1.) Processing the milk
2.) Separating the curd
3.) Treating the curd
4.) Pressing the curd
5.) Ripening or aging
6.) Packaging
1.) Cheese makers inspect the milk and remove any clumps and make sure
it is pasteurized. Pumps pump the milk into huge stainless steel vats.
2.) After processing, the milk is treated so that it forms a custard-like
substance called curd. The curd has whey inside it which must
be removed before cheese is made. They then heat the milk to 96 degrees
Fahrenheit. Starter culture is added which makes the milk sour. Rennet
is added to thicken it. Special knives cut the curd and the whey oozes out.
Then the temperature is raised to 102 degrees Fahrenheit.
3.) Workers cut the curd into slabs and then the slabs are pushed into a
mill which chops them into little pieces.
4.) The curd is salted and put into a steel mold for 24 hours.
5.) The cheese is then aged for a certain amount of time (depending on if
you want the cheddar mild, sharp, etc.).
6.) The cheese is then packaged, sold, and put into your mouth.