Cheese Production—the Basics

Thu, 24 Nov 2011 05:07:45 +0100

Australian cheese is big business! On average, we devour over 10 kg of cheese per person every year. This country now manufactures over a hundred types of cheeses. Since 1996, Australia’s export of cheeses has more than doubled. Specialist cheese, which is a term generally applied to any cheese that isn’t mozzarella or cheddar, is also produced on a large scale. In most cases, the specialist variety is often produced by hand.

If you walk into any Cheese Shop, you will be confronted with a multitude of different types of cheese. Many shoppers play it safe and select the cheeses with which they are familiar; more than often Cheddar is the top choice, which is very adaptable in recipes. This cheese was first introduced by the English settlers, way back in the middle of the nineteenth century. It is now recognised that Australia is one of the top countries that produces the best cheddar cheese.

Australia’s cheese is made in different phases. During the first phase, milk must be pasteurised and the fats and proteins must be standardised to a set formula. All the large cheese producers must keep strictly to these standards, although some hard cheeses that go through a maturing process for several months can be produced from raw milk if certain rules are applied.

So, what is the next step? A starter culture must be added to the milk in order to develop the flavour and texture of the cheese. Hundreds of years ago the cheese farms merely placed sour milk in a churn and made cheese the very next day. This method was fine for making small quantities of cheese. However, the result of each batch had a different taste as the flavour and texture were inconsistent.

Cheese starters have now been developed to a fine art and they are made under laboratory conditions. These starter cultures are a mixture of bacteria that have been made to a scientific formula. They absorb the milk sugar and then they emit the lactic acid that thickens the milk. Rennet can also be added to hurry the process. This is the initial phase in turning the milk into a solid state.

The production of the lactic acid in cheese must be carefully monitored. If too much lactic acid is produced, the cheese can become very crumbly. On the other hand, if insufficient lactic acid is produced, the cheese can result into a gooey paste consistency. The next time you buy your cheese from your supermarket or if you order Gourmet Hampers online, remember that cheese has come a long way since the days of trial and error methods of producing this popular food source.

Enjoy your cheese, whether it is cheddar, stilton, parmesan or one of the specialist varieties. It is one of our most versatile foods and, of course, there is something exotic about eating a piece of cheese and drinking a glass of fine wine to conclude a dinner party.

cheese-production-the-basics

Cheese Production—the Basics