cheese SCIENCE

Whether you’re a commercial or home cheesemaker, you will need 4 basic ingredients to make cheese

1

Milk

Without milk, there is no cheese. It is as simple as that! And with great milk, you can make great cheese.

2

Starter Culture

Starter cultures are friendly bacteria that help “ripen” milk by increasing its acidity.

3

Coagulant

Rennet is responsible for what is arguably the most important phase of the cheese-making process: coagulation.

4

Salt

Obviously, salt adds flavour. But, the reasons why cheesemakers add salt to their cheese go well beyond that.

Additional optional ingredients

Acids

Colouring

Herbs & Spices

There is a category of cheese called acid-set cheese that does not require the use of rennet. Instead, the milk is “soured” by the addition of an acidic ingredient such as lemon juice or vinegar.

There are a number of natural dyeing agents that can be used in cheesemaking. Effectively, some famous cheeses such as England’s Red Leicester and Shropshire Blue are made using a natural plant extract called annatto.

Herbs and spices are a common addition to fresh and soft cheeses. Some great examples here include herbes de Provences, chives, pepper, parsley, garlic, dill and sage.

cheese SCIENCE

Thank you for reading our Web Story on the ingredients you need to make cheese. You can read more about raw milk by clicking on the thumbnails below.

Raw Milk Cheese: Why It’s The Best

What Happened To Raw Milk Stilton?