They both appreciate award-winning taste! The right beer and cheddar cheese melded together can be a magical taste explosion. For instance, the pleasant bitterness of English Pale Ale—the British idea of perfect balance of malt and hops—is a beautiful complement to Extra Sharp Cheddar roasted potatoes. Roast wedges of potatoes with olive oil, rosemary and coarse salt; top with shredded Cheddar and serve with grape tomatoes.
Mild cheddars will melt easily and consistently, however, low-fat Cheddar cheese and sharper Cheddars melt better if first shredded or cut into strips and cooked over low heat. Enjoy delicious recipes like our Simple Cheddar Cheese Sauce! The removal of lactose occurs naturally during the cheese making process. Please look for the Lactose-Free icon on the packaging of your favorite Cabot cheese products to be sure they are naturally lactose-free.
However did you know that Vitamin D—another critical nutrient for healthy bones—is also found in these dairy products? So how much calcium do you need? Cheddar cheese records are found as far back as the 12 century. The name Cheddar comes from the Old English word ceodor, meaning deep, dark cavity, or pouch.
As most other cheese, Cheddar evolved from a need to preserve the very perishable milk, from times of plenty, to those of scarcity. It is largely believed that the Romans occupying France, and then into present day UK and Somerset, brought the craft of cheese making with them. Early Cheddar was originally produced solely on the farms mostly by the farmers wife, but that's another story centered around the Somerset region in Southwest Britain.
Cheddar was originally part of a larger group of smaller cheeses intended for local consumption and all characterized by their locale and milk quality. The production was centered around the town of Cheddar, and its famous Gorge riddled with caves, that may have been used for aging. Cheddar was the most famous of these cheeses, and records show that much of it was bought and paid for even before the cows were milked. Most of this went to the Royal Courts, and at times Cheddar was unobtainable unless you were associated with the "Royals".
It wasn't until well into the s that transportation technology improved via many canals and river systems, as well as improved wagon roads.
This helped to move the cheese to market towns and more urban areas, especially to the growing market in the larger cities such as London. By then, the breaking up of the manor farms, and the effects of the industrial revolution, were big factors in the population migration and growth in these larger urban centers.
Eventually in the s, when the railroad improved transportation, these population dynamics and growing urban areas began to force changes in the cheese being made. The need for drier cheeses to undergo longer aging, and the need for larger, sturdier cheeses to withstand travel and storage, were apparent.
The earlier cheeses were too moist and could not withstand the longer market time of several months; they would simply be too difficult to handle and suffer during the long transport and market delays involved. The cheeses would simply rot or fall apart during the longer cycle. The decreasing population in the countryside made it absolutely necessary to change the way cheese was being made.
As the markets improved, and the population increased, there was a greater need to increase cheese production for these growing markets.
Of course, this meant there was also a need for larger herds and more efficient production in cheese country. For Cheddar, these changes came fast. One of the biggest changes was making much larger cheeses, but these needed to be made drier to prevent internal decay.
Initially, it was the solved by scalding the curd mass with hot whey, in a separate draining vessel, and this became what is now known as the "cheddaring" stage. This process would become much updated by the mid s. As these changes took hold in Britain, the emigration to the new colonies in America and Canada also included the cheese makers of Britain.
Cheddar style cheese was already being made in America. It was not until the mid 19th century that cheddar took on it's current standardized character. Up until that time, the smaller cheddar production was quite varied, with a broad range of qualities, from totally sub-standard cheese high moisture with limited aging, gas development, unclean ferments and gas, as well as maggots, yum! It was in the mid s, that Joseph Harding brought new standards of sanitation. Up until then, many cheeses were low in quality, due to lack of sanitation and standardized fermentation.
Harding's newer methods were then adapted by cheese makers in North America' as well as Scotland. It was also his sons that introduced the newer standardized cheddar to Australia and New Zealand. Harding defined the new character of the cheese as "close and firm in texture, yet mellow in character or quality; it is rich with a tendency to melt in the mouth, the flavour full and fine, approaching to that of a hazelnut.
Harding's new methods also introduced the salting of the curds before molding, as well as a modification of the cheddaring process. In his modification, the curds were actually cooked in the same vat as they were coagulated in, then transferred to a separate table where the they were drained and cut into large slabs, then stacked as they continued to develop acid. They were then rendered into smaller pieces and direct salted before forming and pressing. This is the cheddaring process as we know it today.
However, in a slightly different manner. It was also at this same time that the Jesse Williams family, in upstate New York, developed the first production cheese factory in America it seems Cheddars time had come. This was the point at which milk began to be sourced from many farms and made by a cooperative of trained cheese makers. This was also the point when men took over from the women.
Needless to say, this proved to be a huge leap in production of cheese, but eventually became the undoing of hand made cheese in America. In less than a hundred years, the small farm cheese makers practically disappeared. This was also the direction for British Cheddar. Kraft slices are certainly not what Cheddar is all about.
The late 19th century in Britain saw the rapid development of the rail network, allowing for the easy transportation of perishable goods, like milk. Farmers that had previously viewed cheese as a way to preserve the value of their milk came to view cheese making as an expensive and time-consuming pursuit. Rapid transit of goods around the country also had the effect of broadening the range of cheeses available to consumers, including cheaper imports of cheddar from North America.
Many farmhouse producers could not compete with these lower prices and moved away from cheese making. This, along with the rapidly growing population of Britain, led to a short supply of good cheese, prompting their government to lower the tariff. This is where things go south. The efficiency of the new cheddar factories, like most today, looked to their bottom line profit. They soon began producing higher moisture cheese for greater yield and skimming the cream to make more high valued butter.
The wet cheese did not age well, and the skimming of cream, of course, is where much of the flavor and smooth texture lie. It did not take long for the British to realize the changes made in the cheese.
In addition, the factories in America began replacing that stolen cream with Oleomargarine AKA Beef Fat and these soon became known as filled cheese. They were still falsely being marketed as Full Cream Cheddar Cheese. They seemed fine for a short while, but then the lard oxidized and became rancid.
Within a few years, this trade, that provided Million pounds of Cheddar in , had totally collapsed. On the other hand, Canada maintained its higher quality of drier and more flavorful cheese, and continued their lucrative trade.
Britain turned also to imported Cheddar from Australia and New Zealand to fill the gap. By the late s, laws had already been written to right the wrongs of skimmed milk and filled Cheddars. The first half of the 20th century brought further hardship, as two world wars caused considerable disruption, both through the removal of manpower from the rural economy, and later through the introduction of rationing, which forced producers to standardize their cheese production with the creation of the Milk Marketing Board MMB.
Of the farms making cheese in the Southwest of England in , only 57 were still in production when the Second World War ended in This trend towards streamlining production, and away from diversity, has continued to the present day, and much of the knowledge of cheddar-making accumulated through centuries of practice has disappeared. Production of Cheddar cheese skyrocketed in England during WWII, not because of the good circumstances, but because of the need of English government to better stockpile their milk.
This had an unfortunate effect of decimating local production of cheddar cheese in England, with 3, of cheese producers being shut down, and fewer than remaining after war was over. Growing up in the ss, my world of cheese was limited to the family jokes about Dad's triple wrapped and well boxed Limburger lurking in the back of the fridge which of course I did not appreciate then and the annual trip to Vermont for the best Cheddar ever, with some serious age and those big white crystals one of the biggest reasons I do what I do today.
The state of cheese in the kitchen though, was from the big Yellow Box I am sure it was yellow to the big green cylinder for anything Italian. By the late 80s to early 90s, I grew up a tad, just in time to see America wake up a little to what was wrong with cheese.
The back to the land movement had cracked open the desire to make real cheese again. This has now grown worldwide into an incredible change in what the quality of cheese can be. It was a little slower than good wine and beer, but the appreciation is still growing. This is why we've won so many more awards for our cheddars and other cheeses than any other state or country. So, next time you're looking for the best cheddar you can lay your hands on, just pick up a chunk with a Proudly Wisconsin Cheese badge on the label.
That way you know your cheddar cheese is made by the best cheesemakers in the world. Craving award-winning aged cheddar, pining for parmesan, or searching for a new cheese to try? Explore our directory of Wisconsin cheesemakers and retailers who offer online cheese shopping and get cheese shipped right to your door. What are you waiting for?
In Wisconsin, we make more flavors, varieties, and styles of cheese than anywhere else in the world. We believe in tradition, producing everything from Italian classics, like parmesan and ricotta , to swiss cheese and cheddar varieties.
But every Wisconsin cheesemaker is an innovator as well, which is why we have so many Wisconsin originals, like colby and muenster. How is Cheddar Cheese Made?
How is cheddar cheese made? Recipes: Just Add Cheese. Friendsgiving Cheese Board. After 2 hours , the curds will be shiny and very firm. In 10 minutes, stir gently with your fingers or a wooden spoon.
Repeat twice more. Remove the pot from the sink and add salt. Stir gently once more. Line the cheese press with a piece of cheesecloth and carefully place the curds into the press. Wrap the cloth around the cheese and press at 10 pounds of pressure for 15 minutes.
Remove the cheese from the press, unwrap , and flip the cheese. Re-wrap using a fresh piece of cheesecloth, and press at 40 pounds of pressure for 12 hours. Re-wrap using a fresh piece of cheesecloth, and press at 50 pounds of pressure for 24 hours.
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