A"Scientific"Approach"to"Making"Cheese"!Background"History(of(Cheese(making(in(Wisconsin:((http://www.wisdairy.com/AllAboutCheese/Cheesemaking/HistoryOfCheesemaking.aspx(Wisconsin!cheeses!have!an!illustrious!heritage!of!more!than!160!years!of!quality!and!

craftsmanship.!During!this!long!and!rich!history,!the!art!and!science!of!cheesemaking!have!been!captured!in!time?honored!traditions!that!produce!cheese!varieties!of!unsurpassed!excellence.!Today,!Wisconsin!produces!more!than!600!varieties,!types!and!styles!of!American,!international?style!and!original!cheeses!that!win!more!awards!than!any!other!state!or!country.!The!story!of!Wisconsin's!dairy!industry!has!roots!in!prehistoric!times.!Nature!set!the!stage!for!

America's!Dairyland!during!the!last!Ice!Age,!when!glaciers!cut!through!what!is!now!Wisconsin.!As!they!receded,!the!massive!mountains!of!ice!left!behind!a!countryside!of!rolling!hills!and!lush!pastureland.!Millions!of!years!later,!when!European!immigrants!migrated!west,!they!found!the!nation's!

heartland,!which!reminded!many!of!their!homelands.!Climatic!conditions!suited!farming!well,!and!initially,!farmers!grew!wheat,!hops,!and!other!grains.!Dairy!farming!followed!naturally,!and!dairy!farmers!soon!produced!an!abundance!of!top?quality!milk.!To!preserve!excess!milk,!farmers!made!cheese.!The!move!from!producing!cheese!for!family!use!to!making!cheese!to!sell!was!a!short!step.!However,!commercial!production!of!cheese!in!Wisconsin!began!on!a!small!scale.!In!1841,!Mrs.!Anne!Pickett!made!cheesemaking!history!when!she!established!Wisconsin's!first!

cottage!industry!cheese!factory!using!milk!from!neighbors'!cows.!Seventeen!years!later,!John!J.!Smith!obtained!the!first!cheese!vat!and!made!cheese!at!home!in!

Sheboygan!County.!Smith!also!instituted!the!marketing!of!cheese!outside!Wisconsin.!A!year!later!Hiram!Smith,!a!farmer!on!the!University!of!Wisconsin!Board!of!Regents,!founded!a!

full?scale!cheese!factory.!He!purchased!milk!from!other!dairy!farmers!or!processed!their!milk!for!a!percentage!of!the!finished!cheese.!The!cheesemaking!industry!in!Wisconsin!had!taken!hold.!In!1864,!Chester!Hazen!built!a!factory!in!Ladoga.!Many!doubted!the!success!of!this!venture,!

dubbing!it!"Hazen's!Folly."!Critics!were!silenced!when,!after!just!one!year!of!operation,!the!factory!used!milk!from!more!than!300!cows!to!produce!Hazen's!cheese.!His!success!heralded!the!rapid!growth!of!the!cheese!industry!in!the!state.!Such!rapid!growth!did!cause!some!problems,!however.!Until!that!time,!there!had!been!no!

uniform!grading!system!tied!to!standards!of!identity!for!cheeses.!To!remedy!the!situation,!in!1872!the!Dairymen's!Association,!composed!of!seven!leaders!in!the!dairy!industry,!sponsored!a!new!Board!of!Trade!in!Watertown!to!establish!procedures!to!market!Wisconsin!cheese.!The!Board!also!secured!a!60!percent!reduction!in!freight!rates,!which!contributed!significantly!to!the!efficient!marketing!of!cheese!from!Wisconsin!to!other!states.!Clearly,!cheesemaking!had!become!an!important!and!prosperous!industry!for!the!state.!In!1890,!Stephen!Babcock!of!the!University!of!Wisconsin!developed!the!milkfat!test!that!

allowed!dairymen!to!determine!which!cows!produced!the!richest!milk,!the!best!for!cheesemaking.!This!test!is!still!used!today.!In!1921,!Wisconsin!became!the!first!state!to!grade!its!cheese!for!quality.!This!leadership!role!

in!quality!assurance!coupled!with!Wisconsin's!central!location!for!distribution!enabled!the!industry!to!continue!to!grow!rapidly.!By!1922,!more!than!2,800!cheese!factories!existed!in!the!state.!Cheesemakers!and!dairy!farmers!newly!immigrating!to!the!United!States!often!chose!

Wisconsin!as!their!destination.!This!influx!of!talent!and!energy!kept!the!cheese!industry!vigorous.!These!men!and!women!represented!almost!every!country!in!Europe.!They!arrived!with!

a!strong!work!ethic,!determination,!treasured!family!secrets,!and!the!tradition!of!making!favorite!cheeses!from!the!old!country.!These!cheeses!quickly!gained!popularity!in!the!United!States.!Swiss,!among!the!first!Old?World!cheeses!produced!in!Wisconsin,!originated,!as!the!name!

suggests,!in!Switzerland.!Italians!brought!Pasta!Filata!cheeses!such!as!the!popular!Mozzarella!and!Provolone,!as!well!as!the!blue?veined!Gorgonzola.!The!French!gave!us!creamy,!soft?ripened!Camembert!and!Brie,!as!well!as!Blue!varieties.!From!Germany!came!the!secrets!of!Muenster!and!Limburger.!The!English!contributed!Cheddar,!and!the!Dutch,!Gouda!and!Edam.!These!immigrants!are!responsible!for!much!of!the!rich!variety!of!cheeses!produced!in!the!state.!Additionally,!innovative!Wisconsin!cheesemakers!created!original!cheeses!such!as!Brick!and!Colby.!By!1945,!more!than!1,500!cheese!factories!in!Wisconsin!produced!about!515!million!pounds!

of!cheese!a!year.!!Today,!approximately!15,000!dairy!farms,!with!over!1.2!million!cows!producing!an!average!of!18,850!pounds!of!milk!each!per!year,!continue!the!reputation!for!quality!milk!from!Wisconsin.!Cheesemakers!use!approximately!90!percent!of!this!milk!to!produce!cheese!at!115!plants.!Wisconsin!has!more!skilled!and!licensed!cheesemakers!than!any!other!state.!These!

cheesemakers!must!complete!rigorous!studies!in!dairy!science!and!cheesemaking!before!they!can!be!licensed.!They!also!may!serve!as!an!apprentice!under!a!licensed!cheesemaker.!Additionally,!Wisconsin!is!the!only!state!to!offer!a!Master!Cheesemaker!program,!patterned!on!the!rigorous!standards!of!similar!programs!in!Europe.!These!fine!craftsmen!produce!over!2.4!billion!pounds!of!cheese!each!year,!over!25!percent!of!all!domestic!cheese.!These!quantities!continue!to!grow!to!meet!the!nation’s!demand!for!quality!and!variety!of!cheese!from!Wisconsin,!America's!Dairyland.!!Ingredients"Each(group(will(need(the(following:(

• 1/2!gallon!fresh!whole!milk!(Use!skimmed!milk!for!low!fat!but!less!flavorful!cheese)!• 1/8!cup!(2T)!cultured!buttermilk!!!• 1/8!tablet!Rennet!• salt!

!Equipment!!

• 2!quart!stainless!steel!pot!with!lid!!• thermometer!reading!in!the!50?100°F!range!!• sterile!clean!handkerchief!!• chopstick!• large!strainer!or!colander!• Small,!disposable!storage!containers!

"Procedure"!Day(1:(1. Sterilize!the!pot!by!covering!and!boiling!a!small!amount!of!water!in!it!for!five!minutes.!!!2. While!the!pot!is!being!sterilized,!assemble!ingredients.!!Each!group!will!be!using!whole!milk,!

partially!skimmed,!or!skimmed!milk.!3. Add!buttermilk!and!milk!to!the!sterilized!pot.!!Warm!while!stirring!to!65°F.!4. Dissolve!1/8!tablet!rennet!in!1/8!cup!cool!water.!!!!There!should!be!no!remaining!pieces!on!

the!bottom!of!the!glass.!!Add!the!dissolved!rennet!into!the!65°F!inoculated!milk!while!stirring.!!!Continue!stirring!until!blended!thoroughly.!

5. Cover!and!let!sit!undisturbed!overnight!at!room!temperature!(65?70°F).!

Day(2:(6. A!soft!curd!should!have!formed.!!To!ensure!that!a!soft!curd!has!formed,!test!for!a!“clean!

break”!by!plunging!a!clean!finger!into!the!milk!and!lifting.!!Properly!coagulated!milk!should!break!cleanly!around!the!finger,!and!clear!whey!should!fill!the!gaps!produced:!

!!7. When!curd!is!adequately!formed,!cut!it!into!½!inch!

cubes.!!!8. Ladle!cut!curds!into!a!clean!sterile!handkerchief!

suspended!in!large!strainer!or!stainless!steel!colander.!!Pour!the!remaining!whey!through!the!cloth.!!If!the!cloth!becomes!clogged,!lift!the!cloth!back!and!forth!or!scrape!the!forming!cheese!away!from!the!cloth.!

9. Hang!the!curd!in!a!cool!place!to!allow!the!whey!to!drip!out:!pick!up!the!four!corners!of!the!cloth,!wrap!a!heavy!rubberband!around,!and!loop!one!end!through!the!other!end.!!Insert!a!chopstick!through!the!open!end,!and!suspend!the!cheese!bag!over!a!receiving!vessel!to!catch!the!whey.!!Let!hang!over!night.!!

((

(((Day(3:(10. Open!the!cloth!to!reveal!the!cheese.!!Sprinkle!on!1?!2!

teaspoons!of!salt,!according!to!taste.!!Inadequately!salted!cheese!will!be!more!bland!and!will!not!keep!as!well.!!Work!to!mix!the!salt!in!thoroughly.!!Store!covered!in!the!refrigerator!until!use.!!!!

!!References"!New!England!Cheesemaking!Supply!Company:!www.cheesemaking.com!Wisconsin!Milk!Marketing!Board:!www.wisdairy.com!Neufchatel:!An!unripened!Cheese:!http://biology.clc.uc.edu/Fankhauser/Cheese/neufchatel/neufchatel.htm!