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98EXL · 07-19-2007, 04:01 PM

I was kinda hoping it would be easy

zoebisch01 · 07-19-2007, 04:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 98EXL

I was kinda hoping it would be easy

Well the basic process is! Heat the milk, set the milk with Rennet, cut the curd, cook the curd, form or press the cheese, age and serve. The devil is in the details. Don't let me stop you. Here is a good (and easy) route to get your feet wet:

queso blanco

I guess what I was getting at was it is easy to dream about all those great cheeses you can make, but getting from here to there is a process. Sort of like any craft.

ryser2k · 07-19-2007, 04:50 PM

So how difficult is it to make something like cheddar? I have been thinking about picking up the cheesemaking kit from AHS to try that. I think I have all the equipment I need from homebrewing...

98EXL · 07-19-2007, 05:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zoebisch01

Well the basic process is! Heat the milk, set the milk with Rennet, cut the curd, cook the curd, form or press the cheese, age and serve. The devil is in the details. Don't let me stop you. Here is a good (and easy) route to get your feet wet:

queso blanco

I guess what I was getting at was it is easy to dream about all those great cheeses you can make, but getting from here to there is a process. Sort of like any craft.

I'm not looking to make anything fancy. Something like cheddar or american that I can shred to use in cooking...

zoebisch01 · 07-19-2007, 05:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ryser2k

So how difficult is it to make something like cheddar? I have been thinking about picking up the cheesemaking kit from AHS to try that. I think I have all the equipment I need from homebrewing...

Not terribly much harder to make one than any other hard cheese. You have to "cheddar" it which is where you stack and drain the curd. You'll need a press, but that can be something as simple as a cylinder, with a follower and a weight.

98EXL · 07-19-2007, 05:59 PM

man, this sounds like it could be fun

SWMBO already virtually rolled her eyes at me over an email today when I told her I'd like to make cheese

JustDave · 07-19-2007, 06:11 PM

What about the really hard cheeses like Parmesan, romano, etc? Are these the same process, they just take longer to age? Or do they require any different ingredients?

zoebisch01 · 07-19-2007, 07:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 98EXL

I'm not looking to make anything fancy. Something like cheddar or american that I can shred to use in cooking...

Cheddar is good, maybe look into something like a farmer's cheese. Fwiw, American is a processed cheese food, not actually a true cheese in the sense of process.

98EXL · 07-19-2007, 07:34 PM

I'll have to look into that

This is another crackpot idea of mine

zoebisch01 · 07-19-2007, 07:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaveyBoy

What about the really hard cheeses like Parmesan, romano, etc? Are these the same process, they just take longer to age? Or do they require any different ingredients?

Same basic process, but they use different starter bacteria cultures. It turns out that many of the steps get varied somewhat to make different cheeses. In general, the harder the cheese, the longer you cook the curd and the longer you age it. How the curd is handled (from cooking to cutting to draining...etc) makes a big difference in the outcome.