The quality of English Cheddar is usually not crumbly and should be smooth and firm. However the more aged the cheddar is, the more crumbly and sharp the taste becomes.
Also the English Cheddar is always yellow and no colorings are used on it. On the other hand, in various parts of the world where cheddar is manufactured, colorings are used on the cheese. The Cheddar cheese usually contains about 57% of fat and 56 % of proteins.
The cheddar is also a great source of Vitamin B12. It is a highly popular breakfast companion in various parts around the world.
It is highly produced in countries like New Zealand, Canada, South Africa, USA and Australia. In these parts of the world the taste of the cheese varies depending on the manufacturing and aging.
Also since it is mainly manufactured in bulk, it becomes hard to keep a tab on the kind of flavor the cheese will have.
That is why the labels of the cheddar cheese in the market have strong, mild, mature, medium, tasty, sharp or vintage written on them.
So get going and pick up your slice of cheese right now or make it you self have a blast doing it.
To Make Homemade Cheddar Cheese The Recipe Below
You will need 4 gallons or about 14 litres of whole cow’s or goat’s milk. To start the process of making cheddar cheese, bring the temperature of the milk to 86 degrees F or 30 degrees C. Now stir in ½ tsp. of mesophilic powder, (slightly round the ½ tsp of powder if the milk has been pasteurized).
Let the milk rest for 45 minutes, keep the temperature the same.
Add 1/8 tsp of annatto coloring, (optional). First mix coloring with ¼ cup of cool water before adding it to the milk.
At this time, add 1 tsp of rennet. Again, mix the rennet with 1/4 cup of cool water before stirring it into the milk. If you are using homogenized milk, you will need to add 1 tsp of calcium chloride as well. Be sure to thoroughly mix in each ingredient as you go along.
Now let the milk rest for 45 minutes to set the curds.
Once the curds are set, cut into ½ inch cubes.
Over a 40 minute period of time, slowly bring the temperature up to 39 degrees C or 97 degrees F. Continue to gently stir.
Keep the curds at this temperature for 30 more minutes. Stir every few minutes to keep the curds from matting.
Don’t stir for the last 5 minutes so the curds can settle and you can drain the whey off. Line a stainless steel strainer or colander with a cheese cloth and drain the curds. Keep the curds in the strainer and reserve enough whey to fill the pot 1/3 full. Set the strainer over top of the whey in the pot and cover. Keep the whey in the pot at the same temperature mentioned above for 1 hour. If you prefer a moister cheese, you can reduce the time from the 1 hour to 45 minutes or even 30 minutes.
Now remove the slab of curds from the strainer and cut into long strips about the size of a pencil. Stir in 1 Tbsp of course salt. Many people like to eat these curds just as they are. But if you wish to make a wheel of cheese, place the curd into a cheese press and leave for overnight using moderate pressure.
Remove wheel of cheese from the press in the morning and allow to dry. Cheese may then be waxed. Allowing the cheese to ripen for up to 4 weeks will give it a mild cheddar flavour, but it can also be eaten right away too. Allowing the cheese to ripen for three months will give it a medium flavour, and you can leave the cheese longer for an older taste.