How is Cheese made? The whole process?!


Question: How is Cheese made!? The whole process!?
Answers:
Cheese is a food made from milk, usually the milk of cows, buffalo, goats, or sheep, by coagulation!. The milk is acidified, typically with a bacterial culture, then the addition of the enzyme rennet or a substitute (e!.g!. acetic acid or vinegar) causes coagulation, to give "curds and whey"!.[1] Some cheeses also have molds, either on the outer rind (similar to a fruit peel) or throughout!.

Hundreds of types of cheese are produced!. Their different styles, textures and flavors depend on the origin of the milk (including the animal's diet), whether it has been pasteurized, butterfat content, the species of bacteria and mold, and the processing including the length of aging!. Herbs, spices, or wood smoke may be used as flavoring agents!. The yellow to red color of many cheeses is a result of adding annatto!. Cheeses are eaten both on their own and cooked in various dishes; most cheeses melt when heated!.

For a few cheeses, the milk is curdled by adding acids such as vinegar or lemon juice!. Most cheeses are acidified to a lesser degree by bacteria, which turn milk sugars into lactic acid, then the addition of rennet completes the curdling!. Vegetarian alternatives to rennet are available; most are produced by fermentation of the fungus Mucor miehei, but others have been extracted from various species of the Cynara thistle family!.

Cheese has served as a hedge against famine and is a good travel food!. It is valuable for its portability, long life, and high content of fat, protein, calcium, and phosphorus!. Cheese is more compact and has a longer shelf life than the milk from which it is made!. Cheesemakers near a dairy region may benefit from fresher, lower-priced milk, and lower shipping costs!. The long storage life of cheese allows selling it when markets are more favorable!.

The only strictly required step in making any sort of cheese is separating the milk into solid curds and liquid whey!. Usually this is done by acidifying (souring) the milk and adding rennet!. The acidification is accomplished directly by the addition of an acid like vinegar in a few cases (paneer, queso fresco), but usually starter bacteria are employed instead!. These starter bacteria convert milk sugars into lactic acid!. The same bacteria (and the enzymes they produce) also play a large role in the eventual flavor of aged cheeses!. Most cheeses are made with starter bacteria from the Lactococci, Lactobacilli, or Streptococci families!. Swiss starter cultures also include Propionibacter shermani, which produces carbon dioxide gas bubbles during aging, giving Swiss cheese or Emmental its holes!.

Some fresh cheeses are curdled only by acidity, but most cheeses also use rennet!. Rennet sets the cheese into a strong and rubbery gel compared to the fragile curds produced by acidic coagulation alone!. It also allows curdling at a lower acidity—important because flavor-making bacteria are inhibited in high-acidity environments!. In general, softer, smaller, fresher cheeses are curdled with a greater proportion of acid to rennet than harder, larger,

At this point, the cheese has set into a very moist gel!. Some soft cheeses are now essentially complete: they are drained, salted, and packaged!. For most of the rest, the curd is cut into small cubes!. This allows water to drain from the individual pieces of curd!.

Some hard cheeses are then heated to temperatures in the range of 35 °C–55 °C (100 °F–130 °F)!. This forces more whey from the cut curd!. It also changes the taste of the finished cheese, affecting both the bacterial culture and the milk chemistry!. Cheeses that are heated to the higher temperatures are usually made with thermophilic starter bacteria which survive this step—either lactobacilli or streptococci!.

Salt has a number of roles in cheese besides adding a salty flavor!. It preserves cheese from spoiling, draws moisture from the curd, and firms up a cheese’s texture in an interaction with its proteins!. Some cheeses are salted from the outside with dry salt or brine washes!. Most cheeses have the salt mixed directly into the curds!.

A number of other techniques can be employed to influence the cheese's final texture and flavor!. Some examples:

Stretching: (Mozzarella, Provolone) The curd is stretched and kneaded in hot water, developing a stringy, fibrous body!.
Cheddaring: (Cheddar, other English cheeses) The cut curd is repeatedly piled up, pushing more moisture away!. The curd is also mixed (or milled) for a long period of time, taking the sharp edges off the cut curd pieces and influencing the final product's texture!.
Washing: (Edam, Gouda, Colby) The curd is washed in warm water, lowering its acidity and making for a milder-tasting cheese!.
Most cheeses achieve their final shape when the curds are pressed into a mold or form!. The harder the cheese, the more pressure is applied!. The pressure drives out moisture — the molds are designed to allow water to escape — and unifies the curds into a single solid body!.

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This site shows you how to make more than a dozen cheeses!.!.!.
http://www!.gourmetsleuth!.com/cheeserecip!.!.!.Www@FoodAQ@Com

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