How cheese is made at home. Cheese molds at home

Cheese prepared at home will not only be cheaper, but also better in taste, more nutritious than store-bought, because it does not contain preservatives.

WHAT IS CHEESE
Cheese is one of the most nutritious food products obtained by special processing of milk.
During the processing of milk to produce cheese, lactic acid bacteria and enzymes act on milk, and as a result of complex biochemical, microbiological and enzymatic processes, the resulting product acquires new, in comparison with milk, very valuable taste and nutritional properties.

COOKING CHEESE AT HOME
Cheese prepared at home will not only be cheaper, but also better in taste, more nutritious than store-bought, because it does not contain preservatives.
Since the ripening process of the cheese occurs satisfactorily only in a piece weighing at least 0.5 kg, it is impossible to make cheese in smaller quantities.
Homemade cheese contains all the nutrients found in milk, but in a concentrated form. Half a kilogram of hard cheese contains the same amount of protein, calcium, riboflavin and vitamin B as 4.5 liters of milk. In addition, during the production of cheese, the content of vitamins increases.
If you want to make cheese in large quantities, you will have to collect the milk for a week or longer, and store the milk in the refrigerator. However, if it is more convenient for you to work with 12-15 liters of milk, then it should be said that cheese in the appropriate amount can easily be made in an ordinary kitchen. To do this, you will need the following:
> milk;
> rennet or other starter;
> appropriate equipment. The preparation of milk is described in detail in the second section of this book. Here we consider the production of rennet and the necessary equipment.

PREPARING rennet at home
In the absence of factory-made rennet powder, you can prepare the enzyme yourself. To do this, the extracted rennet is cleaned during slaughter of lambs or calves, the ends of the holes are tied, inflated with air and dried in the shade or in a room at a temperature of +18 - +20 degrees C.
Packets of dried abomasums are wrapped in dark paper and stored until consumed.
It is better to take abomasums for the enzyme 2-4 months after drying, since mucus may appear from fresh ones in the solution.
Before cooking, the ends of the rennet are cut off.
Several rennets are placed on top of each other, with the wide end of one to the narrow end of the other. Finely chopped, like noodles, pour brine. For brine drinking water add 5% salt - per 1 liter 50 g - and boil, cool to +30 - + 32 degrees C.
Abomasums are soaked and infused in a clean enamel bowl in a warm place. After 2-3 days, the sourdough is ready.

CALCULATION OF THE REQUIRED AMOUNT OF rennet
To calculate the amount of rennet required to coagulate milk, you need to determine its strength in seconds. To do this, take a sample of 0.5 faceted glass from prepared milk (+31 - +33 degrees C), stirring quickly, pour one teaspoon of rennet solution into it and notice in the second hand of the clock when a clot forms.
Knowing the strength of the rennet solution in seconds, the need for it is calculated.
Assume that 20 kg of milk is needed to make cheese. This milk must be curdled in 20 minutes, or 1200 seconds. The test showed a fortress of 60 s. You will need a solution of rennet:
20x60x0.1 = 0.1 l (or 100 ml)
1200

EQUIPMENT NECESSARY FOR PREPARING CHEESE IN HOME CONDITIONS
Most of the equipment for making cheese at home is always at hand, and the missing part is easy to purchase or make yourself.
Such equipment and materials include the following:
> mold for cheese;
> piston;
> press,
> two large pots;
> filter (colander);
> thermometer; -
> a spoon with a long handle;
> long knife;
> two pieces of gauze the size of one square! meter each;
> bricks (6-8 pieces);
> paraffin (0.5 kg).
Let's take a closer look at the main of these accessories.

CHEESE MOLD
The simplest form for cheese can be made using a one-liter tin (for example, from under tomato paste), in the bottom of which you need to make holes with a nail.
The torn edges of the holes should be on the outside to avoid deformation of the cheese. The inner walls of the form are lined with a piece of fabric, then the form is filled with cheese mass and closed with a cloth from above - this way the mass will be prepared for pressing. Excess liquid will exit through the holes.

PISTON
The piston is a necessary part of the press. It is a circle of plywood about 1 cm thick or a piece of board of such a diameter that allows it to easily move inside the mold. The piston presses the cheese mass to the bottom, squeezes out excess whey, forming the density of the mass.

PRESS
You can buy a press, you can use a lard salting press, you can make it yourself in one day from several scraps of boards and a mop handle.
To make a press, take a piece of plywood or board 2 cm thick and 25 cm wide. Saw it into two pieces about 5 cm long each. Drill a 2.5 cm hole in the center of one part. The squeezed whey will flow through it. In the other, drill 2 holes opposite each other, also with a diameter of 2.5 cm, stepping back from the edges of the board 5 cm. These holes should be of such a size that will allow the mop handle to move freely through them.
Cut the handle into 3 parts: 2 x 45 cm and one 38 cm. Nail each 45 cm piece of the handle to the bottom board, stepping back from the edge 5 cm, focusing on the holes for them in the top board. Nail the third piece of the handle to the top board in the center of it, and attach the piston to the bottom end of the handle.
Attach 2 wooden blocks to the bottom of the structure, or put a press on 2 bricks, raising it to a height that allows you to place a container under it to collect the squeezed whey.
A coffee can, some boards, and a mop handle can serve as material for making a press.

FILTER
The filter can be made from a large tin container with holes in it, but a colander or a large sieve will be more convenient to work with.

THERMOMETER
It is best to have a floating thermometer, which is used when cooking butter, although any other that is immersed in liquid will do.

GENERAL TECHNOLOGY FOR PRODUCING CHEESE IN HOME CONDITIONS
The cheese mass is placed on the upper board in a container (form) lined with cloth, which is then placed under the press. The ends of the fabric cover the mass from above.
The piston is inserted into the container, and 1-2 bricks are placed on the top board. The loaded piston weakly squeezes the cheese mass, squeezing out the whey.
The load can be increased to 4 bricks to get a denser cheese.
As a container, two containers for hot water with a volume of 24 liters and 36 liters are used, inserted one into the other (like a boiler). It is recommended to use them because of their low weight and enamel coating of the walls, otherwise aluminum will interact with the acid contained in the curd.
The 24 liter container holds at least 20 liters of milk. It is easy to handle and deep enough to cut the curd with a long kitchen knife.
To make cheese, you need raw goat's or cow's milk, sourdough, rennet, and salt. If desired, you can tint the cheese with orange food coloring.
Raw whole milk from a goat or cow produces the fattest cheese. You can also use skimmed milk. Preservatives are often added to preserve milk. This alone impairs the curdling of milk.
In this case, it is better to use pasteurization.
Never use powdered milk. Firstly, it undergoes appropriate processing, and secondly, it produces a “skinny” cheese. Use only fresh, high quality milk from healthy animals.
Do not use the milk of animals that were given antibiotics less than three days ago. Even a small amount of antibiotics in milk inhibits the formation of acid in cheese.
Raw or pasteurized milk can be stored in the refrigerator for several days. Before use, it is heated to room temperature and aged until the formation of a mature curd mass containing lactic acid, i.e. until sour.
-Sour milk should only have a slightly sour taste, because. in the future, in the process of maturation, the amount of acid will increase. It is best to use the milk of morning and evening milkings. Cool evening milk to 15 degrees C, otherwise too much acid may form when warm milk is added. Refrigerate your morning milk in the same way before mixing it with your evening milk. If you use only morning milking milk, then it should be cooled to a temperature of 15-18 degrees C and kept for 3-4 hours. Otherwise, the required amount of acid is not formed to obtain the desired taste, and the cheese will have a weak consistency.
If you are milking one cow or several goats, store the milk mixture in the refrigerator until you have collected 12-15 liters of milk.
If you decide to make cheese, select 10-12 liters of the the best milk. Remember that low quality milk produces the same quality cheese.
From 4 liters of milk, about 0.5 kg of hard cheese is obtained, a little more than soft cheese, or about one liter of homemade cheese.
Certain types of sourdough starter must be used to induce sufficient acid production to produce a good quality cheese.
Different starter cultures determine the different flavors of the cheese. You can use buttermilk, yogurt or special starter powders. You can make your own homemade sour starter by leaving two cups of fresh milk at room temperature for 12-24 hours to curdle or sour.
A more complex but much more interesting starter can be made by adding 1/8 of a stick of yeast to one cup of warm milk and leaving this mixture for a day. Then pour off half and add one cup of warm milk again. Every day for a week, pour half mixture and add one cup of warm milk instead.Keep the starter in a warm place.On the last, seventh day, add two cups of warm milk to the mixture and leave it for another day.This starter is ripe and ready to use.
If you make cheese regularly, leave two cups of soured milk from each previous batch of cheese. You can keep them covered in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Let the milk sour so that a curd clot forms and the whey can be separated, which takes 18-24 hours.
Some prefer the taste and texture of homemade cheese made without rennet.
It is noticed that in very warm weather, milk begins to deteriorate before it has time to curdle. In winter, milk curdles for a long time.
After you have made the cheese a few times, you will learn how much salt to put in. Adding salt is necessary to get good taste cheese. You can use regular table salt.
Perform each technological operation carefully, and after a little training you will become a real cheese master. Over time, you will comprehend the intricacies of cheese-making (the stages of milk maturation and their influence on the taste of future cheese, the duration of heating of the cottage cheese and its effect on the structure of the product, the amount of salt, how the number of bricks for pressing is related to the moisture content, and also how the aging time of the cheese is reflected in sharpness of its taste). All these details are reflected in the properties of the final product and determine the variety of taste and structure. The more you learn about this, the better the cheese you produce will be.

MAIN TYPES OF CHEESE PRODUCED IN THE HOME
Three main types of cheese are prepared at home:
> solid;
> soft;
> actually home.
In addition, there are recipes home cooking melted cheeses.

HARD CHEESE
Produced on the basis of cottage cheese, separated from whey, washed and pressed. The resulting cottage cheese in the appropriate amount is placed under the press and aged until the taste appears. Well-pressed and aged cheese is obtained within a month. You can consume hard cheese immediately, but it will taste better if you keep it longer.
The longer the exposure, the sharper the taste of the cheese. The heavier the applied load, the denser its structure. The best hard cheese comes from whole milk.

SOFT CHEESE
It is done in the same way as a hard one, but the holding period under pressure is much shorter. This cheese is also not paraffin-coated and only aged for a week or not at all.
Usually soft cheese can and should be eaten immediately after production or in the coming weeks. It cannot be stored for as long as solid due to its high liquid content.
Soft cheeses can be made from both whole and skimmed milk.

HOME CHEESE
Homemade cheese is a soft cheese made from separated cottage cheese with a high water content and cannot be stored for a long time. It is usually made from skimmed milk, but it can also be made from whole milk. This cheese is the easiest to make compared to other types.

TECHNOLOGY FOR PREPARING HARD CHEESES
1. Heat milk to 32 degrees C and add 2 cups of starter culture. Stir thoroughly for 2 minutes to evenly distribute it. Cover the container with milk and leave in a warm place overnight. Try milk in the morning. If milk has a slight sour taste in the morning, go to the next step. If you are not using rennet, skip the next step and let the milk stand for 18-24 hours until curd and whey form.
2. To room temperature milk, add 1/2 teaspoon rennet or one tablet dissolved in 1/2 cup cold water. Stir the mixture thoroughly for 2 minutes. Cover the container with milk and leave for 30-40 minutes until the milk curdles.
3. As soon as a dense curd clot forms and a little whey separates, you can start cutting the clot. With a clean long knife, cut it into 3x3 cm squares, lowering the knife to the bottom.
Make the first cuts every 3 cm, cutting the cheese into ribbons. Then tilt the knife as far as possible, cut the mass perpendicular to the first cuts. Then turn the pan a quarter of a turn and do it all over again. Mix the pieces thoroughly with a long-handled wooden spoon or a paddle and cut those pieces that are larger, mixing carefully, trying not to destroy the pieces.
4. Place the smaller container in a larger one filled with warm water and heat the curdled mass very carefully, raising the temperature every 5 minutes by 2 degrees. Heat the water to 38 degrees C for 30-40 minutes, then maintain this temperature until until the mass reaches the desired density. Stir gently to prevent the cubes from sticking together and forming a single lump. As the cubes become denser with heat, reduce the mixing frequency to help prevent sticking. Check the piece for tightness by gently squeezing it with your hand and quickly releasing it. If it breaks easily into pieces and the cubes do not stick together, then the mass is ready. Usually this state is reached after 1.5-2.5 hours from the moment the abomasum is introduced into milk.
It is very important that the cheese is firm enough when you squeeze out the whey.
If the density is not enough, the cheese will have a weak pasty texture, sour or other undesirable taste.
If the density is excessive, the cheese will be dry and tasteless.
Once the mass has become sufficiently dense, remove the container from warm water.
5. Pour the curdled milk into a large container lined with a filter cloth. Then remove the cloth with the contents and transfer to a colander. It is convenient to use a five-liter container with holes as a colander.
When most of the whey is gone, transfer the curd from the cloth to a container and tilt it from side to side for a while to let the rest of the liquid out. Stir occasionally to avoid the formation of a solid lump. To achieve a better separation of the liquid, mix the mass with your hands. When the mass cools down to 32 degrees C, it acquires the density of rubber and creaks while chewing a small piece - you can add salt.
Save your serum. It is a very nutritious product and good food supplement for livestock. Many drink it themselves or cook food on it.
6. Pour one or two tablespoons of salt into the mass and mix well. As soon as the salt dissolves and the mass cools down to 30 degrees C, spoon the cheese into a mold lined with cloth from the inside. Be sure to make sure that the mass has cooled down to 30 degrees C.
7. When you have filled the cheese form with the curd mass, connect the ends of the fabric lining the form at the top. Then insert the piston and put everything under the press. Start spinning with 3-4 bricks in the first 10 minutes.
Then remove the plunger and let the whey accumulated inside drain out. Reinsert the piston and add another brick. Repeat until the number of bricks reaches 6-8. When the mass has aged under a load of 6-8 bricks for an hour, the cheese is ready for wrapping.
8. Remove the bricks, remove the piston and turn the mold upside down to remove the mass. Pull firmly on the fabric to make it easier to go. Remove the cloth from the formed mass, then immerse the mass in warm water to wash off the fat from its surface. Use your fingers to level and smooth any holes and cracks, achieving a smooth surface. Then wipe dry.
Now cut a piece of fabric 5 cm wider and longer than the girth of the cheese so that you can wrap it with a little margin. Wrap the cheese tightly using two pieces of cloth in a circle so that the ends overlap. Put the cheese in the mold, put the piston on it and press down with 6-8 bricks. Leave it like this for 18-24 hours.
9. Remove the cheese from the press. Remove the wrapping cloth and dry the surface with a clean, dry cloth. Look for holes or breaks in the piece. Rinse with warm water or serum until hard. Seal holes and breaks in the head by dipping them in water and smoothing them with your fingers or a knife. Then put the cheese in a cool dry cabinet. Turn it over and wipe it daily until the crust dries. This usually happens within 3-5 days.
10. Heat 250 g of paraffin in a flat dish to 80 degrees C. Its depth should be such that you can immediately lower half the head of cheese. Heat paraffin only in a water bath, never using fire. Place the head in hot paraffin for 10 s. Pull out for 1-2 minutes and let harden. Then fuse the other half. Make sure that the entire surface of the cheese is evenly covered with paraffin.
11. Turn the head of cheese daily.
Wash the closet weekly, ventilate and dry it.
After about 6 weeks of aging at a temperature of 5-15 degrees C, the cheese will acquire a dense texture and a delicate taste.
You get a sharp taste from cheese if you keep it like that for 3-5 or more months. The lower the storage temperature of the cheese, the longer the aging time. Taste your cheese occasionally. It is possible to cut the cheese into four equal parts before paraffin pouring and use one of them for testing. How long to age the cheese, decide for yourself, guided only by your own taste.
As a rule, Colby cheese is ready in 30-90 days, cheddar - no earlier than 6 months, Romano - about 5 months. Some cheeses are aged for only 3-5 weeks. You will find out the duration of exposure by noting for yourself the time during which the cheese acquired the taste you like.

HARD CHEESE RECIPES
First recipe
Add 2 cups of starter culture to 4.5 liters of warm cow's milk. Cover and put the vessel in a warm place for 12-24 hours, until the milk turns into curdled milk. Follow the basic instructions from point 4 while heating the curd. Squeeze out the whey, as described in paragraph 7, bypassing paragraph 6. Remove the cheese from under the press, add 4 tbsp. spoons butter and 3/4 teaspoon of baking soda. Chop with a knife until the cottage cheese turns into crumbs, and the oil and soda mix well. Place the mass firmly in a bowl or clay pot, pressing it to the bottom, and leave it in a warm place for 2.5 hours. Then transfer the mass to a mold for heating cheese, after adding 2/3 cups of sour cream and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Start heating slowly. Once the mixture is hot, start mixing. When all the additives are evenly distributed in the mass, pour the mixture into a well-greased pot or bowl and refrigerate. This cheese is ready to eat as soon as it cools. It can also be aged for 2 to 3 months.
Second recipe
This is a salty cheese made from sheep or goat milk such as feta cheese, Adyghe, Ossetian and other pickled cheeses. To make it, follow the directions, including step 7 - pressing the cheese, but skipping step 6 - adding salt. Press the cheese for 1 - 2 hours, then remove from the mold, cut into cubes and immerse in a salt solution (1/4 cup of salt per 1 liter of water). Leave the cheese in the solution for 24 hours. Then strain the cubes, pat dry and place under pressure again for 18 hours. The cheese is aged in a dilute salt solution (1/4 cup salt per 2 liters of warm water) for 8-10 days. A well-aged cheese is white or creamy in color.

RECIPES FOR COOKING SOFT CHEESE
Soft cheese is usually delicate in texture and does not keep for long. It has a short holding time. It is not paraffin-coated, but wrapped in wax paper and stored in the refrigerator until use. With few exceptions, soft cheeses are eaten within a week or so; as long as they taste the best.
The simplest soft cheese is ordinary cottage cheese.
Most cheeses have a creamy texture because they are made by straining the whey through a cloth bag. Making soft cheeses is not as difficult as making hard ones. Here are the most common soft cheese recipes.
First recipe
Bring 5 liters of milk to a boil. Cool to lukewarm and add half a liter of buttermilk and 3 beaten eggs. Stir gently for 1 min, then let stand until a thick precipitate forms. Strain everything through a tight bag to glass whey. After 12 hours, you will get delicious cheese.
Second recipe
Add 1 cup of sourdough starter to 2 cups of warm milk. Let the mixture stand for 24 hours. Then pour in 2 liters of warm milk and let the mass curdle during the day. After that, heat in warm water in a water bath for 30 minutes and pour into a tight cloth bag.
Let the serum drain. After one hour, take the cheese out, salt to taste and wrap in wax paper! This cheese can be used immediately for sandwiches or with dry biscuits. Keep it in a cool place until use.
According to this recipe, along with 1 teaspoon of salt, you can add 1 liter of sour cream to the mass, and then hang this mixture for filtering in a cold place for 3 days.

RECIPES FOR COOKING HOME CHEESE
Homemade cheese can be eaten immediately after preparation as a low-calorie food by itself or with the addition of sour cream. It tastes best chilled, but has a limited shelf life of one week when refrigerated.
First recipe
Heat 4.5 liters of milk to 24-26 degrees C and add 1 cup of starter. Cover and keep in a warm place for 12-24 hours, until a curdled mass forms and a little whey on top.
Now cut the clot with a knife lengthwise and across into centimeter cubes. Place the container with the mass in a large bowl with warm water. Heat up to 40 degrees C, stirring constantly so that the mass does not stick together. Do not overheat - carefully monitor the temperature! Monitor the hardness of the curd particles by periodically tasting the mass. Someone likes soft cottage cheese, and someone prefers hard granular, so when the mass seems ready to you, pour it into a colander lined with a cloth and strain for 2 minutes. After removing the cloth from the colander along with the contents, place it under a stream of warm water and, gradually adding cold, rinse off the serum. Place the mass in a bowl, add salt, cream to taste and chill well before drinking.
Second recipe
Pour 1 cup of starter into 4.5 liters of fresh milk. Cover and leave overnight in a warm place. In the morning, add 1/2 rennet tablet dissolved in 1/2 cup water. Stir 1 minute, cover and let stand 45 minutes. Cut the clot into centimeter cubes, then heat in a water bath to 40 degrees C. Then continue as in the first recipe, when the mass heats up and reaches the density you need.

COOKING PROCESSED CHEESE AT HOME
To make cheese, you will need 3 liters of milk, 1 liter of sour cream, 5 eggs, 1 tbsp. a spoonful of salt and sugar.
From the accessories you will need cutting boards and a stone for oppression.
Milk must be boiled, and sour cream must be beaten with eggs so that a homogeneous mixture is obtained.
Salt and sugar are added to boiling milk, and when it boils, you need to pour the sour cream mixture into it in a thin stream.
The resulting mixture should be heated over low heat, while stirring it until curtailing. When a dense clot forms in the pan, you need to remove it from the heat and immediately throw it into a colander lined with gauze in two layers.
When the whey is partially strained, the cheese mass is tied with gauze, the ends of which are straightened, and placed between two clean cutting boards, after which they are pressed down with a stone. When all the whey has been removed, the cheese can be considered ready. Whey can be used to knead dough for pancakes.
The resulting cheese cannot be stored for a long time. It keeps in the refrigerator for two to three days.

RECIPES USING CHEESE

KHACHAPURI
> 0.5 l of matsoni, 2 eggs, 0.5 teaspoons of salt, flour - as needed. > For the filling: 500 g cheese, 7-2 eggs, 100 g butter.
From yoghurt (see the preparation in the second section of the book) or yogurt, with which most of the whey, eggs, salt and wheat flour have been previously decanted, knead a non-cool dough (sometimes baking powder is added to the dough - soda), divided into 4 parts. Roll each into thin pancake layers, somewhat thicker than for noodles (according to the size of the pan in which khachapuri will be baked). Spread the prepared filling on each layer with a layer of about 0.5 cm, put the same layer of a smaller diameter on top and pinch the edges tightly. Khachapuri can also be open like a cheesecake, then it is baked in the oven.
Grease a cast-iron frying pan with oil, put khachapuri on it with a seam down, close the lid and bake for 8-10 minutes. When one side is browned, turn over and continue baking, but do not close the lid.
Grease the finished khachapuri with butter and serve hot. Filling preparation. pickled cheese(Imeretinsky, chanakh, Kobiysky, feta cheese) pre-soak, for which cut it into slices up to 1 cm thick, put in an enamel bowl and pour cold water over it. Depending on the degree of salinity, soaking lasts from 2 to 5 hours. Then the cheese should be squeezed through a napkin, chopped (ceiled, passed through a meat grinder), butter and an egg should be added.

CROQUETTES WITH CHEESE AND SEmolina
> For 1/2 liter of milk: 100 g semolina, / egg, 100 g grated cheese, 2 cm. "spoons of butter, ground crackers, salt, pepper - to taste.
Boil thick semolina porridge in milk, put an egg in it, grated hard cheese, salt, pepper to taste and mix everything, apply the porridge with a layer of about 1.5 cm on the board and cool. Cut the cooled porridge into squares, roll in grated cheese and breadcrumbs and fry in butter.

CHEESE STICKS
The cheese is cut into slices 2-3 cm thick, and then into oblong sticks.
Each stick can be decorated in different ways: putting a radish, a piece of egg, sprats, a piece of pineapple on the cheese and whatever the hostess will be prompted by her taste and imagination.

PEPPERS STuffed with Cheese and EGGS
> 1 kg of pepper, 500 g of cheese, 5 eggs, 150 g of oil and ground red pepper.
For strong straight pepper pods, cut the upper wide part not completely, in the form of a cap, remove the stem with seeds, and open the caps. Mash the cheese and pour the eggs into it. For coloring, you can add a little red pepper. Fill the pepper pods with this mixture, close them with lids so that the filling does not fall out during frying. In a suitable dish, heat a little oil and brown the stuffed peppers in it on all sides, then put it in the oven for 5-10 minutes. Serve hot (and if it is cooked in vegetable oil, then you can also cold).

CHEESE QUENELS
> 250 g grated cheese, 100 g semolina, 4 eggs.
Grind the yolks, mix with grated cheese and semolina, salt, let stand for 2-3 hours. Then mix with whipped proteins and put on a wet napkin, giving the mass the shape of a roller. Wrap tightly in a napkin, tightly bandage the ends of it and, securing the edge with a thread, put the roll in boiling salted water. When the roll pops up, carefully remove it by unfolding the napkin. Cut the roll into round pieces, arrange on a dish and pour over the sauce.

CAKES WITH CHEESE
> 300 g shortcrust pastry, 200 g cheese, 1 glass of milk, 1 cm. a spoonful of flour, South oil, 2 eggs, a pinch of salt, pepper.
Place a 5 mm thick dough on a greased baking sheet and cover it with thinly sliced ​​or grated cheese. Spread on top custard made from milk, flour, eggs with salt and pepper. The baking sheet should be covered 3/4 of the way up. Bake 20 minutes in the oven. Ready cake cut into cakes.

COOKIES WITH CHEESE
> cup wheat flour, 7 1/4 cups grated cheese, 100 g butter, 3 cm. spoons of heavy cream 20% fat, salt and red pepper to taste, 1 egg.
mix wheat flour, grated cheese, butter, cream, add salt, red pepper and knead everything thoroughly; Leave the resulting dough for 3 hours to ripen, then roll it into a layer and cut out round cakes with a small glass. Brush them with beaten egg and bake them in the oven.

Cheese is one of the important food products. And making cheese at home is also a profitable business. This cheese is tastier and healthier. Therefore, you will not have time to look back, as numerous customers who want to buy this product will reach out to you.

We will talk about how to start cheese production, what documents are needed and how to find a suitable place for a production workshop in another article. Here we will touch upon the issue of acquiring the necessary equipment.

So, in order to start making cheese, you will need the following:

• Rennet or other starter

  Equipment.

EQUIPMENT REQUIRED FOR PRODUCTION

So, in order to start the manufacturing process delicious cheese, you will need:

Cheese mold

• Two large pots

  Thermometer

  Filter (colander)

  long knife

  Spoon with long handle

  Two large pieces gauze

  Bricks (6-8 pieces)

Let's take a closer look at each of these accessories.

CHEESE MOLD

You can buy a special form, or at first you can use a tin can of the right size, at the bottom of which you will make a hole. The torn edges of the hole made should come out to avoid deformation of the cheese. From the inside, line the form with a cloth, then fill it with cheese mass and close it with a cloth on top. During the spin cycle, excess liquid will come out through the holes.

The piston is a necessary part of the press and is a circle of plywood or a piece of board of a certain diameter that can easily move inside the mold. The piston is used to press the cheese mass to the bottom, getting rid of excess whey and forming a sufficient density.

The press can be purchased from specialized companies, or you can use a lard salting press, if you have one, or make your own.

You can use a colander or a small sieve as a filter.

THERMOMETER

It is best to choose a floating thermometer, as well as any other that can be immersed in liquid.

GENERAL TECHNOLOGY FOR PRODUCING CHEESE IN HOME CONDITIONS:

The cheese mass is placed in a cloth-lined container on the top board, which is then placed under the press. The ends of the fabric are closed at the top. The piston is inserted into the container, and bricks are installed on the top board. The piston, being under pressure, gradually squeezes the cheese mass and squeezes out the whey. The more bricks, the higher the density of the cheese.

To make cheese, you will need cow or goat milk, sourdough, rennet and salt. If desired, you can add orange food coloring to the cheese.

Raw whole goat's or cow's milk produces the fattest cheese. You can also take skimmed milk. In order to keep milk longer, preservatives are added to it, but this worsens the curdling process. In this case, it is advisable to carry out pasteurization.

Never use powdered milk. It will make the cheese too “skinny”. Take only fresh milk from healthy cows and goats.

TYPES OF CHEESES

hard cheese

It is obtained on the basis of washed, squeezed and separated from the whey cottage cheese. The curd obtained in this way is placed under a press and aged until a cheesy taste appears. It will take about a month to get a well-pressed cheese. The longer the exposure, the sharper the taste of the cheese, the heavier the load, the denser its structure. Hard cheese is best obtained from whole milk.

Soft cheese

The production technology is the same as with hard, except that the exposure time under pressure is much shorter - about a week or no exposure at all. Soft cheeses are best made with whole or skimmed milk.

homemade cheese

Homemade cheese is made from separated cottage cheese with the addition of water in large quantities. It is usually made from skimmed milk, but whole milk can also be used. The process of making homemade cheese is the simplest compared to other types of cheese.

COUNTING EXPENSES AND INCOME

Cheese making on an industrial scale requires significant investment. So, to organize a mini-workshop with an average productivity, you will need about 5-7 million rubles. The production of hard cheeses in the amount of 1400 kg in essence will require 12-13 million rubles. Equipment for storing finished products costs about 350 thousand rubles. Do not forget also that the delivery and installation of units also costs money. Such a service will cost 4-4.5 million rubles.

The purchase of raw materials, wages and other working capital will require another 7 million rubles. Add here the receipt of the necessary permits and the design of the workshop. Thus, the cheese production business will result in a tidy sum - about 30 million rubles. You can buy an existing production or start small - with small batches, using mostly home-made equipment (we talked a little about how to make it at the beginning of the article). Then you will be able to save several million.

Industrial equipment can be different:

Let's calculate the payback period of the industrial cheese-making workshop and the possible profit:

Capital investments: about 30,000,000 rubles

Average monthly revenue: about 8,000,000 rubles

Net profit: about 900,000 rubles

Payback: approximately 36 months.

If you want to become a cheese tycoon, but don't have enough money to promote, there is various options to resolve this issue. You can take a loan or offer an investor to invest this amount in your business, providing him with a business plan and proving the effectiveness of your production.

But there is another option. You can open a small business on the basis of an existing one with minimal investment. So, the purchase of a simple set of equipment will cost 40-60 thousand rubles. You will also need to purchase enough rennet powder.

Simpler equipment for cheese production can be as follows:

or even like this:

Understanding what costs are required for the industrial production of cheeses, it is logical to assume that a home-made cheese factory is quite a working business idea. By simplifying the manufacturing technology, using home-made equipment, you can reduce the cost of cheese, and selling an environmentally friendly product made by yourself is always a pleasure.

The production of cheese can bring the owner a monthly profit of up to 100 thousand rubles. Think, have something to say, write in the comments. Good luck!

There are many varieties of cheese. In France, a country with which no one can compete in the production of cheese, more than 400 varieties are made. The annual consumption of cheese per Frenchman is 22.8 kg. About 1,577,000 tons are produced per year, 458,000 tons are exported. Among these 400 varieties, only 36 have an original controlled name, that is, a trademark.

The basis for the classification of cheeses can be: the type of the main raw material, the method of coagulation of milk, the microflora involved in the production of cheese, the main indicators of the chemical composition and the fundamental features of the technology.

I. According to the type of the main raw materials, cheeses are divided into natural, produced from cow, sheep, goat, buffalo milk, and processed, the main raw materials for which are natural cheeses. natural and processed cheeses very different from each other, so each group has its own classification.

II. The type of curdling of milk gives specific characteristics to the cheese. In cheesemaking, four types of milk clotting are used: rennet, acid, rennet, and thermoacid.

III. Microflora involved in cheese production. It is the microorganisms that play the main role in the formation of the specific organoleptic properties of cheeses - mesophilic or thermophilic bacteria. They form enzymes that ferment milk sugar, increase acidity, reduce the redox potential to a certain level, that is, they create conditions in which biochemical and microbiological processes occur in the product.

In addition to lactic acid bacteria, other microorganisms are used in the production of various groups of cheeses, which impart specific properties to products. Depending on the composition of the microflora, cheeses can be divided into groups:

Produced with the participation of only mesophilic lactic acid bacteria;

· using mesophilic and thermophilic lactic and propionic acid bacteria;

with the use of mold fungi;

With the use of microflora of surface mucus;

With the use of bifidobacteria (or acidophilus bacillus);

Without the direct participation of microorganisms (whey, cream).

IV. Features of cheese production technology.

The whole process of cheese production can be divided into main stages and presented in the form of a diagram:

1st stage: preparation of milk for coagulation.

Milk intended for the production of cheese is subjected to pre-treatment, consisting of the following operations: maturation, normalization and pasteurization of milk, the introduction of chemicals, milk coloring.

Milk used to make cheese must be biologically complete, i.e. be a favorable environment for the development of lactic acid bacteria. Lactic acid bacteria play the main role in the process of maturation of cheeses (their enzymes provide the main transformations of the constituent parts of milk).

Freshly milked milk is an unfavorable environment for the development of lactic acid bacteria; it does not coagulate well with rennet. The biological and technological properties of milk are improved by subjecting it to maturation - holding at a low temperature (8-12°C) for 10-14 hours. In mature milk, polypeptides accumulate, which contribute to the activation of lactic acid microflora and an increase in acidity as a result. The resulting lactic acid converts the calcium salts of milk from a colloidal state to an ionic-molecular state, i.e. the amount of calcium ions increases, contributing to the enlargement of casein particles. But you can't keep it for long. raw milk at low temperatures before being processed into cheese, it will slowly coagulate with rennet due to its increased casein content.

The acidity of milk affects both the rate of coagulation and the structural and mechanical properties of the rennet clot. The higher the acidity of milk, the faster it curdles. At low acidity, a loose, sluggish clot is formed, at high acidity, an excessively dense clot is formed, from which cheese of a crumbly consistency is obtained. The titratable acidity of milk is 19-21°T (hard cheeses), 21-25°T (soft cheeses) is considered optimal for cheese making.

In the production of cheese, milk is pasteurized at a temperature not exceeding 72 0 C for 20 seconds. Higher pasteurization temperatures cause the transition of soluble calcium salts to an insoluble state and other changes, as a result of which the technological properties of milk deteriorate: the duration of rennet coagulation increases, a flabby and loosely cohesive clot is formed.

In order to increase its ability to coagulate in the presence of rennet, a solution of calcium chloride is added to pasteurized milk, the acidity of milk is increased, and other methods are used to improve the cheese suitability of milk.

Coloring milk. To give the cheese dough a natural yellow color in winter period water-soluble annatto dye from the seeds of the Bixa orellaha plant is added to the milk. The use of other coloring substances in cheese making is not allowed.

2nd stage: curdling or coagulation of milk.

For the formation of a clot and its processing in the cheese-making industry, cheese baths VKSH-5 with a capacity of 5000 liters and other baths equipped with driven agitators that can move over the entire area of ​​the bath are used. To heat milk or cheese mass, water is supplied to the bath jacket.

At a temperature of 33 0 C (the temperature of the first heating), a starter is added to the milk that is in the bath, specially selected according to the species composition of lactic acid bacteria in relation to the cheese being produced.

In the production of rennet cheeses, milk is curdled with rennet and much less often with pepsin (obtained from the stomachs of adult pigs, sheep, and cows). It is also used to curdle milk.

The greatest coagulation ability has an enzyme contained in the stomachs (abomasums) of two-, three-week-old calves fed exclusively on milk. It is most active in a slightly acidic environment (at pH 6-6.4) and is introduced into milk some time after its fermentation. The action of rennet is accelerated when calcium salts are added to milk.

The essence of milk coagulation by rennet according to the theory developed by P.F. Dyachenko: according to this theory, there are two main stages of the action of rennet. At the first stage - enzymatic - casein is converted into paracasein; on the second - coagulation - a clot is formed from paracasein.

Paracasein, due to an increase in the number of free hydroxyl groups of phosphoric acid, exhibits increased sensitivity to calcium ions. Calcium, as a divalent element, combines simultaneously with two -OH groups, forming calcium bridges between paracasein molecules. So, at the coagulation stage, under the influence of calcium, the aggregation of paracasein particles occurs with the formation of a structural network of paracasein - a rennet clot.

Paracasein, in comparison with casein, has reduced hydrophilicity and low solubility in the presence of calcium salts.

The formation of a clot in milk occurs 20 minutes after the introduction of a solution of rennet. Then proceed to the processing of the clot.

3rd stage: dripping or curing of the clot.

Clot processing is necessary to remove serum and reduce the volume of the clot. The release of serum is accelerated by special techniques, since serum, as its amount in the clot decreases, is released more and more slowly.

Clot processing includes the following operations: clot crushing with mechanical knives, resulting in the formation of cheese grain - soft protein lumps 3-4 mm and 5-6 mm in size; kneading the cheese grain and selecting the released whey; the second heating of the curd.

The second heating is the most effective factor in drying the curd and controlling the moisture content of the cheese, it starts when the whey is almost no longer released from the clot. For Dutch cheeses the temperature of the second heating should be 40-41 0 С, i.е. 8 0 С higher than the temperature of the first heating, at which milk coagulation was carried out. Heating is carried out by supplying hot water to the cheese bath jacket.

The use of a higher temperature of the second heating leads to an excessive loss of moisture, a slowdown in biochemical processes in the cheese, and a finished product with a coarse texture and an unexpressed weak aroma.

After the starter is added, lactic acid fermentation develops in milk, lactic acid continuously accumulates, and the serum pH decreases. The role of active acidity in the production of cheese is great: it serves as a guarantee of suppression of pathogens of undesirable microbiological processes in the cheese mass, prevents the appearance of taste defects, as well as swelling of the heads at an early stage of ripening. In addition, with an increase in the concentration of lactic acid, the speed and degree of clot syneresis increase, which shrinks and releases moisture.

Cheese grain in the process of processing acquires sufficient elasticity and tangible stickiness. During this period, the processing of cheese grain is completed and the heads are formed.

Drainage is the process of separating the whey from the curd. At this stage, spices and spices necessary for a particular variety are usually added.

4th stage: shaping and pressing.

The shape of the cheese is different: triangular, rectangular, round. Camembert, for example, is disc-shaped, as only in this case does it ripen evenly. Rectangular and triangular cheeses were made by those peasants who made their own forms, and these forms are the easiest to make. Goat cheese is often conical in shape to avoid spoiling the tender flesh. Hard cheeses are made in the shape of a large circle: it is more convenient to store them in the cellar. The thickness of the circle may affect the taste or spiciness of the cheese (the sharper the cheese, the thinner the disc).

There are two main ways of molding cheese heads: the first is from a layer, the second is by pouring cheese grain into molds.

When molded from a layer, the cheese grain is allowed to settle to the bottom of the bath and kept for 30-45 minutes. During this time, the cheese grains, due to some stickiness, are combined and form a fairly coherent layer. It is slightly pressed and cut into pieces-blanks, the size and shape of which depend on the type of cheese being produced.

Pieces of the reservoir to give them a certain shape are kept in metal molds. Cheese heads are marked by pressing casein or plastic numbers into the cheese mass indicating the date and month of cheese production, and then wrapped with calico napkins, sent in molds for pressing.

At present, the molding of heads in bulk is becoming more common in the development of both soft and some hard cheeses. Cheese grain together with whey is poured into perforated molds, in the walls of which there are small holes for draining whey, and left for self-pressing.

Pressing. To fix the shape and connect the grains into a solid monolith, cheese is pressed on pneumatic or hydraulic presses with an ever-increasing load - up to 30-40 kg per 1 kg of cheese mass. The ends of calico napkins, in which the cheese is wrapped, are released from metal molds, during pressing, the tissue capillaries provide a quick outflow of whey, and the pressed cheese has a well-dried closed surface.

5th stage: salting cheese.

Salt not only improves the taste of cheese, it is also a regulator of microbiological and biochemical processes occurring in it, affects the colloid-physical properties of the cheese mass, and promotes the formation of a crust. Salt diffuses (penetrates) slowly into the thickness of the cheese; in the center of heads of hard cheeses, it is found only on the 30th day after salting, which is extremely important, since it does not prevent the intensive development of lactic acid bacteria during this period.

There are several ways of salting. For hard cheeses with a high salt content (up to 3.5%), the main method is salting in brine. Cheeses are placed on multi-storey shelves, which are lowered into pools with circulating brine table salt concentration of 18-19%. The whole salting process lasts 6-10 days, depending on the mass of cheese: the larger the heads, the longer the salting.

Under the action of a high salt concentration in the surface layer, the cheese mass is compacted, and already in the first days after salting, a dense crust forms on the heads. This crust protects the cheese from deformation during transportation from salt rooms to maturation cellars.

The quality of the brine is determined by the state of the cheese surface. Sliming of the cheese indicates insufficient concentration or low acidity of the brine. Excessive compaction of the surface of the cheese indicates a high concentration, or an increased acidity of the brine, or both indicators together. In order to use the brine for a longer time, its acidity should not exceed 35°T for water and 70°T for acid serum, and the salt concentration should not be lower than 18 and 16%, respectively.

The brine should be greenish-yellowish in color with a lactic acid taste and smell. When signs of extraneous, especially rotten, taste and smell appear, the brine is changed.

In the process of maturation, microbiological, physicochemical and biochemical processes occur in cheeses, caused by lactic acid microflora (their enzymes) and decomposition products of milk constituents, under the influence of which the cheeses acquire specific taste and texture.

6th stage: ripening of cheese.

Cheese maturation is a set of complex biochemical changes in the components of the cheese mass, as a result of which the organoleptic properties improve and the physiological value of the product increases.

Young unripened cheese is tasteless and not fragrant, has a dense, belty texture. Therefore, after shaping, pressing and salting, the cheese is placed in cellars for maturation. The biochemical processes that take place during cheese maturation lead to significant changes in its main constituents. Numerous chemical compounds, which are products of the breakdown of proteins, fat and milk sugar, affect the taste and aroma of cheese.

During ripening, the following biochemical processes occur in cheese:

Under the action of lactic acid bacteria, milk sugar continues to change into lactic acid. This process goes on continuously from the moment lactic acid starter is introduced into milk, continues during molding, pressing and salting of cheese, as well as at the first stage of maturation;

changes in proteins. In the formation of the specific taste and aroma of cheeses, the changes that protein substances undergo are of paramount importance. In the process of maturation, paracasein breaks down into simpler nitrogenous compounds.

The primary products of protein breakdown include peptones and partially polypeptides. These compounds, as well as simpler ones, are soluble in water. Peptides differ in molecular weight: high molecular weight, medium and low molecular weight. Hydrolysis of peptides produces amino acids.

Depending on the conditions created in the cheese mass, the process of proteolysis can proceed with the predominant accumulation of end products of decomposition (low molecular weight dipeptides, amino acids) and products that are formed in the process of converting amino acids into simpler substances. This state is typical for full-ripened cheeses and corresponds to high organoleptic properties, in particular, taste and aroma.

The enzymatic decomposition of paracasein proceeds under the influence of two factors - rennet and lactic acid bacteria enzymes, with lactic acid bacteria enzymes prevailing (85%).

If, under the action of the abomasum enzyme, paracasein decomposes mainly with the formation of primary products - peptones and polypeptides, then the enzymes of lactic acid bacteria, especially endoenzymes, cause a more complete breakdown with the formation of end products - amino acids.

During maturation, the total content of free amino acids continuously increases. Moreover, the content of some amino acids is continuously increasing, while the amount of others is constant from a certain moment. The content of amino acids of the third group first increases, and then from a certain period begins to decrease, obviously due to their decomposition or interaction with other substances and the formation of secondary products.

Amino acids, in turn, are subject to decay into simpler compounds. The resulting ammonia saturates the cheese dough and gives it a piquant spiciness.

Caring for cheese during its ripening period is very important. In cellars for ripening, a favorable temperature and humidity regime is created, which contributes to the flow of enzymatic processes and prevents excessive shrinkage of the cheese. For most hard cheeses, in the first month of ripening, a temperature of 13-15 0 C is set, which contributes to the development of the lactic acid process and the increase in the active acidity of the cheese mass, which is necessary to suppress foreign microflora and prevent early swelling of cheeses. When ripening in cold cellars or with a lack of proteolytic enzymes, the enzymatic breakdown of proteins is less deep and primary hydrolysis products - peptones and high-molecular peptides - accumulate in cheeses. Peptones and some high molecular weight peptides have a bitter taste, so the cheese acquires a bitter taste of peptonic character. The consistency of such cheese is dense, the aroma is weak, which indicates its incomplete maturation.

Relative humidity in basements during this period is 85-90%. After the lactic acid fermentation is basically over, the cheeses are placed in cellars with a temperature of 10-12 0 C and a relative humidity of 80-85% for further fermentation. Here they are kept until full maturity.

The duration of maturation depends on many factors, the main of which should be considered the moisture content of the cheese mass after the press, the activity of the rennet preparation and the lactic acid bacteria starter cultures used. For different types of cheese, the maturation time ranges from 2 to 6 months, for fast-maturing cheeses (Estonian) - 1 month.

During the ripening process, special care should be taken for the cheese: the heads are periodically washed to remove aerobic microflora - mold and mucus, which destroys the crust and adversely affects the taste of some cheeses, and also periodically turned over, which is necessary to give the heads the correct shape (precipitation).

The most effective way to protect the crust from spoilage, as well as reduce cheese shrinkage, is waxing cheeses. Cheeses are waxed at the age of one month, when a thin dry crust forms on the heads (with proper care). Waxing too early, applying the wax mixture to a wet crust, subsequently leads to wax flaking and the need for re-waxing. In special paraffiners, the paraffin-wax alloy is heated to 150 0 C and a head of cheese is lowered into this mixture on a special holder for 2-3 seconds. At high temperatures, the viscosity of the mixture is minimal and a relatively thin, most elastic layer of paraffin is formed on the heads. Waxing can be replaced by cheese packaging in polymer films.

When using polymer coatings, labor-intensive care of cheese, weight loss during head washing are eliminated, and losses due to cheese shrinkage are significantly reduced. For packaging, a combined polyethylene-cellophane film (viscoten) and a heat-shrink film saran are used. When using film of any kind, the cheeses are packaged under vacuum to prevent mold growth. The ends of the polyethylene-cellophane film are sealed by heat sealing. When packing in a saran film, its end after vacuuming is twisted into a knot and hermetically clamped with a bracket. Then the cheese in the package is immersed in water heated to a temperature of 95 0 C, or heated in a special cabinet with infrared rays, while the film "shrinks" by 30-40% and tightly fits the head of the cheese.

7th stage: drawing formation.

The cheese pattern is a collection of eyes, the size and distribution of which in cheese dough it is possible to judge the course of microbiological processes during the ripening period. The cheese pattern is formed mainly due to the accumulation of carbon dioxide in the cheese mass and, to a lesser extent, ammonia, since ammonia easily diffuses through the cheese mass and is released into the surrounding space. The presence of a typical pattern indicates that the ripening process was carried out correctly.

Drawing is formed in two stages. At the first stage, gas is released and dissolved in the cheese dough up to the saturation stage. The following portions of gas push the cheese grains apart and form cavities - eyes. Primary ocelli are formed in a small amount, they are small.

The second stage is the formation of the pattern. If the gas accumulates slowly, then it has time to diffuse into the already existing eyes, which gradually increase. In this case, there are few eyes in the finished cheese, but they are quite large.

Gas in the case of excessively intensive release, for example, during the development of E. coli or ripening of cheese in warm cellars, does not have time to penetrate into the existing eyes and begins to be released at the place of formation.

As a result, a large number of small eyes appear in the cheese dough and a mesh pattern of cheese is formed.

Cheeses are distinguished by a high content of proteins, milk fat, as well as mineral salts and vitamins. During the maturation of cheese, proteins are partially broken down into simpler compounds - amino acids necessary to build the tissues of the human body. It takes less energy to break them down in the body than to break down milk proteins. Cheeses are an important source of biologically valuable protein (28-30%), fat (32-33%), digestible calcium (700-1000 mg per 100 g of product), phosphorus (400-600 mg). The biological value of cheese is due to the presence of fat- and water-soluble vitamins in it, as well as a large number enzymes secreted by beneficial microflora. According to the content of vitamins A and E, cheeses can be put in second place after butter. The high content of aromatic substances in mature cheese promotes the separation of digestive juices, so the cheese, in addition to its high digestibility, has medicinal and dietary properties.

However, cheese also has disadvantages. Some types of cheese may contain the bacteria that cause listeriosis. Pregnant women should avoid eating blue cheese, which may contain these bacteria, to prevent miscarriages, stillbirths and the development of serious diseases in the fetus. Safe in this regard are hard cheeses, as well as soft cheeses made from pasteurized milk, such as Mozzarella, pressed cottage cheese, processed cheese. Cheese is the cause of migraines. Cheese contains the amino acid tryptophan, which triggers migraines, sleep disturbances, and nightmares.

In addition, cheese is a high-calorie product, especially hard cheeses made from full-fat milk.

Cheese is the most demanding product for raw materials. Milk used to make cheese must meet strictly defined requirements, i.e. be cheesy. Cheese suitability of milk is characterized by indicators of chemical composition (optimum content of proteins, fat, dry fat-free residue, content of vitamins, enzymes, peptides, free amino acids, microelements). Under the action of rennet, milk should form a dense clot that separates whey well, and be a favorable environment for the development of lactic acid bacteria, which play a major role in the maturation of cheeses.

Everyone has their own tastes and ideas about the harmony and contrast that arise when combining products that have different density, aroma and temperature. However, there is a simple rule: the more refined the cheese, the whiter and fresher the bread should be. And vice versa - the more piquant the own taste of bread, the more pronounced the taste and aroma of cheese should be.

List of used literature

1. Russian Federation. Laws. On the protection of consumer rights [Text]: with amendments and additions of February 7, 1992 No. 2300-1 (as amended by the Federal Law of 01/09/96., No. 2-FZ, of 12/17/99. No. 212-FZ) // Russian newspaper. 1996. Jan 25

2. Bolshakov, S.A. Refrigeration and food technology [Text]: textbook / S.A. Bolshakov. - M. : Academy, 2003. - 304 p.

3. Dimov, Yu.V. Metrology, standardization and certification: a textbook for universities [Text] / Yu.V. Dimov. - St. Petersburg. : Peter, 2004 . – 432 p.

4. Zhuravskaya, N.K. Technochemical control of the production of meat and meat products [Text] / N.K. Zhuravskaya, B.E. Gutnik, N.A. Zhuravskaya. - M. : KolosS, 1999. - 176 p.

5. Kartashova, L.V. Commodity science of food products of plant origin [Text]: study guide / L.V. Kartashova, M.A. Nikolaeva, E.N. Pechnikov. - M .: Business literature, 2004. - 816 p.

6. Kosnyreva, L.M. Commodity science and examination of meat and meat products [Text]: a textbook for universities / L.M. Kosnyreva, V.I. Krishtafovich, V.M. Poznyakovsky. –– M. : Academy, 2005. –– 320 p.

7. Kruglyakov, G.N. Merchandising of food products [Text]: textbook / G.N. Kruglyakov, G.V. Kruglyakov. - Rostov n / D: March, 1999.

8. Mudretsova-Vis, K.A. Microbiology, sanitation and hygiene [Text]: textbook / K.A. Mudretsova-Vis, A.A. Kudryashova, V.P. Dedyukhin. - M .: Business literature, 2001. - 388 p.

9. Murusidze, D.N. Technology of livestock production [Text] / D.N. Murusidze, V.N. Legeza, R.F. Filonov. - M. : KolosS, 2005. - 432 p.

10. Nechaev, A.P. Technology food production[Text] / A.P. Nechaev [i dr.]. - M. : KolosS, 2005. - 768 p.

11. Khlebnikov, V.I. Technology of goods (food) [Text] / V.I. Khlebnikov. – M. : Dashkov i K, 2000.

12. Khromeenkov, V.M. Technological equipment of bakeries and pasta factories [Text] / V.M. Khromeenkov. - St. Petersburg. : Giord, 2004. - 496 p.

13. Chemical composition Russian food products [Text]: reference book / edited by prof. Skurikhina I.M. and prof. Tutel'yana V.A. - M. : DeLi print, 2002.

14. Sharkovsky, E.K. Hygiene of food products [Text]: textbook / E.K. Sharkovsky. - M .: New knowledge, 2003.

15. New types of microaerophilic sulfur spirilla / D.A. Podkopayeva [et al.] // Microbiology. - 2006. - No. 2. - S. 212 - 220.

16. Formation of vitamin B 12 by aerobic methylotrophic bacteria / E.G. Ivanova [et al.] // Microbiology. - 2006. - No. 4. - S. 570 - 571.

A profitable type of business in Russia is the production of cheese. This useful product will always be in guaranteed demand, as it is an important part of a healthy diet for every person. The cheese business can become a promising, sought-after business. This became especially relevant in the context of sanctions, when the Russian government restricted the import of these products from abroad.

Many entrepreneurs start this business already having the necessary knowledge and experience. They know many of the nuances and features of this production process. Others start their cheese making business from scratch.

Creating a business plan

The first step in starting a business should always be writing a solid business plan. It establishes the main directions of all your further actions in order to develop production. This document makes it possible to determine the size of the initial financial investment, formulate the correct assortment, correctly think over the pricing policy, plan the volume of goods produced and the possibility of its sale, predict consumer demand, and identify problems that may arise.

During the development of a business plan, you should determine strategic priorities in pricing, as well as consider searching for a niche in the sales market. To do this, you need to study the consumer demand for this product on the market in all its segments. Initially, the sale of cheese can be carried out in the region where the enterprise for its production is located. Later, when volumes are increased, it is possible to expand the sales market.

Registration of permits

It should be borne in mind that in order to open cheese production as a business, it is necessary to issue numerous permits, including obtaining certificates of various kinds.

First of all, you need to get the main document giving the right to conduct business - a registration certificate. You will receive all permits from the relevant authorities.

Product range

You need to decide the main question: will your company produce new varieties of cheese products or well-known, in demand. Your choice will determine the business development strategy.

Given the manufacturing process, natural cheeses are classified into fermented milk and rennet products. The production of the first occurs by fermenting milk using sourdough. In the manufacture of cheeses of the second type, milk is coagulated with rennet.

What types of cheese are traditionally presented in Russian retail chains?

• Solid rennet: Dutch, Russian, Parmesan, Edam.
• Soft sour-milk cheeses or rennet.
• Pickled, which contain a lot of table salt: cheese, Adyghe, sulguni.
• Semi-solid rennets: Roquefort.

Cheese business and start-up capital

It takes a lot of money to start a cheese making business. Therefore, to begin with, in order to accumulate start-up capital, you can choose various available business forms in this domain:

• produce, supply and perform primary processing of milk and butter;
• carry out the melting of cheeses;
• produce fillers and flavorings for cheese products;
• ensure the preparation of raw materials and deep processing of milk;
• store and age cheeses in refrigeration and climate control systems;
• create specialized packaging for different types of cheese;
• implement wholesale supply in the retail network.

Definition of pricing policy

To determine the price range acceptable to consumers for your product, you need to study the prices of competitors. And only after that you can set the final figures. This is very important, as a mistake in this business will entail significant losses, which will nullify all your efforts to open a cheese business.

Making cheese at home

This low-calorie product can be prepared at home, but does not last long. To prepare it, you need to heat 5 liters of milk to 26 ° C. After adding 200 g of sourdough, then it must be covered and kept in a warm place for a day. Cut the curdled layer into centimeter cubes and place in a container that needs to be heated, stirring constantly, in a water bath to 40 ° C.

Bring the mass to the state you need (soft or hard). Then the product is washed with warm water in a colander lined with a cloth. Transfer the finished cheese to another container, adding cream and salt to taste. Cool down.

This recipe for making delicious homemade cheese is suitable for treating family and guests. The production of 0.5 kg of such cheese at home will cost you 300 rubles. But this method is not suitable for organizing a cheese business, since it requires continuous technological conveyor production.

Cheese product manufacturing technology

This process occurs under the influence of microflora and enzymes. For example, Russian hard cheeses are made from high quality cottage cheese. It is separated from the whey, squeezed and kept for about one month under pressure. The finished product will be denser if a heavy weight is used. For cheese to be of high quality, it must ripen at a low temperature. Hard cheese is more in demand among consumers than soft cheese varieties.

The highest quality cheeses are made from whole milk. For the manufacture of a soft product, the same technology is used, but the stage of its pressing is either excluded or lasts less - no more than a week. Soft cheese contains a lot of liquid.

Stages of cheese production

1. First, the milk is prepared for curdling. After weighing and performing quality tests, it is cleaned, cooled, pasteurized and separated.
2. Then cheese grain is produced in special boilers and baths. The milk is heated, leaven, enzyme, calcium chloride are added and the cheese grain is kneaded.
3. To ripen it for up to 14 hours, it is kept at the right temperature and enzymes are added so that it curls up in about an hour.
4. The finished protein clot is additionally processed to make it elastic and durable. Excess moisture is removed from it during the heating process. The finished cheese grain acquires the required density.
5. Further, at a low temperature, cheeses are molded from the finished mass in cheese containers, which have a characteristic pattern in the form of empty round eyes. finished product give the desired size and shape of a cylinder, ball, square, rectangle, etc.
6. Then this product is subjected to pressing, after which it acquires a perfectly smooth, flat surface without pores.
7. After that, the molded cheese is salted in special containers, pools filled with a saturated solution of table salt. Soft cheeses are there for a very short time, hard cheeses - for several days.
8. The salted cheese product is dried on special racks and sent to ripen in special chambers, where it is constantly turned over, and the surface is covered with a protective coating of paraffin or a polymer film.

Equipment and raw materials for cheese production

All necessary equipment for each stage of the production of the cheese product must be purchased: refrigerators, baths, containers, etc. Need to equip industrial premises for the phased creation of products that meet the requirements of regulatory documents.

Since natural milk is used as the raw material, the cheese maker must conclude detailed contracts for its supply with farmers and dairy farms. These documents specify all the necessary requirements for the quality of milk, the volume of supplies, the procedure for payment and the method of delivery.

Profitability calculation

It is reasonable to open a profitable business in those regions of Russia where you will be able to profitably and constantly purchase raw materials.

One of the expenditure items will be the payment of wages to employees.

To purchase a cheese factory, together with equipment and raw materials, investments of about 30 million rubles are required, which you can recoup within about four years. Not everyone has the opportunity to find such funds.

That's why good option may be the acquisition of a mini-workshop for the production of cheese, the price of which is about 100 thousand rubles. This enterprise, which has small areas up to 15 m², is capable of producing about 20 kg of cheese per day from 200 liters of milk. Taking into account raw materials and electricity, the initial costs will amount to approximately 130 thousand rubles. The profitability of such a mini-workshop will be up to 25%.

In the context of sanctions, not only the production of products from our own raw materials, but also farming becomes relevant. Read further in ours about how profitable goose farming is.

Later, you can purchase a larger mini-workshop with a price ranging from 190 thousand to 770 thousand rubles. with a capacity of up to 200 kg per day, the profitability of which is about 32%.

Organization of a cheese business is a complex, troublesome business. Here you can not do without suppliers of raw materials, specialists and workers. Strict adherence to production technology is required. Production facilities and equipment should be maintained in good condition. Considerable funds are needed as start-up capital.

However, if all the necessary conditions are carefully observed, a conscientious cheese producer will not only have a good income, but also an excellent reputation among consumers of this healthy and tasty food product.

Cheese production at home: varieties of cheeses and the main stages of production + what equipment is needed for cheese production + design of production as a business + possible ways of marketing and a conclusion on how to organize this activity.

Food products cannot be in demand, especially if they are of sufficient quality and are one of the components of the food pyramid.

Food pyramid of needs:

Cheese is a dairy product, the value of which is at a fairly high level. Making cheese at home can be a very lucrative business if you do everything right and use good raw materials.

The ideal option, of course, is your own farm, but access to a source of fresh and high-quality milk is also suitable.

But the availability of high-quality raw materials is not a guarantee that the business will be successful. It is also important to determine the relevance of the business, for which it is necessary to conduct marketing research, evaluate not only production costs, but also whether there is a place for this product on the market.

If everything is in order with these two indicators, we can proceed directly to the practical aspects of implementing the idea of ​​\u200b\u200ba cheese-making business at home.

Varieties of cheese and production features

The first thing to understand is that cheeses are completely different. Accordingly, the features of the manufacture of various types of it differ. Sometimes we are talking only about the details of production, but sometimes these are processes that require completely different conditions, special raw materials.

The amounts that will have to be spent on the production of a particular type of cheese, as well as the payback for its production at home, are also values ​​​​that will vary.

• Hard cheeses, as they are popularly called, in fact, are also different. One of the options - pressed boiled cheese - habitual, having a yellowish tint, also sometimes holes that appear due to the action of bacteria, a light crust, etc.

  Most often, this type of cheese is made from milk that has stood overnight before being mixed with steam for further preparation. By "boiled" they mean the process of roasting in a temperature range of 50 to 60 degrees, after which the product is already pressed.

Not boiled pressed cheese,

as it is not difficult to guess, it has the peculiarity that it is not fired, but immediately pressed, for further "ripening". The color of this type of cheese has a brighter shade of yellow, and the product also has a fairly hardened crust.

This description applies to such varieties: Edamer, Gouda, Cheddar, Pecorino, Cantal, Reblochon and others.

• There is such a thing as fresh cheese .

  The named species includes such varieties as: Feta, Ricotta, Mozzarella, and Mascarpone (the most famous of them).

  Such cheeses are not the cheapest. They are also among the most common salad dressings. The very name "fresh" may imply this.

  A brief description of the production of this category of product is that, unlike durum varieties, they are not particularly pressed or aged.

Cheeses with mold, in turn,

if you don’t go deep into the essence of the process, they differ in the moments of production in the temperature regime at which it is made, as well as in the fact that the product is pierced with needles and infected with a special blue mold. This mold is called noble.

Blue cheeses include: Gorgonzola, Roquefort, Danablo and others.

Soft cheese with or without rind

- usually, as the name implies, they are soft and greasy. In addition, they have a pale shade, and sometimes a specific smell.

The presence of such cheeses with a crust depends on the fact that some are sprayed with a special fungal solution, while others, on the contrary, are washed with a special brine.

Among those with a crust, one can classify Brie and Camembert, and those without - Marual, Epoisse, Livaro and others.

In fact, there are many varieties and types. All of them have their own differences in structure, taste, smell and, of course, the production process.

Statistics and analysis: what type of cheese is most profitable to produce?

There are certain statistics about which kind of cheese the inhabitants of the Russian Federation prefer. The survey on which these statistics are based was conducted in 2013, but its data is not enough to outline common features and preferences.

Poll results:

This statistics informs that the most common in consumption is "Russian cheese". However, it should be borne in mind that the advantage of this variety is only that it is the cheapest.

If you plan to set up a small production at home, you can take a chance and choose a more expensive variety of cheese, since this option will be in demand among the likely marketing methods.

Technology and production of cheese at home

Regardless of the variety, variety and other features, it all starts with the main product, which is milk. Whether it is cow or goat, after going through several stages of processing, the raw material turns into a head of cheese.

Stage 1 . Pasteurization.

Pasteurization is a method of heating that does not boil. Boiled milk is not suitable for making cheese.

This stage of cheese production at home can be of three modes:

Long pasteurization

- when heating occurs to a temperature regime of 65 degrees for thirty minutes.

Not long

- when the milk is heated to a temperature of 75 degrees and adheres to this thermal regime for 20 minutes.

Instant

- milk is brought to a temperature of 90 degrees and left to cool.

Of course, some types of the product are prepared with both fresh and fresh milk. But basically, the pasteurization stage is present in almost all cooking technologies.

Stage 2. Addition of enzymes.

With the help of enzymes, the curdling of raw materials is started. Depending on the type of processing, the characteristics of the future cheese are formed.

You can buy enzymes in specialized stores, for example:

• www.zefbio.ru
• sir-dom.ru
• syromaniya.ru

At this period of production at home, the thick is amenable to heating and mixing. After that, the resulting clot is cut (according to the characteristics of the variety and technology).

Stage 3 . Final stages of cheese production.

At the next stage, after all the previous types of processing, the resulting cheese mass is ready for the addition of spices and other components. After that, the resulting product is pressed, pre-firing or not.

The final stage is maturation (ideally in a dark cellar), which requires special care for the cheese (the product is turned over, washed) and temperature control.

The minimum required to make cheese at home

Even when trying to make cheese at home, and not on a production scale, there is a list of things that cannot be done without.

Name	Price (rubles)	Description
Total:	From 51,200 rubles
Cheese cooker	From 15,000	Something like a special pan, which has a heating element and a thermostat that monitors temperature conditions. It is necessary to control the correctness of the production technology of the selected variety.
Sterilizer	From 3,500	A mechanism for eliminating all unwanted bacteria.
Colander	From 500	Separates the cheese mass from everything else.
plastic molds	From 700	Made from special food grade plastic. With the help of them, home-made cheese takes on its shape.
Press	From 6,500	As a replacement for the press, weights of 5 kg can also be used. Thanks to them, pressure is exerted on the cheese mass. However, the option with loads is only suitable for semi-hard varieties.
Steel containers	From 2,000	Cheese is immersed in them for further salting. They are made from stainless steel.
Home storage racks	From 8,000	Must be made from a special tree, such as linden.
milk cooler	From 15,000	Not required, but will greatly speed up the production process.

The amount of 52,000 rubles is trifles, as for start-up capital. But the main nuance is that these scales of production are completely miserable. In order to open a more or less serious production, this investment must be multiplied by three, at least.

Raw materials for home production

As already known, the main raw material for production is milk. As well as some fungi, bacteria and enzymes.

To begin with, it is worth deciding what will become your main source of raw materials for production at home. Will it be his purchase from intermediaries or the maintenance of his own livestock?

Most often, farmers begin to trade in such a business, respectively, this is done if there is a farm, which consists of one or more cows. This option is the most successful, since in this case it is possible to independently control the quality of raw materials, respectively, and the finished product.

To the list of other raw materials, you can add components such as:

• rennet extract;
• coagulant;
• salt;
• calcium chloride;
• mold.

The list of components depends on what kind of cheese is being made.

What documents are needed for the official production of cheese at home?

For the official registration of such activities at home, we recommend that you, and not LLC. This is a more convenient option for small production. And under the characteristics of the activities of this enterprise, the corresponding OKVED code is selected, namely, code 15.51.

In addition to registering an enterprise and assigning it to a certain type of activity, it is immediately necessary to undergo certification - to certify the livestock itself, as well as to pass an inspection of production conditions and product quality. This is necessary if you plan to sell your cheese to shops, cafes, restaurants.

To obtain these papers, you can personally contact Rospotrebnadzor, as well as the state veterinary service. If legal topics are a dark forest for you, it is better to delegate this task to specialists.

You will learn how to realize a business idea
for the production of cheese into reality with little investment.

4 ways to market homemade cheese

Despite the fact that to fight with the existing trademarks it makes no sense, homemade cheese production has a place to be, especially in our time, when it is not easy to find a really high-quality and natural product.

Where homemade cheese products can be in demand:

• eco-shops that sell only environmentally friendly products,
• high and medium level restaurants,
• online stores of natural products,
• markets.

In order to calculate how profitable is the production of cheese at home, there are no formulas, since this indicator depends on the scale, as well as on the production of which cheese in question.

A significant role is played by the fact whether the entrepreneur uses to extract milk or buys raw materials. But, in most cases, such production is only a consequence of raising livestock, as this is a good and low-cost way to expand the farm.

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