Colby-Jack

The name Colby-Jack comes from the combination of the names of the two kinds of cheese it is made from, Colby and Monterey Jack cheese. Colby cheese originates in Colby, Wisconsin, and was created by Joseph F. Steinwand in 1885.{{cite web|url=http://www.foodpreserving.org/2016/09/history-of-colby-cheese.html |title=History of Colby Cheese |publisher=foodpreserving.org |date=2020 |access-date=2020-10-11}} Monterey Jack cheese originates from Monterey, California, and was made by Mexican Franciscan Friars during the 1700s.{{cite web|url=https://www.cheese.com/monterey-jack/ |title=Monterey Jack |publisher=cheese.com |date= 2020 |access-date=2020-10-12}} Colby-Jack cheese was then processed by marbling the two kinds of cheese together. It was not made at a large scale until the 20th century when the cheese became more popular and moved out of Wisconsin to larger areas of the United States (See Factory manufacturing). Before it was made on a large scale, the small, wooden building in Wisconsin only made {{convert|57|kg|lb|abbr=on}} of cheese each day. At this time, Colby-Jack was pressed into a {{convert|5.8|kg|lb|abbr=on}} long-horn shape and dipped in wax.{{cite news |url= https://www.thefoodwonder.com/colby-jack-cheese/#:~:text=The%20Colby%20Jack%20Cheese%20was,%2C%20Colby%2C%20hence%20its%20name. |title= Colby Jack Cheese - Origin, How is made and Nutrition. |newspaper= The Food Wonder |publisher= foodwonder.com |date= 2020-03-30 |access-date= 2020-09-10 }}{{Dead link|date=May 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

Colby-Jack is a marble cheese that is a mixture of Colby and Monterey Jack cheeses. Colby-Jack is a semi-soft American cheese that is made from pasteurised milk. Annatto is the source of the orange color in the Colby component of Colby-Jack.{{cite web|url=https://www.cheese.com/colby-jack/

|title=Colby Jack |publisher=cheese.com |date= 2020 |access-date=2020-10-12}} The flavor of Colby-Jack is determined by the individual cheeses that are used to make it.

The baseline amount of sodium in 2009 of Colby-Jack was 668 mg of sodium to 100 g of cheese. By 2014 Colby-Jack was down to 600 mg to 100 g of cheese.{{cite journal |last1=Agarwal |first1= S |last2=McCoy |first2=D|last3=Graves|first3=W|last4=Gerard|first4=P.D|last5=Clark|first5=S|date=2011 |title= Sodium content in retail Cheddar, Mozzarella, and process cheeses varies considerably in the United States |journal= Journal of Dairy Science |volume=94 |issue=3 |pages= 1605–1615 |doi=10.3168/jds.2010-3782|pmid= 21338828 |doi-access=free}}

Colby and Monterrey Jack cheeses are individually prepared by mixing pasteurized milk and bacterial cultures. Once fully mixed, a coagulant is added, which makes the cheese mixture thicken and take on a gel-like consistency; the addition of coagulant also serves to separate the cheese curds and whey. Annatto is added during the preparation of Colby to give it its trademark orange color. Once ingredients have been mixed, the mixtures are drained of their whey, and high-quality curds of each cheese are selected from the remaining solid product. Chosen curds of both cheeses are then blended together, yielding a marbling of orange and white. The blended cheese is then shaped (frequently into a semicircular or rectangular block) or shredded.{{cite AV media |people=TVO (director) |date=Oct 20, 2011 |title=TVO's Making Stuff: How Ivanhoe makes Marble Cheddar Cheese | medium=Video | location=US | publisher=TVO}} In some instances, the cheese may be dipped in wax for further preservation; this is subject to manufacturer preference.

Most semi-soft cheese such as Colby-Jack whilst aging should be stored at 40°F to 45°F (4-7°C), wrapped in parchment or wax paper then again in plastic wrap.{{cite web |url=https://williamsonwines.com/aging-cheese

|title=Aging Cheese - Williamson Wines |author= |date=2020 |website=Williamson Wines |access-date=2020-11-16}} The aging process may last up to 14 days kept in a monitored environment to age. The aging process allows the cheese to fully set as well as completely combine in components and flavor.

{{Cleanup press release|section|date=September 2024}}

File:Cheese Manufacture, New Zealand.jpg

The manufacturing of Colby-Jack can be split into two types of manufacturing, wholesale and industrial purposes. The preparation for Colby-Jack remains the same but is made at a larger scale. Due to the large volumes of cheese that is made in the factories, robots are used to make the process easier for large quantities. In particular, large cheese manufacturer Wirtz states, "To support this market need for customised product, we have to push our automation as far as we can, and make it do things that it was not designed to do".{{cite web|url=https://www.dairyfoods.com/articles/94528-masters-gallery-foods-facilitates-high-speed-cheese-packaging-with-flexible-robotsthis |title= Masters Gallery Foods facilitates high-speed cheese packaging with flexible robots. |publisher=dairyfoods.com| author= P. Roberts |date=2020-08-25 |access-date=2020-09-10}} This automation is important as it makes the process easier with the many variations of Colby-Jack that companies need to produce. Once this process is completed, robots are again used to package the cheese and prepare it for packing and distribution.

The Colby-Jack is packaged and distributed through the utilisation of robotics. These robots pick the cheese from a conveyor belt and pack them into cases ready to be distributed. These robots are flexible and are able to carry 0.03125 to 20 pounds of packaged cheese.{{cite web|url=https://www.dairyfoods.com/articles/94528-masters-gallery-foods-facilitates-high-speed-cheese-packaging-with-flexible-robotsthis |title= Masters Gallery Foods facilitates high-speed cheese packaging with flexible robots.|publisher=dairyfoods.com| author= P. Roberts |date=2020-08-25 |access-date=2020-09-10}} This enables the production sequence to be more efficient and pack more into the packages ready for distribution. Before being distributed a randomly selected pack of Colby-Jack is chosen for quality control. Once this has been done the cheese is ready to be shipped across the US and overseas depending on the manufacturer.

As Colby-Jack is made in different forms, packaging varies for each form of the cheese. The types of packaging that Colby-Jack might be packaged in include:

• Vacuum packing
• Paraffin wax
• Latex emulsion (plastic coating)

There are many factors that should be considered when selecting the type of packaging. According to the journal Cheese Problems Solved, these factors include "permeability to water vapor, oxygen, NH₃, CO₂, and light, potential for migration of compounds from food to packaging or vice versa, and practical considerations, including suitability for labelling and compatibility with conditions during distribution and sale".{{cite journal |author= |date=2017 |title=Cheese Problems Solved |url= https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9781845690601500132 |journal=Food Science, Technology and Nutrition |volume=1 |issue=1 |pages=159–162 |doi=10.1533/9781845693534.159|access-date=2020-11-15|url-access=subscription }} This packaging will also depend on the manufacturer and is up to their discretion to decide what is best for their product.

Colby-Jack is both used in cooking and eaten by itself. Many dishes that commonly use Colby-Jack are American or Mexican in origin. Colby-Jack's mild flavor can make it easy to incorporate into a recipe.{{cite AV media |people=The Big Stink (director) |date=Feb 13, 2009 |title=The Big Stink – Colby-Jack Cheese | medium=Video | location=US | publisher=Food Aficionado}}

Traditionally popular American cheeses, such as Colby-Jack, cheddar, Monterrey Jack, and Colby, have seen a recent decline in popularity in the United States due to rising popularity of Italian-style cheeses, such as mozzarella.{{cite news |last=Adaway|first=Kristen |date=2018-07-18 |title=). The Most Popular Cheeses In The U.S. Are No Longer American. |url= https://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/entry/italian-cheese-is-the-most-popular-america_n_5b4f4f6ee4b0b15aba8a94b2 |work=Huffington Post |location= New York City|access-date=2020-11-15}}

In terms of sales, Colby-Jack is highly consumed in the United States. According to the USDA Data, "Per capita consumption of American-style natural cheeses such as cheddar, Colby and Jack cheeses rose from 11.7 pounds in 1995 to more than 15 pounds in 2017",{{cite web|url=https://www.dairyfoods.com/articles/93559-cheese-consumption-is-growing-among-americans|title=Cheese consumption is growing among Americans|publisher=Dairyfoods.com|date=2019-04-23 |access-date=2020-10-11}} indicating popularity in cheeses such as Colby-Jack.

{{Reflist}}

{{American cheeses}}

{{Portal|Food}}

Category:American cheeses

Category:Cow's-milk cheeses

Category:Cuisine of Wisconsin