How to make smoked cheese in production
Though, that the history of smoking cheeses dates back more than a thousand years, industrial production of smoked cheeses began at the end 19 century. There are two main ways, how to smoke cheese - cold and hot. Cold smoking occurs at low temperatures (to 40 degrees) and lasts a long time - from several hours to several days. Hot smoking goes at high (to 80 degrees) temperature and occurs very quickly - a few tens of minutes. At such high temperatures, the cheese melts quickly, therefore, the industrial method of smoking cheese is fully automated. in addition, Rapid hot smoking places more stringent demands on food safety, because at such temperatures the smoke contains dangerous components, which requires additional means of smoke filtration in such smokehouses. The productivity of large industrial smokehouses is up to several hundred kilograms of product per hour.
How to cook smoked cheese at home
Hot smoking cheese at home is difficult to implement, therefore it is necessary to use cold. There are several methods of smoking at home. With each of them you can smoke any type of cheese - as purchased, and own production. Varieties can also be any: the main thing, that the cheese was firm. You can use Dutch cheese, parmesan or feta. Consider some of the ways to make smoked cheese:
- Use of a stationary smokehouse. The cheese is first cut into pieces of 10x10x5 cm. Thicker is undesirable, because the smoke will not soak it completely. After that, the cheese is placed in the refrigerator in the open, example, per deck, where it is kept during the day. Then take it out of the fridge, and for an hour the cheese is at room temperature. This will help get rid of excess moisture. Then the cheese is placed in a smokehouse and kept there for the required time. Usually, it is several hours. Wood chips act as a source of smoke, fragrant twigs or special granules. In the process, the pieces need a minimum 1 turn over once. After cooking, smoked meat is placed in the refrigerator for several days, where it comes to condition.
- Use of grill or barbecue. You will need this method 1-2 kilograms of ice. Preliminary preparation of the product is the same, as in the previous method. Raw materials for smoke are placed on the bottom of the grill and the grill is set on fire. A lattice with pieces of ice is placed on top - they will help maintain a low temperature when smoking. It is necessary to provide for the possibility of replacement when the ice melts. It is necessary to place a lattice with cheese on ice. The top of the grill is covered with a lid, in which there should be openings for a smoke exit. Smoking lasts from half an hour to 6 hours. It is necessary to regularly maintain the fire, adding charcoal and changing the melted ice.
- Using a homemade smokehouse. If you do not want to buy a smokehouse, you can do it yourself. An empty 200 l barrel can be used as a smokehouse. Fragrant twigs or cod are placed on its bottom, the thickness of the layer is not more 1-2 div. The cheese is placed on top of the barrel on the grill, attached at a height of about a meter from the bottom. Usually, the cheese on the grill is on a baking sheet or large frying pan. The top of the barrel is closed with a wet cloth, so that the smoke from the twigs has longer in contact with the cheese. Under the barrel fire breaks out and, actually, smoking begins. In the process, the cheese is turned over several times. The criterion for readiness is the color of the crust in dark yellow or brown.
- Using an old refrigerator. You can use an old refrigerator as a smokehouse. An electric stove is placed on its bottom, on which a frying pan with chips or twigs is installed. It is desirable to provide the refrigerator with an internal thermometer, as its thermal insulation allows to reach high temperatures even with the minimum power of a heater. The cheese is placed in a special dish (pan, frying pan or sheet) on the refrigerator racks. If it is not enough, then it is desirable to place on the bottom shelf. Smoking at room temperature 40 degrees lasts several hours. You can reduce this time, if you increase the temperature to hot smoking mode, but this should not be done at home - decomposes at such temperatures, the smoke material contains a large amount of phenols, harmful to humans.
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Healthy or smoked cheese
The use of cheese in cooking is very wide - from simple snacks to beer and salad ingredients to entering into recipes for serious meat and fish dishes. Smoked cheese is useful only in quality production. At the same time all useful microcells should be kept, which are a part of milk. These are such important components, both phosphorus and calcium; they are necessary for normal hair and skeletal growth, as well as to maintain the health of nails and teeth.
High nutritional value of smoked cheese is achieved due to this, that fat, which are part of it, during heat treatment change their structure for the better and are evenly distributed throughout the product. It adds calories, at the same time the stock of practically all vitamins remains, proteins and amino acids. When smoking, vitamins A and D are preserved. The caloric content of good smoked cheese is from 320 to 420 kCal / 100 r.
If the composition includes various food additives, having the prefix E, or he smoked using so-called "liquid smoke", then the useful qualities of this cheese are in great doubt. Many of these supplements are harmful to the liver, and liquid smoke is a carcinogen.
How much smoked cheese is stored
Unlike the usual, uncooked cheeses, storage of which is limited 4-6 months (and then this term cheese can transfer, if it is in undamaged packaging and special storage conditions), smoked cheese is stored much longer. Due to the partial polymerization of fats, as well as natural antioxidants, falling into the cheese during smoking, its shelf life increases. So, example, ordinary sausage cheese in cling film can be stored for up to 4 months. If the cheese is not unpacked after smoking, then the term of his "life" can reach a year. Example, homemade Adygean cheese has a shelf life of about 30 days, but if he was smoked, it can be eaten in a few years.
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