Chipotle - Cheddar Cheese

Making cheddar starts like any other cheese-making process: the milk is separated into curds (the thick, protein-filled part) and whey (the watery part) using cheese cultures (strains of bacteria—the good kind) and rennet (a vegetarian-based enzyme). Here's where it gets cheddary: once drained, the curds are stacked on top of each other to press out even more whey, which gives cheddar its distinct interior layering, dense texture, and complex flavor. While cheddar cheese can be sweet, tangy, and even earthy, its flavor intensifies and sharpens as it ages. It's why we use aged cheddar in our queso.