Cheese is a preserved food made from milk curd that is produced through draining whey and removing moisture from the curd. There are over 2,000 varieties of cheese classified based on factors like milk source, fermentation process, moisture content, and more. Cheese is made through milk selection, enzyme or acid coagulation to separate curd from whey, processing the curd through cutting, pressing, salting, and ripening. Proper storage of cheese depends on the type and involves refrigeration, low-temperature cooking, and cutting techniques.

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Understanding Food Principles and Preparation • Fifth Edition
AMY BROWN
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Cheese
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• Preserved food made from curd of milk
• Making cheese
– Drain whey
– Remove moisture from curd
• Over 2,000 varieties of cheese
– 15 varieties account for most consumption
Cheese

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• Ways of classifying cheese
– Milk source (cow, sheep, goat, etc.)
– Fermentation and ripening conditions
– Methods of pressing, sizing, and shaping
– Type of bacteria utilized
– Appearance
– Mode of packaging; place of origin
– Moisture content
Classification of Cheeses

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Classification of Cheeses (cont’d.)

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Classification of Cheeses (cont’d.)

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• Moisture content in cheese classification
– Fresh
• Over 80% moisture content
– Soft
• 50-75% moisture content
– Semi-hard
• 40-50% moisture content
– Hard
• 30-40% moisture content
– Very hard
• ~30% moisture content
Classification of Cheeses (cont’d.)

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Cheese Production

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• Milk selection
– Animal (cow, goat, sheep, camel, etc.)
– Amount of fat (whole, 2%, nonfat)
• Enzyme coagulation
– Can come from a variety of sources
– Chymosin/rennet from animal stomachs
– Fermentation-produced chymosin
• Aspergillus niger
• Kluyveromyces marxianus var. lactis
Cheese Production (cont’d.)

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• Enzyme coagulation process
– Milk is heated from 72 to 95° F
– Calcium chloride sometimes added to speed
up coagulation
– Coagulation takes less than an hour
Cheese Production (cont’d.)

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• Acid coagulation
• Two methods
– First method: add acid directly to milk
– Second method: add bacteria to turn lactose
into lactic acid
• Takes 4-16 hours
Cheese Production (cont’d.)

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• Treating curd to remove more whey
– Cutting
– Heating
– Salting
– Knitting
– Pressing
• Curing and ripening
Cheese Production (cont’d.)

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Cheese Production (cont’d.)

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Cheese Production (cont’d.)

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• Whey
– Sweet whey: coagulates with enzymes
– Acidic whey: coagulates with acid
– Whey cheeses: primost, mysost, gjetost,
ricotta
– Dry whey (food for livestock, processed
foods)
– Modified whey products: condensed, protein
concentrate, delactosed, demineralized
Cheese Production (cont’d.)

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Cheese Production (cont’d.)

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• Processed cheeses
– Process cheese
– Cold-pack cheese
– Process cheese food
– Process cheese spread
– Imitation cheese
– Tofu and other nondairy cheeses
Cheese Production (cont’d.)

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Purchasing Cheese

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• Forms of cheese
– Blocks
– Shredded or sliced
– Individually wrapped sticks
– Process cheese
– Cheese powders
– Sauce or dip
Purchasing Cheese (cont’d.)

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• Selecting a cheese
– Shreddability
– Meltability
– Oiling off
– Blistering
– Browning
– Stretchability
Food Preparation with Cheese

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• Cooking cheese
– Low temperature; short cooking time
• Serving cheeses
– Semi-hard and hard: room temperature
– Unripened cheeses: chilled
Food Preparation with Cheese (cont’d.)

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• Cutting cheese
– Triangular knife (very hard cheeses)
– Skeleton knife or steel string (soft cheeses)
– All-purpose cheese knife
Food Preparation with Cheese (cont’d.)

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• Dry storage
– Process cheese spreads
– Very hard cheeses (processed Parmesan)
• Refrigeration
– Store in original wrapper, in refrigerator door
– Rewrap tightly
– Storage times vary by type of cheese
• Frozen: hard cheeses only
Storage of Cheeses

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• Cheese is a preserved food made from the
curd, or solid portion, of milk
• One of the most nutrient-dense foods,
cheese is most often used to add flavor,
color, and texture to prepared foods
• Important aspects of cheese for food
preparation
– Classification, production, purchasing criteria,
and preparation and storage techniques
Chapter Summary