Modern Marvels: Cheese's Glorious, Gooey History! (S13, E24) | Full Episode
HISTORY・28 minutes read
Cheese production involves a complex process starting with milk testing for antibiotics, pasteurization, fermentation, and curd coagulation, leading to the creation of various types of cheeses with unique flavors and textures. The history of cheese making dates back thousands of years, with stinky cheeses like Limburger and Mont des Cats, as well as modern processed cheese slices like American cheese and Cheez Whiz, showcasing the evolution and diversity of cheese production techniques and products.
Insights
- Cheese production involves a complex process starting with pasteurizing milk, adding bacteria for fermentation, and coagulating with rennet to form curds, which are then processed, salted, and aged for flavor development.
- The history of cheese making spans thousands of years, with unique cheeses like Limburger, Mont des Cats, and Mimolette developed through specific techniques involving bacteria, molds, and mites, showcasing the intricate art and science behind creating diverse cheese varieties.
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Recent questions
How is cheese made?
Cheese production involves milk, bacteria, mold, and mites. The process starts with testing milk for antibiotics, then pasteurizing it to kill bacteria. Starter culture bacteria are added to initiate fermentation, followed by coagulation with rennet enzyme. The curds are cut, whey is expelled, and curds are washed, salted, and pressed into forms. After pressing and aging, cheese develops its flavor.
What causes cheese to smell?
Cheese becomes stinky due to bacteria and molds breaking down fats and proteins into volatile compounds. Stinky cheeses like Limburger and Mont des Cats are ripened with natural bacteria, resulting in their strong smell. The bacterial culture used in cheese production is responsible for the unique aroma of each type of cheese.
How are processed cheese slices made?
Processed cheese slices like American cheese are made using a chill-roll system designed by Norman Kraft. The cheese is pre-sliced using this method, which was introduced by Kraft in 1950. Kraft produces billions of American cheese slices annually, with Cheez Whiz being another popular processed cheese spread introduced in 1952.
What is the difference between mozzarella and fresh mozzarella di bufala?
Mozzarella is made using a cooker-stretcher machine that melts and stretches the curd, then molded into blocks, cooled in a brine bath, aged, shredded, and packaged. Fresh mozzarella di bufala, on the other hand, is made from water buffalo milk and is non-aged, resulting in a higher-moisture cheese. The process and ingredients used in making these two types of mozzarella result in distinct textures and flavors.
How is whey utilized in cheese making?
Whey, a byproduct of cheese making, is dried into powder and used in various food products. Instead of being discarded, whey is repurposed to add nutritional value and flavor to different food items. The utilization of whey in food production helps reduce waste and maximize the resources obtained from the cheese making process.
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Summary
00:00
The Art and Science of Cheese Making
- Cheese production involves milk, bacteria, mold, and mites.
- Alto Dairy in Wisconsin processes 3.5 million pounds of milk daily into 400,000 pounds of cheese.
- Cheese making is a blend of art, science, and craft, involving land, animals, and technique.
- Cheese production starts with testing milk for antibiotics before pasteurization.
- Pasteurization heats milk to 162 degrees Fahrenheit to kill bacteria.
- Adding starter culture bacteria to milk initiates fermentation, lowering pH and preparing for coagulation.
- Rennet enzyme coagulates milk into curds in 30 minutes.
- Curds are cut, whey is expelled, and curds are washed, salted, and pressed into forms.
- Cheese is pressed for 8 minutes with 55 pounds of PSI, then aged for flavor development.
- Cheese making dates back thousands of years, with ancient cheeses made from goat milk.
14:16
Stinky Cheeses: Bacteria, Molds, and Ripening
- Cheese becomes stinky due to bacteria and molds breaking down fats and proteins into volatile compounds.
- Stinkiest cheeses were created by medieval Trappist and Benedictine monks through ripening.
- Stinky cheeses like Mont des Cats are washed-rind cheeses, fed by natural bacteria.
- Trappist and monastic cheeses from the 6th century are paired with strong beers.
- Limburger cheese is ripened with a bacterial smear, propagated since the early 1900s.
- Limburger's bacterial culture is responsible for its strong smell, once hugely popular.
- Mimolette cheese's rind is seasoned by burrowing mites' dander and excrement.
- Mold is commonly used to ripen cheeses like Brie and Camembert, cultivated carefully.
- Bloomy rind goat cheeses like Crottin and Camellia are matured with Penicillium candidum mold.
- Blue-veined cheeses like Roquefort are aged in caves and spiked with mold for a unique flavor.
28:28
Evolution of Cheese Making Process
- Bacteria produce acid that changes protein charge groups to positive charges, causing milk to congeal into cream cheese.
- Norman Kraft designed a chill-roll system to make pre-sliced cheese, a method still used today.
- Kraft introduced processed cheese slices in 1950, which became known as American cheese.
- Kraft produces about 7.2 billion American cheese slices annually.
- In 1952, Kraft introduced Cheez Whiz, a high-moisture processed cheese spread.
- Cheez Whiz is primarily used as a topping cheese or sauce for vegetables and potatoes.
- Mozzarella is made using a cooker-stretcher machine that melts and stretches the curd.
- Mozzarella is molded into blocks, cooled in a brine bath, aged, shredded, and packaged.
- Fresh mozzarella di bufala is made from water buffalo milk and is non-aged, higher-moisture cheese.
- Whey, a byproduct of cheese making, is dried into powder and used in various food products.
