Frederic Melton
Cheese is a tasty food that is made from milk. It is a great way to preserve milk, which can go bad quickly. Cheese is made from the milk of many animals, including cows, goats, sheep, and even camels! The process of making cheese is super cool and involves adding special enzymes and bacteria to milk, which breaks down the milk and forms solid cheese. The cheese is then cut, cooked, and salt is added to it. Some cheeses are ready to eat after this, like cottage cheese, but others are pressed into moulds and left to age for a long time to develop their flavour.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Ingredients | Milk, enzymes, lemon juice, yogurt, salt |
| Milk Sources | Cows, goats, sheep, buffalo, camels, donkeys, reindeer, llamas, yaks, horses, hippopotamuses |
| Process | Pasteurization, fermentation, coagulation, separation, cooking, pressing, aging |
| Time | Hours to months |
| Outcome | Hundreds of varieties of cheese |
| Nutrition | Calcium, protein, phosphorus, sodium, saturated fat, vitamins |
| Preservation | Salt, cold storage |
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What You'll Learn
Cheese is made from milk
Once the curds have formed, the cheesemaker will drain some of the whey away. The curds are then cut into smaller pieces and cooked, causing them to shrink. Salt is added to help preserve the curds and give them flavour. Some cheeses are ready to eat after this stage, like cottage cheese, cream cheese, and some types of mozzarella.
Other cheeses are processed further. The cooked curds are pressed into moulds, and more whey may be removed to create harder cheese. Then the pressed cheese is left in a cool place to age. It can take weeks or even months for the cheese to be ready. The longer a cheese like cheddar is aged, the stronger its flavour will be, and the more crumbly its texture.
Cheese is a great way to preserve fresh milk, which can spoil quickly, and it contains many nutrients, like protein, fat, calcium, phosphorus, and vitamins. There are hundreds of different kinds of cheese, each with its own unique flavour, texture, and appearance!
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Milk can come from different animals
Milk is a very important food for us, as it contains lots of nutrients like protein and fat. Most of the milk we drink comes from cows, but it can also come from many other animals!
In some places, people drink milk from camels. Camel milk is popular in places like Somalia and Kenya, where the climate is dry and there isn't much water. Camel milk tastes similar to cow's milk, but it's a little creamier and saltier. It's also very nutritious and can be used to make cheese!
Goats also give us milk, which is also easier for our tummies to digest than cow's milk. In some places, like India and Pakistan, people get milk from buffaloes, which is thicker and whiter than cow's milk. It's also used to make cheese!
There are even more unusual types of milk out there. For example, did you know that people in Tibet drink milk from yaks? It's very nutritious and contains more protein and amino acids than milk from cows or goats. Moose milk is another rare type of milk that is commercially available in Russia and Sweden. It's much higher in fat and protein than cow's milk, but it's very expensive.
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Bacteria is added to the milk
The type of milk used to make the cheese can come from many different animals. Cows, sheep, goats, and even buffalo, camels, and donkeys are used to make cheese! The milk from these animals is usually cooked in large pots. The diet of the animal can also affect the type of cheese made from its milk.
Some cheeses are made with raw milk, but most are pasteurized first. This means the milk is heated to kill any harmful bacteria before the helpful bacteria is added. An enzyme called rennet may also be added. This is a substance from the stomach of young cows and it helps the milk to curdle and become solid.
Once the bacteria has been added, the milk will start to break down into two parts: curds and whey. The curds are solid clumps, and the whey is liquid. Cheesemakers will cut the coagulated milk into curds and drain away some of the whey. The curds are then cut into smaller pieces and cooked, which causes them to shrink.
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The milk separates into curds and whey
Milk is made up of lots of different things, and when it's turned into cheese, it separates into two parts: curds and whey. Curds are solid clumps, and whey is liquid. So, when milk is turned into cheese, it's important to separate the two.
Cheesemakers use knives to cut the milk into chunks, or curds, and leave some liquid behind. This liquid is the whey. When milk is turned into cheddar cheese, only about 10% becomes cheese, and the other 90% is leftover whey! Some companies use the whey to make protein powder, but in other factories, it goes to waste.
Once the curds have formed, they are cut into smaller pieces and gently cooked. The heat makes the curds shrink, and salt is added to help dry and
For other cheeses, the cooked curds are pressed into moulds, and more whey is removed to create harder cheese. Then, the pressed cheese is left in a cool place to age. This can take weeks or even months!
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Cheese is then aged
Once the cheese is made, it is then aged. This is also known as the ripening stage. The cheese is left in a cool place to age. It can be stored in a special cold storage room or even in a cave! The cheese can be left to age for weeks or months, and sometimes even years! The ageing process changes the flavour and texture of the cheese. The longer it is left, the stronger the flavour and the more crumbly the texture.
Some cheeses are made with mould. This is done by poking the cheese with skewers, creating small holes that allow air to get in. This helps mould to grow. Blue cheese is made this way. The blue bits in the cheese are the mould, and some people think it tastes nice!
The ageing process also affects the nutritional value of the cheese. For example, the amount of protein and calcium in the cheese changes as it ages.
Different types of cheese are aged for different amounts of time. Each cheese has a unique ageing process that gives it its distinct flavour and texture.
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Frequently asked questions
Cheese is made from milk, usually from cows, goats, or sheep. But milk from buffalo, camels, and even horses can also be used!
First, helpful bacteria are added to the milk to make it break down or ferment. This is called starter culture. An enzyme called rennet is also added to the milk to make it thicken into clumps. These clumps are called curds, and the liquid that separates from it is called whey. Once the curds are fully formed, some of the whey is drained away, and the curds are cut into smaller pieces and cooked. Salt is added to the cooked curds to preserve them, and then they are pressed into moulds to form blocks of cheese.
Different combinations of bacteria, mould, butterfat, and the type of milk used can affect the flavour of the cheese.
Hundreds of different types of cheese are produced and eaten all over the world! The type of milk used, whether the milk has been pasteurised, and how long the cheese is aged for can all affect the texture, colour, and flavour of the cheese, making each type of cheese unique.
Saying "cheese" when taking a picture makes people smile because the "ee" sound in "cheese" makes your mouth form a grinning shape!
