How Cheese Is Made

Cheese is traditionally made from Cow, Goat, Sheep, or Buffalo milk. The astounding variety of tastes, textures and colors of cheese are determined by a multitude of factors.

The milk used to make a cheese plays a major role of course - not only the type of animal and its breed but where the animal lives and what it eats contributes to the taste, texture and personality of the cheese.

Cheese, like wine, gets better with age

How the cheese is processed and aged, whether it has been pasteurized, the butterfat content, bacteria and mold inoculations, processing, aging, smoking and the addition of herbs and spices also contribute to the flavor and texture of cheese.

Animal, breed and habitat contribute to the flavor and texture of cheese

Cheeses can be smoked by the cheesemaker or at home

Acidification: Lactose (milk sugar) is converted to Lactic Acid in a process called Acidification. When a Starter Culture (beneficial bacteria) is added to milk, the acidity of the milk is raised and the liquid begins to change into solid. Rennet (an enzyme derived from animals, plants or from microbes in fungus or yeast) is added to further develop the milk into a solid - this is the process of Coagulation.

Separating Curds & Whey

Acidification and coagulation are the first steps in the process of making cheese

Separation of Curds & Whey is the next step in cheese making. Curds (the solids) are cut according to the style of cheese being made. With soft cheeses like Brie, the curd is barely cut. For harder cheeses like Parmesan, the curds are cut or raked very fine. Cutting the curd encourages the liquid to run off.

Cheddaring and Cooking are two optional methods of manipulating cheese and changing its texture. In cheddaring, blocks of cheese are stacked, the weight forcing expulsion of liquid. The blocks are then ground or milled, packed into molds and further pressed. Cooking the curd creates a softer, less crumbly texture.

Mozarella is made by cooking the curds and whey to cause separation. 

Salting enhances a cheeses flavor, acts as a preservative during aging and helps the cheese form a natural rind on the exterior. Salt can be added to the curd or rubbed on the exterior. Cheese can also be soaked in a brine bath or encased in a cloth that’s been soaked in brine.

Some cheeses are inoculated with beneficial molds like Penecillium, creating intense flavors and color

Some cheeses are shaped and pressed in molds

Shaping of the cheese affects more than presentation, it also influences the texture, moisture content and flavor. Affinage, or ripening, of the cheese takes place in a climate controlled room or natural cave. Beneficial molds can be formed on the cheese exterior by exposure to natural airborne molds or by inoculating the cheese with a surface spray or injection of mold (as in Blue Cheese.)

Most rinds on cheese are edible and can enhance the experience of the cheese with their texture and flavor.

Bloomy Rinds are white with a smooth or fluffy surface

Rind: Rind is the exterior coating of the cheese and is almost always edible (except for Wax or cloth.) Bloomy Rinds (like on Brie) are formed when cheesemakers spray edible mold spores (Penicillium candidum, camemberti or glaucum) on the cheese and hold the cheese at a temperature that promotes its growth and the formation of the rind. This type of rind is white and can have a smooth or fluffy surface. Washed Rinds usually have an orange color and are the hallmark of pungent “Stinky” cheeses like Cowgirl Creamery’s Red Hawke. Edible molds like B. Linens form on the damp surface of these cheeses that are washed with brine or alcohol. Cheeses like Stilton have Natural Rind, a thin crust that develops as the cheese dries while exposed to air. Some cheesemakers rub these rinds with oil to soften the surface tension and prevent cracking of the rind.

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