What Are the Different Ways To Make Gouda Cheese

Gouda cheese originated in the town of Gouda in southern Holland. Today it is made in many countries around the world. It is often a creamy and very mild cheese. However, it can be well aged and sport a nice caramel color and texture rather like a Parma.

Traditions
The traditional way of making Gouda cheese is to begin with fresh whole, full-fat milk. The milk can be either raw or pasteurized. Raw milk must be of the very highest quality because the low acid content of this cheese will not prevent unwanted bacteria from forming during the aging process.

Next, the milk is heated and a culture is added to it. Then the rennet is added to start coagulation. When a firm curd is developed, then it is cut into small pieces, then stirred for about 15 minutes. At this point, some of the whey is removed and hot water added to aid in removing some of the lactose. The longer the cheese will be aged, the longer the curds are stirred.

Whey is poured into molds, then the curds are added. The whey should cover the curds by one to two inches. When the process is completed, the curds are placed in a press to form the desired block or wheel. It is wrapped and then turned five times for the next 8+ hours. It will sit in the press overnight if a drier, longer-aged cheese is desired. The final step is to place the cheese in saturated brine for 18-24 hours. It is removed, dried, and wrapped. The drying process takes from three to seven days.

Different Milks
Gouda can be made with either cow’s or goat’s milk. The mesophilic starter culture can be obtained from buttermilk. To do this, allow two cups of buttermilk to sit in a bowl at room temperature for six to eight hours until it has reached a yogurt-like state. Then the starter is placed in a freezer tray and frozen.

Another variation calls for the finished curd to be cut into half-inch pieces and placed in the oven, which has been preheated to 102 degrees. Once the curd reaches 102 degrees, remove some of the whey and replace it with water. Reheat the curd to 102 degrees and repeat the process three times. Drain the curds, press them into a block form, then refrigerate and age for 25 days.

What Is The Difference Between Aged Cheddar And Naturally Aged Cheddar?

With its extreme popularity, you will notice plenty of different types of cheddar cheese on the market. Between the varying sharpness levels and colors available, it can be confusing to sort through the options and decide which one you want to try or use in a particular recipe. All cheddar cheese is aged to a certain extent, but the exact amount of time will vary. You will also notice some cheddar is labeled as naturally aged while others are just labeled as aged. In most cases, there is not a significant difference between these designations, but to understand the variations, you need a bit of background information.

Ages And Sharpness

Aged cheddar is also known as sharp cheddar. The rule of thumb is that the longer a cheese has been aged, the sharper it will be with the term sharp being used to refer to the changes in flavor and texture that occur through aging. Mild cheddar is typically aged only two or three months. Sharp cheddar will be aged about six to nine months. Finally, extra-sharp cheddar will be aged anywhere from 1 ½ to 2 years in most cases, depending on the cheese. By looking at specialty cheese retailers, however, you can find even older cheddars, such as those that are 5 or even 10 years old and therefore extremely sharp.

How Cheddar Is Aged

Whether it is aged naturally or simply aged, cheddar undergoes a similar process. The cheese is placed in a room where the temperature and humidity are carefully controlled. This allows the fats and proteins to break down and create simpler compounds, creating the delicious taste we associate with cheddar.

The Labels

When it comes down to it, there is no official difference between aged and naturally aged cheddar; cheese manufacturers are free to select the term they want to use. If, however, you buy a mass-produced aged cheddar from your supermarket or other non-specialty shop, it is possible that it is not actually aged. There are some commercial cheeses that mimic the flavors and texture of aged cheddar but aren’t actually aged. Instead, they may not even be cheddar and will instead be flavorings in an oil suspension. In comparison to this type of “aged cheddar”, a naturally aged cheddar can refer to a product that is actually cheese and has been aged.

On the other hand, real cheddar that has been aged may be simply called aged cheddar. Some companies will refer to their cheese as naturally aged if the aging occurs in the traditional way, within a cheese cave as opposed to a cheese refrigerator. Instead of focusing on whether a cheese is aged naturally or not, pay attention to the source of the cheese and ingredients list.

Trick or Treat: Fantastic Halloween Treats Using Cheese

Halloween is usually the holiday which kids OD on candy. Stores sell huge bags for trick-or-treating, and large containers for the kids to collect it in. But with an emphasis on the health of both children and adults becoming more in vogue, there other treats that you can serve that are healthier than the usual fare of sugar and more sugar. Consider the following ways to include cheese on this Halloween.

Party Treats
Planning a Halloween party? Whether it’s for kids, adults, or a mix, here are some cute tricks for making your next Halloween party menu healthy as well as fun.

Pretzel & Cheese Broomsticks

Take a slice of cheese—a softer cheese such as Monterey Jack or Mozzarella will probably work—and cut a fringe on one side of it, cutting over half of the slice. Take a straight pretzel and wrap the uncut side around one end of the pretzel. Secure it with a very narrow piece of gummy worm, or some other edible, flexible thing that will tie and hold. The fringe that you cut forms the broom bristles. These look very cute.

Ghost Cheese Balls

Form cheese balls from your choice of cheese, then roll in finely grated coconut. Decorate with black jellybean eyes.

Witch’s Sauce

Make your favorite cheese fondue and serve it in a miniature black cauldron. Apple chunks, a variety of bread cubes, or even raw veggies, all skewered on party toothpicks will make good dippers.

Cheese Shapes

Using Halloween design cookie cutters or presses, cut cheese into shapes of jack o’lanterns, cats, skulls, tombstones, or whatever you desire. Use orange cheddar for pumpkins, and a white cheese for skulls and tombstones. You could even use the same cutters to cut out bread shapes to match for small sandwiches.

Cheese & Crackers

Decorate wheat crackers with small round pieces of cheese for the eyes, with a strip of red pepper for a mouth. Use the cheese spread in a can to draw facial features on the cracker.

Trick or Treats
As it is an unacceptable practice to hand out homemade or unwrapped treats, there are only a couple of ways to offer cheese to all the little ghosts and goblins, witches and werewolves that are bound to show up at your door on Halloween. Individually wrapped string cheese is one choice. Another is the small individual packets of cheese and crackers or breadsticks.

What To Look For In High Quality Swiss Cheese

Swiss cheese, as we know it here in the United States, actually originated in North America. It is made to resemble Emmental, or Emmentaler, cheese, which did originate in Switzerland in the Emmental River valley. In Switzerland there are many varieties of cheese that can fall under the general term of Swiss cheese. There, the term Swiss cheese refers to the country of origin, not the specific type of cheese. These varieties include Comte Sainte Antoine, Gruyere, and Pleasant Ridge Reserve cheeses. Most alpine cheeses are made from cow’s milk, with the Brown Swiss cow being the most desired. A few cheeses are made from sheep or goat’s milk.

The holes in Swiss cheese are formed when the bacterial culture consumes the lactic acid in the milk and produces carbon dioxide. The cheese has a pliable texture, which allows the gas to escape forming round holes rather than fissures or cracks.

Uses

Swiss cheese is often used in soups, salads, sandwiches, or hot meat dishes. It has a sharp and tangy, slightly musty or sweet flavor that allows it to go well with breads, seasoned vegetables, and meats. It makes a nice addition to a party tray with accompanying crackers, breads, fresh fruits, and other cheeses.

Selection

Selecting the best Swiss cheese hinges primarily on which one you like the best. Visit a deli where they will allow you to taste several cheeses to see which one you prefer. Then, when making your purchase, choose a block, wheel, or wedge, rather than slices. A block or wedge will keep better and longer than will sliced cheese. A block is more versatile than sliced, as at home you may want to shred or cube it as well as slice the cheese.

The larger the holes, the longer the Swiss cheese has aged. The cheese starts out with small holes, but the more time passes, the more gas is expelled from the cheese, which is where the holes come from in the first place. The ideal hole size is no smaller than the tip of a man’s finger, or a small coin. Some can have holes as large as a walnut. One drawback to Swiss cheese is that the longer it ages, the poorer it becomes at melting. If you wish to use the cheese in a melted form, choose a younger Swiss, one that has smaller holes.

How To Find The Best Cheddar Cheese

As with every other food, the best cheddar cheese is entirely subjective to each individual taste. What is absolutely scrumptious to one person, may taste awful to another. So in order to find what you consider to be the best tasting cheddar, you are going to have to just do the taste test—over and over again—until you find one (or more) that suits your taste buds.

Cheddar By Definition And Its Varieties
By definition, Cheddar is a relatively hard, smooth textured cheese that originated in the village of Cheddar, Somerset, England. It is usually made from whole cows’ milk, varies in coloration from white to deep yellow or orange, and in flavor from mild to extra sharp.

There are a number of varieties of cheeses just within the cheddar designation. These include the traditional mild, medium, sharp, and extra sharp. But there are regional variations that add interest to the otherwise common cheese. Some of these that can be found on the Internet, or in your local grocery store, are: Vermont white, apple cinnamon cheddar, blueberry cobbler cheddar, English cheddar, chipotle cheddar, cranberry cheddar, smoked cheddar, garlic and dill cheddar, horseradish cheddar, golden applewood cheddar, mango fire cheddar, salsa fresca cheddar, and even goats’ milk cheddar.

Cheese Factories
If you are fortunate enough to live in an area that has a cheese factory, go there first to see what they have to offer. You may be able to taste samples of the variety of cheddars that particular factory offers. Cheese fresh at the factory is the cream of the crop, pun intended! Even though many cheeses are aged, there’s still nothing better than when you get it right at the source.

Delicatessens
Visiting your neighborhood deli may be the second best choice for choosing what you consider to be the best cheddar cheese. There you can buy a single slice of cheese to see if you like it or not, rather than a whole block. A deli will have several varieties for you to try.

The Internet
The web will surely have several varieties of cheddar cheese from which to choose. The only drawback will be in having to buy a whole block of cheese, rather than being able to sample just a bite or two. Most cheeses come in small blocks as well as large, so it shouldn’t be a problem. You’ll also have a larger selection at hand and will be able to shop from home.