Tuesday, October 12, 2010

I'm making cheese again

After doing so many things wrong the first time I attempted to make hard cheese, and then having it turn out as real cheese in spite of that, I just had to try it again.  This time I used a gallon of whole milk, rather than skim.  


This is my cheese press.  I wasn't supposed to use a ribbed can, but that's all I had; I didn't have any trouble last time, removing the cheese.  
Last night I poured a gallon of yesterday morning's milk into a big stainless steel pot and inoculated it with 1/4 cup of cultured buttermilk.  This morning, I slowly heated it up to between 92 and 100 degrees, turning the burner off and on as needed.  I stirred the curds and whey constantly with my VERY clean hand, and kept them at the required temperature for fifteen minutes.  


This is what the curds looked like about halfway through the process.  


I put the curds into a strainer and then put them in a bowl, where I mixed salt into them.  


Then I forced them into my home-made cheese press, which is lined with a VERY clean handkerchief.  


Finally I used a grater as a rack so the whey could drain out the bottom of the press, and used a measuring cup topped by an NIV Bible as weight to compress the cheese.  
We'll see if it turns out well this time.  It'll be a month before I know.

4 comments:

  1. Anonymous11:59 AM

    I admit it. Mild cheddar(50% reduced fat) was $1.49 for 8oz at ShopRite, and I bought it. Case solved. But yours will taste better. ~Mary

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  2. Mary, I doubt mine will taste better, or even as good. I like the challenge of trying to make it, though.

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  3. I have never attempted to make cheese of any kind so will be anxious to hear how yours comes out. That NIV is a great Bible, we sell them in our store.

    That's a lovely picture of Iris, it should be framed!

    I think I feel the same way about rats as you do about raccoons!! ha!

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  4. yummm I bet that its real good!!!!

    --- Christopher

    www.cmarlow.net

    ReplyDelete

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