# Why would they put vinegar in cheese? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 2, 2016, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-they-put-vinegar-in-cheese/773643 "2016-12-02T15:40:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Soylent\_Juicy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@Soylent\_Juicy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soylent_Juicy)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2016, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-they-put-vinegar-in-cheese/773643/1 "2016-12-02T15:40:15Z")
I like Kraft brand “Amooza” cheese twists but the package I currently have tastes kind of weird. It’s nowhere near the expiry date either. I read the ingredients and near the top of the list is “vinegar”. I’ve never seen vinegar in cheese before (and I read labels to make sure there’s no rennet) and it seems like an odd thing to put in a dairy product. I emailed Kraft and got their standard form email reply with no answer to my question about the vinegar. Does anyone know why they would put vinegar in a cheese product? ---
**Author:** ![Sigene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df788c/32.png) [@Sigene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigene)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2016, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-they-put-vinegar-in-cheese/773643/2 "2016-12-02T15:48:51Z")
just guessing: either for flavor, or to lower the pH and cause the milk to curdle in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2016, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-they-put-vinegar-in-cheese/773643/3 "2016-12-02T16:25:21Z")
> [@Soylent\_Juicy](#): > > and I read labels to make sure there’s no rennet Just so you know, while I’m not vegetarian myself, rennet can be labeled simply as “enzymes” according to FDA rules. Seeing a label of “enzymes” does not mean they have an animal source, but they can be animal, plant, microbial, or any combination. (ETA: Sorry, meant to source it. [See d(1) here](http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/CFRSearch.cfm?fr=133.113). You may already know this, but just in case you don’t, that’s something to be aware of.) My assumption is the vinegar is to get to the target pH if some enzyme source is already listed on the label, especially if the cheese you’re asking about is mozzarella. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2016, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-they-put-vinegar-in-cheese/773643/4 "2016-12-02T16:30:15Z")
A cheap shortcut it seems. > [@](#): > > The vinegar provides the acid that causes the milk to curdle and produces the acid flavor. The traditional method of producing the acid is to use a culture of acid producing bacteria. This is more complicated and takes longer but as it is alive, the cheese will continue to improve in flavor with age. This is of little consequence in a cheese made for immediate consumption. > [Cheese Making](http://schmidling.com/making.htm) ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2016, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-they-put-vinegar-in-cheese/773643/5 "2016-12-02T16:47:05Z")
> [@bob\_2](#): > > A cheap shortcut it seems. Depends on context, really. Many “fresh cheeses/farmer cheeses” like paneer, ricotta, or queso fresco are traditionally [acid-set](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Acid-set_cheeses) as part of the traditional recipe. Maybe in the context of an “industrially-produces cheese food”, it’s just part of a production-line method (and therefore, yes, quick and cheap compared to traditional cheesemaking, like a production-line car is cheaper and more quickly-made than a hand-made exotic. ---
**Author:** ![Bucinka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/65b543/32.png) [@Bucinka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bucinka)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2016, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-they-put-vinegar-in-cheese/773643/6 "2016-12-02T17:02:09Z")
Hi, I make cheese occasionally at home. An acid of some sort, usually lemon juice but can also be vinegar, facilitates curdling. For example, my at-home process for mozzarella is: [ol] [li]Bring the milk to near-boiling.[/li][li]Add the lemon juice (about 2 tbsp. per gallon of milk).[/li][li]Continue to heat and stir the mix until the curds separate from the whey.[/li][li]Drain the curds through cheesecloth. (Aha–_that’s_\*\* what that fabric is for!) You can save the whey for another purpose.[/li][li]Microwave and knead the hot curds like salt-water taffy. That’s where the strings come from.[/li][li]Plan to use it on a pizza but eat it plain before you get the chance. :rolleyes:[/ol][/li] Hope this helps some. Da Great Bucinka ---
**Author:** ![Soylent\_Juicy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@Soylent\_Juicy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soylent_Juicy)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2016, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-they-put-vinegar-in-cheese/773643/7 "2016-12-02T17:11:59Z")
Thanks everyone! Got to love learning something new. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2016, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-they-put-vinegar-in-cheese/773643/8 "2016-12-02T17:14:21Z")
> [@gnoitall](#): > > Depends on context, really. Many “fresh cheeses/farmer cheeses” like paneer, ricotta, or queso fresco are traditionally [acid-set](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Acid-set_cheeses) as part of the traditional recipe. > > Maybe in the context of an “industrially-produces cheese food”, it’s just part of a production-line method (and therefore, yes, quick and cheap compared to traditional cheesemaking, like a production-line car is cheaper and more quickly-made than a hand-made exotic. Exactly; for what amount to cheese sticks meant to be sent in kid’s lunches, there’s not much to be gained from aging the cheese and letting the bacterial cultures generate that acid flavor. Better to just acidify the cheese and be done with it An analogy might be force-carbonating Bud Light vs. bottle conditioning it. There’s nothing to be had by bottle conditioning it, so why NOT force carbonate? ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2016, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-they-put-vinegar-in-cheese/773643/9 "2016-12-02T17:41:04Z")
Moved to Cafe Society. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2016, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-they-put-vinegar-in-cheese/773643/10 "2016-12-02T18:24:59Z")
Why put vinegar in a cheese product? 1. To get to the other side. 2. To hold his pants up. ---
**Author:** ![dba\_Fred](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c37758/32.png) [@dba\_Fred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dba_Fred)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2016, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-they-put-vinegar-in-cheese/773643/11 "2016-12-05T12:00:15Z")
How else would one become _full of Swiss & vinegar_?