What Makes Artisan Cheese Different?

Artisan cheese is the cheese that is made by some of the most skilled cheese makers by hand. Because of the complexity of the making process the taste and variety can change. Many of the cheese makers will age and ripen the cheese to get a certain look. That is one of the main differences between artisan cheese and the mass produced cheese sold in mass scale. When a cheese is made in a large scale operation they are usually sold without much wait. There are many different types of artisan cheese being made and some of those include Burrata, Abondance, Vieux-boulogne, Dragon’s breath blue, Oka cheese, Picodon, Scamorza, aged cheddars, aged Swiss and fresh Mozzarella.  In order to make artisan cheese you will need either cow’s milk, sheep’s milk or goat milk though other types of milk are also used but to a lesser extent.

Humidity And Temperature

Most cheese that you make by hand will require high humidity and temperatures between 50 and 55 degrees Fahrenheit in order to age properly. Artisan cheese used to be made by leaving the cheese in caves as the humidity would be perfect there but because you will not be using a cave (hopefully) you could also look at your cellar as an option as cellars are usually somewhere between 40 and 55 degrees. Humidity needs to be controlled at all times and adjusted when necessary. The ranges of temperature as well as humidity are different for different types of cheese so you may need to stick to the same types of artisan cheese when making it at home.

Air Circulation

Besides having temperature and humidity under control you also need good air circulation in order to have successful artisan cheese. Low air flow is usually accepted as a good environment for most artisan cheese. If the location is too breezy the cheese can dry out too quickly and that can mean negative results as a cheese maker. Low air circulation will help you getting rinds of firm cheese. A few days or even a few weeks are necessary to complete the process. As you can see the making of artisan cheese is different to that of other manufactured cheeses. In some cases it may be difficult to make at home but that is what makes artisan cheese special.

Recipe: Gouda And Mozzarella Cheese With Shaved Vegetable Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 trimmed fennel bulb
• 2 celery stalks
• 1 cup yellow and pale green celery leaves
• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 heads Belgian endive
• 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
• 4 oz. rounds Gouda
• 4 oz. round Mozzarella

Instructions:

Slice endive, fennel bulb and celery stalks thinly with a v-slicer, sharp knife or mandolin. Mix the sliced vegetables with the celery leaves in a medium sized bowl. Add only 3 tablespoons of olive oil and the lemon juice tossing to coat the salad. Season with ground black pepper and salt. Cut cheese rounds into 6 pieces and divide among the plates. Drizzle last tablespoon of olive oil over the cheese and sprinkle ground black pepper.