Is there any cheese equivalent to Palmer's How to Brew website for a total novice

After reading today's banner article I have decided to make some cheese. Other than reading this and a few posts in the cheese forum here on HBT my knowledge base is nil.

I was wondering if someone could point me in the right direction to quality sources of information.

I am looking at getting Artisan Cheese Making at Home on foot of Passedpawn's recommendation.

Thanks in advance for any help

Try this web page.

http://www.cheesemaking.com/

Backyard_Homebrew said:

Try this web page.

http://www.cheesemaking.com/

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Will do. Thanks

good god I hope their new site comes soon, that is an eye sore

poptarts said:

good god I hope their new site comes soon, that is an eye sore

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I thought it was Richard Simmons making cheese at first glance.

There's a pretty good cheese podcast from an Ausie (named Gavin) called Little Green Cheese. I recommend it. The guy has a ebook that he shills in his podcasts that I suspect is probably pretty danged good for beginners.

He also has a lot of youtube videos. Check out his site, maybe you can get to the videos that way, not sure: http://www.littlegreencheese.com/

poptarts said:

good god I hope their new site comes soon, that is an eye sore

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It is, but it's not likely to get any better. She's the Jamil Zainescheff of the home cheese making world.

I read the HBT article, too. I thought making cheese would be pretty cool until I discovered that it required aging in a temperature and humidity controlled environment.

The red flags started waving! The last thing I need is to start another expensive hobby.

You could just make Paneer(Indian style fredh cheese).
Bring some whole,full fat milk up to 80c, stir the whole time.
Kill the heat and add a bunch of fresh squeezed lemon or lime juice. Do not stop stirring.
After a few mins,add some salt.
Let it cool and press through a cheese cloth, then you can add any extra ingredients you like,mould it and put it in the fridge over night.
Next day you are good to go,but if you keep it a few days the taste will become stronger and a little Fetta like

chawn said:

I read the HBT article, too. I thought making cheese would be pretty cool until I discovered that it required aging in a temperature and humidity controlled environment.

The red flags started waving! The last thing I need is to start another expensive hobby.

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I hear you there. But OTOH, it's sorta a complimentary hobby because you might already have a temp controlled environment for your beer. Humidity, so far for me, isn't an issue. For soft bloomy cheeses that like it really humid, it's as simple as enclosing them in a plastic bin.

You've already got the sanitization thing happening. Maybe you have a pH meter which is very useful for cheesemaking, and can also play a part in your beermaking.

And cheese goes great with beer!

passedpawn said:

I hear you there. But OTOH, it's sorta a complimentary hobby because you might already have a temp controlled environment for your beer. Humidity, so far for me, isn't an issue. For soft bloomy cheeses that like it really humid, it's as simple as enclosing them in a plastic bin.

You've already got the sanitization thing happening. Maybe you have a pH meter which is very useful for cheesemaking, and can also play a part in your beermaking.

And cheese goes great with beer!

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I have to agree! Cheese and beer definitely go together. I'm a big fan of the divine cheese made by the Trappist monks at the Chimay Abbey in Belgium.

I was under the impression that I would need a humidifier, a hygrometer (spelling?), and God only knows what else. I guess a little more research is warranted.

So with the appreciably large amounts of lacto and strep used in the process, along with other things, how much of a cross contamination issue is the cheese making process to the beer making process?

Can I age my cheese in my fermentation chamber? Do I need to keep my yeast bank hidden away while making cheese? And so forth...

Thoughts?

chawn said:

I have to agree! Cheese and beer definitely go together. I'm a big fan of the divine cheese made by the Trappist monks at the Chimay Abbey in Belgium.

I was under the impression that I would need a humidifier, a hygrometer (spelling?), and God only knows what else. I guess a little more research is warranted.

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I happened to have a temperature and humidity little thermometer (about $5) but you don't 'need' one. Like passedpawn said, a plastic bin makes a fine cheese cave.

I've made a lot of cheese, and I think the feta and chevre from local goat's milk was fantastic, while the others ranged from "good to very good" so it's worth a try if you like cheese.

You can make a soft cheese, a fresh mozzerella, and feta, all in one day if you want. Hard cheeses might take some pressing or aging (or both) but none of it is difficult. A homemade cheese press works just fine, and if you can brew beer, you can ferment cheese.

Yooper said:

I happened to have a temperature and humidity little thermometer (about $5) but you don't 'need' one. Like passedpawn said, a plastic bin makes a fine cheese cave.

I've made a lot of cheese, and I think the feta and chevre from local goat's milk was fantastic, while the others ranged from "good to very good" so it's worth a try if you like cheese.

You can make a soft cheese, a fresh mozzerella, and feta, all in one day if you want. Hard cheeses might take some pressing or aging (or both) but none of it is difficult. A homemade cheese press works just fine, and if you can brew beer, you can ferment cheese.

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Ok. You talked me into it. I'm intrigued and looking at midrange starter kits now.

I'll probably be posting stupid...uh, I mean brilliant questions on the cheese making forum soon!

passedpawn said:

There's a pretty good cheese podcast from an Ausie (named Gavin) called Little Green Cheese. I recommend it. The guy has a ebook that he shills in his podcasts that I suspect is probably pretty danged good for beginners.

He also has a lot of youtube videos. Check out his site, maybe you can get to the videos that way, not sure: http://www.littlegreencheese.com/

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Thanks for the pointer PP. Much appreciated.

I agree with Passed and Yooper. It's a very complimentary hobby and doesn't really require much in the way of extra stuff. Temperature is not as critical as with beer, although you do want to stay in a general range if possible.

I bought a press kit including the basket and follower, and built the rest. My press is a simple chunk of plastic from work that I screwed 4 threaded rods into at the corners. The top plate has holes where the threaded rods woudl line up and it slides down on those rods. The basket sits in the middle and I used a piece of 2 1/2" scrap PVC as a follower to push the press plate down into the basket. I use weightlifting weights as weight.

There are plenty of different types of presses you can copy from online. You can even build your own entirely if you have some little skill with a couple of basic power tools.

passedpawn said:

There's a pretty good cheese podcast from an Ausie (named Gavin) called Little Green Cheese. I recommend it. The guy has a ebook that he shills in his podcasts that I suspect is probably pretty danged good for beginners.

He also has a lot of youtube videos. Check out his site, maybe you can get to the videos that way, not sure: http://www.littlegreencheese.com/

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This guy's youtube videos are great, too.

Edit: you mentioned his videos, my bad. missed that. https://www.youtube.com/user/greeningofgavin