Cheese Making: Recipes, Tips & Tricks

[LoveSunflowers]

Here is the recipe I use for cottage cheese. It is super easy and always comes out yummy!
-Warm one gallon of skimmed raw milk to room temperature (About 72 degrees)

Do you know if it matters if the milk isn't skim?

I'm not one hundred percent positive but I believe it should be skim. I have raw milk and I skim it myself, which means, I always leave some cream behind.  When my milk has turned into a solid curd, I can see the cream on top that I didn't get. This is what makes kind of nasty curds in the cheese. They are tough. Plus, when you add the cream it hasn't been heated and is really good for you. But, I am not a expert. I just started doing this and I play by the rules.
It also might go differently if the milk has been homogenized. The cream might not come to the top of the curd. I don't know that for sure. I can ask my Aunt to see what she says.

[Mrs. B]

I;m bumping this because I am sooooo irritated.... I just bought feta cheese and generally don't read ingredients as we buy minimally processed food as a rule from the grocery... well... I read the ingredients on my feta cheese and nataMYCIN is listed.... I did a search on it and this is what I found....

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 
Natamycin, also known as pimaricin, is a naturally occurring antimicrobial agent produced by the bacterium Streptomyces natalensis. It is a macrolide polyene antifungal drug used to treat fungal keratitis. It is especially effective against Aspergillus and Fusarium corneal infections.
 It is used in the food industry as a preservative to inhibit fungal growth on cheese and other food. It may be applied in a liquid spray or in powdered form on whole, shredded, or soft cheese, or applied on or in the wax covering of some cheeses.

Maybe I've just gotten to the point to where adding things to foods really makes me angry, but this is ridiculous...
Does anyone else know anything about this?
Guess I'll be attempting my own at home from now on...

Can this recipe be done with raw cow's milk, or does it have to be goat?

.

I found this neat website the other day:
http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/cheeserecipes.htm

I also believe that the easiest of cheese to make is the vinegar cheese.  I will share my recipe, but seems like there are many different variations to it.

GOAT'S MILK FETA

1 GALLON MILK
1/2 CUP VINEGAR

Heat milk to 180 degrees and add vinegar.  Stir to mix well and remove from heat.  Milk will curdle immediately.  Let sit for about 5 min. and strain in cloth to separate the whey from the cheese(you will have around 9-10(or more)  cups of whey and only about a pound of cheese).  After the whey has strained and you can squeeze the excess out, put on a cutting board and  add some salt if you like.  Then, this is what I do to get a more firm and drier cheese:  place your cheese blob on a cutting board and place another cutting board on top and place something underneath the bottom one to make it tilt .  This way the excess whey can run down at an angle.  Keep pressing down to mash the cheese flat.  Put in fridge and either eat right away, or let sit in fridge a few weeks to age.  It really is pretty easy! 

[boysmama]

Totally w/ you on that Mrs.B  ....
The recipe included for feta is technically a ricotta recipe. Almost any milk will work, so no it does not have to be from a goat. It becomes crumbly like feta when drained as directed in that recipe. However if you are used to a true feta flavor you may be disappointed. Take a look at this recipe here:
http://www.fiascofarm.com/dairy/feta.html
It includes step by step instructions for both goat and cow milk w/ pictures! It is very simple and can be done as a truly raw cheese. The culturing temp is 86* - so cooler than it comes out of the animal. All enzymes and proteins, etc. intact. 

[pljammie]

Feta is not hard to make at home.  I use the recipe from Goats Produce Too.  For a stronger flavor you can age it in a salt water brine or add lipase when the recipe calls for it.  I have not found that feta freezes well.  It seemed to change the texture of it.  Because it is a fresh cheese and still retains some whey it will only keep in the fridge for about a week.  To store it for longer periods of time keep it in a salt water brine or marinate it in olive oil.  You put the chunks of cheese in a jar along with dried chili peppers, basil, garlic, sun dried tomatoes, peppercorns, etc...whatever herbs you like.  Then cover it all with olive oil.  It will keep a very long time and the cheese is fabulous on crackers or french bread.  The olive oil will congeal in the fridge but after an hour on the counter it will look normal and be easy to use.

Jammie

[DarlingSweetHeart]

Though some say it isn't neccessary, I am still interested in buying a cheese press.  I am looking at two--but one of the molds has holes all around and the other has none.
Does one better than the other??
The one with no holes is said to not cause flaky cheese...is this really an issue with a mold that has holes??
Would love to hear your thoughts on this.
thanks

[pljammie]

Mine doesn't have holes in the sides.  I've never had flaky cheese, but I've only made about a dozen hard cheeses and some were big flops...so I guess flaky would have been an improvement...lol.  My husband made mine from every day materials.  Here are the instructions:
http://fiascofarm.com/dairy/cheesepress.html

You can buy stainless steel rings for the actual cheese molds at hoegger goat supply.

Good luck making your cheese, it is lots of fun.

Jammie

[HeyMom]

neat site with some great pictures and I always need a visual!

http://biology.clc.uc.edu/Fankhauser/Cheese/Cheese.html

sorry, this was already listed, oops

[DarlingSweetHeart]

Help! I had a problem making ricotta!

I immediately used the left over whey from making cheddar today to make the Heavenly Ricotta in Ricki's book.  I gradually heated it til I saw a one big boiling bubble and then I removed it from the heat and let it set 5-10 minutes.
Well, when I went to drain it ... it all ran through the muslin cloth in the colander...I don't know what happened...should I have brought it to a full boil...and should I have heated it quickly instead of gradually (1 hr time period)??
I have no ricotta so far.
I had a little bit of whey left from heating my cheddar curds and I boiled it...I will see if those turned out...the only difference was I have less whey and I brought the whey to a quick boil.

[DarlingSweetHeart]

I have no ricotta at all.
What did I do wrong?

[burlsgirl]

I have a question for you more experienced cheesers! I've got a pound or so of vinegar cheese hanging up & draining right now. My goal is to add fresh strawberries and a little powdered sugar or honey to make a sweet spread for my new recipe, English Muffin Bread, or graham crackers!

Anyway, I've made the cheese several times, but I'm wondering if you think it would be ok if I put the cheese, strawberries & sweetener in the blender, or would that do something weird to the cheese??

Thanks!
Em

[burlsgirl]

Never mind...I tinkered with it till I messed it up! Oh well, that's why they call it an experiment, I guess. Now I know how NOT to make it!

[Roehrmomma]

Never mind...I tinkered with it till I messed it up! Oh well, that's why they call it an experiment, I guess. Now I know how NOT to make it!

That stinks! (gotta dog or a pig?)      I have never heard of cheese like this. Let us know what you do get to work.

[burlsgirl]

Ok, another question: Say you want to make hard cheese & you don't have a basement/cellar to age the cheese in (about 52 degrees).... What does one do then? Have any of you rigged something up and been successful?

Thanks,
Em B.

[cinmama]

Ok, another question: Say you want to make hard cheese & you don't have a basement/cellar to age the cheese in (about 52 degrees).... What does one do then? Have any of you rigged something up and been successful?

Thanks,
Em B.

I have not done it but......in the cheesemaking book i have it says you CAN use a refridgerator for aging hard cheese.  It has to be turned up all of the way(to its warmest setting), i believe, and she recommends getting a thermometer that's seperate from the fridge that you can read from the outside. (make sense??)  I think one of those half fridge thingy-s would be perfect!

would love to hear from someone who's actually done this, too!
cm

[mommyoftwins]

I have really been wanting to try making some soft cheeses after reading this thread. So I got some buttermilk & cottage cheese starter cultures from the NE Cheesemaking Supply, and have been testing them out as well as other recipes I've found in this thread. I have lots of jars of chunky milk in the fridge that seem to smell, taste, & look the same. 

As far as milk products in my fridge are: kefir (cow, goat, coconut milks), yogurt, buttermilk, the cottage cheese started from the culture I bought, and cottage cheese from the super easy recipe I found on here (with no starters, just clabbered milk). I know the kefir, non-starter cottage cheese, and yogurt turned out right. The buttermilk & other cottage cheese just look like a mass of gel (like the clabbered milk before I cut it). I guess this is what my yogurt looks like, too, though.

So, my question is, is it all basically the same? I wanted the buttermilk to make sour cream, and I dumped the cottage cheese from the starter. Can I make sour cream from the kefir since kefir & buttermilk can be interchanged in other recipes? Can I go ahead and cut the curd from any of these concoctions & get cheese from them if I heat them & strain them? It seems like a waste to do all these different kinds if they're going to turn out the same.

I'm so confused!

[mommyoftwins]

bump

[Farm Wife]

We used a fridge at about 55 degrees to age St Marcellin (like brie) and a 55 degree pop cooler (like stores have) to age Havarti and Gouda. We have successfully made Havarti and must wait 2 months to see if the Gouda turns out.
Trust me making hard cheese is hard!!! But keep in mind the old timers did it all the time. Books are key to help solve problems and learn cheese-making. We built a creamery last year on our dairy farm and have spent 6 months trying to perfect our cheese with all the special equipment and cheese classes with renowned cheese maker Peter Dixon. His site has some recipes. www.dairyfoodsconsulting.com

[mommyjen]

Hubby asked me to find some recipes.  I'll be trying a few here.  I didn't see these posted.  Great visuals and easy recipes.  I like the idea of using vinegar and lemon juice vs rennet though!  Esp, since we don't have any at the moment. 

Feta
http://www.thefamilyhomestead.com/easyfetacheese.htm

Mozzarella
http://www.thefamilyhomestead.com/mozzarella.htm

[mommyjen]

Healthy, why don't you make the cheese raw and not heat it? 
My recipe is pretty much the same, easy like that, except you add juice from 8 lemons to the milk and let sit 15 minutes to curdle, covered.  Then strain over cheesecloth for a few hours or overnight for a dryer, less lemony flavored cheese.  Should yield 3 pints cheese and 2 q. lemon whey.  I think this recipe came from the Untold Story of Milk book.  I tried it and it works great!      

Does this make cream cheese or a sliceable cheese?  I've got mine straining overnight, so will see in the morning.  I used vinegar instead of the lemon juice and need just a tad bit more, but that may be because I didn't add it all at once?  I got way more than 2 qts of whey though.  Almost a gallon! It's clear and yellowish and not milky so it appears that the cheese did curdle well.  And it's not looking like there's gonna be 6 cups of cheese either.   

[mommyjen]

I think it could have been sliceable with the right preparation but my first batch turned out crumbly.  It's cheese though!  Needs some seasoning for sure, but yummy!

[boysmama]

I've missed alot of questions from earlier in the year. If anyone is still looking for answers I will try to help as best I can. Loving cheesemaking here!

I like this forum for everything chees-ey! From types and ways to use for cheese eaters to recipes and how to's for the cheesemakers.
www.cheeseforum.org

[mommyjen]

I've missed alot of questions from earlier in the year. If anyone is still looking for answers I will try to help as best I can. Loving cheesemaking here!

I like this forum for everything chees-ey! From types and ways to use for cheese eaters to recipes and how to's for the cheesemakers.
www.cheeseforum.org

Thanks boysmama!  I may be taking you up on that.    One really thing I learned is that you can use the leftover whey from cheese making for the liquid in your bread recipe.  It adds to the protein content!

[amy]

Does anyone know how acidic the milk needs to be for making raw milk cheese?  I'm new to cheesing making and am trying to use some raw milk that's started to taste funny to make cheese.  I'm thinking that raw milk tastes funny because it becomes acidic, so maybe I don't need the "add the starter" step.  I have PH paper to test the acidity, but I have no idea what it needs to be for the milk to curdle.  Any advice?

thanks,
Amy

[boysmama]

Does anyone know how acidic the milk needs to be for making raw milk cheese?  I'm new to cheesing making and am trying to use some raw milk that's started to taste funny to make cheese.  I'm thinking that raw milk tastes funny because it becomes acidic, so maybe I don't need the "add the starter" step.  I have PH paper to test the acidity, but I have no idea what it needs to be for the milk to curdle.  Any advice?

thanks,
Amy

What type of cheese are you trying to make?
You do use less culture (or none at all) in aged raw milk where the acidity has increased.

Ph paper is notoriously inaccurate for testing dairy. Still let me know what type of cheese you are aiming for and what your milk is reading and I'll try to help.

[amy]

Thanks...I'm not really sure what type of cheese I should make.  I don't have any special cheese making equipment so it can't be one that requires a measured amount of pressure.  We really like cottage cheese, brie, (any spreadable cheese), colby and cheddar, cream cheese, nothing smelly or moldy   Probably whatever is easiest would be the best place to start.  I really just want to make any form of cheese from aged raw milk with the minimum about of stuff.  I can get starter if I have to, but I'd really like to do it without that. 

The acidity of my milk right now is 5.5, but it's been sitting in a covered pot at room temp. for just over a day.  It looks like maybe it's starting to curdle, but I'm not sure.  The aged milk that's still in my fridge is 6.4.  Does that help any?  Thanks for enlightening me

Amy 

[boysmama]

You can go ahead and let the milk in the pot at room temp clabber and go on to make a small curd cottage cheese or heat it slowly until the curd precipitates for ricotta.

At 5.5 you might need a little extra acidity in the form of lemon juice (paneer) or vinegar for ricotta. Heat the milk slowly and bring to almost a boil. If it separates into whey and curds the natural acidity was enough. If not, add vinegar or lemon juice a 1/2 tsp at a time until it does. Let stand off of the heat for 10-15 minutes without stirring and then drain through a cotton cloth.

For a small curd cottage cheese you could follow Jess's recipe here]http://www.welltellme.com/discuss/index.php/topic,1355.msg142577.html#msg142577] here, only you would let it set at room temperature undisturbed until it is one thick chunk. Then cut, heat, etc.

6.4 is about the lowest ph you would want to even attempt a cheese recipe that requires rennet. Fresh, clean, raw milk should be more in the 6.7 range.

Using a culture will give you a sweeter, less smelly, tangy cheese.  Sounds like that would be a better option for you than naturally clabbered milk.

[boysmama]

so, I want to get a book about cheese making.  Is ricki carrol "the" book the get.  Those of you that have cheese books and use them often, which do you really like and recommend?  I want to make sure I get a good one!
I was going to get the cheese making starter kit from lehmans.com, anyone ever bought that?

I have borrowed several cheese books and hope to add some to my collection, but I only own Ricki's books and always recommend them to start out with. I would recommend going with some of cheesemaking.com  (Ricki's site) kits and starters/cultures while you start out. I know that her stuff is a little bit more expensive than some, but I have always had it turn out when I followed the directions explicitly.

I should update this....I no longer recommend her stuff so whole heartedly.  Some of their starters and kits have changed and people are no longer having great success. 

I'll repost this link to a really great cheese forum.  http://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php Lots of posts to read, and a great place to ask questions.

[amy]

It worked!!!!  Thank you so much.  I now have yummy cottage cheese that my kids went crazy over...so excited! 

Now, is there a way to adjust this to turn it into a cheese I could spread on crackers?  Or maybe a soft sliceable cheese?  I believe when the raw milk sits at room temp. for about a day, it gets acidic enough not to need a starter, but I do have rennet to add if I need that.  It baffles me how you can follow the same basic steps and end up with different cheeses...odd.  What's the next step after cottage cheese for a budding cheese maker?  Also, any idea how long my homemade cottage cheese will be good for in the fridge?

Thanks,
Amy 

[daisey]

It worked!!!!  Thank you so much.  I now have yummy cottage cheese that my kids went crazy over...so excited! 

Now, is there a way to adjust this to turn it into a cheese I could spread on crackers?  Or maybe a soft sliceable cheese?  I believe when the raw milk sits at room temp. for about a day, it gets acidic enough not to need a starter, but I do have rennet to add if I need that.  It baffles me how you can follow the same basic steps and end up with different cheeses...odd.  What's the next step after cottage cheese for a budding cheese maker?  Also, any idea how long my homemade cottage cheese will be good for in the fridge?

Thanks,
Amy 

I made cottage cheese once by letting it sit on the counter for a day but we didn't like it because it tasted to sour.   Is there a way to get a less sour product?   
Amy, did yours taste sour?   thanks

[amy]

No, it wasn't sour at all, but I used a flour sack towel to strain out the whey and then rinsed it a few times with cold water like that recipe said.  Then, I let it hang in towel until it stopped dripping.  And added a little salt and fresh milk so it wasn't too dry.  It was actually kind of sweet and tasted so much better than the store bought stuff.  I think the trick to get rid of the sour is rinsing with cold water to get all the whey out since that's the sour part