Basic Steps of Making Cheese Curd

graphics for basic steps of making cheese curds

Today we will walk you through the process we use to make your favorite delicious fresh cheese curd! 

Enjoy learning about the careful steps involved in this process. Let’s begin!

1. Milk is brought from the farm and put into the tank. Milk is treated with minimum pasteurization.

milk in tank

2. Milk is then put into the vat and cooled and live cheese cultures are added.

vat

3. Milk sets in the vat for a certain amount of time. Rennet and calcium are added. (This coagulates the milk. In other words, sets up the whole tank of milk like a body of yogurt.)

making cheese curd

4. When the time is right, this body of milk is ready to cut, stir, and cook. Time and temperature are very crucial. They determine the texture and the moisture of the curd.

vat

5.Then mixture is pumped into the draining table.

draining table for making cheese curd

6. In this step, the whey drains away from the cheese and this table of cheese becomes one big chunk of cheese.

draining table for making cheese curd

7. A knife is used to cut squares from the body of the cheese.

cutting squares from body of cheese

8. Squares of cheese are rotated multiple times. These steps of rotating and stacking the cheese as it drains more of the whey are called the cheddaring process.

rotating and stacking cheese

9. We now wait until the cheese tells us when it’s ready to mill (cut the cheese into the actual curd shape).

cheese

10. In this step, the cheese is milled.

milling cheese

11. Cheese is salted as it comes out of the miller.

salting cheese curd

12. The curd is stirred as it’s being salted and stirred multiple times as it cools down. 

stirring cheese curd

13. Now, seasonings are added to give the curd its flavor.

seasoning the cheese curd

14. Curd is stirred by hand to spread out the seasonings.

seasoned cheese curds

15.Curd is weighed and packaged. 

weighing and packaging cheese curd

16. And you’re finished!

cheese curd finished product

The delightful taste and texture of fresh warm squeaky curd is an experience like none other. Stop by the plant Monday-Wednesday after 2pm to try it for yourself!

Thank you for taking the time to learn about the careful process that makes our cheese curd a favorite for so many people!