What Are Some Advanced Cheese Making Techniques?

“I’ve been making cheese at home for a while now, and I feel pretty comfortable with the basics. I’m looking to elevate my skills and learn some advanced techniques. For example, I want to understand how to make cheeses with complex flavors and textures like those found in aged cheeses. Could you provide some detailed insights on advanced cheese-making techniques that I can try at home?”

Thanks, Hannah, Portland, USA.

What Are Some Advanced Cheese Making Techniques?

Hey Hannah! It’s great to see your enthusiasm for cheese making. You’ve mastered the basics and are ready to explore the more intricate aspects of this craft. Advanced cheese-making techniques can indeed bring you an exciting range of flavors, textures, and aromas in your homemade cheeses. Let’s look into some techniques that can help you create cheese masterpieces.

1. Affinage: The Art of Aging Cheese

Affinage is the process of aging cheese to develop its flavors and texture. Proper aging requires controlled temperature, humidity, and sometimes even specific molds and bacteria. Here’s where it gets detailed:

• Temperature: Aging rooms typically maintain temperatures between 10°C to 13°C (50°F to 55°F). Going too warm can spoil the cheese, while too cold can halt aging.
• Humidity: Humidity levels are crucial. Most cheeses age well between 75% and 85% humidity. This ensures the rind develops without cracking or drying out.
• Turning and Cleaning: Cheeses need regular turning to ensure even aging. Some need brushing or washing, often with brine or alcohol, to foster the growth of desirable molds or to keep unwanted molds at bay.

Think about a cheese like Camembert. It’s aged at 90-95% humidity to develop its iconic fluffy white rind. With lower humidity, you’d end up with a cracked, undesirable outer shell.

2. Surface Ripening with Specific Molds

Surface-ripened cheeses, like Brie, get their flavors from molds such as Penicillium candidum, while blues like Roquefort use Penicillium roqueforti. Adding these molds introduces complex flavors and unique textures.

• Brie and Camembert: After the curds are formed and drained, inoculate them with Penicillium candidum. This mold grows on the surface, forming a white crust that ripens the inside cheese.
• Blue Cheeses: For Roquefort-style cheeses, mix Penicillium roqueforti into the curds. As the cheese ages, blue veins will form through air holes and cracks.

Timing and environment are key, so maintaining the right conditions mentioned earlier is crucial. Seeing those blue veins form in a homemade cheese is nothing short of magic!

3. Creating Washed Rind Cheeses

Washed rind cheeses, like Epoisses or Munster, are washed with brine, wine, or beer during aging. This washing encourages bacteria like Brevibacterium linens, giving these cheeses their orange hues and pungent aromas.

1. Mix a brine solution of 2 cups of water with 2-3 tablespoons of salt. Optionally, add a splash of beer or wine for extra flavor complexity.
2. Wash the cheese rind with the brine solution every few days during aging. The humidity should be kept high to avoid drying out the rind.
3. Continue this ritual until the cheese develops the desired flavor and aroma profile.

As you can imagine, each wash adds more depth, making the cheese more robust and flavorful. It’s a bit labor-intensive, but the results are deeply gratifying.

4. Exploring Acidification Techniques

Acidifying milk is a fundamental step in cheese making, and more advanced techniques can yield varied and remarkable results. You often start by adding specific cultures to milk. Here’s some guidance:

• Thermophilic vs. Mesophilic Cultures: Use thermophilic cultures for cheeses aged at higher temperatures (like Swiss), and mesophilic cultures for those at lower temperatures (like Cheddar).
• pH Monitoring: Measure the pH levels during cheese making. A good pH meter can help you ensure the perfect acidity for your cheese. Most cheeses aim for a pH of around 5.0 to 5.5 before setting.
• Blending Cultures: Mix multiple starter cultures to create cheeses with complex flavor profiles and deeper character. Experiment with different blends to see how they interact.

Understanding the science behind this ensures you have control over the final taste and texture, leading to cheeses that are as professional as any you’d buy in a store.

5. Brining Techniques

Salt plays an irreplaceable role in cheese beyond flavor—it assists in rind formation and serves as a preservative. Proper brining techniques can indeed elevate your cheese.

• Dry vs. Wet Brine: Decide between rubbing salt directly onto the cheese (dry brine) or immersing it in a saltwater solution (wet brine). Feta typically uses a wet brine, whereas Cheddar might be dry-brined.
• Concentration: Ensure your brine solution is at the right concentration, typically 18-20%. Too weak, and it won’t preserve the cheese; too strong, and it can create overly salty cheese or damage the rind.
• Timing: Brining time can vary. Some cheeses need just a few hours, while others might require days. Always follow specific recipe guidelines to avoid over-brining.

For instance, with a wheel of Gouda, immersing it in a 20% brine solution for about 30 minutes per pound will suffice. Mastering this can lead to extraordinary results.

6. Advanced Rennet Techniques

Rennet, which coagulates the milk, can be utilized in nuanced ways. Liquid, tablet, or powdered forms are used differently, depending on the cheese.

• Strength and Dosage: Fine-tune the amount of rennet. Too little can result in weak curds, while too much can make them overly firm. Liquid rennet is easier to measure for precision.
• Dual Coagulation: Some cheeses use both rennet and acid (like vinegar or lemon juice) to achieve a specific texture. This combination is especially useful in making soft cheeses.

Delving into dual coagulation can open a new world of textures and flavors. For example, Paneer, which blends acid and heat, offers a soft but sturdy texture perfect for cooking.

7. Experimenting with Milk Types

The kind of milk you use profoundly impacts your cheese. Advanced cheese makers experiment with different animal milks or alternative milks.

• Cow, Goat, Sheep: Each type has unique fat and protein content. Goat’s milk typically yields a softer, creamier cheese, while sheep’s milk provides a rich and fatty cheese.
• Raw vs. Pasteurized: Raw milk retains more natural bacteria and can give your cheese a more complex flavor. However, it requires strict hygiene to ensure safety.
• Blending Milks: Combining different types of milk can lead to novel cheese varieties with balanced flavors and textures.

Using raw goat’s milk for a chewy, tangy chèvre or blending cow and sheep milk for a creamy ricotta can yield extraordinary results. Offering a broader palette, these adventures in milk selection will significantly enhance your cheese-making repertoire.

Final Thoughts…

Hannah, I hope this helps you level up your cheese-making skills. Remember, each technique requires patience, precision, and a bit of experimentation. Mastering these methods will surely lead to your very own cheese masterpieces. Thanks for reaching out with such a wonderful question, and happy cheese making!