Cheesemaking

Question 1

Acid Meter

Answer 1

A tool to test and monitor the acid levels of milk

Question 2

Acid Set

Answer 2

Bacteria, either inherent in the milk or from starter cultures, converts the milk lactose into lactic acid, causing coagulation without the use of rennet.

Question 3

Alpine

Answer 3

A style of cheese that originated in the French and Swiss Alps, characterized by heating the curds in a bath of whey during cheesemaking so that the resulting cheese melts well

Question 4

Artisan (or artisanal)

Answer 4

One that produces something (such as cheese or wine) in limited quantities often using traditional methods

Question 5

Blending

Answer 5

Combining different types of milk, whether of different fat content or from different milkings or animal types

Question 6

Bloomy Rind

Answer 6

High-moisture cheeses ripened from the outside in by soft white mold: penicillium candidum, camemberti, or geotrichum candidum

Question 7

Brevibacterium Linens

Answer 7

A strain of bacteria used on washed rind cheeses that contributes to their pungent aroma. Added to starter culture or applied during washings

Question 8

Cheddar

Answer 8

Technically any cheese made by a method wherein curds are stacked into blocks and further milled. Generally a cheese made with firm paste and a noticeable acidity

Question 9

Cheese Yield

Answer 9

The amount of cheese resulting from the amount of milk used for cheesemaking

Question 10

Cheesecloth

Answer 10

Food-safe loose-knit cotton gauze

Question 11

Coagulation

Answer 11

The separation of solids from liquids in milk (curds from whey)

Question 12

Dipping

Answer 12

The gentle transfer of curds with the whey, usually by ladle, from the cheese vats to forms

Question 13

Fat in Dry Matter (FDM)

Answer 13

The amount of fat in the cheese without its water content (think: cheese jerky–cheese that’s been dehydrated)

Question 14

Fines

Answer 14

Flat globules that can be easily dislodged from the newly cut surface of the curd and lost to the whey if the curd is handled too roughly. Cut curds should be left undisturbed for a few minutes to heal.

Question 15

Forms

Answer 15

Plastic baskets used to drain and mold curds into the desired cheese shapes

Question 16

Fresh cheese

Answer 16

High-moisture cheeses that have been aged, or are very slightly cured. Mild, creamy flavor and soft texture.

Question 17

Full fat

Answer 17

The content of the FDM is above or equal to 45% and less than 60% in a dairy product

Question 18

Grana

Answer 18

From the Italian word for grain, a class of hard, aged cheese with a granular texture and used for grating

Question 19

Harp

Answer 19

Cutting wires that cut the curds in cheesemaking to help release whey

Question 20

Healing

Answer 20

During cheesemaking, the curd is given time to set to prevent the loss of fat and protein in the whey.

Question 21

High Fat

Answer 21

The content of the FDM is above or equal to 60% in dairy products

Question 22

High Pressure Processing

Answer 22

A method of food processing where food is subjected to elevated pressures (up to 87,000 pounds per square inch or approximately 6000 atmospheres), with or without the addition of heat, to achieve microbial inactivation or to alter the food attributes in order to achieve consumer-desired qualities

Question 23

Homogenization

Answer 23

Fat globules in milk are reduced to a smaller size so that they become evenly distributed in the rest of the fluid, and no longer separate out as cream

Question 24

Hooping

Answer 24

The molds, known as hoops, which curds are transferred to after cutting in order to drain additional whey and knit together

Question 25

Horizontal Vat

Answer 25

Enclosed vertical agitator shafted vats for making cheese

Question 26

Hydrophobic

Answer 26

Of, relating to, or having a lack of affinity for water

Question 27

Inoculation

Answer 27

Adding starter cultures to the milk

Question 28

Knitting

Answer 28

The transformation of individual curds into a single, homogenous mass

Question 29

Lactic Set

Answer 29

Bacteria, either inherent in the milk or from starter cultures, converts the milk lactose to lactic acid, causing coagulation without the use of rennet. These cheeses develop a softer curd because the high acidity causes calcium to drain the whey, includes cream cheese and cottage cheese

Question 30

Maillard Reaction

Answer 30

A result of a chemical reaction between an amino acid and a sugar. In heated foods, results in browning and flavor development. Also causes flavor development in ripening cheeses, including meaty, brothy, malty, toasted, nutty, or grassy flavors

Question 31

Medium Fat

Answer 31

The content of FDM is above or equal to 25% and less than 45% in a dairy product

Question 32

Milk Fat Content

Answer 32

The proportion of milk, by weight, made up by butterfat

Question 33

Moisture in Non Fat Substance (MNFS)

Answer 33

Derived by subtracting the fat and expressing the moisture as a percentage of what’s left

Question 34

Natural Rind

Answer 34

A category of cheeses that are allowed to form their rinds with the natural microflora of its surroundings

Question 35

Open Vat

Answer 35

An uncovered vat used in cheesemaking

Question 36

Partially skimmed

Answer 36

The cheese of FDM is equal to 10% and less than 25% in a dairy product

Question 37

Pasta Filata

Answer 37

Cheeses that are cooked and kneaded or stretched, giving them a stringy texture

Question 38

Pasteurization

Answer 38

Required of all cheeses produced in, or imported to the US, which are less than 60 days old. Kills 90-99% of bacteria found in milk

Question 39

pH Meter

Answer 39

A tool for measuring the strength or the amount of acid present in a mixture or solution

Question 40

Pressing

Answer 40

One of the eight steps in cheesemaking that is designed to exert varying degrees of pressure to achieve the desired moisture content, density, and texture of a cheese

Question 41

Pressed Cheese

Answer 41

Any cheese that is pressed after coagulation, cutting, and cooking (if applicable), draining of whey, and shaping of curds. Semisoft, firm, and hard cheeses are all pressed to achieve a smooth uniform paste, while bloomy and blue cheeses are not pressed at all, hence their lighter moisture texture

Question 42

Rennet Set

Answer 42

The use of a form of a rennet to coagulate milk

Question 43

Salting

Answer 43

One of the eight steps of cheesemaking, used to draw off moisture and arrest the growth of bacteria and thus retard acidity development

Question 44

Short

Answer 44

A term used to describe cheese texture. Generally implies a certain curdiness to the cheese, and a mouthfeel that does not linger

Question 45

Skim

Answer 45

The content of FDM is less than 10% in a dairy product

Question 46

Skimming

Answer 46

Removing all or part of the cream (fat) from the milk

Question 47

Stabilizers

Answer 47

A substance added to another substance (as an explosive or plastic) or to a system (as an emulsion) to prevent or retard an unwanted alteration of a physical state

Question 48

Surface Ripened

Answer 48

Cheeses ripened by surface molds or yeast. Includes bloomy and washed rind categories

Question 49

Syneresis

Answer 49

Expulsion of whey from cheese curd

Question 50

Tomme

Answer 50

A French term indicating a round of cheese, most often made from a single herd, from a cow’s milk, and with a natural rind.

Question 51

Ultraviolet Pasteurization

Answer 51

The use of ultraviolet light to pasteurize milk

Question 52

Washed Rind

Answer 52

Soft-ripened cheese washed in brine solution that often contains beer, wine, or spirits to promote the growth of the bacteria B. linens. Soft to semisoft in texture, with a strong, pungent aroma and full, salty flavor.