Cheese making involves adding starter cultures and rennet to milk, resulting in curds and whey. The curds are manipulated, salted, shaped, and matured to make cheese. The type of milk, cultures, and procedures vary for different cheeses.
Many types of cheeses can be found around the world, so the recipes and processes for making them vary greatly. Despite the variety of cheeses, recipes, and procedures, there are usually several basic steps involved in the cheesemaking process. Starter cultures and rennet are added to the milk to begin the curdling process, resulting in curds and whey. The curds and whey are further manipulated and then salted, shaped and matured to make the cheese.
The initial process of making cheese involves adding cultures and rennet to the milk. The type of milk and the cultures can vary from one cheese to another. Starter cultures are bacteria used to produce different flavors in cheese. The cultures also begin the process of converting lactose into lactic acid, commonly known as acidification. An enzyme also known as can be added to further aid in the process.
After the acidification process took place, curds and whey were formed from the original milk. The curds will result into cheese after the entire cheese making process is complete. Depending on the type of cheese produced, the curds could be cut, peeled or cooked. Cutting the curds allows them to release more moisture, resulting in a harder cheese. Cheddaring is created to create small curds that form in molds, and cooking the curds involves heating them to produce a more tender cheese.
Salting accomplishes two things in the cheese-making process: flavoring the cheese and preserving the cheese during the aging process. Cheeses derive their flavors from a variety of sources, one of which is the salt added to the curds during the cheesemaking process. To preserve the cheese during the aging process, salt might be rubbed into the formed cheese or a rag dipped in brine might be rubbed into the cheese.
Cheese molding involves pouring cheese curds into various molds to form the shape of the cheese. Specific molds are used for some cheese varieties. Maturation is usually the final stage in the cheese making process. This step involves the maturation of the cheese in ideal conditions. The area where the cheese is matured is controlled to keep the temperature and humidity at optimum levels. For some cheeses, additional measures are taken in the ripening process, such as injecting mold into the air, getting mold into or around the cheese, or washing the cheese with certain solutions.
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