The cheese remains in the moulds until the right acid levels in the cheese have been achieved. If you don't separate the curd from the whey you end up with yoghurt instead,'' says one cheese maker. ''It is the curd that becomes the cheese.
The curd has the appearance of jelly and is put into moulds (or hoops) before it is put into the warm room (40 degrees) for several hours. The clots are then broken up with wire frames or knives (mechanically or by hand) which allow the whey to separate from the curd. The consistency of the cheese product comes from using the same techniques and using bacteria, which have been freeze dried in specialist laboratories.įor hard cheeses, rennet (a coagulant) is added which causes the milk to set or clot. Different cheeses need different types of bacteria as starters. The type of cheese made depends on the bacteria or moulds used (e.g. The bacteria literally feed off the lactose and produce lactic acid as a waste material. Controlled cultures or bacteria are added which begin to ferment the milk sugar into lactic acid. Firstly, the raw milk is pasteurised (heated) in a large vat to kill the bacteria from the animal. Cheesemakers turn raw milk into cheese using biochemical and microbiological means. Gone are the days of eating boring old cheddar cheese sandwiches! Cheesemakers in South Australia are now making a vast range of cheeses using cow, goat or sheep's milk. It combines the science of fermentation and microbiology with the craft of producing the best product. Your small scale artisanal operation sounds wonderful.Cheese making is a craft with a science basis. But I think I’m just daydreaming, as family commitments mean I can’t commit the time to it. Commercial yoghurt tastes like vinegar in comparison, and is basically inedible to me now.Ĭheese making would be something akin to this but of a much more complicated and varied nature. But they might not know (or care) how wonderful freshly made yoghurt tastes when it’s been done well, with its sweet aroma and mild milky taste. Most people prefer to just buy yoghurt as it’s simple, pretty cheap and good enough. I make my own yoghurt every week from a tablespoon of starter yoghurt I purchased four years ago and I’m still pretty amazed that it’s still going. There’s a satisfaction in seeing something wonderful come from nothing or something simple. It’s geared toward school leavers though and I have family commitments it was still pretty cool to see though. I did some searching for ‘cheese’ in job pages and found a 2 year PAID traineeship with a large cheese company with a guaranteed job afterwards and a qualification. What is the part of the industry that drew you in? What is making you think, “I want to be a part of this?”
I’m extremely happy with what I’ve done over nearly two decades, and for me personally, it’s been because of the desire to keep this love, care, and craftsmanship alive for years to come. Being able to make other people excited with an experience through food is my passion. The stories of 1,000 year old abbey’s making a consistant product. The family farm 10 miles away from me with 4 cows (4!) who is making sincerely world class cheese that will never make it out of my general area. The real question I think you should ask yourself is why? I do it because the small farmers, the hours of sweat and labor (especially right now with calfing, lambing and kidding!) they sustain to make a small farm squeak into the black at the end of the year. There’s a bunch of different titles and jobs that are out there. I’ve managed a counter, I’ve been a traveling rep for accompaniments, I went back to managing a counter. My experience with cheese was Tillamook medium cheddar! 17 years later, I work for a small regional distributor/importer doing sales and cheese care. I entered the business through grocery with no knowledge. Folks will always be looking for passionate people who are willing to work and learn. Long answer: What do you want to do? Do you want to be a cheesemaker? Do you want to be a broker or rep? Do you want to work at a cheese shop/counter? If you are passionate about cheese and willing to learn then there’s always a place.
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