How Cheese Is Made

Cheese starts as plain liquid milk. To turn milk into cheese, special ingredients are added that make the milk thick and solid. This process has been used for thousands of years. Today, there are over 1,800 types of cheese, and each one is made a little differently.

From Milk to Cheese

First, milk is heated up in a big vat. Then an ingredient called rennet is added. Rennet makes the milk separate into solid parts called curds and a liquid part called whey. The curds are scooped out and pressed together. Salt is added for flavor and to help preserve the cheese.

Aging Cheese

After the cheese is shaped and salted, it is left to age. Aging means the cheese sits in a cool place for weeks, months, or even years. As cheese ages, it develops stronger flavors. Fresh cheeses like mozzarella are ready in days. Hard cheeses like Parmesan can age for two years or more before they are ready to eat.

Fun Facts

• It takes about 10 pounds of milk to make just one pound of cheese.
• Some cheeses have holes because of gas bubbles made by bacteria during aging.
• The most expensive cheese in the world is made from donkey milk and costs over per pound.

Did You Know?

Scientists have found cheese residue on pottery that is over 7,000 years old!