While we were on our Wisconsin trip last week we picked up some interesting facts about Wisconsin cheese and we thought we’d share a few with you.

Wisconsin is the only state that requires a facility to have a licensed cheese maker on staff before producing cheese for sale.

Wisconsin is also the only state to offer a master cheese maker program. In order to become a master cheese maker a person must have been a licensed cheese maker for 10 years. He or she can then attend the Wisconsin Master Cheesemaker program, which is a three-year program offered through the Center for Dairy Research at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. The cheese makers must pass an extensive test at the end of the program to earn the title of “Master.” Once they pass, their facility is inspected annually to ensure it continues to meet the high standards required of a Master Cheesemaker. Some of the cheeses found at Ukrop’s that are made by Master Cheesemakers include Saga blue cheese rounds and wedges, Rosenborg Danish blue cheese, Dofino pre-sliced Havarti, Bel Gioioso Asiago and Henning Cheese Mammoth Cheddar.

Along with being classified as artisan, some cheeses are known as farmstead. A producer of farmstead cheese must use milk from its own cows to produce cheese. Fiscalini Bandage Wrapped Cheddar from California is one farmstead cheese that’s found in select Ukrop’s locations.

It takes 10 pounds of milk to produce 1 pound of cheese.

A bit on how cheese is made:
Fresh raw milk is brought to a factory. In most cases, it is then pasteurized. Some cheeses are made with raw milk, which means the cheese isn’t pasteurized. Cheese made with raw milk must be cured for 60 days after it’s made to kill any pathogens. After the milk is pasteurized, a starter culture, which is a type of bacteria that gives the cheese its unique flavor, is added. If cheddar or another orange cheese is being made, annatto, a natural vegetable dye that gives orange cheeses their color is also added.

Next, an enzyme called rennet is added to the milk. This causes the milk to coagulate and thicken to a consistency that’s similar to yogurt. The rennet also causes the protein to separate from the liquid. As it separates, it takes the fat with it and forms curds. The remainder is whey. Once the curds are formed, the whey needs to be removed. First, most of it is drained, and then the cheese is pressed to remove even more whey. This also condenses the curds and begins to solidify them. Depending on the type of cheese being made, the curds may be sprinkled with salt at this point. Salt is added to bring out flavor, to expel moisture and to slow bacteria growth. The curds are then put into forms and pressed more to remove even more moisture. After the cheese rests for a while (the amount of time varies by the type and desired texture of the final product) if it hasn’t already been salted it may be placed into salt-water brine where it soaks and absorb salt. After this, some cheese such as Muenster or Havarti is packaged and shipped to sell, and some cheese like Asiago or Swiss is aged for weeks, months or even years. Varying parts of this process are done by machine or by hand depending on the size of the manufacturer. Slight changes may be made to this process, but in general, this is how cheese is made.

For more information about Wisconsin cheese, check out these web sites:
http://www.eatwisconsincheese.com/
For gourmet burger recipes featuring fancy cheeses: http://www.cheeseandburger.com/
Try making number 5, The Big Ben with Roth Käse Buttermilk Blue or number 15, The Boss with BelGioioso Asiago, or even number 29 with Hennings Mammoth Cheddar, our cheese of the month.