When we were visiting with Tom's brother Jim and his family, my niece Katie asked me how cheese was made. I had to admit, I didn't really know. So when we had the chance to stop at the Tillamook Cheese factory we figured we'd better do it.
So this blog entry is for Katie.
They start by cooking the milk in huge vats to kill some bacteria, but use a low enough heat to preserve its beneficial enzymes and certain types of bacteria which affect the flavor, body and texture of the cheese. Starter culture is added to produce lactic acid, critical to the cheesemaking process. Natural colorings may also be added at this point.
Next another additive is mixed in to coagulate the milk which begins the process of forming curd made up of a naturally occurring milk protein. When it's sort of like a thick pudding, large knives are used to cut the soft curd into small pieces. The temperature is then raised to help firm the curd and release it from the remaining liquid, known as whey.
When the curd reaches the correct texture, the curds and whey are pumped into the “cheddarmaster” which drains the whey from the curd. The curd particles begin to adhere to each other and become stringy, forming large slabs. The large slabs are cut up again into small pieces which are then passed through a salting chamber where they are dusted with salt.
The salt is absorbed by the curd and the curds are then put into pressing towers where the excess moisture is removed. From there, huge blocks are cut from the base of the towers and sealed into airtight plastic bags. The sealed blocks are then aged in cooling rooms for at least two months.
When the aging process is complete, the blocks are cut and packaged and sent to market.
So this blog entry is for Katie.
They start by cooking the milk in huge vats to kill some bacteria, but use a low enough heat to preserve its beneficial enzymes and certain types of bacteria which affect the flavor, body and texture of the cheese. Starter culture is added to produce lactic acid, critical to the cheesemaking process. Natural colorings may also be added at this point.Next another additive is mixed in to coagulate the milk which begins the process of forming curd made up of a naturally occurring milk protein. When it's sort of like a thick pudding, large knives are used to cut the soft curd into small pieces. The temperature is then raised to help firm the curd and release it from the remaining liquid, known as whey.
When the curd reaches the correct texture, the curds and whey are pumped into the “cheddarmaster” which drains the whey from the curd. The curd particles begin to adhere to each other and become stringy, forming large slabs. The large slabs are cut up again into small pieces which are then passed through a salting chamber where they are dusted with salt.
The salt is absorbed by the curd and the curds are then put into pressing towers where the excess moisture is removed. From there, huge blocks are cut from the base of the towers and sealed into airtight plastic bags. The sealed blocks are then aged in cooling rooms for at least two months.
When the aging process is complete, the blocks are cut and packaged and sent to market.
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