Goat Cheese Making

Do you want to know more about goat cheese making? Because goats are more affordable to keep (as opposed to cows), making cheese from goat's milk is growing in popularity with the home gourmet. Discover both the history of goat cheese as well as the moderately simple process.

Goat cheese making is a very interesting process!

Humankind has been making cheese for thousands of years, a process that was discovered when people domesticated sheep. The sheep’s milk was stored in bags made from the stomach, which contained rennet that turned the milk into curds and whey. The curds were then separated from the more watery whey and enjoyed as a consistent part of many people's diets.

Some scholars believe that the Mesopotamians were the first to develop cheese, which then spread through Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. Goat cheese was mentioned as far back as classical times, when Homer referred to the sheep and goat milk that was turned into cheese in the caves of Ancient Greece.

There are many different kinds of goat cheese, all requiring different processes and bacteria to produce a rainbow of distinctive flavors and textures. In fact, most kinds of cheese that are usually made with cow’s milk can actually be made with goat’s milk as well. Here is a short list of goat cheese varieties:

• Chevre
• Chevrot
• Valencay
• Selles sur Cher
• Peilloute
• Goat’s milk feta
• Goat’s milk cheddar
• Goat’s milk gouda
• Goat’s milk mozzarella
• Goat’s milk brie

Goat cheese is a great addition to any meal.

Very little has changed in goat cheese production since ancient times; the process now is very similar to what it was thousands of years ago. There are five basics steps to making goat cheese.

To separate the curds from the whey, lactic cultures, or bacteria, are added to the milk. This must be performed at a temperature specific to the bacteria. If the milk is too hot it will kill the culture, and if it’s too cold, the culture will become inactive until the milk is warmed again. Depending on the kind of cheese you are making, rennet is also added to enhance the coagulation. After separation has occurred, the curds are separated from the whey.

The curds are next ladled into cheese molds. Goat cheese can come in a variety of shapes, such as spheres, logs, pyramids, discs, and more. The molds used in French cheese making are perforated and called faisselles.

It’s very important to remove all of the remaining whey from the cheese so that it will age correctly and keep without going bad. This usually involves either pressing or hanging the cheese so that the whey drains from the curd. The process can take twenty-four hours or longer.

Cheese salt is a special kind of salt that melts easily and contains no iodine, which will kill the bacteria culture. Salt is a natural preservative and is essential to the preservation of goat cheese. While cheese salt can be added to the curd before molding, it is often sprinkled over the cheese once it’s in the mold. This is also the stage where some cheeses are covered with oak ash to prevent a crust from forming over the outside.

Not all cheeses require this final stage of ripening. Molds are stacked on racks in a room and are left for a time specific to the variety of cheese. It's very important that the room stay at a consistent and specific temperature and humidity. After ripening, they are sent to a packaging facility, where they’re wrapped and sent to retailers.

If you’re making goat cheese at home, these steps do not vary much. Making cheese is a fairly simple process that can be easily performed with the right bacteria. If you’re interested in making your own goat cheese, below are links that will help you with the process.

• CheeseMaking.com sells all of the supplies you will need for making your own goat cheese (or any other kind of cheese you can think of).
• Ricki Carroll, the woman who runs CheeseMaking.com, also wrote a a book on how to make cheese. This guide will help you make many different kinds of goat cheese at home.
• Here are some tips on buying, storing, and enjoying goat cheese.
• FrenchGoatCheese.com talks all about French goat cheese varieties.
• There’s even a goat cheese dictionary!

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