Frederic Melton
Cheese is a dairy product made from milk. The process of making cheese typically involves collecting milk from dairy farms, taking it to a cheese plant for quality testing, and then pasteurizing it to kill harmful bacteria. Starter cultures are added to the milk to aid fermentation, and rennet is sometimes added to thicken the mixture. The milk then separates into curds and whey, with the curds being cooked, salted, and pressed into shape, and the whey often being drained away. The curds are then left to age, with the duration depending on the desired type of cheese. Finally, the cheese is ready to be served and enjoyed, often as part of a cheese plate featuring fruits, nuts, and charcuterie.
How Cheese is Made from Farm to Plate
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Milk Source | Cow, goat, sheep, or buffalo |
| Milk Quality | High quality, free of antibiotics and sanitizing agents |
| Milk Processing | Pasteurization or partial heat treatment |
| Milk Standardization | Adjustment of fat, cream, protein, and fat-to-protein ratio |
| Addition of Cultures | Good bacteria or "starter cultures" for fermentation |
| Thickening Agent | Rennet |
| Separation | Curds and whey |
| Draining | Removal of whey |
| Cutting Curds | Smaller pieces for drier cheese, larger for moister cheese |
| Cooking Curds | Heating to release whey |
| Shaping | Salting, pressing, and brining |
| Aging | Minimum of 60 days to a year, depending on type |
| Serving | Room temperature, with fruits, nuts, and accompaniments |
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What You'll Learn
- Milk collection: Cow, goat, sheep, or buffalo milk is sourced from farms
- Milk processing: Milk is checked, filtered, standardised, and pasteurised
- Fermentation: Bacteria or starter cultures are added to milk to ferment lactose
- Curdling: Milk separates into solid curds and liquid whey, which is drained
- Cheese making: Curds are cut, salted, pressed, and aged to make different cheeses
Milk collection: Cow, goat, sheep, or buffalo milk is sourced from farms
Milk is the key ingredient in cheese, and the type of milk used has a significant impact on the flavour, texture and nutritional profile of the final product. Cow's milk is the most common type of milk used for cheese, as cows produce more milk than goats, sheep or buffalo, and it has a creamy, buttery and smooth quality. It also has less fat content than some other milk types, and its colour can range from off-white to pale yellow. Cow's milk is also known for its "grassy" flavour, which comes from the grass the cows graze on.
Goat's milk is another popular choice for cheese-making, especially in areas of extensive pastoralism. Goat's milk cheeses generally fall into one of two flavour profiles: limestone-y and citrusy, or musky and barnyardy. Goats have a longer "drying off" period than cows, as they have a hormonal reaction to the changing seasons, causing them to stop producing milk when the days get shorter.
Sheep's milk is also used in cheese-making, although in smaller quantities due to the lower yield from each sheep. Sheep's milk contains twice the amount of fat and protein than cow's or goat's milk, resulting in a rich, coating texture. It also provides more vitamins and minerals, including vitamin A, B, E and calcium. As sheep's milk cheeses age, they develop deep, sweet, English toffee flavours.
Buffalo milk is the second most consumed milk type in the world and has the highest fat content of all these milk types. It yields more fresh cheese than cow, goat or dromedary milk.
While these are the four main types of milk used for cheese-making, milk from other animals such as camels, donkeys and dromedaries can also be used. The process of turning milk into cheese has been practised since humans started domesticating animals, and the specific steps involved can vary depending on the desired type of cheese.
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Milk processing: Milk is checked, filtered, standardised, and pasteurised
Milk is the key ingredient in cheese, and it must be of the highest quality. Once collected from dairy farms, the milk is taken to a cheese plant for processing. Here, cheesemakers will check the milk and take samples to ensure it meets quality and purity standards. This step is crucial as milk naturally contains microflora, including undesirable types called psychrophiles, which can impact the cheese-making process.
After passing the initial tests, the milk is filtered to remove any remaining impurities. Then, it undergoes standardisation, where cheesemakers may add more fat, cream, or protein to achieve a consistent base milk. This step is essential for ensuring uniformity in the final cheese product.
The next step is pasteurisation, which involves treating the milk with heat to kill harmful bacteria. Pasteurisation is necessary as raw milk can harbour dangerous bacteria, and the process helps eliminate spoilage and defects induced by bacteria. It is important to note that while pasteurisation improves food safety, it also destroys natural enzymes and bacteria that contribute to the flavour and ripening process of cheese.
During pasteurisation, the milk may be passed through a standardising separator to adjust the fat-to-protein ratio. After pasteurisation, "starter cultures" or good bacteria are added to the milk. These bacteria initiate the fermentation process, converting lactose, the milk's natural sugar, into lactic acid. Different types of bacteria are used to create distinct cheeses, influencing their flavour and texture.
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Fermentation: Bacteria or starter cultures are added to milk to ferment lactose
The process of cheese-making involves several steps, and fermentation is one of the most crucial among them. After milk is collected from dairy farms and pasteurized, bacteria or starter cultures are added to initiate the fermentation process. This step is essential for transforming lactose, the natural sugar present in milk, into lactic acid.
The starter cultures or bacteria play a pivotal role in determining the cheese's flavour and texture. Different types of cultures are selected to create distinct varieties of cheese. The process of fermentation involves the metabolic breakdown of lactose by microbes in the absence of oxygen, resulting in the production of energy and lactic acid.
The specific bacteria used in this process is known as lactic acid bacteria, which are responsible for converting lactose into lactic acid. The concentration of lactic acid bacteria is carefully controlled to achieve the desired flavour profile. During this process, the milk is also inoculated with rennet, a coagulating agent that aids in the transformation of milk into a semisolid mass.
The addition of bacteria or starter cultures is particularly important when milk has undergone pasteurization, as this process kills most of the bacteria capable of fermenting lactose. By adding these cultures, cheesemakers can ensure proper fermentation and have more control over the acidification process, ultimately enhancing the quality of the final product.
The fermentation step in cheese-making is a delicate and intricate process that requires precise control of bacterial cultures and environmental conditions. Each type of cheese calls for specific bacteria and fermentation techniques, contributing to the vast array of flavours and textures found in cheeses worldwide.
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Curdling: Milk separates into solid curds and liquid whey, which is drained
Milk is a colloidal solution, a mixture in which one substance is divided into minute particles, known as colloidal particles, and dispersed in a second substance, mainly liquid. When milk becomes acidic, its pH level drops, and milk protein molecules attract one another to form "curdles" or lumps. These lumps then float on the surface of the solution.
The process of curdling can be accelerated by adding an acid, like lemon juice or vinegar, to the milk. The increase in acidity causes the milk proteins to tangle together into solid masses. This process will also occur naturally if you leave milk out to sour.
To curdle milk, it must be heated in a pan over medium to high heat. When it reaches a boil, leave it for 1-2 minutes before turning off the heat. Let the milk sit for 5-10 minutes without stirring. If you want it to curdle more, leave it to sit for longer, or return it to the heat and boil until larger curds form.
Once the milk has curdled, it can be strained. If you need to separate the solid curds from the liquid whey, pour the curdled milk into a cheesecloth. Wrap the cheesecloth and let the liquid drain out into a sink or mixing bowl. The amount of time needed for this step depends on how watery the curdled milk is. It might take several hours to a day before all the whey separates from the curds.
After the curds are formed, they are pressed and drained before different elements are introduced, depending on the type of cheese being made. The liquid that is left over after the curds are drained is called whey. Salt is also added to help dry and preserve the cheese curds. Some cheeses are ready at this step—these are unripened (fresh) cheeses like some types of mozzarella, cottage cheese, and cream cheese. For other cheeses, cooked curds are put into molds and left to age or ripen. The amount of time this takes depends on the type of cheese. For example, mild cheddar cheese is aged for 2 to 3 months, while extra sharp cheese can be aged for a whole year.
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Cheese making: Curds are cut, salted, pressed, and aged to make different cheeses
The process of making cheese involves transforming milk into cheese. The milk used for cheese-making must be of the highest quality and is usually cow's milk, but goat's milk, sheep's milk, and buffalo's milk are also used.
Once the milk is collected, it is taken to a cheese plant to be tested for quality and purity. After it passes, the milk is filtered, standardised, and pasteurised. This process kills harmful bacteria and standardises the fat-to-protein ratio. Then, good bacteria or "starter cultures" are added to the milk, which ferment the lactose into lactic acid, helping to determine the cheese's flavour and texture.
After this process, the milk separates into curds and whey. The curds are then cut into smaller pieces to release more whey. The size of the curd cut determines the final texture of the cheese, with smaller curds creating a firmer and drier cheese, and larger curds resulting in softer cheese. The curds are then stirred and heated again to release more whey.
The next steps vary depending on the type of cheese being made. For some cheeses, the curds are salted and then pressed into a form or hoop, which is brined. This process removes more whey and gives the cheese its shape. For other cheeses, the cooked curds are put directly into moulds and left to age or ripen. The amount of time the cheese is aged depends on the type of cheese being made, with some cheeses aged for a few months and others for a year or more.
The salting process also varies, with some cheeses being rubbed with salt granules to create a hard, dry rind, and others being washed with a brine-soaked cloth. The ageing process allows the cheese to ripen and develop its unique characteristics, including flavour, texture, aroma, and appearance.
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Frequently asked questions
Cheese is made from milk. In the U.S., most cheese is made from cow's milk, but goat's milk, sheep's milk, and buffalo's milk are also used to make cheese around the world.
Once collected from farms, milk is taken to a cheese plant to be checked for quality and purity. It is then filtered, standardized, and pasteurized. After pasteurization, good bacteria or "starter cultures" are added to the milk to begin the fermentation process, which determines the cheese's flavor and texture. Rennet may also be added to thicken the milk. The milk then separates into curds and whey. The whey is drained, and the curds are cut into smaller pieces, stirred, heated, and salted. The curds are then pressed into a form or hoop and left to age.
Cheese is typically served at room temperature, so it should be taken out of the fridge 30 minutes to an hour before serving. It can be served in a variety of shapes and paired with items like fruit, nuts, olives, dips, and charcuterie.
Cheese-making is believed to have originated in the Middle East around 1000 BCE. It then spread to England with the expansion of the Roman Empire and later to North America with the Pilgrims on the Mayflower in 1620. Until the 19th century, cheese was a local farm product, and distinct varieties arose largely by accident due to differences in local conditions.
Raw milk cheese is made from milk that has not been heated above 102° F (44° C), while pasteurized milk cheese is made from milk that has been heated to at least 161° F (72° C). Proponents of raw milk cheese believe that not heating the milk brings out more flavor and aromatics, while pasteurization kills harmful bacteria and can make the cheese safer to consume.
