Cheese vs Milk
Cheese and Milk, though the source is the same, have some difference between them in terms of taste, preparation, nature, and nutrition. Cheese is a product made from milk. Milk, on the other hand, is a white liquid produced by the mammary glands of mammals. Though they have differences between them, it should be noted that cheese is dependent on milk as without milk no one can make cheese. Also, the taste and quality of the cheese also depend on the quality of the milk. Keeping these facts in mind, let us see what more there is to know about both cheese and milk.
What is Milk?
Milk is considered a highly nutritious food, especially for children. This is because it can be digested very easily unlike other types of food normally consumed by adults. Hence, milk is the first type of food prescribed for the new born babies. Lactation milk is made up of colostrums that carry the antibodies of the mother unto the baby. The intake of colostrums is highly recommended to fight against diseases in the bodies of the new born. It is important to understand that milk is a repository of saturated fat, protein, and calcium too. Milk contains vitamin C, as well. Due to the presence of calcium in milk, it is recommended as a cure for bone related diseases.
At the very young age, humans drink milk from their mothers. Then, as they grow up, they use the substitutions for their mother’s milk. This substitution milk type comes from various animals such as cow, goat, camel, sheep and yak. The most popular type is cow milk. All of these milk types are now industrially gathered. That means there are people who breed these animals to gather milk. Once the milk is collected, they are purified, some vitamins and other nutrients are added. After that, some of the milk is bottled straight in their liquid form while some of the milk is powered to be put into packets. Once they are properly packed, they come to the market. People who wish to consume milk buy it from the market. Some of them drink it as it is. Some mix it with tea and drink. Some add them to other beverages such as coffee too.
What is Cheese?
It is important to know that whole milk is reacted to form curd in the making of cheese. Curd is prepared by the addition of lemon juice or vinegar to milk. In fact, these curds are compressed and then processed to prepare cheese. This is one of the easy processes of the preparation of cheese. A great variety of cheese can be prepared by using bacteria in the process of acidification. The bacteria used in the preparation of cheese go a long way in providing the taste in cheese too. So, in the preparation, milk is gathered, and then it is acidified. After that, the enzyme rennet is added. That enzyme causes coagulation. Then, the solids that are created are separated from each other and pressed into their final form.
When you consider the nutrition, cheese is said to be a storehouse of protein and hence is added in food items in the cuisines of several parts of the world. Other than protein, cheese contains other nutrients too. There are calcium, phosphorous, fat, sodium, and very small amounts of lactose in every type of cheese. The less amount of lactose is a specialty of cheese.
In the market, there are various types of cheese available. They even come in different colors. The styles, textures, and also the flavors of cheese are dependent on facts such as the origin of the milk, bacteria and mould, the aging, the processing, etc. Cheese, just like wine, is believed to get better with age. The different types of various cheeses are Mozzarella, Cheddar, Camembert, etc. If you take Camembert, it is soft-creamy type of cheese made from cow’s milk. Then, Mozzarella is a cheese type that is made from the milk of Italian buffalo. Mozzarella cheese is very popular in the Pizza industry. Cheddar cheese is a type of natural cheese. This cheese is hard and is in the color range from off-white to pale yellow.
What is the difference between Cheese and Milk?
• Cheese is made from milk by making it go through a different production process. Thus, milk is considered the primary substance and cheese is the secondary substance.
• While milk carry saturated fats, calcium, vitamin C and protein, cheese is well known for containing phosphorous, protein, calcium, and fat.These are the general nutrients in any type of cheese. Depending on the different varieties of the cheese, the amount of nutrients varies.
• Milk contains lactose which is not suitable for lactose intolerant people. Since this lactose is in the liquid part of the milk, cheese does not have that much lactose as milk. This is because as cheese is a solid, it has less liquid. Also, the harder the cheese gets, less lactose it contains. For example, cheese such as Parmesan and Extra sharp Cheddar has essentially no lactose. So, for lactose intolerant people, enjoying cheese is a possibility though they cannot enjoy milk.
• Milk is used in preparing food items such as puddings, custards, mousses, soups, etc. Cheese is a main ingredient in lasagna, pizza, casserole, etc.
• Milk helps to build strong bones while cheese helps to build strong muscles.
These are the differences between cheese and milk.
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Sources:
- Cheese nutrients via National Dairy Council