noun

rennet

REN-it/ˈrenɪt/

An enzyme mixture used to curdle milk for making cheese.

The cheesemaker adds rennet to warm milk to form curds.

A cheesemaker measures a few drops of liquid coagulant into milk; beside her, a second batch shows milk set into cut curds and pale whey, with a perforated cheese mold establishing the cheesemaking context.

Etymology

The word named an animal’s stomach membrane used in cheesemaking, then any milk-curdling substance. Its probable Old English ancestry connects curdling with causing milk to “run together.”

In context

Business Insider8:09

They add whey and rennet. Then, they split the milk into curds.

11 Of The Most Faked Foods In The World | Big Business | Business Insider Marathon

More examples

This vegetarian cheese is made with microbial rennet.
Too much rennet can give cheese a bitter taste.
Stir the diluted rennet gently into the milk.

Similar words

coagulant: Coagulant covers substances that cause clotting, not just milk-curdling enzymes.