Cheese-making process

Cheese nowadays is a very commonly used food ingredient. It is available in variety of forms. It is a long process and involves the following steps. It may differ in flavor and texture based on the ageing process or the amount of water retained in different varieties of cheese.

1. Initially the milk is boiled to remove the raw flavor and avoid microbial spoilage.
2.  After cooling the milk, a starter culture is added to the milk which allows it to begin to ferment and makes it more acidic.
3. Rennet, an enzyme is added to the milk that causes a reaction resulting in curdling of milk, thereby making curd.
4. The curd is then cut with knives and heated which helps further in separating the whey and curd.
5. Curd is further processed by stirring, cooking and washing  which further acidifies and dries the curd.
6. The whey is the liquid that separates the milk, keeping the cheese curd in the form of a mat apart.
7. The curd mat is cut into sections and repeatedly flipped before milling the mat. It is known as cheddaring of cheese.
8. For some cheeses, the next is dry salting, and for others, it is brining or salt solutions.
9. Cheese is then shaped in molds.
10. Cheese is then kept for aging for days to years.