What is soft cheese?

Determination of the moisture content is a frequently used method to distinguish between a soft and a hard cheese. Due to its higher moisture content of approximately 50-60%, a soft cheese is usually spreadable. During cheese processing, following the drainage of the whey content from the curd, a fresh soft cheese is formed and can be consumed immediately. This means soft cheese is usually not matured, or is only matured for a short period of time. Examples of soft cheese include Cream Cheese, Cottage Cheese and Brie.