CHEESE MAKING

(I'll add pictures as time allows)

Cheese Making – The Basics

No Fancy Cheeses Here!  Just simple cheese recipes you can make in the kitchen!

Why do we love cheese?  It was the first thing we ever ate and digested…really!  Baby mammals don’t do well on a liquid diet of milk.  Yes, you read that right! Once milk is consumed by an infant, be it cow, mouse, goat or human, it is curdled into a semi-solid structure that we know as curds.  There is an enzyme in the stomach that converts the milk in to curds called rennet.   It is this curd that passes through the digestive system to provide nutrition! 

 I’ve been making cheese for a couple of years now.  I’m not an expert cheese maker, I just make what I like and what is easy. I’ve tried a lot of recipes.  Sometimes it comes out good other times the dogs and chickens got a tasty snack.  I don’t feel bad if the cheese comes out bad, because I have lots of milk to spare, so experimentation is the name of the game.  If you don’t like how it comes out, alter the recipe to fit you.  I also am not one to work really hard and long in the kitchen so I stick to the simple recipes.

 Some General Notes:

bulletI’ve read that Kosher Salt or Non-iodized salt works better, but I use regular table salt.
bulletRennet and citric acid can be purchased at www.cheesemaking.com, they also have culture and many other products.
bulletIf it’s canning season, you can get citric acid from the grocery store.
bulletCultures and starter can be purchased at the www.dairyconnection.com, I really like their prices and products.
bulletStore Rennet tablets in the freezer, it will last more than a year!
bulletStore liquid rennet in the frig.  Mine is 4 years old and still good!
bulletAll cheese is white, if you want color add annatto coloring to the milk before making cheese.  It is available from cheese supply houses.
bulletI no longer use cheese cloth.  I use nylon paint strainers from Home Depot, the one gallon size. Wash and bleach well before using the first time.
bulletHaving a cheese press is nice, but you can use a coffee can with a wood disc (follower) or a short section of PVC pipe.
bulletI do not pasteurize my milk before making any cheese except for yogurt, most often I strain it and start making cheese right away!
bulletResearch kefir on the internet, this is a great pro-biotic milk product!
bulletIf you don’t want to buy mesophillic starter, use buttermilk from the grocery store, make sure it has live active cultures – use about ¼ cup for each recipe.

 

Cheese – A Brief Understanding

 All cheese has three basic ingredients, milk, bacteria and rennet.

 The milk is the first and basic ingredient, the more butterfat in the milk the better the cheese.  The bacteria have the job of digesting the milk into Lactic Acid, this is what sets up the milk into an acidy mix that is the basis for we know and love as cheese.   The rennet is an enzyme that speeds up the natural curdling process. It’s these curds which are separated from the watery mixture called the whey to make cheese. 

 Here are my favorite recipes

 Mozzarella – Simple and Quick!  - Every goat owner should know this recipe

bullet1 gallon Goat’s Milk
bullet1-2 tsp. of Citric Acid 
bullet¼ rennet tablet
bulletSalt
bulletLipase powder (optional) – see note below

Directions:

  1. In a cup crush ¼ tablet of rennet about a ¼ cup of cool water, set aside.
  2. Heat up one gallon of milk (I use un-pasteurized filtered milk straight from the goat) to about 85-90 F degrees. 
  3. Add 1-2 tsp. of citric acid (if your cheese won’t get stringy then try 2 tsp.)
  4. Continue to warm milk slowly to about 100-105 F.
  5. When milk reaches 100-105 F add the rennet and mix in with a plastic or wooden spoon.
  6. Stir or let sit until milk coagulates and forms curds, this takes about 2 minutes. (this is cool, I never grow tired of watching this happen!)
  7. Strain or scoop curds out with a slotted spoon.
  8. Microwave curds for 1 minute and mix with wooden spoon, pouring of excess whey.
  9. Microwave again for about 1 minute, curds should start to get stringy, if not heat some more (or next time add more citric acid in the beginning).
  10. You can either stretch curds with your hands (rubber gloves help with heat) or mix with wooden spoon. 
  11. Add salt to taste and then eat!

 Notes:

bulletIt’s great on pizza or grilled cheese sandwiches!
bulletAdd pizza spices along with the salt.
bulletYou CANNOT double the recipe.  It won’t work due to the pH concentration being exponential.
bulletYou can add ½ to 1 tsp. of Lipase powder when you add the citric acid to get more zing in your cheese.
bulletThis can be ‘squeaky’ cheese when eaten immediately!  You’ll know what I mean if you bite into squeaky cheese!

 

Fresh Cheese or Chevre – No Fuss!  

bullet2 quarts Milk
bullet1/8 tsp. Fresh Cheese Starter (dairyconnection.com)
bullet1 drop liquid rennet
bullet¼ - ½ tsp. Salt
bulletSpices?!?!
  1. Add starter and rennet to 2 quarts of warm (about room temp) milk.  I use un-pasteurized filtered milk straight from the goat.  Note:  I put the starter in a spice jar and give it a good shake, I don’t actually measure anymore.  I also store the starter in the frig.
  2. Cover and set aside on the counter at room temperature for 24 hours.
  3. After milk as set and cultured, strain through a colander lined with cheese cloth or nylon paint strainer. I tie the strainer/cloth and hang it from a hook under the cabinet and let it drip into a bowl.
  4. After the whey has drained off the curds put cheese into a bowl and add salt and any spices you like at this time.    I really like rosemary and thyme.
  5. Mix with a fork or blend with a mixer for a creamier consistency.

 

Feta Cheese -  Basic Pressed Cheese – A more involved process.

bullet1-2 gallons of milk
bulletMesophillic or Buttermilk starter (use package instructions)
bullet½ rennet tablet
bullet1 tsp. Salt
bulletSpices?!?!
  1. Add starter to room temperature milk and set aside for 2-3 hours.
  2. Warm milk to about 85-90 F and add rennet (previously crushed in ¼ cup cool water)
  3. Let stand without heat for ½ hour.  
  4. Check curds for a clean break, cut curd with knife and it should separate easily.
  5. Cut curds into ½ in cubes and stir very gently for a couple of minutes.
  6. Let curds set for 30 minutes.
  7. Pour curds off into a cheese cloth lined colander let drain a little bit.  
  8. Mix in salt and any spices.
  9. Put into a press with cheese cloth wrapped tightly around curd or tie cheese cloth off and press between two plates with some weight on top.  (I really like having a cheese press).
  10. Keep flipping cheese over and adding more weight for several hours.
  11. Remove cheese cloth cut into block and place in a brine (salt water solution -to make brine add ¼ cup salt to 2 cups of hot water).
  12. Store in the frig and crumble over salads and what not!

 

Really… Really….Basic Cheddar/Farm House Cheese

bullet1-2 gallons of milk
bullet2-3 drops annatto coloring (for yellow cheese)
bulletMesophillic or Buttermilk starter (use package instructions)
bullet½ rennet tablet
bullet1 tsp. salt

 

  1. Add starter to room temperature milk and set aside for 2-3 hours, add coloring at this time if you want yellow cheese.
  2. Warm milk to about 85-90 F and add rennet (previously crushed in ¼ cup cool water)
  3. Let stand without heat for ½ hour.   
  4. Check curds for a clean break, cut curd with knife and it should separate easily.
  5. Cut curds into ½ in cubes and stir gently for a couple of minutes
  6. Return curds to stove and heat very SLOWLY for the next hour or so, stirring gently, try not to get above 110 degrees.
  7. When curds have a scrambled egg consistency and don’t stick to each other when squeezed gently, you can continue.
  8. Strain curds into a cheese cloth lined colander, add salt at this time.
  9. Put into a press with cheese cloth wrapped tightly around curds or tie cheese cloth off and press between two plates with some weight on top.
  10.    Keep flipping cheese over and adding more weight for several hours.
  11.   You can let this air dry (I use oven to keep critters off) to make a rhine or coat in cheese wax (get this from supply house).
  12.   Eat immediately or let ripen for a couple of weeks.

 

GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR CHEESE MAKING!   REMEMBER YOU'LL PROBABLY HAVE SOME TASTY DOG TREATS BEFORE YOU GET IT JUST RIGHT!    

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