Anyone make cheese?

I needed to place an order from AHB and I am so stocked up with brew ingredients I diddnt just want to order a $12 item so I seen this and thought what the hell:

Basic Hard Cheese Kit [01686]
$31.99

The Basic Hard Cheese Kit makes nine different cheeses: Farmhouse Cheddar, Gouda, Monterey Jack, Feta, Cottage Cheese, Colby, Parmesan and Ricotta. With this kit you can make your own additive and preservative-free cheeses. The kit comes with a detailed recipe booklet outlining all the steps in the cheesemaking process. This kit lasts about 2 years in the refrigerator and makes up to 30 pounds of cheeses.

The basic hard cheese kit contains:

One cheese mold
Vegetable cheese rennet
Mesophilic starter
Thermophilic starter
Dairy thermometer
1/2 oz. calcium chloride
Reusable cheesecloth

Oh, I have been meaning to start a thread like this. I got a basic kit for Christmas and am going to be making some cheese this week. Interested to hear what others say...

Cut? Yes. Made? No!!

Keep us informed how it goes. I've had that in my shopping basket several times but haven't purchased yet.

Oh you are going to be amazed at how much milk it takes to make a pound of cheese.

Luck

Heh, 'hard cheese'...


Sounds like an ex-forum-member...

Is cheese no longer around?

Sean said:

Is cheese no longer around?

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Nope. He had a bit of a blowout with the site admin and moderators, and he's not allowed around these parts anymore.

As far as the volume of milk thing: it'll help to use whole milk. Or fresh cow or even goat milk if you have any farms nearby.

My girlfriend and I just made mozzarella from an AHS kit. Not too bad, but we need a bit of practice to get the technique down. The hard cheese kit sounds interesting.

My GF and I have also tried the soft cheese route. I was at my LHBS when I noticed the cheese kit and I asked them about it. Turns out all I need was the rennit tablets, so I bought a 10 pack of those (makes like 40 pounds of cheese). We've made it twice so far, it was actually quite good.

I've made mozzarella, but that's it. I've read a book about cheesemaking, and I need to get off my duff and start doing more.


TL

Yuri_Rage said:

Nope. He had a bit of a blowout with the site admin and moderators, and he's not allowed around these parts anymore.

Click to expand...

I did a search. nuff said.

There is a link to Cheese's board on cheese's profile. Seems like the admin would want to remove that.


Sorry did not mean to be off topic. My wife makes yogurt all the time, and it is the same process. She adds heavy cream to add more solids. You get a better yield and creamier cheese.

Sean said:

There is a link to Cheese's board on cheese's profile. Seems like the admin would want to remove that.

Click to expand...

To what purpose? He's banned from the board, not erased from memory or history. I think it's nice that they've left the link, so his friends have a means of reaching him.

Back on topic:

My girlfriend and I made three attempts at making mozzarella, with little luck. What we came up with each time was more like chewy ricotta, grainy and not smooth. We got tired of filling our shopping cart with milk only to end up with a few lumps of grainy cheese!

Making cheese was what got me into brewing. Well kind of, the wife had bought me a beer kit about 7 years ago and when I started making cheese she reminded me that I had a beer kit as well.

Anyway, I have made a few dozen different cheeses hard and soft and it takes a bit of practice. I really recommend the cheese press Ricky Carrol has. I have tried a few and hers is the best. I keep hoping that I can find a good fresh milk supply but the only place I have seen was selling fresh milk at $5 per half gallon!

I have a parmesan that I have been aging for over a year now and I can't wait to try it.

You guys suck.
I read this thread on Tuesday and now im obsessed with making cheese.

My wife is going to beat me.

Found a series of basic youtube videos

I think the guy should have been wearing hair nets on his arms
This is looking like a long process for a few pounds of cheese. I might be making cheese curds at first

[YOUTUBE]YPqdVW-QAk8[/YOUTUBE]

Okay, i'd like to do it but with the price of milk I think I could buy cheaper and we have some good cheese makers in the UK so I think the commerial stuff may be better. That plus the fact it's almost a days work and takes months if not years to mature, I need a little more convincing.

I just got to ask. Does this not make your house smell like total crap? One grocery store in town makes their own cheese and I about threw up last time I walked by the cheese making area.

orfy said:

Okay, i'd like to do it but with the price of milk I think I could buy cheaper and we have some good cheese makers in the UK so I think the commerial stuff may be better. That plus the fact it's almost a days work and takes months if not years to mature, I need a little more convincing.

Click to expand...

The reason I looked into it (other than "just because" ) was I hope to have a milk goat or two in the future...maybe...

orfy said:

Okay, i'd like to do it but with the price of milk I think I could buy cheaper and we have some good cheese makers in the UK so I think the commerial stuff may be better. That plus the fact it's almost a days work and takes months if not years to mature, I need a little more convincing.

Click to expand...

I'm inclined to agree. OTOH, a lot of people feel that way about beer, and we know how wrong they are!

Speaking of cheese. If you are really into cheese, seek out some Humboldt Fog. Make sure you serve when it is fully at room temperature with oh a Baguette or something. This cheese announces to the world that Americans can indeed make real cheese

Man, I agree. That friggin' Humbolt Fog is completely off the charts!


TL

I was going to order some to try and it was $18 for 16oz but when I went to check out the shipping was $30 so I passed

I love that stuff.

I have my oldest daughter (7 year old) totally hooked on blue cheese. Her favorite snack is a blue cheese sandwich. Just blue cheese in a tortilla.

Now I will have to head out to the supermarket and get some Humbolt Fog.

that music is gay.

SuperiorBrew said:

Found a series of basic youtube videos

I think the guy should have been wearing hair nets on his arms
This is looking like a long process for a few pounds of cheese. I might be making cheese curds at first

[YOUTUBE]YPqdVW-QAk8[/YOUTUBE]

#2
#3
#4
#5
#6

Click to expand...

jbreiding said:

that music is gay.

Click to expand...

Very constructive!

jbreiding said:

that music is gay.

Click to expand...

I've checked out about 4-5 cheese videos on youtube and their all packed with terrible music and strange, unreadable fonts.

orfy said:

Very constructive!

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the original author of those videos could have used a musical note that would help peek the interest of the viewer, and not put them to sleep.



... better?

SuperiorBrew said:

I was going to order some to try and it was $18 for 16oz but when I went to check out the shipping was $30 so I passed

Click to expand...

Ouch! I am fortunate to have it locally at the grocer. The shipping is certainly what kills ya. But, if you do find it in a store somewhere you don't need a lot of it. A small amount goes very far.

I just got the chees kit, wasnt really what I was expecting but I didd'nt really know what to expect


Basic Hard Cheese Kit [01686]
$31.99

The Basic Hard Cheese Kit makes nine different cheeses: Farmhouse Cheddar, Gouda, Monterey Jack, Feta, Cottage Cheese, Colby, Parmesan and Ricotta. With this kit you can make your own additive and preservative-free cheeses. The kit comes with a detailed recipe booklet outlining all the steps in the cheesemaking process. This kit lasts about 2 years in the refrigerator and makes up to 30 pounds of cheeses.

The basic hard cheese kit contains:

One cheese mold
Vegetable cheese rennet
Mesophilic starter
Thermophilic starter
Dairy thermometer
1/2 oz. calcium chloride
Reusable cheesecloth

http://www.cheesemaking.com/

My friend has really been into cheesemaking for a number of years now. He took a workshop from the woman who runs this site and I am pretty sure the books that come with the basic kits is hers.

He loves it. He just sent me an email that he "waxed his cheese" this weekend.

I laughed too. . .

mrosania said:

http://www.cheesemaking.com/

My friend has really been into cheesemaking for a number of years now. He took a workshop from the woman who runs this site and I am pretty sure the books that come with the basic kits is hers.

He loves it. He just sent me an email that he "waxed his cheese" this weekend.

I laughed too. . .

Click to expand...

Hey, Alice waxed the cheese last week, too. It was great. I kept on putting my hand in to help and she kept swatting me away. I guess she wanted to complete the job. With or without my assistance, she ended up waxing the cheese like it was the movies. A VERY satisfying experience, and should be great to nibble on later.


PTN

Spyk'd said:

Heh, 'hard cheese'...


Sounds like an ex-forum-member...

Click to expand...

hard cheese and big soft women