Science & Making
The Science of Cheese
The science of cheese begins with questions you can bring to the cheeseboard or the kitchen: why does this cheese crumble, what gives that one its flavour, and will it melt? Explore the articles below in reading order, or choose the question that matches what you want to understand.
Start here
Where Cheese Flavour Comes From: The Chemistry Explained
Your knife slips through a bloomy-rind cheese.
Why Some Cheese Melts and Some Does Not
Picture curds sitting in hot whey at 93 to 95 °C.
Proteolysis and Lipolysis Explained
Press a piece of cheese and watch what happens.
Terroir in Cheese: Does Place Matter?
Look past the cheese on its bamboo ageing mat.
How Acidity, Salt and Water Activity Affect Cheese Safety
Your knife glides through one soft cheese, then another.
Why Is Cheese Creamy, Crumbly or Elastic?
You take a bite and the cheese falls into moist crumbs.
Why Some Cheeses Squeak
Bite into a fresh Wisconsin cheese curd and listen.