My first attempt at cheese

[bshapiro]

Made my first batch of cheese last night - - Fromage Blanc.

Heated milk to 85, added culture, let sit for 12 hours. Strained through cloth for 6 hours. I'm quite pleased....

May add some salt and Herbs to some of it.

Does anyone know if it freezes well?

Any other home - cheese - making experiences?

[andiesenji]

It doesn't freeze well - you will have grainy cheese.

Aged, hardened cheeses freeze quite well but not the soft, fresh cheeses.

I made cheese regularly for many years, including some pressed and aged cheddar types.

Nothing spectacular but it was interesting. Mostly I made cream cheese, soft cheese, etc.

You might like to read through

Making Cheese the Merged Topic

Edited October 20, 2007 by andiesenji (log)

[Sherry B]

When I lived in the country and kept two goats, I made cheese all the time. (A family of three can only drink so much milk!)

I can't recall where my recipe came from, but I think it was from a goat-keeping book that was full of ideas for using the milk. (This was long before the internet, and long before I became a "professional" cook. I was strictly an amateur, so I made lots of mistakes, some of them fairly horrifying).

As for the cheese, it was very mozzarella-like in flavour, with a kind of boingy-bouncy texture. It wasn't a good melting cheese either. As my skills improved, the quality of the cheese become more consistent, but I wish that I'd had the access to all of the information now available.

I raised my kid on that cheese, though....no pun intended!

[Nancy in Pátzcuaro]

Years ago our neighbors up the road had a couple of goats for milk for their bum lambs, and naturally there was a lot of surplus milk most of the year. I used to make a soft goat cheese with just goat milk and cultured buttermilk--4 parts goat milk and one part buttermilk. I did it in my crockpot on low until the curds broke and then strained it through cheesecloth. You could freeze it I guess, but the texture won't be as creamy as the fresh stuff. Very tasty cheese it was, too. The more whey you strain off, the drier the cheese, so you can adjust to your preference.

I personally don't care for the pressed goat cheeses--somehow they just seem "squeaky" to me, and the flavor doesn't thrill me either.

N.

[andiesenji]

When I was making cheese on a regular basis, I had a certain routine which included setting the curd, then when ready to cut the curds and drain off the whey, scald the container INTO which the whey would go, then making ricotta from the whey.

Waste not, want not. The ricotta has a much shorter life than the first cheese, so I generally planned on preparing lasagna, ravioli or other dishes that required ricotta. Then there were the pastries...............

[JimH]

I'm trying to get into it but I'm having problems with the milk. What's available here locally is Pasteurized & Homogenized at best and ultra-pasteurized at worst. I've ordered some calcium chloride to help with the P&H milk. I have sourced raw milk within a reasonable drive but I would prefer to make my mistakes with store bought. I did make some yogurt last night, just tried it, two thumbs up!

[andiesenji]

I'm trying to get into it but I'm having problems with the milk.  What's available here locally is Pasteurized & Homogenized at best and ultra-pasteurized at worst.  I've ordered some calcium chloride to help with the P&H milk.  I have sourced raw milk within a reasonable drive but I would prefer to make my mistakes with store bought.  I did make some yogurt last night, just tried it, two thumbs up!

←

Are you within driving distance of one of the Whole Foods Markets? They carry milk that is pasteurized but not homogenized, i.e., "cream-top" milk, which works nicely for cheesemaking.

[JimH]

Yes, there's one in Houston and one opening here in about 6 months. Great, Now I can build a press! Thanks Andie, you always have the answers!

[bshapiro]

JimH,

What kind of cheese will you be making?

[JimH]

I'd like to make cheddar, parmesan & blue. I really like the taste of the yogurt so I will probably keep making that weekly, time permiting.

[andiesenji]

Rather than build one, you might want to consider one of these.

Reasonably priced and fewer headaches

CheesyPress

[JimH]

Rather than build one, you might want to consider one of these. 

Reasonably priced and fewer headaches

CheesyPress

←

I saw that on the cheese thread that you linked to above. I'm cursed by the desire and ability to build things. My Grandfather was smart, he pretended to not know which end of a screw driver to use and hired people to fix things around the house. I didn't see the wisdom in this until a few years ago. I already have everything I need to make it short of the spring. I had already been thinking along those lines, inspired by my vertical sausage stuffer.