We’re making bread again in preschool. This time the kids are talking about all kinds of other foods, too. It’s so cool – once they figure out that food had to come from somewhere, they are just full of questions. “How do you make carrots?” “Is chicken made out of chicken?”
At snack we had cheese sticks, and someone asked how to make cheese. I said that I actually knew the answer to that. (Thank you, Laura Ingalls Wilder.) Not having any rennet/cow stomach lining, I ran to get some lemon juice and milk. We dumped them together and then waited for the glorious grossness to commence.
Once it curdled, I poured it through a coffee filter and we let it drain while we played outside.
Back inside, we watched a little cheese-making video and then I scooped our our tiny bit of cheese. We smelled it, I taught them Little Miss Muffet and explained the curds/whey, and then…… I ate some. They were properly impressed.
As they should be. *jibblie*
It wasn’t horrible. I salted it, but I don’t think I’d eat it again. Prepping for this post, I read about how you are really supposed to do it – heat the milk to 165 degrees blah blah blah. Nope. For maximum understanding, this did the trick.
Brad says
I wonder who first discovered the whole process. Cheese is one of my favorite foods in the world, but it really is pretty gross.
Lauren says
I’m going to guess that it was someone who tried to use a cow’s stomach as a carrying vessel (like a wine bag) for milk and it went horribly, horribly wrong. 😉
Deborah says
You know so much!
Lauren's dad says
Research projects: What makes the holes in swiss cheese? Where does mozzarella cheese come from?