have Chef Bridge make it for you in your own home will be auctioned off on eBay.