Mastering Basic Cheesemaking: The Fun and Fundamentals of Making Cheese at Home - Gianaclis Caldwell (2015)
GLOSSARY
Acid/Acidic. A substance with a pH below neutral 7. Flavors associated with acid are sour, tart, and tangy.
Affinage. The French term, now widely used, for the care and tending of cheese during aging.
Annato. Natural orange coloring used in cheese. Made from the seeds of pods from a tropical and subtropical tree called the achiote.
Artisan. In cheesemaking, the term can mean the production of cheese by hand or a small company that produces cheese by hand.
Bandaged. A cheese whose rind has been encased by a thin layer of fat-soaked cheesecloth and aged. Also called “clothbound.” Traditional treatment for cheddar.
Blowing. Applies to unwanted gas production within the curd or cheese that leads to the expansion of the mass. “Early blowing” occurs just after production and is usually caused by bacteria from the coliform family and yeasts.
“Late blowing” occurs toward the end of aging, usually several months later, and is caused by bacteria from the clostridium family or propionic acid bacteria.
Brine. A saltwater solution in which cheeses are floated after pressing to provide them with salt. Also the act of salting a cheese in brine.
Butter muslin. Finely woven cloth for draining dairy products with small particles. Cheesecloth with a thread count of 90 threads per square inch is often called butter muslin.
Butterfat. Term used to describe the fat, or lipids, in milk. Butterfat and cream are similar but not exactly interchangeable.
Calcium. Mineral salt in milk. Exists alone and bound to other minerals. Plays a key role in coagulation and finished texture of cheese.
Calcium chloride. Food-grade additive used in milk to assist with coagulation and in brine to create a mineral balance, or equilibrium, between the cheese and the brine solution.
Cheddar. Refers both to a cheese type and to the process of cheddaring, in which cooked curd is drained and allowed to mat together for an extended period. Slabs of curd are usually turned and restacked several times during the cheddaring process.
Cheesecloth. A fabric with an open weave that traps curd within but allows whey to drain. Can be made of natural fabrics (often linen, also called muslin) or synthetic. Comes in various weave consistencies, or thread counts.
Chymosin. Enzyme produced in young ruminants’ stomachs (abomasum) and used to coagulate milk for cheesemaking. Is also produced through the fermentation of genetically engineered microorganisms.
Clean break. Describes the behavior of coagulated milk when a tool is used to lift the curd and observe how it separates, or breaks. A clean break is free from jagged tears, and the whey that drains from the break is not whitish.
Clostridium. Clostridium tyrobutyricum microorganism responsible for forming eyes, splits, and opening in aged cheeses, referred to as “late blowing.”
Coagulant. Ingredient added to milk to cause it to thicken. Coagulants include animal sources such as chymosin and pepsin (rennet), microbial sources such as Mucor miehei (vegetarian rennet) and fermented chymosin (also vegetarian), and plant sources such as cardoon thistle.
Coagulate. The act and process of adding coagulant. Synonymous with “curdle” and “set.”
Coliforms. A large group of bacteria associated with fecal matter. Can ferment milk sugar and create gas, called “early blowing” in cheeses. There are several variations of E. coli that can cause severe illness and even death.
Components. Refers to the constituents within milk such as fat, protein, lactose, and calcium.
Creaming. The behavior of non-homogenized milk that causes fat to separate and float or “cream.”
Cream-top. Describes milk that has not been homogenized, or products such as yogurt made from such milk and that therefore experience a degree of separation of the cream even after production.
Culture (noun). Bacteria and other microorganisms added to milk to produce changes, such as acid development. Starter culture refers to bacteria added whose primary job is the production of acid. Ripening culture, also called adjunct or secondary, is used to provide microorganisms that will facilitate changes during ripening or aging.
Culture (verb). The process of introducing microorganisms into a substance where they will grow. Synonymous in cheesemaking with innoculate.
Curd. Refers to pieces of coagulated milk cut by the cheesemaker, the final product of cottage cheese, and the milled pieces of fresh cheddar cheese.
Curdle. See Coagulate.
Dry salt. Term used to describe the act of salting a cheese by adding dry salt to the curd or to the surface of a pressed wheel.
Early blowing. See Blowing.
Enzyme. A substance that causes biochemical reactions to occur or occur more rapidly.
Eyes. Openings in cheese present either because of the lightness of pressing — leaving openings — or the formation of gas in the paste after pressing.
Farmstead. A cheesemaking operation using only the milk of its own animals to produce cheese on the farm.
Fermentation. The breakdown of a substance that produces acid and other by-products such as carbon dioxide. Usually associated with the breakdown of sugars (carbohydrates).
Follower. The portion of a cheese press or form that sits atop the cheese and evenly distributes the pressing weight. Named because it “follows” the cheese as it shrinks and is pressed.
Globule. Small spherical mass, such as how milk fat exists in milk.
Homogenization. Mechanical treatment of milk in which fat globules are reduced in size and cryoglobulin (a protein that encourages milk to cream) is denatured, resulting in fat that doesn’t separate from the milk.
Junket rennet. Coagulant made using enzymes from an adult ruminant’s stomach (abomasum). Consists mostly of pepsin. Not a good choice for cheesemaking, as pepsin will break down proteins too rapidly after coagulation.
Kosher salt. Flaked salt. Comes in “additive-free” or “with anti-caking agents” versions.
Lactase. Enzyme that breaks lactose into its two simple sugars, glucose and galactose. Some individuals do not produce lactase in their digestive tracts and are therefore lactose intolerant.
Lactose. Double sugar (disaccharide) sugar in milk comprising two simple sugars, glucose and galactose.
Late blowing. See Blowing.
Lipase. Enzyme that breaks down fats (lipids). Naturally present in milk and gastric system of animals. Commercially available and can be added to cheese milk to increase fat breakdown and flavor.
Mellowing. Refers to the time after the salting of milled curds when the salt is allowed to dissolve and be partly absorbed by the curd.
Mesophilic. Category of bacteria that prefer a warm temperature range of 80oF-102oF (27oC-39oC).
Microbial rennet. Enzymatic coagulant produced by microbes. Most common microbe used is Rhizomucor miehei.
Microorganism. Refers to all microscopic life, such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi (yeasts and molds).
Mill. The act of cutting or breaking curds that have been compacted (and usually cheddared) into smaller pieces.
Mold. Refers to both a form in which cheese is drained and a member of a group of fungi.
Nonreactive. Indicates a material, in cheese-making a pot or utensil, that will not erode or degrade in the presence of other substances, such as milk. Many metals, such as aluminum, will react with the acid produced by cheesemaking.
Pasteurization. Heat treatment designed to destroy or limit major food-borne pathogens. Legally defined and must conform to specific temperatures and times.
Pathogen. A disease- or illness-causing microorganism.
Piquant. Peppery or sharp, usually used to describe aged cheeses where lipase has played a role in the breakdown of fats, helping to create this flavor sensation.
Protease. Any enzyme that breaks down proteins. Sometimes called proteinase.
Protein. One or more strands of polypeptides (long chains of amino acids). Source of nutrition for living things. Milk protein — caseins and whey proteins — exists in a micellar form suspended in the liquid and within the liquid portion.
Pure salt. Sodium chloride without any additives such as iodine (commonly added to table salt) or anti-caking substances.
Rennet. More properly refers to animal-source coagulant but now commonly used to mean any enzymatic coagulant. See also Coagulant.
Ruminant. An animal that has a compartmented upper digestive system (usually with four chambers), including a rumen. Ruminants regurgitate matter from the rumen and “chew a cud.”
Sanitize. To remove microorganisms from an object, usually through heat or chemicals used after cleaning. A sanitized object may or may not be considered sterilized — having no life forms — depending on the treatment used.
Slime compounds. Compounds produced by some bacteria, resulting in a viscous, slimy texture. Found in some yogurt cultures and sometimes seen in cheese brine.
Starter culture. Bacterial culture added at the start of the cheesemaking process to acidify the milk.
Sterilize. Techniques and processes by which all living matter is removed or destroyed on a surface or implement.
Stirred curd. Term describing cheeses made using a technique in which the drained cheese curd is stirred for a period of time in the warm vat.
Terroir. French term meaning “a sense of place or locality.” Used to describe characteristics imparted to the milk and cheese from local conditions, food sources, aging environment, and so on.
Thermization. Process of heat treating milk at temperatures and times not defined by the regulations regarding legal pasteurization; destroys some bacteria.
Thermophilic. Heat-loving bacterium that grows well at temperatures of approximately 100oF-120oF (38oC-49oC). Most often used in Italian-style cheeses.
Ultra-high temperature. Milk that has been heat treated to 280oF (138oC) for 2 seconds. Does not need refrigeration and is not suitable for cheesemaking. Also known as UHT milk.
Ultra-pasteurized. Milk that has been heat treated to 240oF (116oC) for 4-15 seconds. Not suitable for cheesemaking. Also known as UP milk.
Washed curd. Technique in which whey is removed from the vat during the cooking process and replaced with water or a light brine. Decreases acid production during cooking by removing a portion of lactose.
Water bath. Describes the use of a double-walled or two-part container in which the outer portion contains hot water that heats the contents of the interior container.
Whey. Liquid watery portion of milk separated during cheesemaking; contains lactose, starter bacteria, whey proteins, and water-soluble vitamins.
Yield. The amount of cheese obtained in comparison to the amount of milk used. Can also refer to the amount of milk produced by a dairy animal.