| The differences between artisan Cheddar and its
commercial counterparts begin with the milk, which in artisan Cheddar
usually comes from Jersey or Ayrshire cows—breeds whose milk has the
highest amount of butterfat. (Commercial Cheddars use the lower-fat milk
from massive herds of pasture-fed Holsteins.) The milk is “started” with
cultures that sour it, then the enzyme rennet is added to separate the
curds (solids) from the whey (liquid). The curds are hand cut to help
expel the whey. At this point, the unique “Cheddaring” process begins: The
curds are pressed by hand and then cut into heavy slabs that are stacked
on top of one another. The weight of the curds presses out excess
moisture. Next, the slabs are cut into tiny pieces resembling penne pasta,
hand salted, shoveled into large cheese molds, and finally set to age for
months or years, depending on the type of Cheddar. Each step of the
artisanal process is done by hand. At large commercial Cheddar plants,
machines usher the milk through the various stages. The longer a Cheddar ages, the sharper it tends to be. But unlike commercial Cheddars, artisan Cheddars are usually not labeled sharp, medium, or mild. “They are described by their character and by the number of years they have aged,” says Daphne Zepos, director of cheese maturing at the Artisanal Cheese Center, a consumer and educational organization in New York City devoted to cheese. |