How Raclette Cheese is made - a short overview

Posted by Sonja Hoffmann on Jul 27, 2018

Since we have adopted an alp and are expecting the first shipment of raclette cheese, we started to wonder how raclette cheese is made. On a recent visit to "our" alp we had the chance to take a look at the process. This post is not meant to be a recipe, it merely shows a few rough steps that go into cheese making in general and raclette specifically.

First we need happy cows! These were grazing in front of Alp Maran in Arosa, Switzerland:

Cows at Alp Maran On this alp, the milk is being collected from 4 different alps in the area. The milk is being send via "pipeline" to the cheese maker.

The raw milk has to rest for a while to allow the cream to rise. Raclette cheese is being made with unpasteurized milk with 3-3.5% fat content. The milk is then poured into a big vat where it is warmed to a specific temperature while being mixed with some cultures and rennet to achieve the right acidity and for coagulation.

On the left you can see the mixing insert, and on the right you can see how truly large this vat is. After a while, the milk thickens. The coagulated milk is called curd and the liquid is called whey. The curd of future raclette cheese is very soft compared to other cheeses. Once the curd is thickened enough, it is ready to be cut with a comb style attachment in the vat. Temperature control is important during the whole process and influences the consistency of the curd and the taste of the final product.

The curd is then placed in circular molds and pressed for a predesignated time, then turned and pressed again. This cycle repeats several times remove access liquid and lactose until the desired consistency is reached.

Now it's time for the brine bath. By submerging the cheeses in the salty liquid the salt is pulling moisture from the surface and begins forming a rind. The secondary purpose is for the cheese flavor. The brine is often reused for the next batch of cheese.

Cheese stored after it went through the brine bath

Finally the cheese is stored in shelves, where the cheese makers carefully monitor the temperature and humidity. Wooden shelves are being used to keep the moisture level right.

During the aging process, raclette cheese is washed and turned in regular intervals. It takes at least 90 days for the raclette to be ready for the retail floor.

Brushes to wash the rind Cheese aging in storage