Making soft cheese at home. Cheese production as a business

To date, among the entrepreneurs of our country, it has gained great popularity as a business. Mini workshop for manufacturing this product does not require investments of tens of millions of rubles. Cheese itself is present in the diet of almost all families, which confirms the considerable demand for it.

That is why opening your own business for the production of this dairy product is a very promising and profitable business.

Who can start a cheese business?

It is most profitable for farmers to open their own mini-workshop. In this case, the production of cheese can be carried out from its own raw materials. This will make the final product cheaper, and therefore in demand.

But is cheese production as a business only available to a farmer? Any entrepreneur can open a mini-workshop. Of course, he will have to negotiate the purchase of milk from farmers, but in this case it will be possible to make a significant profit. The main thing is to plan your actions correctly and rationally.

Preparatory stage

How to start your own cheese making business? First of all, you will need to think over a business strategy. It will be needed not only for beginners, but also for experienced entrepreneurs. A business plan will help analyze all initial costs, give a correct assessment of supply and demand in the market, as well as plan the future profitability and profitability of the event. In addition, a pre-developed strategy will allow you to select the right range of products, determine their prices and find buyers.

Sales market

Before organizing a cheese mini-workshop as a business, you need to start looking for buyers. To do this, you need to plan in advance the ways of marketing future finished products. They may be different. So, the sale of cheeses is possible by:

Selling in your own store;
- implementations on food market in your area;
- conclusion of contracts with wholesale warehouses;
- deliveries of the product to the retail trade network;
- deliveries of cheese to cafes and restaurants of their city and region.

It is advisable to choose more than one option from the list. This will make it possible to sell the product faster and get a fairly large profit.

Range selection

Natural cheese presented large quantity varieties. They differ from each other in their appearance, taste and other characteristics. So, according to the manufacturing process, cheeses are classified into rennet and sour-milk. The first of them are made using. In the second method, cheeses are made by fermenting milk with the help of sourdough.

The preparation of each of the available varieties involves the use of its own technology and special equipment. It is this moment that determines the importance of choosing the direction of business. Also, a novice entrepreneur will need to take into account the level of their own qualifications. For those who are interested in cheese production as a business (mini-workshop), the technology for their first production should be chosen, most likely, the most uncomplicated. Such a process will not require significant time costs and special art of its implementation.

The easiest way to cook cheeses related to soft varieties. For them, it is only necessary to curdle the milk, and then strain and compress the portions needed for sale. The main advantage of soft varieties is their short production time. Such cheese does not require ripening and is ready to eat in a couple of days or within a week. According to a long-term maturing technology, it will take a month and a half to make them. However, it should be borne in mind that such a product must be sold within 14 days.

You can also organize the production of hard cheese as a business. In this case, the mini-workshop will produce products in a longer time frame, but its cost is much higher.

Company registration

If you decide to organize the production of cheese as a business, the mini-workshop in which this product will be made can only be opened after the appropriate paperwork is completed. You will also need to obtain a permit to operate.

What is the best organizational form to choose when starting cheese production as a business? It is recommended to open a mini-workshop to a limited liability company. The fact is that the majority of retail chains and large stores prefer to work with legal entities. This makes it possible to make tax deductions, thereby reducing taxes. Working with IP does not provide such an opportunity. After all, according to its status, an individual entrepreneur is an individual.

Payment of mandatory payments to the budget

When choosing a taxation system, a novice businessman should pay attention to the simplified tax system. In this case, two payment options are acceptable:
- 6% of revenue;
- 15% of income.

The second system of taxation becomes profitable at high production costs.

Certification

What other documents will require the organization of cheese production as a business? A mini-workshop producing a dairy product cannot be opened without the appropriate certification. The issuance of this document is carried out by Rostest in accordance with the current technical regulations. The obtained certificate makes it possible to label products in accordance with the law. Without this, cheeses simply will not get on store shelves.

To obtain a certificate, you will need to collect a package of documents. It should include:
- certificates for raw materials, which are provided by suppliers of milk and sourdough;
- expert opinion issued by Rospotrebnadzor.

It is necessary to take care of the availability of all these documents even before cheese production as a business is established. In this case, the mini-workshop will work without interruption, and the entrepreneur will not have any difficulties with the guardians of the law.

Room selection

Very profitable and attractive is the production of cheese as a business (mini-workshop). How to open this case? To do this, in addition to processing the relevant papers, you will need to choose a convenient room. Its area should not be large. For example, if up to 100 kilograms of cheese are produced per day, then a workshop of 20 square meters is enough. meters. On such an area it is quite compact to accommodate the necessary technological equipment.

Communications and arrangement

What else needs to be considered in the premises where cheese production as a business will start? A mini-workshop, the plan of which should contain several zones, must be equipped with utilities. After all, the product is impossible without the presence of water supply, sewerage, ventilation and heating. The division into zones will make it possible to sequentially place technological equipment in the workshop and perform each of the stages of the cheese-making process in a separate area.

When choosing a room for rent, the amount of which will be 30-50 thousand rubles per month, you need to pay attention to the presence of natural light. A fire safety system must also be installed in the workshop. It should also be taken into account that the production of cheese must be organized in a room whose walls are tiled. In the absence of this finish, you will have to allocate money for construction work.

Workshop equipment

An aspiring entrepreneur should be aware that he will need to purchase a special processing line in order to start cheese production as a business.

A mini-workshop, the equipment of which is necessary for the production of a quality product, is equipped with:

A cheese manufacturer, that is, a place where raw materials are cooled and pasteurized, and a clot is also formed;
- bath, necessary for the formation of cheese heads;
- maturation chamber, in which the required temperature and humidity are set, allowing to obtain a product;
- a dosing device, with the help of which liquid products are packaged in individual packaging.

Who is engaged in the production of technological lines?

The choice of equipment for a mini-workshop for the production of cheese is not so great. As a rule, entrepreneurs purchase such lines abroad. The domestic manufacturer is PK Molexpert LLC, located in Barnaul.

However, entrepreneurs who open cheese production as a business (mini-workshop) buy Italian equipment more often. These are the low volume lines offered by Sfoggia. This company, which is the most famous in Europe, develops and manufactures quality equipment for the production of small quantities of hard and fresh cheeses. In addition, Sfoggia's lines make it possible to produce butter and yoghurts, pasteurized milk, etc.

What is the peculiarity of these installations? In them, the milk is pasteurized, cooled, and then the cheese mass is fermented and cut. Further, on special tables with their own heating, the product is formed and goes through the self-pressing stage.

Why is this line attractive for those who open cheese production as a business (mini-workshop)? Italian equipment greatly simplifies the process of product preparation due to automation and its subsequent cooling. In addition, the line is equipped with a special recording tool that allows you to print out data on already performed operations, which facilitates the work of the operator.

The company manufactures various models of cheese makers for 120 and 360 liters. At the same time, the equipment is able to work on electricity, gas, hot water, steam, and also from diesel fuel.

Italian mini-cheese factories allow you to get 12 kg finished product from 100 liters of cow's milk. And if the raw material is goat or sheep, then all 20 kg. What is attractive is that the remaining whey from the cheese can be turned into ricotta curd. Moreover, from cow's milk it will turn out 5 kg, and from goat or sheep - 8 kg.

The Italian line is chosen by businessmen and according to the available technical characteristics. For example, a model with a capacity of 360 liters can process up to 1400 liters of milk within 16 hours. This is a reliable and durable equipment that has proven itself both in Europe and in the vastness of our country.

Personnel issues

When opening a mini-workshop for the production of cheese, you will need to hire one to three people to maintain the line and one technologist who knows all the features technological process. The service of a manager involved in the supply of raw materials and the sale of the finished product will not be superfluous. But this function can be taken over by the owner of the cheese production.

It should be borne in mind that the success of the business started will depend on the staff hired. That is why this issue deserves the most serious approach.

Raw material quality

To be successful in the market, you need to produce a high quality product. And this will require the fulfillment of certain conditions, which relate, first of all, to purchased milk. Raw materials must be taken only from farmers who have healthy animals that have passed veterinary control. It should not contain even a small percentage of antibiotics. In addition, good raw materials have a three percent fat content, and its acidity index should not be less than 6.8. It is better to fix all requirements for milk when signing a supply contract.

Production costs

When opening a mini-workshop for the production of cheese, you will need to make certain financial investments. Approximately they will be (thousand rubles):

To purchase production line - 300;
- workshop repair - 200;
- training of employees - 30;
- other expenses, including registration - 100.

As a result, the total amount of preliminary investments will amount to 630 thousand rubles.

Monthly production costs (thousand rubles):

Received income

How profitable is cheese production as a business (mini-workshop)? Feedback from entrepreneurs suggests that by releasing one hundred kilograms of product every day, it is possible to sell up to 2200 kg of hard and soft cheeses monthly. With an average selling price of 200 rubles. per kg, the revenue will be 440 thousand rubles.

The amount received will be enough to cover the costs of production and payment of tax. The net profit of the entrepreneur will be about 65 thousand rubles. Thus, with the sale of all manufactured products, the payback of production can be achieved within ten months after the start of work.

To date, entrepreneurs are not often found who, in order to increase their capital, settled on such a direction as cheese production at home. And all because in order to implement such an idea, in addition to desire, you will need to purchase special equipment and raw materials, which cost a lot of money, and also spend time. Due to the fact that the quality of mass-produced cheese leaves much to be desired, such a business idea as creating a mini workshop for the manufacture of this dairy product at home has a chance to develop, as cheese lovers will prefer a quality product anyway.

Today in stores on the shelves you can see a large number different varieties cheese from processed and ending with hard varieties. Such a variety allows the buyer to choose the most suitable product both in terms of taste and pricing policy. At any time, the demand for cheeses remained high, so the competition in this market segment is strong. However, even allowing for this factor, a business based on cheese making will be a profitable investment.

To implement the idea, it doesn’t matter at all whether the entrepreneur has work experience or is just starting his career, in any case, you need to start implementing the idea from drawing up a business plan. Cheese production will be an effective and profitable investment, provided that a competent business plan is drawn up. It will help to assess not only the demand for the product, but also the competition in this market segment, the volume of financial injections and the payback period of this business idea. In addition, proper planning will help to make optimal forecasts for the bulk of the difficulties during the production of cheese and will not allow serious mistakes to be made during the implementation of the idea.

For the preparation of such a fermented milk product as cheese, sour milk is used as a raw material, which, according to a certain technology, is kept from one to thirty days. At the initial stage of the development of the enterprise, you should not take on the production of expensive elite cheese. It is recommended to find a recipe for a variety of this fermented milk product that is generally loved by customers and, adhering to the technology exactly, try to cook it. Each subsequent batch will be superior in taste to the last, and by constantly tasting cheeses, you can develop an idea of ​​\u200b\u200bthe true taste of a good cheese that will appeal to customers and provide a permanent clientele.

Room for a cheese factory

A mini-workshop of small volumes, processing up to a hundred kilograms of milk per day, can be freely located on an area of ​​​​two dozen "squares". The equipment is not voluminous, so it will not be difficult to place it in a small area.

The main thing is that the room meets the following parameters:

    free access to hot and cold water;

    good ventilation of the room;

    carried out sewerage;

    heating.

Also, the room should have access to daylight. In addition to this, on food production only metal or plastic furniture is used. It is desirable that the walls are tiled, and the remaining places are painted with paint that does not contain harmful substances in its composition that can adversely affect the quality of the products. In no case do not use the basement for a cheese factory.

Preparation of documents for business registration

Before starting to implement your business idea and start production, you will need to collect a number of documents in order to register your mini-workshop at the legislative level.

This can be done in two ways:

You can choose any of the two substantive forms of activity. If we talk about our case, which involves the production of cheese as a business mini-workshop and the subsequent sale of small batches of the product, then it is better to use the IP system. Only in the case of mass production and sale of large batches of cheeses is it recommended to register your business using the second method.

Even the creation of a mini-workshop for cheese making requires a quality certificate. Such a requirement is put forward to any food production.

Any cheeses belong to a number of food products, therefore, before starting production, you will need to obtain permission, for which you need to provide: an application, a contract, constituent documentation, a sanitary certificate, provide a layout of the future product label and a veterinary certificate. In addition, the release of any food product requires a permit from the sanitary and epidemiological service. It is possible that other documents will be required during registration, so it is better to entrust this process to a legally savvy person who understands all the intricacies of this issue.

Compliance with the technology of cheese making

We have already mentioned a large number of varieties of cheese, which are divided into hard and soft. Cheese production as a business at home implies the ability to produce any kind of cheese. And the technology will depend on the chosen variety. If we talk about hard cheeses, then they will need curd mass, from which whey is separated at a certain stage. Then the resulting dehydrated mixture is laid out in special molds under oppression. The time spent under the press is determined by the technology of preparation of the cheese variety, which should be the result. The process can take over a month.

Soft varieties of cheeses do not require so much time, but they can be stored at a certain temperature for no more than 7 days. Therefore, for mass production, such cheeses are not profitable due to the high probability of spoilage of the product. But hard varieties in any country are in great demand among buyers.

However, it is the quality of raw materials that most influences the taste characteristics of the final product. Therefore, it is necessary to ensure that the purchase of milk is carried out only from trusted suppliers who guarantee that it is received only from healthy animals. Check milk samples for the presence of antibiotics, which can significantly impair the quality of the cheese, and for acidity, which should not fall below the 6.8 mark. The optimal fat content is 3.5%.

If you work with certain suppliers of raw materials, then it is advisable to write each of these points in more detail in a cooperation agreement, which should indicate the volume of supply, price and method of delivery of raw materials to the enterprise.

Now let's talk in more detail about the equipment that will be required for cheese making in home mini-workshops.

Purchase of special equipment

When deciding to start making cheese, you need to take into account that you will not only have to find a place for the workshop and purchase raw materials, you will need to purchase special basic and auxiliary equipment, which you can’t do without. The main one includes a vat made of stainless steel with a volume of at least 50 liters. According to the technology, a vat with cheese mass is heated using an electric heating element or a gas burner. Cooling is carried out in the process of circulating a stream of cold water around the perimeter of the vat.

Additional equipment includes: presses, filters, salt pools, molds for future cheese, racks and shelves, ripening chambers. The guarantee of quality is the equipment offered by Italian manufacturers. They can offer a service such as arranging a turnkey mini-workshop. The equipment is suitable for processing any kind of milk (goat, sheep or cow).

Today, cheese production in Russia is developing and many entrepreneurs install domestic equipment in their mini-shops, which is no worse than Italian in quality, but its pricing policy is more acceptable. It is worth remembering that not only the taste characteristics of the final product depend on the equipment, it is also important to monitor the quality of the raw materials that are purchased for production. Do not save on this and buy milk only from trusted suppliers who care about the health of livestock.

Subtleties of cheese making

It doesn’t matter what kind of cheese you decide to make. There are several stages in the preparation of raw materials that every technologist needs to know.

    Initially received milk must undergo a sterilization process.

    Next is the preparation of raw materials. It is divided into two equal parts. The first part is pasteurized in a cheese maker at a temperature of +68˚С, after which it is sharply cooled to a temperature of + 38˚С. The second part is immediately cooled in special equipment (cooler) to +4˚С.

    Cooking. In the second (chilled part of the raw material), you need to add rennet, which is extracted from the stomachs of dairy calves. This enzyme helps in the curdling process and the formation of curds. It is sold in powder form and should be handled with care. For 100 liters of milk, no more than a gram of such a powder will be required. At the end of the coagulation process, the enzyme remains in the curd. The next process is to pour the milk into the cheese maker to mature and complete the curdling process. Here the temperature will already depend on the type of cheese chosen. Hard cheeses are cooked at a high temperature, but not for long. The temperature regime should not go beyond 28-36˚ C, which prevents the cheese mass from quickly compacting and accumulating lactic acid microflora within 2-4 hours.

    Cheese shaping. After the milk is completely curdled, the cheese mass is separated from the liquid and you can begin to divide it into parts according to fractions. And here, too, there are differences depending on the type of cheese. Semi-hard cheese does not take much time to ripen, so cheese grains the size of Walnut, while for durum varieties you will need to grind the mass to the size of a peanut. Elite hard cheeses are made from grain no larger than a pea. After preparation, the mass is laid out in a mold and sent to the press tables. During the pressing process, it is recommended to turn the cheese heads from time to time in accordance with the technology. After compacting the cheese, it is laid out in a salt pool, after soaking in brine, the heads are transferred to the rack, where they undergo their final maturation. The ripening room should be equipped with a good exhaust and ventilation system, while the temperature in the room for optimal cheese ripening should not go beyond +4 - +12 ˚ С.

    Serum use. It is not recommended to pour this useful product after making cheese. Send fresh whey back to the dairy. Dilute it with milk Apple vinegar and bring the mixture to a temperature of +92 ˚ C. As a result, you can get a juicy and soft curd which is ready for sale.

Profitability of the cheese production workshop

If we compare the financial injections and the profit received, then if we adhere to all the technological nuances, the production will not only be profitable, but also promising. After acquiring the necessary equipment and hiring qualified employees, you can open your own mini-production.

The main financial expenses for launching production include:

    sole proprietorship and business registration;

    Purchase of main and auxiliary equipment;

    purchase of quality raw materials.

The profit will depend on two factors: the volume of sales and the price of the product. It goes without saying that the price should be directly proportional to the quality of the fermented milk product. Therefore, in order to increase revenue over time, it is recommended to transfer production to the production of elite (expensive) varieties of cheese.

Before setting a price for your product, it is worth monitoring competitor companies and their products. Only in this case it is possible to draw the right conclusions and set an adequate price. Naturally good cheese It can't be cheap, but it shouldn't be overpriced either. Otherwise, only a small amount of those who do not mind spending a tidy sum for a piece of cheese. It is advisable to find something in between cheap products made from substitutes and preservatives and expensive products that are made only from natural ingredients.

Product promotion

For cheese production, the business plan is just as important as product advertising. Due to the fact that there is a lot of competition among fermented milk products, the product must not only be of high quality, but also cost accordingly. Only the right balance of quality and price will ensure massive sales and regular customers.

Sales of goods

Even before the release of products, distribution channels for products should be established. To do this, through the conclusion of contracts, you can sell cheese to several places (shops) at once. Look out for nearby supermarkets and other large grocery stores that guarantee a large flow of customers. Another good marketing ploy would be the opening of a branded cheese shop near the place of production. You can also establish cooperation with wholesale dealers or restaurants, cafeterias and other places. Catering that require a constant supply of fresh cheese.

You can find additional points of sale after a careful study of the specifics trade enterprises located near your mini-workshop.

Now we can say with confidence that the production of cheese at home is a real opportunity to make good profits with minimal funding. To do this, you just need to conscientiously fulfill your tasks, adhere to the accuracy of the technological process, and arrange your mini-workshop in accordance with all standards. And by opening a small company store, right next to the cheese factory, you can get a number of regular customers who will help the development of the family business by buying your products!

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In our country, cheese production is considered a fairly popular business.

Like many other dairy products that are present in the diet of people, this product, it must be assumed, will always be in great demand.

A cheese factory is a profitable enterprise. Someone starts to open production from scratch, while someone already has some kind of food business.

Where to start a business?

Regardless of whether or not you have experience in this area, you should start with a business plan. It will provide an opportunity to assess the costs of opening a cheese factory, the difficulties associated with this, make a forecast for production and sales volumes, analyze demand, and decide what the assortment will be.

It should be remembered that in order to open a food production facility, you will need a large number of documents allowing you to engage in this business. You will also need to issue various certificates.

When you begin to draw up a cheese production business plan, you should decide on the pricing policy and the product sales market. To do this, you need to assess the demand of buyers in all parts of the market. At first, you will be able to sell products in your region, and as production volumes increase, increase sales at the expense of neighboring districts and regions.

Nutritional value of the dairy product

Cheese production is a fairly profitable business. For its organization, a large start-up capital is needed.

Cheese is a high-calorie protein product with a large nutritional value, due to the content of all the substances required for the human body in a form that is easily digestible. This includes proteins, peptides, fats, calcium and phosphorus salts, and amino acids.

Cheese varieties

According to technological features, natural cheeses are divided into rennet and fermented milk products. Rennet cheese is made by curdling milk with rennet. Fermented milk product is made by fermenting raw materials with special starter cultures.

Cheeses are also divided into classes:

Solid (rennet, having a solid consistency);
semi-solid (rennet, having a dense consistency);
soft (rennet or sour milk, having a soft texture);
brine (ripens in brine, contains mass fraction table salt).

Each such class can be subdivided into subgroups.

Production technology

Hard cheeses are made from curd mass, separated from whey, washed and pressed. Such cottage cheese in the right amount is placed under the press and is there long time until the taste comes out. On average, it takes a month. The longer the hold, the better taste qualities and sharper taste. The density of the finished cheese depends on the weight of the load.

The highest quality product comes from whole milk. Almost the same technology as hard cheeses is used to produce soft cheeses. But such a product is aged much less in time. The duration of this process is a maximum of a week, or it is not performed at all. Such cheese is not stored for a long time and is eaten in the near future.

The production technology of hard and soft cheese has other differences. The first types are more popular than the second.

Cheese making equipment

In order to establish at least a mini-production of cheese and conduct a high-quality production process, it is imperative to purchase specialized equipment.

You will need:
- long-term pasteurization bath with a volume of 100 liters;

Paraffiner with a volume of 75 liters;

Bath IPKS, having a volume of 200 liters;

Definitely a cheese press;

Two forms;

Two refrigeration units;

Desktop.

Product quality

The quality of the finished product depends on how good the ingredients used to make cheese are. Therefore, the following conditions must be observed:
buy milk only from healthy cows;
on the pH meter, the level of active acidity should be at least 6.8;
the composition should not contain antibiotics;
basic fat content within 3.5;
the presence in the composition of proteins is not less than 3.0%;
temperature at acceptance is not more than 12 °C.

It is required to conclude contracts with milk suppliers and prescribe in them the above requirements for the quality of raw materials, their quantity, payment terms, delivery method, as well as deferred payment, if necessary.

Production of a dairy product. Stage one

As an example, consider the manufacture of a solid type of product. Cheese production technology is a very complex biochemical process, which is carried out under the influence of microorganisms and enzymes. It requires adherence to a clear algorithm during the manufacture of the product.

The production of hard cheese includes the following steps:
milk preparation;
curtailment of raw materials, obtaining a homogeneous mass;
maturation;
salt cheese.

So, the first stage is the preparation of milk. What is it? The milk used should contain the required amount of protein. It depends on the yield of the product and the consumption of raw materials. First of all, the milk is cleaned and cooled to prevent the development of such microflora, which will lead to spoilage of raw materials. Milk purifying filters or separators will be needed here.

It is required to cool the milk to a temperature of 7 degrees on a plate cooler with the required capacity.

Second phase. Obtaining a homogeneous mass

The next step in the production of cheese is the maturation of milk. It is held from 12 to 24 hours. During this time, milk is gaining acidity.

Both raw purified milk and pasteurized milk require aging. A starter from lactic acid bacteria, and possibly rennet, is introduced into the pasteurized product. Next, the milk must be cooled to clotting temperature.

It is normalized on cream separators, pasteurized - on pasteurization-cooling units at a temperature of 74-76 degrees. The process takes approximately 20 seconds. During heat treatment, all vegetative forms of microorganisms are destroyed, enzymes are inactivated, and milk is prepared for clotting (up to 32 degrees). Before this, the acidity of the raw material must be at least 20 degrees Turner.

Third stage. cheese maturation

For rennet coagulation, the product is prepared in a cheese-making bath, sourdough from bacteria, a solution of calcium chloride are added. If necessary, rennet is also added. For hard cheese, sourdough from aromatic and lactic streptococci (1.0%) is mainly used.

In the production process, mature milk is often used - 1/5 of the total mass - to increase the Ca content and improve the quality of the clot. Rennet gives a guarantee of the formation of a strong clot in a short time.

Coagulation of milk is carried out at a temperature of 32 degrees for an hour. The resulting clot is cut and dried for 45 minutes, 1/3 of the whey is removed. To speed up dehydration, the cheese grain is reheated for 30 minutes, while the temperature must be maintained (40 degrees).

Then the cheese mass is dried for 50 minutes. The duration of treatment, therefore, is approximately 2-3 hours. The grain size should be 5-6 mm.

Final stage. Ambassador

Salting is the next step in cheese production. This process is carried out at the end of the curd drying stage. Before this, 70% of the serum is removed. Salty concentrated brine is introduced into the grain for 30 minutes with constant stirring. Next, move on to shaping.

The cheese grain is sent to the whey separator by the pump. From there it is poured into molds.

Within an hour, self-pressing occurs, and a single turning is necessary. Then the cheese mass is sent under the press for 4 hours, where its active acidity is greatly increased.

Then the cheese is dried for 10 days. At the end of this time, the heads are covered with a paraffin-polymer alloy.

It is required to carry out technochemical control of cheese production in order to determine how the process meets the standards. Now you know how to make cheese. But there are still nuances associated with the organization of production.

Preparation of documentation for the enterprise for the production of cheese

Before you open your cheese production shop, start production activities and purchase equipment, you need to obtain the necessary permits and complete the required documentation.

The cost estimate should include:
Obtaining rights to purchase or lease land and building permits.
Registration of your business.
Conclusion of the necessary contracts.
Obtaining licenses and certificates for products.

You need to take care of this in advance, otherwise you may experience various force majeure circumstances during the manufacture of products.

If you choose the legal form, it is better to give preference to a limited liability company or individual entrepreneurship. These options will help to significantly reduce the tax.

Cheese certification

Due to the fact that cheese is a product of the dairy industry, its certification is required. For example, a declaration of conformity OKP 92 2511 is issued for Russian cheese. It is issued either for a contract or for a manufacturer with an exact indication of the batch size.

To obtain, you need the following papers: application, contract, constituent documentation of the applicant, label layouts, phytosanitary registration certificate, veterinary certificate.

Required documents and requirements of SES

When opening your own cheese production, as well as choosing any other type of economic activity, you certainly need to have a permit from the state sanitary and epidemiological service (SES), because the requirements of the legislation on sanitary and epidemic supervision are applicable to almost all types of activities.

There are a large number of regulations governing the scope of SES permits. That is why it is quite difficult to fulfill the requirements of this service at the enterprise, to go through the procedure of examination and issuance of a permit, and, moreover, to clearly learn about one's rights and obligations without legal support from specialists.

List of documents

To successfully start and run a business, an enterprise must obtain:

1. Approval of a land management project for the allocation of a land plot.

2. Conclusion on the choice (allocation) of a land plot for construction.

3. Conclusion on the construction project.

4. Coordination on the commissioning of objects of reconstruction or buildings or permission to operate (manufacturers food products).

5. Conclusion on the compliance of the object with the provisions of the sanitary legislation.

6. Conclusion of the SES expertise on regulatory documentation for imported products, as well as domestic production, for the facility itself.

7. Coordination of the range of food products produced by the enterprise and (or) sold.

Documents that are required to obtain a permit in the SES

1. Certificate of state registration of the enterprise (copy).

2. Certificate of the taxpayer (copy).

3. Agreement with the owner on the lease of premises or territory.

4. Routing production, a list of equipment used at the facility, as well as the capacity of the facility.

5. Number of employees, data on medical examinations.

6. Plan of the rented premises, which indicates the installed equipment.

7. The project for the reconstruction of the premises (with a change in the functions of the premises) and the conclusion of the SES on the approval of this project.

8. Passport for the ventilation system.

9. Contract for garbage collection.

10. Agreement with Profdisinfection.

11. Help statistics with printing.

And finally

It may be necessary to provide other documents that regulate the activities of the enterprise or are mandatory for obtaining a permit.

Knowing the manufacturing technology of this product and having a sufficient understanding of necessary equipment, as well as the documentation required to start your business, you will be ready to open your own mini-cheese factory.

Cheese prepared at home will not only be cheaper, but also better in taste, more nutritious than store-bought, because it does not contain preservatives.

WHAT IS CHEESE
Cheese is one of the most nutritious food products obtained by special processing of milk.
During the processing of milk to produce cheese, the milk is affected by lactic acid bacteria, enzymes, and as a result of complex biochemical, microbiological and enzymatic processes, the resulting product acquires new, in comparison with milk, very valuable taste and nutritional properties.

COOKING CHEESE AT HOME
Cheese prepared at home will not only be cheaper, but also better in taste, more nutritious than store-bought, because it does not contain preservatives.
Since the ripening process of the cheese occurs satisfactorily only in a piece weighing at least 0.5 kg, it is impossible to make cheese in smaller quantities.
Homemade cheese contains all the nutrients found in milk, but in a concentrated form. Half a kilogram of hard cheese contains the same amount of protein, calcium, riboflavin and vitamin B as 4.5 liters of milk. In addition, during the production of cheese, the content of vitamins increases.
If you want to make cheese in large quantities, you will have to collect the milk for a week or longer, and store the milk in the refrigerator. However, if it is more convenient for you to work with 12-15 liters of milk, then it should be said that cheese in the appropriate amount can easily be made in an ordinary kitchen. To do this, you will need the following:
> milk;
> rennet or other starter;
> appropriate equipment. The preparation of milk is described in detail in the second section of this book. Here we consider getting rennet and necessary equipment.

PREPARING rennet at home
In the absence of factory-made rennet powder, you can prepare the enzyme yourself. To do this, the extracted rennet is cleaned during slaughter of lambs or calves, the ends of the holes are tied, inflated with air and dried in the shade or in a room at a temperature of +18 - +20 degrees C.
Packets of dried abomasums are wrapped in dark paper and stored until consumed.
It is better to take abomasums for the enzyme 2-4 months after drying, since mucus may appear from fresh ones in the solution.
Before cooking, the ends of the rennet are cut off.
Several rennets are placed on top of each other, with the wide end of one to the narrow end of the other. Finely chopped, like noodles, pour brine. 5% salt is added to drinking water for brine - 50 g per 1 liter - and boiled, cooled to +30 - + 32 degrees C.
Abomasums are soaked and infused in a clean enamel bowl in a warm place. After 2-3 days, the sourdough is ready.

CALCULATION OF THE REQUIRED AMOUNT OF rennet
To calculate the amount of rennet required to coagulate milk, you need to determine its strength in seconds. To do this, take a sample of 0.5 faceted glass from prepared milk (+31 - +33 degrees C), quickly stirring, pour one teaspoon of rennet solution into it and notice in the second hand of the clock when a clot forms.
Knowing the strength of the rennet solution in seconds, the need for it is calculated.
Assume that 20 kg of milk is needed to make cheese. This milk must be curdled in 20 minutes, or 1200 seconds. The test showed a fortress of 60 s. You will need a solution of rennet:
20x60x0.1 = 0.1 l (or 100 ml)
1200

EQUIPMENT NECESSARY FOR PREPARING CHEESE IN HOME CONDITIONS
Most of the equipment for making cheese at home is always at hand, and the missing part is easy to purchase or make yourself.
Such equipment and materials include the following:
> mold for cheese;
> piston;
> press,
> two large pots;
> filter (colander);
> thermometer; -
> a spoon with a long handle;
> long knife;
> two pieces of gauze the size of one square! meter each;
> bricks (6-8 pieces);
> paraffin (0.5 kg).
Let's take a closer look at the main of these accessories.

CHEESE MOLD
the simplest form for cheese can be made using a liter can (for example, from under tomato paste), in the bottom of which you need to make holes with a nail.
The torn edges of the holes should be on the outside to avoid deformation of the cheese. The inner walls of the form are lined with a piece of fabric, then the form is filled with cheese mass and closed with a cloth from above - this way the mass will be prepared for pressing. Excess liquid will exit through the holes.

PISTON
The piston is a necessary part of the press. It is a circle of plywood about 1 cm thick or a piece of board of such a diameter that allows it to easily move inside the mold. The piston presses the cheese mass to the bottom, squeezes out excess whey, forming the density of the mass.

PRESS
You can buy a press, you can use a lard salting press, you can make it yourself in one day from several scraps of boards and a mop handle.
To make a press, take a piece of plywood or board 2 cm thick and 25 cm wide. Saw it into two pieces about 5 cm long each. Drill a 2.5 cm hole in the center of one part. The squeezed whey will flow through it. In the other, drill 2 holes opposite each other, also with a diameter of 2.5 cm, stepping back from the edges of the board 5 cm. These holes should be of such a size that will allow the mop handle to move freely through them.
Cut the handle into 3 parts: 2 x 45 cm and one 38 cm. Nail each 45 cm piece of the handle to the bottom board, stepping back from the edge 5 cm, focusing on the holes for them in the top board. Nail the third piece of the handle to the top board in the center of it, and attach the piston to the bottom end of the handle.
Attach 2 wooden blocks to the bottom of the structure, or put a press on 2 bricks, raising it to a height that allows you to place a container under it to collect the squeezed whey.
A coffee can, some boards, and a mop handle can serve as material for making a press.

FILTER
The filter can be made from a large tin container with holes in it, but a colander or a large sieve will be more convenient to work with.

THERMOMETER
It is best to have a floating thermometer, which is used when cooking butter, although any other that is immersed in liquid will do.

GENERAL TECHNOLOGY FOR PRODUCING CHEESE IN HOME CONDITIONS
The cheese mass is placed on the upper board in a container (form) lined with cloth, which is then placed under the press. The ends of the fabric cover the mass from above.
The piston is inserted into the container, and 1-2 bricks are placed on the top board. The loaded piston weakly squeezes the cheese mass, squeezing out the whey.
The load can be increased to 4 bricks to get a denser cheese.
As a container, two containers for hot water with a volume of 24 liters and 36 liters are used, inserted one into the other (like a boiler). It is recommended to use them because of their low weight and enamel coating of the walls, otherwise aluminum will interact with the acid contained in the curd.
The 24 liter container holds at least 20 liters of milk. It is easy to handle and deep enough to cut the curd with a long kitchen knife.
To make cheese, you need raw goat's or cow's milk, sourdough, rennet, and salt. If desired, you can tint the cheese with orange food coloring.
Raw whole milk from a goat or cow produces the fattest cheese. You can also use skimmed milk. Preservatives are often added to preserve milk. This alone impairs the curdling of milk.
In this case, it is better to use pasteurization.
Never use powdered milk. Firstly, it undergoes appropriate processing, and secondly, it produces a “skinny” cheese. Use only fresh, high quality milk from healthy animals.
Do not use the milk of animals that were given antibiotics less than three days ago. Even a small amount of antibiotics in milk inhibits the formation of acid in cheese.
Raw or pasteurized milk can be stored in the refrigerator for several days. Before use, it is heated to room temperature and aged until the formation of a mature curd mass containing lactic acid, i.e. until sour.
-Sour milk should only have a slightly sour taste, because. in the future, in the process of maturation, the amount of acid will increase. It is best to use the milk of morning and evening milkings. Cool evening milk to 15 degrees C, otherwise too much acid may form when warm milk is added. Refrigerate your morning milk in the same way before mixing it with your evening milk. If you use only morning milking milk, then it should be cooled to a temperature of 15-18 degrees C and kept for 3-4 hours. Otherwise, the required amount of acid is not formed to obtain the desired taste, and the cheese will have a weak consistency.
If you are milking one cow or several goats, store the milk mixture in the refrigerator until you have collected 12-15 liters of milk.
If you decide to make cheese, select 10-12 liters of the the best milk. Remember that low quality milk produces the same quality cheese.
From 4 liters of milk, about 0.5 kg of hard cheese is obtained, a little more than soft cheese, or about one liter of homemade cheese.
Certain types of sourdough starter must be used to induce sufficient acid production to produce a good quality cheese.
Different starter cultures determine the different flavors of the cheese. You can use buttermilk, yogurt or special starter powders. You can make your own homemade sour starter by leaving two cups of fresh milk at room temperature for 12-24 hours to curdle or sour.
A more complex, but much more interesting "sourdough" can be made by adding 1/8 of a stick of yeast to one cup of warm milk and leaving this mixture for a day. Then pour off half and again add one cup of warm milk. Every day for a week, pour half mix and add one cup of warm milk instead.Keep the starter in a warm place.On the last, seventh day, add two cups of warm milk to the mixture and leave it for another day.This starter is ripe and ready to use.
If you make cheese regularly, leave two cups of soured milk from each previous batch of cheese. You can keep them covered in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Let the milk sour so that a curd clot forms and the whey can be separated, which takes 18-24 hours.
Some prefer the taste and texture of homemade cheese made without rennet.
It is noticed that in very warm weather, milk begins to deteriorate before it has time to curdle. In winter, milk curdles for a long time.
After you have made the cheese a few times, you will learn how much salt to put in. Adding salt is necessary to get good taste cheese. You can use regular table salt.
Perform each technological operation carefully, and after a little training you will become a real cheese master. Over time, you will comprehend the intricacies of cheesemaking (stages of milk maturation and their influence on the taste of future cheese, the duration of heating of the cottage cheese and its effect on the structure of the product, the amount of salt, how the number of bricks for pressing is related to the moisture content, and also how the aging time of the cheese is reflected in sharpness of its taste). All these details are reflected in the properties of the final product and determine the variety of taste and structure. The more you learn about this, the better the cheese you produce will be.

MAIN TYPES OF CHEESE PRODUCED IN THE HOME
Three main types of cheese are prepared at home:
> solid;
> soft;
> actually home.
In addition, there are recipes home cooking melted cheeses.

HARD CHEESE
Produced on the basis of cottage cheese, separated from whey, washed and pressed. The resulting cottage cheese in the appropriate amount is placed under the press and aged until the taste appears. Well-pressed and aged cheese is obtained within a month. Use hard cheese you can immediately, but it will be tastier if you keep it longer.
The longer the exposure, the sharper the taste of the cheese. The heavier the applied load, the denser its structure. The best hard cheese comes from whole milk.

SOFT CHEESE
It is done in the same way as a hard one, but the holding period under pressure is much shorter. This cheese is also not paraffin-coated and only aged for a week or not at all.
Usually soft cheese can and should be eaten immediately after production or in the coming weeks. It cannot be stored for as long as solid due to its high liquid content.
Soft cheeses can be made from both whole and skimmed milk.

HOME CHEESE
homemade cheese, is a soft cheese made from separated curds with a high water content and cannot be stored for a long time. It is usually made from skimmed milk, but it can also be made from whole milk. This cheese is the easiest to make compared to other types.

TECHNOLOGY FOR PREPARING HARD CHEESES
1. Heat milk to 32 degrees C and add 2 cups of starter culture. Stir thoroughly for 2 minutes to evenly distribute it. Cover the container with milk and leave in a warm place overnight. Try milk in the morning. If milk has a slight sour taste in the morning, go to the next step. If you are not using rennet, skip the next step and let the milk stand for 18-24 hours until curd and whey form.
2. To milk at room temperature, add 1/2 teaspoon of rennet or one tablet dissolved in 1/2 cup of cold water. Stir the mixture thoroughly for 2 minutes. Cover the container with milk and leave for 30-40 minutes until the milk curdles.
3. As soon as a dense curd clot forms and a little whey separates, you can start cutting the clot. With a clean long knife, cut it into 3x3 cm squares, lowering the knife to the bottom.
Make the first cuts every 3 cm, cutting the cheese into ribbons. Then tilt the knife as far as possible, cut the mass perpendicular to the first cuts. Then turn the pan a quarter of a turn and do it all over again. Mix the pieces thoroughly with a long-handled wooden spoon or a paddle and cut those pieces that are larger, mix carefully, trying not to destroy the pieces.
4. Place the smaller container in a larger one filled with warm water and heat the curdled mass very carefully, raising the temperature every 5 minutes by 2 degrees. Heat the water to 38 degrees C for 30-40 minutes, then maintain this temperature until until the mass reaches the desired density. Stir gently to prevent the cubes from sticking together and forming a single lump. As the cubes become denser with heat, reduce the mixing frequency to help prevent sticking. Check the piece for tightness by gently squeezing it with your hand and quickly releasing it. If it breaks easily into pieces and the cubes do not stick together, then the mass is ready. Usually this state is reached after 1.5-2.5 hours from the moment the abomasum is introduced into milk.
It is very important that the cheese is firm enough when you squeeze out the whey.
If the density is not enough, the cheese will have a weak pasty texture, sour or other undesirable taste.
If the density is excessive, the cheese will be dry and tasteless.
Once the mass has become sufficiently dense, remove the container from warm water.
5. Pour the curdled milk into a large container lined with a filter cloth. Then remove the cloth with the contents and transfer to a colander. It is convenient to use a five-liter container with holes as a colander.
When most of the whey is gone, transfer the curd from the cloth to a container and tilt it from side to side for a while to let the rest of the liquid out. Stir occasionally to avoid the formation of a solid lump. To achieve a better separation of the liquid, mix the mass with your hands. When the mass cools down to 32 degrees C, it acquires the density of rubber and creaks while chewing a small piece - you can add salt.
Save your serum. It is a very nutritious product and good food supplement for livestock. Many drink it themselves or cook food on it.
6. Pour one or two tablespoons of salt into the mass and mix well. As soon as the salt dissolves and the mass cools down to 30 degrees C, spoon the cheese into a mold lined with cloth from the inside. Be sure to make sure that the mass has cooled down to 30 degrees C.
7. When you filled out the cheese form curd mass, connect the ends of the fabric lining the form at the top. Then insert the piston and put everything under the press. Start spinning with 3-4 bricks in the first 10 minutes.
Then remove the plunger and let the whey accumulated inside drain out. Reinsert the piston and add another brick. Repeat until the number of bricks reaches 6-8. When the mass has aged under a load of 6-8 bricks for an hour, the cheese is ready for wrapping.
8. Remove the bricks, remove the piston and turn the mold upside down to remove the mass. Pull firmly on the fabric to make it easier to go. Remove the cloth from the formed mass, then immerse the mass in warm water to wash off the fat from its surface. Use your fingers to level and smooth any holes and cracks, achieving a smooth surface. Then wipe dry.
Now cut a piece of fabric 5 cm wider and longer than the girth of the cheese so that you can wrap it with a little margin. Wrap the cheese tightly using two pieces of cloth in a circle so that the ends overlap. Put the cheese in the mold, put the piston on it and press down with 6-8 bricks. Leave it like this for 18-24 hours.
9. Remove the cheese from the press. Remove the wrapping cloth and dry the surface with a clean, dry cloth. Look for holes or breaks in the piece. Rinse with warm water or serum until hard. Seal holes and breaks in the head by dipping them in water and smoothing them with your fingers or a knife. Then put the cheese in a cool dry cabinet. Turn it over and wipe it daily until the crust dries. This usually happens within 3-5 days.
10. Heat 250 g of paraffin in a flat dish to 80 degrees C. Its depth should be such that you can immediately lower half the head of cheese. Heat paraffin only in a water bath, never using fire. Place the head in hot paraffin for 10 s. Pull out for 1-2 minutes and let harden. Then fuse the other half. Make sure that the entire surface of the cheese is evenly covered with paraffin.
11. Turn the head of cheese daily.
Wash the closet weekly, ventilate and dry it.
After about 6 weeks of aging at a temperature of 5-15 degrees C, the cheese will acquire a dense texture and a delicate taste.
You get a sharp taste from cheese if you keep it like that for 3-5 or more months. The lower the storage temperature of the cheese, the longer the aging time. Taste your cheese occasionally. It is possible to cut the cheese into four equal parts before paraffin pouring and use one of them for testing. How long to age the cheese, decide for yourself, guided only by your own taste.
As a rule, Colby cheese is ready in 30-90 days, cheddar - no earlier than 6 months, Romano - about 5 months. Some cheeses are aged for only 3-5 weeks. You will find out the duration of exposure by noting for yourself the time during which the cheese acquired the taste you like.

HARD CHEESE RECIPES
First recipe
Add 2 cups of starter culture to 4.5 liters of warm cow's milk. Cover and put the vessel in a warm place for 12-24 hours, until the milk turns into curdled milk. Follow the basic instructions from point 4 while heating the curd. Squeeze out the whey, as described in paragraph 7, bypassing paragraph 6. Remove the cheese from under the press, add 4 tbsp. tablespoons butter and 3/4 teaspoon baking soda. Chop with a knife until the cottage cheese turns into crumbs, and the oil and soda mix well. Place the mixture firmly in a bowl or clay pot, pressing to the bottom, and leave in a warm place for 2.5 hours. Then transfer the mass to a mold for heating cheese, after adding 2/3 cups of sour cream and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Start heating slowly. Once the mixture is hot, start mixing. When all the additives are evenly distributed in the mass, pour the mixture into a well-greased pot or bowl and refrigerate. This cheese is ready to eat as soon as it cools. It can also be aged for 2 to 3 months.
Second recipe
This is a salty cheese made from sheep or goat milk such as feta cheese, Adyghe, Ossetian and other pickled cheeses. To make it, follow the directions, including step 7 - pressing the cheese, but skipping step 6 - adding salt. Press the cheese for 1 - 2 hours, then remove from the mold, cut into cubes and immerse in a salt solution (1/4 cup of salt per 1 liter of water). Leave the cheese in the solution for 24 hours. Then strain the cubes, pat dry and place under pressure again for 18 hours. The cheese is aged in a dilute salt solution (1/4 cup salt per 2 liters of warm water) for 8-10 days. A well-aged cheese is white or creamy in color.

RECIPES FOR COOKING SOFT CHEESE
Soft cheese is usually delicate in texture and does not keep for long. It has a short holding time. It is not paraffin-coated, but wrapped in wax paper and stored in the refrigerator until use. With few exceptions, soft cheeses are eaten within a week or so; as long as they taste the best.
The simplest soft cheese is ordinary cottage cheese.
Most cheeses have a creamy texture because they are made by straining the whey through a cloth bag. Making soft cheeses is not as difficult as making hard ones. Here are the most common soft cheese recipes.
First recipe
Bring 5 liters of milk to a boil. Cool to lukewarm and add half a liter of buttermilk and 3 beaten eggs. Stir gently for 1 min, then let stand until a thick precipitate forms. Strain everything through a tight bag to glass whey. After 12 hours, you will get delicious cheese.
Second recipe
Add 1 cup of sourdough starter to 2 cups of warm milk. Let the mixture stand for 24 hours. Then pour in 2 liters of warm milk and let the mass curdle during the day. After that, heat in warm water in a water bath for 30 minutes and pour into a tight cloth bag.
Let the serum drain. After one hour, take the cheese out, salt to taste and wrap in wax paper! This cheese can be used immediately for sandwiches or with dry biscuits. Keep it in a cool place until use.
According to this recipe, along with 1 teaspoon of salt, you can add 1 liter of sour cream to the mass, and then hang this mixture for filtering in a cold place for 3 days.

RECIPES FOR COOKING HOME CHEESE
Homemade cheese can be eaten immediately after preparation as a low-calorie food by itself or with the addition of sour cream. It tastes best chilled, but has a limited shelf life of one week when refrigerated.
First recipe
Heat 4.5 liters of milk to 24-26 degrees C and add 1 cup of starter. Cover and keep in a warm place for 12-24 hours, until a curdled mass forms and a little whey on top.
Now cut the clot with a knife lengthwise and across into centimeter cubes. Place the container with the mass in a large bowl with warm water. Heat up to 40 degrees C, stirring constantly so that the mass does not stick together. Do not overheat - carefully monitor the temperature! Monitor the hardness of the curd particles by periodically tasting the mass. Someone likes soft cottage cheese, and someone prefers hard granular, so when the mass seems ready to you, pour it into a colander lined with a cloth and strain for 2 minutes. After removing the cloth from the colander along with the contents, place it under a stream of warm water and, gradually adding cold, rinse off the serum. Place the mass in a bowl, add salt, cream to taste and chill well before drinking.
Second recipe
Pour 1 cup of starter into 4.5 liters of fresh milk. Cover and leave overnight in a warm place. In the morning, add 1/2 rennet tablet dissolved in 1/2 cup water. Stir 1 minute, cover and let stand 45 minutes. Cut the clot into centimeter cubes, then heat in a water bath to 40 degrees C. Then continue as in the first recipe, when the mass heats up and reaches the density you need.

COOKING PROCESSED CHEESE AT HOME
To make cheese, you will need 3 liters of milk, 1 liter of sour cream, 5 eggs, 1 tbsp. a spoonful of salt and sugar.
From the accessories you will need cutting boards and a stone for oppression.
Milk must be boiled, and sour cream must be beaten with eggs so that a homogeneous mixture is obtained.
Salt and sugar are added to boiling milk, and when it boils, you need to pour the sour cream mixture into it in a thin stream.
The resulting mixture should be heated over low heat, while stirring it until curtailing. When a dense clot forms in the pan, you need to remove it from the heat and immediately throw it into a colander lined with gauze in two layers.
When the whey is partially strained, the cheese mass is tied with gauze, the ends of which are straightened, and placed between two clean cutting boards, after which they are pressed down with a stone. When all the whey has been removed, the cheese can be considered ready. Whey can be used to knead dough for pancakes.
The resulting cheese cannot be stored for a long time. It keeps in the refrigerator for two to three days.

RECIPES USING CHEESE

KHACHAPURI
> 0.5 l of matsoni, 2 eggs, 0.5 teaspoons of salt, flour - as needed. > For the filling: 500 g cheese, 7-2 eggs, 100 g butter.
From yoghurt (see the preparation in the second section of the book) or yogurt, with which most of the whey, eggs, salt and wheat flour have previously been decanted, knead a non-cool dough (sometimes baking powder is added to the dough - soda), divided into 4 parts. Roll each into thin pancake layers, somewhat thicker than for noodles (according to the size of the pan in which khachapuri will be baked). Spread the prepared filling on each layer with a layer of about 0.5 cm, put the same layer of a smaller diameter on top and pinch the edges tightly. Khachapuri can also be open like a cheesecake, then it is baked in the oven.
Grease a cast-iron frying pan with oil, put khachapuri on it with a seam down, close the lid and bake for 8-10 minutes. When one side is browned, turn over and continue baking, but do not close the lid.
Grease the finished khachapuri with oil and serve hot. Filling preparation. Pre-soak pickled cheese (Imeretinsky, chanakh, Kobiysky, brynza), for which cut it into slices up to 1 cm thick, put in an enamel bowl and pour cold water. Depending on the degree of salinity, soaking lasts from 2 to 5 hours. Then the cheese should be squeezed through a napkin, chopped (ceiled, passed through a meat grinder), butter and an egg should be added.

CROQUETTES WITH CHEESE AND SEmolina
> For 1/2 liter of milk: 100 g semolina, / egg, 100 g grated cheese, 2 cm. "spoons of butter, ground crackers, salt, pepper - to taste.
Boil thick milk semolina, put an egg in it, grated hard cheese, salt, pepper to taste and mix everything, apply the porridge with a layer of about 1.5 cm on the board and cool. Cut the cooled porridge into squares, roll in grated cheese and breadcrumbs and fry in butter.

CHEESE STICKS
The cheese is cut into slices 2-3 cm thick, and then into oblong sticks.
Each stick can be decorated in different ways: putting a radish, a piece of egg, sprats, a piece of pineapple on the cheese and whatever the hostess will tell her taste and imagination.

PEPPERS STuffed with Cheese and EGGS
> 1 kg of pepper, 500 g of cheese, 5 eggs, 150 g of oil and ground red pepper.
For strong straight pepper pods, cut the upper wide part not completely, in the form of a cap, remove the stem with seeds, and open the caps. Mash the cheese and pour the eggs into it. For coloring, you can add a little red pepper. Fill the pepper pods with this mixture, close them with lids so that the filling does not fall out during frying. In a suitable dish, heat a little oil and brown it on all sides. stuffed pepper and then put it in the oven for 5-10 minutes. Serve hot (and if cooked on vegetable oil, then it can be cold).

CHEESE QUENELS
> 250 g grated cheese, 100 g semolina, 4 eggs.
Grind the yolks, mix with grated cheese and semolina, salt, let stand for 2-3 hours. Then mix with whipped proteins and put on a wet napkin, giving the mass the shape of a roller. Wrap tightly in a napkin, tightly bandage the ends of it and, securing the edge with a thread, put the roll in boiling salted water. When the roll pops up, carefully remove it by unfolding the napkin. Cut the roll into round pieces, arrange on a dish and pour over the sauce.

CAKES WITH CHEESE
> 300 g shortcrust pastry, 200 g cheese, 1 glass of milk, 1 cm. a spoonful of flour, South oil, 2 eggs, a pinch of salt, pepper.
Place a 5 mm thick dough on a greased baking sheet and cover it with thinly sliced ​​or grated cheese. Spread on top custard made from milk, flour, eggs with salt and pepper. The baking sheet should be covered 3/4 of the way up. Bake 20 minutes in the oven. Ready pie cut into cakes.

COOKIES WITH CHEESE
> cup wheat flour, 7 1/4 cups grated cheese, 100 g butter, 3 cm. spoons heavy cream 20% fat, salt and red pepper to taste, 1 egg.
mix wheat flour, grated cheese, butter, cream, add salt, red pepper and knead everything thoroughly; Leave the resulting dough for 3 hours to ripen, then roll it into a layer and cut out round cakes with a small glass. Brush them with beaten egg and bake them in the oven.

Oddly enough, but the cheese that we all love to eat can be compared to a person. Just like a person, cheese is born, matures, ages and dies.

By the way, like people, cheeses have their own hierarchy: patriarchs, aristocrats and commoners.

The technology for making hard cheese has hardly changed for centuries.

In small and medium-sized cheese dairies, where traditions are honored, cheese is still made by hand. At large enterprises, cheese production processes are mechanized and automated, and the equipment is equipped with program control.

The initial ingredients from which any hard cheese is made is milk. The technology for making different varieties of hard cheese from milk has much in common, so before you start making cheese, you need to study the general provisions, and then apply various recipes.

1. Milk pasteurization. As you know, there are three modes of pasteurization:

  • prolonged, when milk should be heated to 65 ° C and kept for 30 minutes;
  • short-term - milk is heated to 75 ° C and kept for 20 minutes;
  • instant, when the milk is heated to 90 ° C and not kept.

By different recipes hard cheese can be prepared with pasteurized milk, and with fresh milk, as well as with steam, that is, immediately after milking.

Depending on what kind of milk you use when making cheese, the cheese acquires its own special characteristics and taste.

2. Formation of a clot. After you add a milk-clotting enzyme or starter to milk, a gel forms.

Depending on the temperature at which the starter or enzyme was added to the milk, the result of coagulation (coagulation) of milk will be different.

Depending on the cheese recipe, the resulting coagulate is subjected to various types processing in order to separate whey, cut, heat, mix. This process is called syneresis.

3. Cutting the clot. The coagulum is ready for cutting after a period of 25 minutes to 2 hours, depending on the cheese recipe.


To determine the exact time of cutting the clot, a clean finger test is performed. This is the traditional method used by cheese makers.

The meaning of the test for a clean finger is to dip a finger, probe (spatula) or thermometer into the top layer of the clot and lift it up, as a result of which the clot breaks up, forming a break line.

A clean break with non-spreading edges and green serum at its base indicates that the clot can be cut.

A soft uneven break line with white serum indicates a weak clot strength. On the sides of the break, one can judge the quality of the clot: a granular structure indicates that the clot is too dense.

4. Getting the cheese mass. As a result of the processes performed with cheese, a curd mass is obtained. In fact, it is already ready cheese, to which various spices, salt, herbs, nuts, etc. can be added at this stage. The cheese mass is either weighed or pressed.

5. Cheese pressing and self-pressing. At the stage, it is laid out in special forms and subjected to pressing.

You can buy molds for cheese in the online store with delivery.

Pressing can take place in several stages and can be different in terms of pressure.

6. Cheese maturation. At this stage, the cheese should be transferred to a cellar, or some other special maturation room, where it will need to be carefully looked after.

If you are preparing pickled cheese, then it can both ripen and be further stored in brine.

In the process of ripening, the cheese must be turned over, sometimes washed, brushed. Depending on what kind of cheese is being made, it can even be smoked, wiped with alcohol, sprinkled with spices and perform other manipulations.

It is important that a certain level of humidity and temperature is maintained in the room throughout the entire ripening process, since the final result depends on this.

You can buy a package for cheese maturation in the online store.