CHEESE

INTRODUCTION

  • Cheese is made by coagulation or curdling the milk with acid or rennin or both, drawing off the whey and processing the curd.
  • Cheese is one of the by-products of the milk. It is processed form either cream of milk or cream and milk mixed together.

TEMPERATURE

  • It is very valuable food. It should not be over-cooked. It should always be combined with starchy foods, this aids the digestion. Low temperature and short cooking is recommended.

MAIN CHEESE

  • Some cheeses are flavored with herbs or spices.
  • There are four main types of cheeses used in the kitchen:-
  1. Parmesan (Italy)
  2. Gruyere (Switzerland)
  3. Cheddar (England)
  4. Amul (India)

STORING

  • Keep in cool and dark place.
  • Wrapped in grease proof paper to prevent the drying.

PRECAUTIONS

  • Storing away from foods otherwise it will absorb flavor of vegetables.
  • If, it is kept at too cold temperature, it will dehydrate and if put in a warm place it will sweat.

MANUFACTURING PROCESS OF CHEESE

RIPENING OF MILK:-

  • Starter (lactic acid producing bacteria) added to the milk.
  • Animal’s afternoon milk mixed with equal qty of fresh morning milk.
  • Milk left overnight – starter develops.
  • Temperature of milk is controlled at 30 0C.

RENNETING:- two sources of rennet enzymes:-

  • An enzyme which acts on protein and causes it to coagulate.  There are two sources of rennet enzyme.  Animal rennet is an enzyme which is extracted from the fourth stomach of calves and vegetable based rennet.
  • Vegetable based rennet contains no animal products and has the same coagulating ability as animal rennet when used in milk that has been ripened (acidified) by cheese starter bacteria.  This rennet is available in tablet and liquid form.  Rennet must be diluted with distilled water prior to adding to milk.  Rennet must be refrigerated.

SAPARATION OF MILK

  • Whey (liquid part) is separated from curd by:-
  • Wire cutters-soft cheese
  • Cheddaring-English (hard) cheese
  • Cooking curd-Parmesan cheese

SALTING, COLORING AND MOULDING

  • 2% Salt is added.
  • Annatto (wild berry which gives yellow color) is added.
  • Moulding in different iron moulds-young/green/cottage cheese.
  • Note- hydraulic pressure can be applied after moulding to remove the remaining whey.

MATURING OR RIPENING

    • Temp. Controlled at 140C.
    • Moulded curd is covered with cheese cloth.
    • Mold grows on cheese cloth and gives color and flavor.
  • Molds penicillium glaucum (white) and penicillium roqreforti (blue).

CLASSIFICATION:-

  • COUNTRY/ORIGIN- cheddar, gorgonzola
  • METHOD OF MANUFACTURING- ripened, unripened
  • TEXTURE-hard, semi-hard, soft.
  • COLOR OR ODOUR

COMPOSITION:

  • Protein content – 20%-25%
  • Fat content- 30-35%
  • Moisture/water- 30-35%
  • Calcium, phosphorous and vitamins.

USES

  • Accompaniments
  • Cooking of farinaceous dishes etc.
  • As a cheese course.
  • In a cold buffet as cheese platter (6 verities)

TYPES OF CHEESE

There are two ways to classify the cheese. The first way is:-

  1. fresh
  2. soft
  3. semi-hard
  4. hard
  5. blue

the other way is:-

  1. Soft white cheese
  2. Bloomy rind cheese
  3. Washed rind cheese
  4. Pressed, uncooked
  5. Pressed, cooked (hard)
  6. Blue cheese
  7. Natural rind cheese
  8. Processed cheese

SOFT WHITE CHEESE

It is neither fermented nor matured. It is creamy and smooth, based on cow’s milk. Skimmed or unskimmed, sometimes enriched with cream.

BLOOMY RIND CHEESE

It is neither pressed nor cooked. Salty in taste.

WASHED RIND CHEESE

It is a raw or pasteurized milk cheese, come from north of france, the maturation period is 2-6 months, Then washed in slightly salted brine. Spicy in taste and aroma.

PRESSED, UNCOOKED

The raw milk is heated at 36 0 C and coagulated at a slightly lower temp, curds are fragmented into particles the size of the rice grains and pressed through cloths to extract the whey. The maturation period 2-3 months, the rind is brushed to obtain a regular patina and prevent humidity.

PRESSED, COOKED

It is hard pressed, cooked cheese, made by using evening milk left to stand overnight and skimmed. Mixed with the next morning milk. The maturation takes place in a cool humid cellar and lasts four to ten months, during the cheese is washed in al low salt brine and scrapped.

BLUE CHEESE

Blue mould is a strain of penicillium that is added to the milk before rennet is added either in liquid or powder form, most blue cheese are mostly wrapped in foil to prevent them from drying out, neither pressed nor cooked.

NATURAL RIND CHEESE

Goat’s and sheep’s cheese, they have a slightly wrinkled, cream colored rind, at the same time they dry out, the wrinkles become more pronounced and character  and  flavor increases. Taste is fresh, almost fruity with undertones of goat, to mature, cheese must be kept dry.

PROCESSED CHEESE

Processed cheese, process cheese, or prepared cheese is a food product made from regular cheese and sometimes other unfermented dairy ingredients, plus emulsifiers, extra salt, food colorings and/or whey. Many flavors, colors, and textures of processed cheese exist.