What Causes Cheese Curds To Be Squeaky?

Although cheese curds are especially popular in Wisconsin, they are popular throughout the country and it is no wonder with their delicious taste and amazing squeakiness. For people who haven’t had them before, the squeakiness can seem a bit odd at first but anyone who frequently eats them knows that squeakiness is a sign of freshness and quality. In most cases, if they aren't squeaky anymore, they simply won’t taste as good. Although most cheese curd consumers know this, few understand why it’s the case. Here is all you need to know about why these delicious bits squeak.

Is It Air?

One of the most frequent explanations is that they squeak because the air is trapped inside them. The problem with this theory, however, is that it hasn't been backed up by any science and doesn't seem to make much sense. After all, if the squeakiness is caused by air trapped inside the curd, how do they lose their squeak? Does the air just magically leave? If you ask a scientist or an expert on cheese, they will tell you that this explanation doesn't make sense because it isn't true. In reality, the squeakiness is because of something else.

What Do The Proteins Do?

The real reason they are squeaky is their protein and how they are structured. It comes down to the fact that cheese curds are made up of casein protein combined with milk fat that create a protein matrix. The calcium makes this protein matrix more solid while other elements remove a negative charge from certain proteins in the casein. This means that instead of small protein strands, the structure of cheese curds includes longer protein strands due to the long matrix of proteins. It sounds complicated but when these protein strands rub on your tooth’s enamel that is what creates the squeak.

How Do They Lose The Squeak?

Everyone who has eaten them knows that they will lose the squeak after a few days. This is because of the process that makes them. During the process of pressing, hooping and salting, the structure of the protein strands becomes more compacted. This means that over time, they will lose some squeakiness as it is these strands that cause it in the first place. A drop in pH levels can also cause them to lose their squeak because the long proteins will start to break down, making them weaker and less likely to squeak.

Can Microwaving Help?

Lots of people will tell you that if you have cheese curds that have lost their squeak, you just have to briefly heat them in the microwave and this is completely true. That is because the heat will affect the moisture inside the cheese curds. This in turn causes the casein proteins to drop more of their negative charges which will (as we mentioned above), create the longer chains again. Just be careful when using the microwave to regain the squeakiness as if you leave them in too long, they will melt just like any other cheese.