
	Intro: Before you begin Step 1: Understand how cheese is made Step 2: Understand types of cheese Step 3: Choose, serve, and store cheese







	Lactose: The natural sugar that occurs in milk products which, when fermented, becomes lactic acid Lactic acid: An organic acid produced by bacterial fermentation; commonly used in foods and medicines Whey: The watery part of milk, rich in lactose, minerals, and vitamins Curds: The thick, casein-rich part of coagulated milk; the basic ingredient of cheese Rind: The thick crust that forms on the outside of a cheese either as a byproduct of its fermentation or as an intentional protective layer Penicillium roqueforti: Members of a family of spores that give blue cheeses their sharp flavor and marbled appearance; the mold was originally found on a loaf of bread accidentally left in the caves of Roquefort, France


	If possible, avoid cheeses that are pre-weighed and wrapped, since you can’t see the original label to know exactly what kind of cheese you’re getting, where it came from, and what it contains.

2torial #0980:
Learn2 Appreciate Cheese (continued)

Understand how cheese is made

No two cheeses are made in exactly the same way, but several ingredients are common to most cheeses, including:

Milk, which can come from goats, sheep, cows, or even water buffalo, and may be skimmed to remove fat or pasteurized to kill bacteria
A curdling agent, usually rennet (a naturally occurring substance extracted from a calf's fourth stomach). Note: Vegetable-derived rennet may be used instead
Various flavoring agents, such as salt, fungus, brine, and spices

Cheese is usually made in three basic steps:

Producing curd. A starter--usually an acidic substance like vinegar or lemon juice, or a bacterial culture--is added to warmed milk to change lactose into lactic acid. This ensures that the milk protein (or casein) will coagulate when the rennet is added. Rennet causes the watery part of the milk (whey) to separate from the firmer part (curds), and within a short time the process leaves a soft gelatinous mass, which, when separated from the whey, becomes the basis for cheese.
Concentrating curd. At this point, processes, temperatures, and times vary depending on the cheese. The soft mass of curds may be used as is, or cut and pressed to drain the liquid whey. The finer the curds are cut, the more whey is drained and the firmer the resulting cheese. Some cheeses may require shaking, turning, kneading, stacking, or reheating of the curds. Cheeses may be wrapped in cloth and hung to drain, or placed in a perforated mold that forms the cheese while allowing moisture to escape.
The time needed to complete this part of the cheese-making process can vary from a few hours to several months, depending on the acidity of the curds and the type of cheese being made.
Ripening curds. After the curds are formed and the cheese is shaped, there’s a period of time over which the cheese develops before reaching an optimum or desired flavor. Called "ripening" or "aging," this time allows various enzymes, acids, and bacteria to play distinctive roles in the development of the flavors and features that characterize a particular cheese--like the holes in Emmentaler, or Brie's fuzzy rind.

Cheeses are usually matured or ripened in cellars with consistent temperature and humidity levels. In general, firm or hard cheeses ripen slowly, from the inside out. Softer cheeses, such as Brie or Camembert, ripen more quickly, typically in a matter of weeks. Unripened cheeses, also known as "fresh cheeses," like ricotta or cottage cheese, may be ripened minimally or not at all. Ripening is not necessarily the same as aging. Some cheeses can benefit from further aging after reaching their optimum mature or ripened state, to bring out different qualities and characteristics. Generally, the longer a cheese is aged, the drier it becomes and the stronger the flavor.

Depending on the cheese being made, other ingredients and flavoring agents may be introduced at various points in the ripening process. For instance, soaking a cheese in brine or rubbing it with salt speeds up the drying process, adds flavor, and helps a rind form. Roquefort is poked with a needle to aerate the cheese and allow its own special flavor fungus, Penicillium roqueforti, to take root.

Step 2