We've had threads about wine making, and beer making, and some other stuff, but I don't recall a cheese making one.
We got a cheese making kit for Christmas, and it looks fun. Try a mozzarella first, and them go to a gouda, or something like that.
It will be interesting to read other's experience.
Now that is out of the way, I'm also kinda interested.
I’ve been meaning to try fresh paneer for Indian. I hear it’s easy-ish....
This is the gift we got- https://cheesemaking.com/collections/package-deals/products/rickis-cheese-making-duo-kit
And since we don't have the wax, we will be making mozzarella for the soft cheese, and it looks like there are two aged cheeses that don't require wax- both of which we eat. The other fun part to me is that we have a wine cellar- which is more of a room off the side of our basement. But it will be a good spot to age cheese.
We also are lucky to have two local dairies for good milk.
84FSP said:I’ve been meaning to try fresh paneer for Indian. I hear it’s easy-ish....
We've done it. Or I should say Dr.Linda has done it while I assisted. You need: Milk, lemon juice, a strainer such as "Cheese Cloth." That's about it. Of course, whole milk. We were going to make it with some friends once. They were in charge of the paneer making. They only drank skim milk. It didn't turn out too well.
84FSP said:I’ve been meaning to try fresh paneer for Indian. I hear it’s easy-ish....
Didn't know what it was until I looked it up. Looks really easy to make.
I make fresh cheese pretty often, sometimes called farmer's cheese. It is incredibly easy. Heat a liter (1/4 gallon-ish) of the fattiest milk you can get, til it is just at boiling, then turn off the heat. Add a big splash of lime juice or vinegar. Let it curdle, then strain. I usually use one of those sock-type strainers to strain out the whey (liquid) but I add a little to the cheese to give it some moisture. Add some salt or herbs of your choosing. I like it with cumin seeds. Haven't tried any rennet cheeses yet.
alfadriver said:84FSP said:I’ve been meaning to try fresh paneer for Indian. I hear it’s easy-ish....
Didn't know what it was until I looked it up. Looks really easy to make.
It also tastes soooooooo good.
I am totally in on this idea. This is a skill I’ve wanted to learn for a long time.
Some years ago I checked out a cheese making book from the library, but was a bit baffled by the whole thing.
Seeing a cheese build thread would be awesome!
Well, try one failed. We somehow missed the step where the citric acid goes in the cold milk... But it also seemed as if the rennet didn't do anything- we ended up with more ricotta, which does taste good, and we will still use it the same.
Our kit uses rennet tablets, and it didn't seem to dissolve like I expected. Next time, we will start a lot earlier with it, to make sure it's dissolved.
One cool find is that we can get non homogenized milk.
We'll keep working at it.
Step one: buy whole milk
Step two: forget it in the back corner of the fridge when you go on vacation
Step three: throw your "cheese" in the trash.
That's as close as I got to cheese making. However, I did watch an episode of Jamie and Jimmy's Food Fight where Jimmy makes his own Mozz and it made me really curious.
That's not cheese, Curtis. That's yogurt.
I am only good at cutting the cheese
Knurled. said:alfadriver said:84FSP said:I’ve been meaning to try fresh paneer for Indian. I hear it’s easy-ish....
Didn't know what it was until I looked it up. Looks really easy to make.
It also tastes soooooooo good.
Love the Cheesy GRM enabling. Need to pick up cheese cloth along with the other consumables. This sounds like a fun project for 84FSP Junior and I to tackle. He's been digging the Master Chef Junior shows and wants to learn.
Knurled. said:alfadriver said:84FSP said:I’ve been meaning to try fresh paneer for Indian. I hear it’s easy-ish....
Didn't know what it was until I looked it up. Looks really easy to make.
It also tastes soooooooo good.
Love the Cheesy GRM enabling. Need to pick up cheese cloth along with the other consumables. This sounds like a fun project for 84FSP Junior and I to tackle. He's been digging the Master Chef Junior shows and wants to learn.
I usually fry before adding to whatever Indian configuration I'm making.
In reply to alfadriver :
Is liquid rennet a thing? Or are there certain types of rennet that must be used to achieve a given style?
I love cheese. I've studied making it but it's another project I just don't have time for.
Keep us posted.
paranoid_android said:In reply to alfadriver :
Is liquid rennet a thing? Or are there certain types of rennet that must be used to achieve a given style?
No, it's a pill. Looks like I needed to do a better job turning it into a powder, and also let it have more time to really dissolve.
From the book I'm reading, rennet does not really change the style. The bacteria starters are far more important, and then how it's aged. But that's a hand full of pages into a cheese book.
I did not realize that do it yourself Cheddar was a viable hobby. I may have to give this a closer look.
MadScientistMatt said:I did not realize that do it yourself Cheddar was a viable hobby. I may have to give this a closer look.
Apparently, the kit that I posted earlier is capable of a few popular cheeses.
Cost is interesting- the stuff we got as a present is something like $45, but it's capable of making something like 30-50 batches (I'm not really clear how many). I'm sure one can use cheap milk- which is something like $2-2.5 a gallon, but we found non-homogenized milk for $5/gal (actually $3.50/half, but $1 off). So figure $1/ batch for the kit, and then the cost of the milk. Theoretically, for soft cheese, the yield is 2lb/gal, and for hard cheese it's 1lb/gal.
And that *seems* like a good price- I'm not sure where you can get typical soft cheeses for under $5/lb, but I need to make good hard cheese if it's using $8/run. Better than the store stuff for cheap cheddar, or pretty good for more expensive gouda.
I think it will be fun, and I'll get to fabricate a cheese press- I've even thought of a simplification of what's out there.
This may be a short lived hobby.
Tried again today to make the 30 min mozzarella. Got to the warming to fold and stretch part, and it turned into ricotta.
This should be fun, but it's more disappointing than anything.
Aren't cheeses temperature critical? Maybe the temps are wrong.
Toyman01 said:Aren't cheeses temperature critical? Maybe the temps are wrong.
Very, that's why I went to a water bath heating, and also used a digital thermometer this time.
Oddly enough, the step where you go from curds to mozzarella, the actual temp isn't clear- one thing says 135, another says 145... And if I did the water bath method- the water is supposed to be 175F.
And if that works, I'll try some other kinds of cheeses. Actual soft cheese does not require a press- so if I can get a basic recipe to work, I can give that a shot without expense or work. If that works, I have an idea for a very simple press- and I'll try some of the others that I can do without extra stuff.
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