Cheese home

Homemade cheese is a rather vague concept. This can include both products that are produced by private cheese dairies for sale to tourists, and simply blanks made by caring hostesses for the family at home. But initially, all cheeses were considered homemade, as people prepared exclusively for their own needs.

Much later, the idea came to sell especially popular versions for sale, and then the fashion was born for factories for the production of this delicacy loved all over the world. But if for mass production the recipe usually always provides for various food additives such as stabilizers or emulsifiers, this can be avoided at home. It turns out that cooking yourself, although it requires some time and effort on the part of the cook, will pay off with naturalness and health benefits.

Main characteristics

All cheeses can be adjusted to certain classification standards. The most popular division option provides a benchmark for raw materials. In addition, sorting is often based on consistency, offering a hard or soft delicacy. The melted version stands apart. All three decisions can be made independently if you know exactly how to cook a truly culinary masterpiece.

Even the simplest cheese is made from cottage cheese. It is previously separated from the whey, and then sent for washing, followed by squeezing. The resulting semi-finished product is sent under a press and kept there for a certain period of time according to the technological features of each type.

The average indicator for this is about a month. After exposure, the head is smeared on the outside with paraffin and sent to ripen. Various deviations are possible here. In some situations, the product will age up to a year without a paraffin casing, but for most versions, a standard month will suffice.

Those who are interested in how to make a homemade reading of gourmet food usually know that the density of the structure directly depends on how much the press turned out to be. The greater the weight of the load, the denser the texture will be.

And the aging time affects the sharpness of taste. The longer it sits, the sharper the aftertaste will be. At the same time, gourmets agree that the best combinations are obtained from whole-type milk. For mass production, cow pasteurized is preferred.

In addition to the classic hard variations, soft versions are consistently in demand. They boast an unusual slightly oily and smearing consistency. They are haunted by a slightly ammonia smell and a spicier taste. Due to the latter, they are recommended to be served before the start of the meal in order to wake up the appetite. This appetizer pairs well with white wine.

But soft varieties have one significant drawback. It addresses the need to eat them very quickly without exceeding the storage period. Otherwise, the process of over-ripening starts, which guarantees the loss of their positively affecting qualities. The only exception is the elite Roquefort.

The production technology in this case is not too different from what happens when preparing solid “colleagues” on the counter. But the time for exposure under load is reduced significantly. Also, if you want to follow a strictly step-by-step familiar scheme, you should abandon the paraffin coating stage. After being removed from the press, the dish can be eaten directly, or additionally aged, but not more than a week.

Soft mass is prepared not only from whole milk, but also skim milk. By the same principle, most homemade cheeses are prepared for personal consumption, since here you can choose the raw materials at your own discretion.

Often, craftsmen try to repeat some well-known varieties at home. Philadelphia is in demand here, as well as offers with a solid consistency. They are then added to various dishes. Even ordinary pizza will sparkle with new colors if you sprinkle it with shabby homemade goodies without a gram of preservatives.

Help for health

Hand-made cheese, which definitely will not “please” with chemical additives, has a high biological value. No wonder that even during diets it is allowed to eat in small doses. This allows you to supplement the daily menu with various minerals and trace elements.

An additional advantage here is the ability of the body to digest such food much more efficiently than even just fresh milk. Proteins are to be thanked for this, which will be collected by almost a quarter more than in meat.

Separately, it is worth highlighting the presence of vitamins, mineral salts of calcium and phosphorus, about two dozen amino acids, eight of which are mandatory for daily use. The reason for this is the inability of the animal and human body to generate them on their own. You can only get them by eating food. Among the most concentrated amino acids are:

  • methionine;
  • tryptophan;
  • lysine.

Despite the fact that many types of product are high-calorie, it is not recommended to refuse them at all. Doctors simply insist that the eater knows his norm and does not cross the line, especially in cases where he adheres to a diet. Do not forget that just cheese fat is responsible for maintaining a stable metabolism. You can recognize the fatty variety if you look at the texture of the head in the section. If the mass is oily and tender, then the goodness will be oily.

But since the melting point of milk fat is relatively low, it is rich in fofatites and is easily digested, it does not represent a load on the digestive organs when consumed in doses.

People far from cheese making are always scared when they see that their favorite goat delicacy reaches 50% fat content. It’s just that not everyone understands exactly how the fat content coefficient is measured here.

The content of the fatty component is determined by the ratio of the total weight to dry matter. If we translate the proportions into a philistine language, then 50% fat content only indicates that in fact there is about 30% fat, provided that the humidity remains at the 40% mark. Humidity is also a variable value and varies depending on the selected variety within a radius of 38% to 48%.

But the main feature of homemade cheese is a huge number:

  • phosphorus;
  • calcium.

It is because of this that deliciousness is often recommended for pregnant women, adolescents and the elderly. All of them need to maintain the bone structure at a good level. Also, do not bypass cheese masses from kefir with cottage cheese for mothers during lactation. At this time, women especially need mineral salts, so the daily dosage of cheese should reach 150 grams of the original product.

It would be useful for athletes to make their own cheese sausage, or for those who spend a lot of energy. Nutritionists insist that it is worth leaning on it for those who suffer:

  • diabetes;
  • tuberculosis;
  • problems in the biliary tract;
  • anemic;
  • deviation in the liver.

Only in the first case, you must first consult a doctor, since not all varieties are suitable for diabetics at different stages of the development of this disease.

Recommendations for use

In addition to being high in vitamin A, cheeses also have a huge amount of B vitamins, which are water soluble.

An unusual snack helps for those who, for some reason, have lost their appetite. With the help of a pungent mass, it turns out to provoke the release of digestive juices. As a result, food coming later is better digested.

Also, do not fit absolutely all varieties under one common comb of benefits. They differ in various features. So, delicious camembert or exquisite brie are considered the main doctors for the intestines. Thanks for this should be the thinnest crust, which consists of edible moldy mushrooms. Its composition is somewhat similar to penicillin, which is famous for its ability to resist pathogens.

If the growing organism needs an additional portion of calcium, then the usual gouda or emmental cannot be dispensed with. The same species are suitable for women in a period of interesting position, as well as for people who have crossed the threshold of the 35th anniversary. It will help heavy smokers recover faster epuas.

And for those who cannot fall asleep, tossing and turning in bed for a long time, it is better to use mozzarella. You can cook it even at home, just like Adyghe cheese.

In the past few years, soy cheese tofu has made its way into the cheese arena. It is ideal for those who are vigilant for the calorie content of meals, but are not ready to give up high-grade protein foods. Asians know a lot about cooking various dishes based on it. So, Koreans not only use it raw, but also specially fried, boiled in soups and even marinated. It is noteworthy that after heat treatment, it does not lose its useful characteristics.

The hidden danger here is only overeating. If you eat tofu too often and a lot, then very soon a person will face problems due to a sharp deterioration in memory.

If the cheese is to be used as a pleasant end to the cheese, then it is better to choose Dutch or Swiss delights for this role. They help keep your mouth clean and prevent the spread of cavities-causing bacteria.

The final advantage of cheese products is the absence of lactose, to which many gourmets are allergic. Those who cannot eat other fermented milk products are finally getting a chance to get to important amino acids bypassing lactose.

Together, this will guarantee the restoration of minor deviations of the organs of vision, and will also have a positive effect on the condition of the skin.

Mozzarella at home

Each cheese maker has his own favorite recipe, which he modifies and tries to keep secret, surprising the guests. But it is better to start mastering the culinary field from the home cheese making section with relatively simple recipes. Just such is the instruction for creating Mozzarella.

For its preparation, the cook will need only a few ingredients:

  • 2 liters of fat milk;
  • one and a half to two liters of water;
  • 2 tablespoons of salt;
  • 2 tablespoons of lemon juice;
  • a quarter teaspoon of pepsin.

The average bag of pepsin is designed for about a hundred liters of milk, so even with an eye on a relatively small volume, you don’t need to pour it “by eye”. Even if pepsin is considered a harmless substance and its overdose does not threaten consumers, you should not go against the dosage recommendations.

Having taken the desired rate, it is bred in half a glass of water. At the same time, the milk is heated to approximately 60-70 degrees, and then lemon juice and a dissolved enzyme are poured into it. After the first mixing, whey will immediately begin to drain. Without bringing to a boil, you need to wait until the whey separates completely. The excess liquid is drained by hand, and then the hot mass is squeezed out.

Now it’s a matter of salting. The prepared water is sent to the stove, bringing it to 90 degrees, and then the fire is turned off and salted. In the resulting brine, the cheese mass is lowered for several minutes.

Experienced cooks advise using rubber gloves to reduce the risk of getting burned, as it will be inconvenient to hold an oven mitt. Next, the cheese is stretched, lowered into the water several more times for a couple of minutes. The semi-finished product is laid out on a board, kneaded, folded into an envelope and sent back into the water.

Having covered the table with cling film, the mass is taken out and rolled up with sausage, in order to wrap it later with a film. The sausage is tied with laces in several places to get balls. It is necessary to store the resulting treat in a jar with carefully collected whey in the refrigerator.

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