How the Cheesemakers Create Their Cheeses
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The Art of the Cheesemaker
| Cheese is a simple, natural product that is obtained when the enzymes in milk cause it to curdle. | |
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Cheesemakers have developed the know-how to precisely control this living and sometimes unpredictable process. They may also add spices as the cheese is forming or smoke wheels of cheese. Experience, initiative, and passion are the tools of the trade! |
It all starts with milk |
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| Types of milk | Packaging |
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Cheese is produced when the casein in milk coagulates to form curds. Draining separates the whey from the curds, which ripen under controlled conditions and develop a particular texture and flavor. |
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To coagulate milk, the cheesemaker controls the activity of the naturally occurring enzymes it contains or adds enzymes with rennet. The resulting jelly contains 10% solids—primarily fat, protein, and the other substances that form the bulk of cheese. Whey is mainly water. 10% solid, 90% whey |
Draining |
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Depending on the type of cheese desired, cheesemakers eliminate a certain amount of the whey. Free draining produces creamy and soft cheeses. Assisted draining involves techniques like cutting, stirring, pressing, souring, salting, or cooking to produce firmer cheeses. |
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| During ripening, cheesemakers develop the flavors, aromas, and texture of cheese by controlling the activity of enzymes from yeasts, molds, bacteria, and ferments. | |
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In interior ripening, the enzymes work throughout the cheese. |
| In surface ripening, they move from the surface toward the center. | |