Cheese products are rich in nutrients such as protein, calcium, fat, phosphorus and vitamins, and are pure natural foods. So, friends want to know? Below I will introduce you to the practice of cheese products.

1. Acidification: Add starter to milk to convert lactose and sugar in milk into lactic acid. This process is the process of changing the acidity level of milk and starting to change milk from liquid to solid.

2. Coagulation: add chymosin to further coagulate the milk.

3. Curd and whey: Curd should be cut with a rake-like knife. Cutting curd can further separate liquid or whey. Generally speaking, the smaller the curd is cut, the harder the cheese is. Soft cheese such as Camembert cheese or Brie cheese is difficult to cut and coagulate. Hard cheeses such as Cheddar and Gruyere can cut out very fine textures. For these hard cheeses, the curd is further made into cheddar cheese or cooked. Cooking curd can change its structure, making it softer rather than fragile.

4. Salt: Salt is used as seasoning and preservative, so cheese will not go bad after several months or years of aging. It also helps to form the natural skin of cheese. There are several ways to use salt. In the process of cheese making, salt can directly promote curd. The outermost circle of cheese can be wiped with salt or a wet cloth soaked in salt water. Cheese can also be directly soaked in concentrated salt water.

5. Molding: put the cheese into a basket or mold to form a specific shape. In this process, the cheese is squeezed by weight, or the machine will remove any residual liquid.

6. Maturity: refers to refining, which is the process of aging cheese until it reaches the best mature state. In this process, the temperature and humidity of the caves or rooms that prevent cheese are closely monitored. An experienced cheese aging expert knows how to treat each piece of cheese correctly to form a suitable taste and texture. For some cheeses, molds in the ambient air give cheese a unique flavor. For others, mold is implanted or injected into cheese by spraying brie cheese or directly injecting blue cheese. Some cheeses must be turned over, some must be oiled, and some must be washed with salt water or alcohol.

Cheese products

Tools and materials for making cheese

To make cheese at home, you need to buy some necessary tools and materials first. You can buy these items separately, or you can buy cheese packets * * * A relatively simple choice * * *, including all the necessities. These tools can be purchased from online cheese supply stores, kitchen supplies stores and shops sell beer brewing equipment, and usually sell tools and equipment for making cheese. The following is a basic shopping list for making simple cheese in small batches in your own kitchen. In addition, check the formula to see if specific and additional ingredients are needed.

Stainless steel pot

Stainless steel is important because it will not react with materials. All-metal pot is durable and evenly heated. This jar has a capacity of at least 4 to 6 gallons.

Slotted stainless steel spoon

Like pots, stainless steel spoons are the best because they don't react with materials. Slotting is very useful. When the curd is taken out of the pot, some liquid whey will leak out of the spoon trough.

Cheese cloth

Cheese cloth is a kind of coarse cotton cloth, which is used to drain whey from curd.

Curing knife

Coagulation machine is a long flat knife used to cut clots. If you make small quantities of cheese, you can use a butter knife instead.

Stainless steel thermometer

Choose a stainless steel thermometer with a reading of 225℉, which can be clamped on one side of the pot to monitor the temperature of the heated milk.

milk

Whole milk works best. Don't buy over-sterilized milk. Just buy ordinary pasteurized milk at the grocery store. If you want to use raw milk or goat's milk, it is easier to find it in a gourmet grocery store or a health food store.

yeast

Healthy bacteria help to increase the flavor of cheese and begin to acidify milk. A special kind of cheese needs a special group of bacteria.

rennin

An enzyme that thickens milk. Most chymosin comes from animals, but chymosin from vegetables can also be used. It is in liquid or solid form.

citric acid

A powder for increasing acidity and separating solid curd from liquid whey.

Lipase powder

An enzyme that helps to develop the specific flavor of cheese, such as mozzarella cheese, blue cheese and parmesan cheese.

salt

The salt used to make yogurt cannot contain iodine, because iodine will react with alkaline lactic acid bacteria. Jewish salt * * * Crude salt * * usually contains no iodine and can be used.

calcium chloride

It helps to consolidate the milk structure of homogeneous milk again, thus making it rich in texture. * * * Most milk sold in grocery stores is homogeneous milk.

The type of milk used to make cheese

Cheese is mainly made of three kinds of milk: goat's milk, sheep's milk and milk. Different milk tastes different and has different nutrients. Some cheese makers use purchased milk sources, while others use milk from their own livestock.

Generally speaking, 10 pound of goat's milk or milk can make 1 pound of cheese. Goat milk is very rich, so a little less milk can make 1 pound cheese. The change of milk flavor and fat content depends on the season, different milking time of the day and the reproductive cycle of animals. A good cheese maker knows how to predict all these variables.

Goat milk

Cheese made from goat milk is white. Low lactose makes it easier to digest. In addition, goat milk is easier to digest because its constituent particles are evenly distributed. Goat milk cheese usually has a strong smell, and the more mature the cheese, the stronger the taste.

Ewe/goat milk

Goat milk with rich flavor and nutrition is most suitable for making cheese. It contains more milk fat and protein than cows. Goat milk cheese usually has a sweet and nutty taste.

milk

Of all milk, milk contains the most carotene, which adds a yellow hue to cheese. Cheese made from milk is usually considered to have local flavor, although the taste may vary greatly according to the style of cheese.

Three kinds of cheese crust

Cheese skin is the shell formed during cheese making. It is naturally formed, not other coverings such as wax and cloth. It is not edible, so it is usually edible.

Although the cheese skin is edible, the question you need to ask is, do you want to eat it? If the taste and texture of the crust can enhance the overall experience of cheese, the answer is yes. Feel it. If the skin doesn't suit you, or the texture is too hard, or it tastes bad, don't eat it. After all, the cheese skin is not the protagonist of cheese, but the skin inside.

Flower skin

Floral skin is white and soft, and sometimes even fuzzy. Cheese manufacturers spray an edible solution containing mold spores (such as Penicillium) on the surface of cheese. The humidity where the cheese is ripe makes these molds grow, bloom and form skins. The only reason why you may not want to eat the bread crust with flowers is that, somehow, the bread crust and cheese are separated, and the texture of the bread crust is granular or smells of ammonia.

Multi-flower cheese includes Brie cheese, Camembert cheese and Saint Andre cheese.

Washed skin

Look at the color of the skin. Does it have a distinct orange or red color? If there is, it may be washed. These cheeses are washed with salt water or alcohol, or both, to create a humid environment for edible molds. Cheese washed with water is usually the most fragrant, or some people call it "smelly cheese". Cheese usually tastes stronger and saltier, mainly due to the action of salt water and alcohol. The washed skin is edible, although you may not eat it because it tastes too salty.

Natural skin

There is not much human intervention in the formation of natural skin. In a room with controlled temperature and humidity, cheese will naturally dry. Over time, this formed a thin shell. Cheese makers monitor this process and sometimes grease the crust.

Cheeses with natural shells include Stilton cheese, Montgomery Cheddar cheese, Dom cheese, Cantor cheese and Parma cheese.