Some inhabitants still confuse rennet types of cheeses with ordinary sour-milk ones. But from the point of view of professional classification, these are completely different subspecies that differ in technological nuances.
Real sour-milk cheeses are distinguished by the method of precipitation of casein, which is produced by lactic acid. It is added to milk in two ways. The first relies on the presence of whey, and the second involves the addition of pure starter cultures.
The main varieties
Each similar fermented milk product is assigned to a certain subgroup. One of the most common options are green cheeses. Their distinguishing feature is the use of skimmed milk.
Such goodies are not in vain called green, as their color range varies from a grayish tint to green. Such an unusual palette is explained by the fact that manufacturers add powder to the mixture, which is made on the basis of pre-dried blue or yellow sweet clover leaves.
Also, the mass received a dense structure, which simplifies the friction procedure if you want to sprinkle an open pie or pasta ready for use with a delicacy. Since the heads do not have a characteristic pattern, this has also become their hallmark, like a specific aftertaste of sweet clover and a spicy aftertaste.
Despite the aroma, cooks prefer to use these species not in their pure form, but simply as a seasoning. This is facilitated by a high moisture content of 40%, as well as a high threshold for table salt, which is 6,5% of the total. To preserve the original characteristics, each head is wrapped in foil before sale.
Lithuanian cheese, moldy curd combinations and the Harz version stand apart. They differ in that for their manufacture you will need to get high-quality cottage cheese. To this is additionally added 3% salt and another 1% sodium bicarbonate.
The production technology provides for grinding the semi-finished product in order to obtain an ideal cylindrical shape later. Each such bar weighs 100 grams. Before being sent for sale, each piece must be aged in a dry room for about two weeks.
During this period, a yellowish mucus is formed on the surface, which, as it dries, will turn into a reliable protective crust. The finished product will please with a really pronounced cheese taste and aroma, which will delight true cheese lovers.
Manufacturers of Lithuanian treats distinguished themselves in this category, preferring to produce bars with a triangular base for sale. Such a culinary delight will please with a delicate, smearing texture. But the aroma will surprise you with the typical sharpness inherent in the sour-milk category.
The energy composition will be distributed as follows:
- 45% fat;
- 47% moisture;
- 2% per annum.
The group of curd non-ripening options stands apart. Their main feature is the fact that rennet-sour-milk or simply sour-milk coagulation is used for production. The name of the cheese is explained by the fact that, in terms of production technology, they are very similar to the scheme used to create ordinary cottage cheese.
Such a mixture has a delicate, even smearing texture, which has a salty aftertaste, but there are no eyes in it. For convenience of sale, even at the factory, the heads are laid out in small boxes, the average weight of which does not exceed 500 grams.
Parchment is used as wrapping paper. Usually the finished bar has the shape of a cylinder or square.
Cream cheese deserves special attention. Today, the procedure for its manufacture has been greatly simplified due to the involvement of mechanized lines. Using the method of partial dehydration, the authors achieve perfect crushing of the clot of rennet origin.
A billet is obtained from skimmed milk, which is extracted using an industrial separator. This is followed by cooling through a tubular cooler.
The resulting mixture is sent to the next stage, where pre-collected cream is added to it. Occasionally, an atypical milk dessert is diluted with various fillers like dry:
- garlic;
- paprika;
- greens.
The only thing left for the workers is to homogenize and pack the products in polystyrene jars.
Homemade cheeses are produced according to a slightly similar principle, since they are also used in a flow-mechanized way. The curd itself is made from skimmed milk. After the semi-finished product has reached the desired condition, it is mixed together with salted pasteurized milk.
Homogenized and pre-chilled cream is poured in there almost immediately. Then it remains only to wait until the grain swells sufficiently. To do this, you will need to wait until the grain has completely absorbed all the cream. And then the resulting mass is mixed and packaged for further sale.
The final link in the classification of sour-milk cheeses is the Adyghe cheese. It belongs to unusual solutions, since it uses the coagulation of milk by the thermoacid method of coagulation.
Despite such technological difficulties, amateur cheese makers note that it is possible to repeat almost the entire production chain at home without significant financial and time costs.
The chip of the Adyghe technology is clotting, which became possible thanks to the acid whey with a temperature of about 90 degrees. If it involves import, then packing usually includes sorting into willow baskets. But this is more like a souvenir option, while perforated forms are preferred for mass production.
Since the cheese does not undergo a ripening procedure, this significantly reduces the period of its subsequent storage. Even under the most favorable circumstances, the period does not extend beyond 10 days.
Benefit and harm
Many experts agree that brynza should be classified as a sour-milk cheese, although it has found its mention both among soft variations and brine offerings.
Nutritionists, who do not delve into cheese classification so much, note that feta cheese can become a reliable assistant for obtaining the vitamins and minerals necessary for normal life. The most important advantage of this fermented milk product is the presence of a daily dosage of calcium in 100 grams of cheese.
This means that with regular consumption of goodies, the eater can count on beautiful and healthy:
- nails;
- teeth;
- bones.
Doctors also note that against the background of other sour-milk solutions, it was feta cheese that took the official position of the vitamin record holder. The reason for this is a whole list of vitamins that are included in its composition:
- E;
- WITH;
- D;
- IN;
- BUT;
- PP.
The addition to the daily diet, familiar to many Slavs, is a real storehouse of trace elements, which include:
- calcium;
- phosphorus;
- sulfur;
- magnesium;
- iron;
- potassium.
Benefits can also be obtained for deviated from the course of stable functioning of the metabolism. It will be possible to restore it with the help of fatty and organic acids present here in large quantities, as well as ash and healthy cholesterol. Unlike its harmful version, such cholesterol is not deposited on the walls of blood vessels, which does not guarantee the formation of plaques.
Against this background, it seems that sour-milk cheeses are practically a panacea for all diseases. But doctors warn that they should be consumed strictly in limited quantities. Some categories of patients should completely forget about their existence. These are the people who suffer:
- cardiovascular diseases;
- deviations in the work of the genitourinary system;
- stomach ailments.
There is only one reason for this – a rather high salt content. Even if you soak a piece in boiling water, getting rid of salt molecules will be problematic. Because of this, doctors advise simply looking for analogues that will be safer for health. Moreover, gourmets elevate the washing of sour-milk cheeses to the rank of almost criminal activity. Along with the “washing”, the taste and some of the useful qualities go away.
How to choose the right one?
Today’s assortment of sour-milk cheeses will drive almost any connoisseur of such a delicious addition to the festive and everyday table crazy. But not all of them are able to distinguish an organic product from one that is literally crammed with synthetic ingredients. In order not to get lost in the supermarket among the variety of jars, it is better to pay attention not to the name of the manufacturer, but to the specific composition.
In such a simple way, it will be possible to establish how many stabilizers or emulsifiers are in the cherished jar. Some even decide to cook a delicacy on their own, fearing for their health after reading the label.
But if the consumer has chosen the purchased version of cheese, he must follow simple tips for the right choice:
- Choose only white or slightly yellowish mass. The brighter the yellow tint, the more the head lay in the bins of the store.
- No crust. Brynza, like most of its brothers in the sour-milk category, does not have a specific crust. If it has appeared, it means that the piece has been lying on the window for a long time and has managed to get pretty winded.
- No crumbs or spreading.
But the surest way to make sure of freshness, as in ancient times, is a test.
“Hochland” at home
Fearing to run into a harmful product, many housewives take a detour by trying various recipes from cookbooks for cheesemakers.
One of the simplest recipes that even a beginner in the art of making fermented milk cheeses can repeat is the instructions for making Hochland. Curd consistency is the best for sandwiches during snacks or a light breakfast. And with bread, this treat will turn into a diet food.
For preparation it will be required:
- Xnumx curd;
- 100 ml of sour cream;
- a bunch of parsley, cilantro, basil, onion, dill;
- several cloves of garlic;
- a couple of pinches of corn starch;
- salt as you like.
After the recipe in the original reading has been successfully tested at least once, you can start experimenting with fillers. Some fans of savory aftertaste prefer to add dried pieces of paprika. There are those who, instead of all the greens listed, add some exotic spices. No less fragrant is the version with thin slices of fried mushrooms. Deliciousness will crunch unusually if you finely chop pickled cucumbers there.
And if you want to achieve increased nutritional value, then you should cut the sausage or ham into thin strips in advance. The straws are fried and added to the cheese mass already at the final stage of cooking. It will be possible to experiment with the filling until the family is completely satisfied with the filling.
Also, the authors of the domesticated “Hochland” strongly recommend taking only fresh ingredients. Moreover, these should not be store components, but only farm ones. So the chances are higher not to run into food additives that can spoil the taste in a matter of seconds.
First, finely chopped garlic is sent to the blender, and then greens. Cottage cheese is added to the already green garlic mixture, achieving a homogeneous consistency without lumps. At the end, the mixture is supplemented with corn starch and sour cream for uniformity.
The resulting sour-milk cheese in a hurry is easy to spread on toast in order to have time to eat when there is no time at all. But it’s still not worth getting carried away with him, so as not to earn problems with the organs of the digestive tract.