What is Cheese Exactly, and How Does Milk Become Cheese?
Before we get into the specifics, understand the most basic information about cheese and cheesemaking.
To begin this discussion, let’s agree that cheese comes from natural milk from living dairy animals. I know there are all kinds of milk alternatives, such as oat, soy, nut, and other dairy-like milks in development made from plants. And, of course, that means there are “cheeses” made from these “milks.” But for this book, we will focus only on real dairy cheese made from real dairy milk.
When we talk about cheese, we must discuss it in terms of milk. So, what is cheese? It’s fermented, coagulated, or simply put curdled milk. We’ve all made cheese accidentally by leaving milk alone for too long and it curdled. But that kind of cheese doesn’t taste or smell good. However, the same science makes good cheese happen just slightly different ingredients, times, and temperatures.
How does milk become cheese?
When making cheese, we aim to separate the solids in the milk (protein, butterfat, calcium, and phosphorous, along with a few other vitamins and minerals) from the liquid. The solids become CURDS, and the liquid is WHEY.
Making cheese is a way to make milk smaller and last longer. Since only about 1⁄8 of the milk volume is solids, a one-gallon container of milk (which weighs about eight pounds) will yield about one pound of cheese. Higher yields result when the cheese is softer and moister since those cheeses retain more of the whey.
Two basic things have to happen for milk to solidify and separate: acidification (lowering the pH level) and coagulation.
How much we acidify the milk and how much liquid we remove determines the final cheese’s flavor and texture. The method used to acidify and coagulate the milk also determines the outcome.
As you delve into the ingredients, equipment, and recipes that follow, you will see that there are only a handful of basic methods and processes involved in most cheeses. Tweaking the time, temperature, and techniques creates many different kinds of cheese with a short list of ingredients and few pieces of special equipment. The specific milk used also makes a big difference in how your cheese turns out.
Is Cheese Healthy?
Health trends and nutritional advice fluctuate depending on whom and when you ask so you may get different answers and opinions to this question. Overall, I think of cheese as a superfood. There are health benefits associated with cheese, however, be aware that certain types may pose health
concerns for some people. But most are nutritious, so let’s unpack our cheesy picnic basket and figure out just how healthy it is.
The table below lists key nutrients found in cheese and shows how they are beneficial to your health.
Nutrient/Process Health Benefit
Calcium Good for bones, teeth, blood clotting, wound healing, and maintaining normal blood pressure. It helps maintain a healthy weight.
Protein Provides energy, supports growth and maintenance of tissues, bolsters immune health, stores nutrients.
Vitamin A (goat milk is higher in vitamin A than cow milk)
Riboflavin
Prevents night blindness, supports a healthy immune system, may reduce your risk of acne, supports bone health, promotes healthy growth and reproduction.
Maintaining a healthy liver keeps eyes, nerves, muscles, and skin healthy and may help prevent migraines.
Vitamin B12 Supports brain function, nerve tissue health, and the production of red blood cells.
Glutathione (an antioxidant) Crucial for brain health.
Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA)
Fermentation
High-fat cheeses contain more CLA, which can prevent obesity and heart disease and reduce inflammation.
Fermented cheeses are suitable for cardiovascular health, boost healthy gut bacteria, and can help with blood cholesterol levels.
Now for the potential downsides to cheese in terms of your health:
1. It can be high in sodium and saturated fat, increasing the risk of high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes.
2. Some cheese is high in phosphorus, which can harm those with kidney disorders.
3. Higher-fat cheeses contain more calories than lower-fat cheeses.
4. Cheese is low in fiber so it can cause constipation.
5. Hormones in some dairy products could disrupt the endocrine system and increase risks of certain types of cancer.
6. Some people are sensitive to lactose or A1 proteins in certain cheeses which can cause digestive upset.
So, is cheese healthy or bad for you? The benefits far outweigh health concerns. The good news is that by sourcing high-quality milk, cultures, and choosing which cheeses you make, you can reduce most of these potential negative consequences. For instance:
• Sodium: When you make your fresh cheeses (chèvre, cottage cheese, mozzarella, etc.), you can control the amount of salt. Typically, mozzarella is one of the cheeses lowest in sodium. When I make chèvre, I barely add any salt, especially if I eat it right away.
• Fiber: Eat your cheese with high-fiber crackers and fresh fruit, and you’ll fend off constipation.
• Hormones: If you raise dairy animals, you can eliminate added hormones. If you don’t have dairy animals, source your milk from producers who abstain from using hormones in their animals.
• Lactose: The harder and drier the cheese, the lower the lactose.
• A1 sensitivity: Most U.S. cow milk contains the A1 protein, which can cause inflammation and digestive upset in sensitive people. The good news is cow milk containing only the A2 protein is now commercially available, and all goat and sheep milk is free of A1 protein.
Here are some of the healthiest cheeses and why they are on the list:
Mozzarella Cottage Cheese
lower in sodium and high in probiotics
higher in protein, lower in calories
Blue Cheese Ricotta Feta
more calcium
higher in sodium but lower in calories and high in CLA
when made with whey, full of essential amino acids to promote muscle growth and help lower blood pressure
Goat Cheese
has more medium-chain fatty acids than cow milk, less likely to be stored as fat. Plus, A2 protein is less inflammatory. 12 13 say cheese!
Swiss Cheeses
Got milk? Make cheese! If you can access a grocery store, you can make cheese. Of course, if you own a dairy animal, you will have a LOT of milk on your hands if you continue milking the mother once you wean the babies. Goats may produce a gallon or more a day, while cows can produce over five gallons daily.
Of course, this is why people originally made cheese. Storing and transporting milk was a tricky endeavor, especially back when there was little or no refrigeration. But when those original dairy farmers or goat/sheep herders made cheese from a gallon of milk (which weighs about eight pounds and sloshes around when you try to carry it), they had a tidy little package that weighed about one pound and didn’t need to be refrigerated.
If you’ve never made cheese before, here is some basic information to get you started:
1. How does milk become cheese? Cheese is the solid part of milk (primarily proteins, butterfat, calcium, and phosphorus) after it’s separated from the liquid part of the milk. The solids become your curds, and the liquid is your whey. Removing only some of the whey will make cheese soft and moist. But if you remove more of the whey (by cutting, stirring, heating, pressing, salting, or aging your curd), you will have a harder cheese. The drier the cheese, the longer it will keep without refrigeration.
2. What ingredients make cheese? Most cheeses contain four ingredients: milk, culture, rennet, and salt. You can make hundreds of cheeses with these same ingredients simply by altering the components and varying the time, temperature, and techniques. Some simple cheeses use even fewer ingredients, like whole
milk ricotta, which is just milk and an acid such as vinegar or lemon juice. (Traditional whey ricotta is made with the leftover whey from making some other type of cheese, but the yield will be much lower than a ricotta that starts with milk.) And some cheeses use one or two more ingredients, like additional mold powders, as in Brie and Camembert or blue cheeses.
3. What kind of equipment will I need to make cheese? For soft and fresh cheese, you’ll need:
• A pot with a lid (I prefer stainless steel)
• Slotted spoon or skimmer
• Measuring cups and measuring spoons
• Cheese thermometer
• Butter muslin (finely woven cheesecloth)
• Strainer
For pressed and aged cheeses, you’ll need the above plus:
• Cheese mold or form
• Cheese press (you can make a press or buy a readymade press see page 34 for an effortless DIY press.
• An aging refrigerator (a wine or mini fridge turned up to its warmest setting, around 50 F, will work perfectly. See page 36 for tips for setting up your home cheese cave.
4. Should I use raw or pasteurized milk? Commercial cheesemakers in the United States must use pasteurized milk for any cheese that doesn’t age for at least 60 days. The FDA recommends home cheesemakers follow these same guidelines. Of course, there is much debate on the health and safety of raw milk, and many advocates believe cheese should be made from quality raw milk. The choice is yours, but research the pros and cons. If you use raw milk, adjust the amount of culture used (in general, you need much less culture). Raw milk should be less than 48 hours old for safety.
5. What do I do with all the leftover whey from my cheesemaking? Since only about 1⁄8 of your volume of milk will become your final cheese, you’ll have a lot of
leftover whey. About 80% of the proteins in your milk will stay with the curd and around 20% leave with the whey. Here are some ways to use the whey:
• Feed it to backyard chickens or hogs.
• Use it as a base in soups or stocks.
• Reconstitute dried beans.
• Use the liquid to cook rice or pasta.
• Use as the liquid in bread recipes.
• Freeze in ice cube trays and then add to smoothies (or add it in liquid form).
• Add to your compost pile to help break it down (very acidic).
• Dilute and water certain outdoor plants with it (those that like an acidic environment, such as tomato plants and hydrangeas).
4 Steps to Making Cheese:
1. Acidification You can acidify milk one of two ways: directly (by adding an acid like lemon juice or vinegar) or indirectly (by adding culture or bacteria, which convert lactose to lactic acid).
2. Coagulation With Direct Acidification, the acid curdles milk at high temperatures. With Indirect Acidification, we usually add rennet, an enzyme, to coagulate the milk at much lower temperatures.
3. Draining Once you have solidified milk, one or more techniques drain the excess whey.
4. Salting Most cheeses are salted at some point after draining. Most fresh cheeses stop here, and your cheese is ready to eat. But for aged cheeses, the fifth step would be aging, which could last a week or take longer than two years!