How to cook goat cheeses

Goat’s milk has a little more calcium than cow’s milk but it is deficient in vitamin B12 and folate. Goat’s milk has smaller fat globules than cow’s milk, so it does not need to be homogenized. However, it does need to be pasteurized for the same reasons cow’s milk should, to kill any germs that might be harmful to humans.

Goat’s milk is not an acceptable alternative for persons who are lactose-intolerant, because it contains lactose in the same percentage as cow’s milk. Nor is goat’s milk or goat cheese a lower-fat alternative. Some people prefer the taste and texture of goat cheese, but 1 1/2 ounces of hard goat cheese has 13 grams of fat, about the same as cheese made from whole cow’s milk, such as cheddar.

Soft goat cheeses such as Montrachet and some types of feta, a salty, white cheese originating in Greece which can be made with goat or sheep’s milk, contain more moisture and are comparable to cheeses made from part-skim cow’s milk. One and one-half ounces of feta cheese has 9 grams of fat, about the same amount as in an equal amount of mozzarella or Neufchatel cheese.