Cheese Press

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sausageman

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Hi,
Say I'm new to this cheese making but figuired it would go nicely with my other passion for sausage making. Anyhow I have a electric 30# Dick sausage stuffer. Is there a way I could use this as my cheese press ? Thanks
 
Truth is stranger than fiction:

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I would imagine that if you could put something in the bottom to hold the cheese up, but had holes in it for the liquids to drip out of and then down and out the extrusion tube, that it might work.

Many of them I've seen, though, have side holes for liquid removal, which this unit obviously doesn't. Then again, if cheese doesn't squeeze out the little holes from a cheesecloth or the holes in a regular press, I don't think you'd have any problem with that extrusion arm.
 
I suppose you might be able to rig something up. The only thing I'd be concerned is the force control. I dunno. At any rate a cheese press can be just about anything that can hold the cheese form, with holes and a follower. Then you can use water ni a jug, etc. Yeah Mickey Mouse I know, but to get started or infrequent use it's not too bad. I have thought of cutting up some 4" perforated pvc.
 
Hmmmm. You could always add in a false bottom. One problem I forsee is that after a while the cheese will shrink and the pressure would then decrease. I think you'd need to periodically readjust the pressure.

Okay, here's what to do. Go out and buy a pressure transducer, and then a controller to go with it. You know, kinda like a fridge controller, only for pressure. Hook that up to your electric stuffer and then have it automatically adjust when the pressure drops too low :D
 
Awesome!! I thought geeking out beer gadgets might have been a bit funny, but geeking out a cheese press with a controler is just FRICKIN uberNERD!
 
Wow,
Thanks for the insight I think :~) Glad someone posted my machine below.
The filler is gear driven so when I tap on my footcontroller it stays on that set pressure until pressure is relieved somewhere. When say I am filling casings after meat starts coming out, I have to back click foot pedal to release pressure and stop the meat. With what I understand about this cheese making, if I would start the pressure then after water comes out then stops, I could just keep adding pressure till there was no more water?
I ordered one of those kits for hard cheese out of New Hampshire I believe. So this is what I'm starting with. It looked like a PVC pipe with holes in it that comes with the kit ? When I bring the piston all the way out of the filler tube, the end of the piston spins off for cleaning and such. I was thinking I could make any size of end that I could then press any diameter mold ?
What I am wondering is if I used existing cylinder, wraped the curd in the cheese cloth, put back in filler then just be cool with the pressure, would think the water would just run out the filler tube ? Would then just hope I wouldn't blow out the cheese cloth. Or will the water just come out the bottom ? Cut this newbie some slack now . Thanks
Don
 
At this point, it seems to look like trial and error is going to be your best bet. I would use the gallon of water and coffee can method for a few tries just to figure out the process, then give it a shot with the Dick and see how it holds up. If it spews white stuff out the pipe, then you probably hit it with too much pressure and it exploded.

I think it says 20# for 12hrs on each side for many recipes - how much pressure does that thing push?
 
It doesn't give any pressure measurements in my manual. Gives me alot of information on not using it for any purpose other then sausage filling :~) So whats this gallon of water and coffe can method ? Like you say sounds as thou will be trial and error. Personally thou think it would work pretty slick. Thanks for your help.
 
In all the searching I've found, you get a basic mold with the kit and just put a bunch of random crap on it for weight - usually a gallon jug of water on top of a bunch of thick heavy books. Size/Weight ratio - a gallon jug of water should be a good bang for your buck.
 
Let's try this.. I stopped by a local restaurant and got a plastic jar that salad dressing came in. I cut it off at the right height ( short enough to fit in my homemade cheese press), and drilled small holes around the bottom side. I have a wooden follower that fits into the cylinder. the screw of my press pushes on this. The follower fits the inside of the cylinder very closely.

I put all the pressure I can on there with a hand screw. As long as curd doesn't blow out the top, you're OK. I envy your machine. Wish I was the owner of a Dick sausage stuffer.:ban:
 
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