Sodium gluconate is added to the typical cheese-making recipe to inhibit the growth of calcium lactate crystals as the cheese ages. The sodium gluconate is preferably added with sodium chloride or shortly after sodium chloride as part of the salting step. The amount of sodium gluconate is within the range of greater than zero to 10% of the weight of the curd, to result in a cheese having 0.26 to 2.8% gluconate in the cheese. The amount of sodium gluconate added for other cheeses can be based upon the lactate content and salt retention of the cheese.