37: The Cheese Making Process Animation Video
Transcript:
The Cheese Making Process
Thousands of varieties of cheese exist worldwide. Although they vary in shape, color, and flavor, they are all made following much the same process.
Every cheese begins as milk, however, the milk may be that of a cow, goat, sheep, water buffalo, or even camel.
First, the level of butterfat in the milk is adjusted. Some high fat cheeses require the addition of butterfat, while some cheeses may have butterfat removed. For example, some brie cheeses have cream added to the milk to increase the butterfat content. In contrast, parmesan cheese is made from milk that has been skimmed of some of its butterfat.
Once the butterfat is adjusted, bacteria culture is added to the milk. The bacteria increase the acidity, change the flavor, and thicken the milk.
The bacteria alone cannot produce the cheese, so a small amount of coagulant called rennet is added to the milk. The rennet causes the milk to thicken dramatically.
The milk thickens to a semisolid mass and is cut into cubes, or curds. The curds are cut larger for soft cheeses, smaller for medium firm cheeses, and even smaller for firm cheeses. The curds contain casein, which is one of two proteins found in milk.
For most types of cheese, the curds are then pressed and heated to varying degrees depending on the desired firmness of the final product. As the curds are pressed and heated, they shrink and expel a watery substance, which contains the other protein found in milk called whey.
The curds are then placed in a mold and aged. The aging process can take weeks, months, or even years depending on the type of cheese.