Cheese is a fermented food derived from the milk of various mammals.
It can be used in a wide array of cooking applications, with different types of cheeses being used, depending on the desired effect.
It's also a wonderful source of protein, calcium and phosphorus, but it's also a major source of saturated fat.
Making cheese is not that difficult of a task; it is both a simple and a complex process, as well as both an art and a science.
Cheese making is an ancient practice, dating back thousands of years, and a home cheese maker can usually find recipes that fall into many different categories.
The art of producing cheese is an important element of gastronomy in many regions and reveals the skill of the hands that gives it its shape.
It is made by coagulating or curdling milk, stirring and heating the curd, draining off the whey (the watery part of milk), then collecting and pressing the curd, and in some cases ripening.
Cheeses may be salted or dyed, usually with annatto, an orange coloring made from the pulp of a tropical tree, or carrot juice.
They are eaten both on their own and cooked in various dishes; most cheeses melt when heated.
Some molds are found only in very specific geographic regions, or even in actual cheese caves, meaning that a wide variety of cheeses can be produced all over the planet.
Because cheese is just a fancy mix of water and fat, extremely aged cheeses, like parmesan, have little water and can disintegrate into an oily mess.
Conversely, spreadable ones such as soft goat cheese can easily turn into a puddle.
A number of common cheeses that are widely available include Cheddar, Monterey Jack, mozzarella, Brie, Swiss, Colby, Muenster and American.