Artisanal Cheese, along with olive oil, ham, and wine, is one of the most representative products of Spanish gastronomy. So much so that there are countless types throughout our country. And it’s increasingly common to find homemade cheeses, something we discussed in our post “Artisan Cheese and Health.” In fact, more and more people are interested in how to make cheese at home.

However, it’s not always easy to distinguish an artisan cheese from an industrial one. And this is precisely the question we’ll delve into in this new post. So, if you want to know if your artisan goat cheese is truly artisan, don’t miss what we’re going to tell you today. Because we’re going to give you the keys to learn how to recognize them without fail.

Artisanal Cheese: What Is It?

Before teaching you how to differentiate an artisan goat cheese from an industrial one, let’s remember what exactly a homemade or artisan cheese is. We could say, to keep things simple, that this is a cheese made by hand using natural ingredients, meticulously following the entire production and ripening process. Unlike industrial cheese, it’s not mass-produced, but rather individually made with much greater care and delicacy.

How to Tell if a Cheese Is Artisan

Okay… Now you know the difference between artisanal and industrial cheese. But how do you differentiate them? To begin with, you should know that artisan cheese stands out for its aroma, as even the mildest cheese should have a scent. In contrast, industrial cheeses have no or very little aroma.

Beyond this initial sign, you should also look at the flavor. Artisan and natural cheeses use raw milk in their production, which gives them a slight bitterness. This spicy and bitter nuance can be appreciated at the end. In the case of industrial cheeses, pasteurized milk is used, which doesn’t provide such strong and distinctive flavors.

The Cheesemaking Process: How to Make Cheese at Home

At this point, you may be wondering how to make artisan goat cheese yourself, without leaving home. You should know that it’s a complex process and requires certain tools. If you have everything you need, you should follow these five steps:

  • Coagulation: The first phase is known as the renneting or coagulation process, which consists of adding lactic ferments to transform your cheese from a liquid state into a solid or semi-solid state.
  • Cutting and Extraction: Once it has the right texture, you can cut the cheese. Once cut, you must drain the whey and place the pieces of cheese in a mold.
  • Pressing: Once the artisan cheeses are in their molds, the cheese must be pressed to extract all the whey remaining inside.
  • Salting: This process aims to preserve the product and form an outer rind, which prevents the growth of microorganisms.
  • Ripening: This is the final stage of production and involves preserving the product in caves or ripening chambers with controlled temperature and humidity.