| Making cheese at home is not exactly an activity | | | | to increase acidity levels, depending on the kind of |
| you could just kill some time with. It requires | | | | cheese you are looking to make. Streptococcus |
| constant discovery, trial, and error, some degree | | | | thermophiles makes for good Camembert, Gouda |
| of expertise, and loads of patience. In its most | | | | and Baby Swiss cheese, while using Lactococcus |
| basic form, cheese is made by removing the | | | | lactic cultures is good for hard cheeses like Feta |
| water content in dairy milk. Soft cheese contains | | | | and Chevre. Italian cheeses like Parmesan and |
| more water, while hard cheese is drier. Thus, | | | | Mozzarella use Lactobacillus helveticus bacteria as |
| cream cheese would have a higher water content | | | | starters. |
| than, say, cheddar cheese. | | | | These cultures are available over the counter and |
| Water, which forms over 85 per cent of the | | | | can also be cultured at home. But it is more |
| constitution of milk, can be removed in a number | | | | convenient and less disaster-prone to use the |
| of ways. The easiest is to just add some vinegar | | | | purchasable varieties, which only need to be |
| or lemon juice to the milk to make it split into milk | | | | added to the milk. The next step would be to add |
| curds, made up of the solid components of milk | | | | the rennet which will cause the milk to coagulate. |
| and whey, which is essentially the water. | | | | After allowing the solution to stand for a day or |
| A more refined process would be to use bacteria | | | | two, the whey can be drained off. The 'cheese' |
| cultures to make the milk acidic and therefore | | | | you have now is wholly edible, and you can heat it |
| coagulate. This is a preferred option because the | | | | to remove more of the whey and harden it, |
| bacteria also gives the cheese obtained a | | | | after which you can salt it and age it for longer |
| characteristic flavour. | | | | preservation and more distinct flavor. |
| While this is the basic process, the details vary, | | | | Of utmost importance throughout the process is |
| given the kind of cheese one sets out to make. | | | | to maintain a high standard of hygiene, as one is |
| Any kind of milk may be used for cheese-making | | | | using warm milk, which is especially susceptible to |
| as long as it is fresh. Try any of these: | | | | spoiling through bacterial infection. So, while you |
| · Raw sheep | | | | can make cheese even in your home kitchen, do |
| · Goat | | | | ensure that the place is clean and you do not |
| · Cow milk | | | | prepare any other food through the course of |
| · Pasteurized milk | | | | the cheese-making process, to prevent accidental |
| · Packaged skim milk | | | | infection. |
| Store-purchased milk of any variety, however, is | | | | The exact procedure for the different cheese |
| homogenized, which means that the cream | | | | varies and easy-to-follow guidelines can be found |
| particles in the milk have been pulverized to avoid | | | | in any good recipe book, or even online. |
| separation of cream and milk. Making cheese | | | | The basic equipment that you would require for |
| directly using this milk may not be fruitful. | | | | cheese-making are: a kitchen thermometer, a few |
| Consequently, it is suggested to add heavy cream | | | | yards of cheese-cloth (coarse for draining the |
| to the milk, in a proportion of 1 to 7. | | | | curds and a finer one for draining softer cheeses), |
| Addition of Calcium Chloride will also help | | | | a draining basket, a cheese press, and sometimes |
| reconstitute the protein structure of the milk, | | | | molds for particular varieties. |
| making it better for cheese-making. | | | | So go ahead try this at home and surprise people |
| The next stage is to add a suitable starter culture | | | | with your cheese making skills. |