Air-Dried Cheeses

In the dairy world, most hard cheeses are air-dried and aged for a period of days, weeks, or months. After the curds are separated from the whey, they are pressed to expel most of the liquid. The firming process continues over time as the cheese is dried out by being exposed to air. The size of the cheese and the duration of air-drying determine how hard the final cheese is, yielding a variety of textures from creamy but sliceable Emmentaler or Gouda to extremely hard and easy-to-grate Parmesan. To a certain extent, a similar process is possible with vegan cheeses.