Chapter 8

Cheese
Chapter 8 Objectives

 Trace a brief culinary history of cheese

 Explain the cheese-making process overall
 Identify classifications of cheese
 Discuss the new American cheese movement
 Discuss cheese service and storage
 Describe the cheese-making process in the kitchen
for fresh cheeses
History of Cheese

 Cheeses were enjoyed by the ancient Sumerians as

early as 3000 B.C.E.
 Records of cheese have been in ancient Egyptian
tombs as early as 2300 B.C.E.
 The Romans were the first to mass-produce cheese
to be carried on long journeys and used by their
armies as a convenient form of concentrated
nutrition
What is Cheese?

 Cheese is defined as a food product made from the

pressed curd of milk
 Cheese is thought of as a living food because of the
“friendly,” living bacteria that are continually
changing it
 Cow’s milk is the base for many cheeses, followed
by goat’s and then sheep’s milk
Artisan Cheeses and Dairies in the
United States
 In 1851, the first real cheese factory in America was
established in Rome, New York
 Around the same period of time, Wisconsin,
California, Ohio, and Vermont were also beginning
to establish themselves as states with producers of
high quality cheeses
 By 1900, cheese makers in California were
producing soft-ripened, soft, and washed-rind
cheeses as well as the American invented Monterey
Jack cheese
Artisan Cheese and Dairies in the
United States
 In 1990, over eight billion pounds of cheese and
cheese-related products were produced in the
United States
 Since the early 1990s, the number of artisan dairies
in the United States has grown from a handful to
more than 200
The Cheese-Making Process
 The basic stages in modern cheese production:
1. Milk and its pretreatment, including homogenizing,
pasteurizing, or heating
2. Acidification of milk, to change the pH level
3. Coagulating (curdling) the milk to create curds
4. Separating the curds and whey
5. Salting the curds
6. Shaping, cutting, or molding the curds into their
appropriate shapes
7. Ripening
Milk

 The type of milk the cheese maker chooses is

critical to the development and final outcome of the
cheese.
 Different milks used in cheese-making:
Cow Yak
Goat Mare
Sheep Llama
Camel Buffalo
Pasteurization of Milk

 Pasteurization is the process by which a liquid is

heated to a particular temperature and held there
for a specific period of time to destroy the naturally
occurring bacteria in the milk
 The down side is that the process destroys not only
pathogens but also the “friendly” bacteria, which
are not only safe but also play an important role in
producing cheeses
 The majority of cheese in the U.S. is produced from
pasteurized milk
Acidification of Milk

 The milk is heated to a specific temperature and a

starter is added that contains either an acid or an
organism that produces lactic acid
 If there is too much acid, the curd may take several
days to release the whey
 If there is too little, a seemingly dry cheese may
begin to leak whey several weeks after it has been
shaped and pressed
Acidification of Milk

 Acid starters for soft  Enzyme starter for

fresh cheeses: most ripened cheeses:
 Lemon juice  A culture composed of a
 Vinegar lactic acid-producing
 Citric acid organism
 Tartaric acid
Coagulating (Curdling) the Milk
 Acid starters will change the milk rapidly, souring
the milk as well as forming curds—tightening the
proteins
 Rennet: an enzyme starter originally obtained from
the fourth stomach of young ruminant animals such
as cows, sheep, and goats
 Today animal, plant, and genetically engineered forms
(chymosin) are available
 The rennet that will give the cheese the desired flavor is
the one that the cheese maker will use
Separating the Curds and Whey

 When the milk coagulates, it generally forms a soft

mass curd that must be broken up to allow the
noncoagulated portion of the milk, known as the
whey, to drain off
Salting

 Salt may be added at various points in the cheese-

making process but it is usually done after draining
the whey from the curd
 Salt’s effects on cheese-making:
 Adds flavor
 Controls fermentation
 Limits spoilage
 Dries the cheese

 The drier the cheese, the longer its useful life

Shaping

 Some methods for shaping cheese:

 In cheesecloth bags
 In baskets
 In molds
 Set on racks
 Hung to drain and dry
 Shaped in thick slabs and stacked
Ripening

 Also known as aging or curing

 This is where the “magic” of flavor development
takes place
 Changes during ripening affect:
 Flavor
 Texture
 Body
 Occasionally color
Ripening

 Most cheese are ripened in temperature and

humidity-controlled environments
 Cheese may be ripened in:
 Leaves
 Ashes
 Wax rinds
 No rind at all
Cheese Classifications
 Soft fresh
 Soft ripened
 Rind-ripened
 Semi-soft
 Blue-veined cheeses
 Pasta filata
 Hard
 Very hard
Soft Fresh Cheeses
 Unripened
 Fresh, clean, creamy flavor
 Highly perishable
 Examples:
 Cottage cheese
 Cream cheese
 Feta
 Ricotta
 Mascarpone
 Chèvre
 Pot cheese
 Queso blanco
Soft Ripened Cheeses

 Sprayed or dusted with a mold and allowed to

ripened
 Varying degrees of richness depending on butterfat
 Examples:
 Brie
 Camembert
 Explorateur
Rind-Ripened Cheeses
 Ripen from outside in  Examples:
 Periodically washed  Limburger
during ripening period  Pont l’Évêque
with:  Taleggio
 Brine  Epoisses
 Beer  Reblochon
 Wine
 Cider
 Brandy
 Oils
Semi-Soft Cheeses

 Allowed to ripen in a variety of ways:

 Dry-rind cheeses form a natural rind while ripening
 Wax-rind cheeses are sealed in wax before the aging
process
Semi-Soft Cheeses

 Examples:
 Fontina
 Havarti
 Monterrey Jack
 Muenster
 Caciotta
Blue-Veined Cheeses

 It is believed that the mold in blue cheeses was first

introduced to cheese from moldy bread that had
come in contact with the cheese
 Today, needles are used to form holes and
introduce the mold to the cheese as well as to allow
the gases to escape and oxygen to enter to support
mold growth within the cheese
 The cheese is then salted and brined and allowed to
ripen under cave-like conditions
Blue-Veined Cheeses

 Roquefort: made strictly from raw sheep’s milk and

has been made since ancient times in the Rouergue
area of southern France
 Still ripened in the caves of Cambalou for three
months to develop their unique character
 Roquefort mold is developed naturally from rye
bread
Blue-Veined Cheeses

 Examples:
 Danish Blue
 Gorgonzola
 Roquefort
 Stilton
 Maytag Blue
Pasta Filata Cheeses
 Pasta filata literally means “spun curds” or “spun
paste”
 During manufacture, the curds are dipped into hot
water and then stretched or spun until the proper
consistency and texture is achieved
 They are then kneaded and molded into the desired
shapes
 Examples:
 Mozzarella
 Provolone
Hard Cheeses

 Popular hard cheeses include Cheddar, Colby, and

Swiss
 The yellow color of some Cheddars is achieved
through the addition of annatto seed paste and has
nothing to do with the flavor
Hard Cheeses

 Examples:
 Cheddar
 Emmentaler
 Gouda
 Jarlsberg
 Manchego
 Provolone
 Gruyère
Very Hard Cheeses

 In Italy, these cheeses are known as the granas, or

grainy cheeses, because of their granular texture
 Very hard cheeses are most often grated or shaved
 They are also traditionally eaten in chunks broken
off with a special knife
 True Parmigiano-Reggiano is often referred to as
the king of cheeses
Very Hard Cheeses

 Examples:
 Asiago
 Parmigiano-Reggiano
 Pecorino Romano
 Grana Padano
Cheese Service

 Selecting cheeses for a cheese board should be

based on:
 Color
 Shape
 Texture
 Richness
 Intensity
Cheese Service

 Cheeses should be allowed to come to room

temperature before they are served
 Styles of cheese presentation:
 As a course in and of themselves
 Cheese cart
 On a buffet
Partners and Accompaniments for
Cheese
 Three types of food that have a natural affinity for
cheese:
1. Wine, beer, and fortified wines
2. Varieties of breads and crackers
3. Fruit
Caring for Cheeses: Storage and
Handling

 Because cheese is a living food with active

biological attributes, it is critical to maintain the
highest standards in sanitation during handling
 Cheese may be a potentially hazardous food, if
handled improperly
 If cheeses become unnaturally moldy, they may be
trimmed by cutting 1/2 to 1 inch past the mold