New To The Cheese

[reubadoob]

Hi all! I recently visited a home brew store in Portland, OR and it got my wheels turning on getting into cheese making. So naturally I turned to the wisdom of this forum and Google, of course. With that being said any tips for a newbie getting into the cheese making arena?

I was thinking of buying this kit from cheesemaking.com ($69.95 US) to get things going. Thoughts? Better ideas?

 

[Walker]

I just recently made cheese for the first time. A buddy of mine makes mozzarella and gave me some and my kids were bugging me to try it.

I didn't buy any kit or anything and just asked him what he used, and then bought the few items I needed from the LHBS.

It looks like your kit is for way more than just making cheese (sour cream, kefir, buttermilk, yogurt, etc), so if you want to just try out simple soft, white cheese making, you can definitely get away with it for a lot less money than $70.

Here's what I bought and what I paid for it:

Calcium chloride - 2oz - $1.25
Citric acid - 8oz - $5.50
Rennet tablets - 10 count - $6.50

That's enough to make probably 20 batches of mozzarella (12oz of cheese per batch) and I spent less than $15. Each batch takes 1 gallon of whole milk, too.

 

[reubadoob]

Walker thanks for the tips. I see you're hailing from Cary, NC, which LHBS do you shop at? The only one I know of is Grapes & Hops.

 

[Walker]

Me and the rest of the guys i know all go to American Brewmaster in Raleigh.

 

[reubadoob]

Sounds good. I'll have to check them out next time I'm in Raleigh. Merry Christmas!

 

[seekinganswers]

I will have to say as I am a new cheesemaker, that the kit you are looking at I would say is too much for someone new.

There are so many variables in making cheese and it can be a little overwhelming and I recommend starting with an easy soft cheese, mozzarella seems to be a great place to start, and slowly work towards more involved cheeses.

You will save money, you won't look at the 4 or 5 other recipes and see them staring back at you mocking you. The cheeses they have in the kit aren't necessarily hard but I think most people do feel a little overwhelmed because its more picky than baking is.

Good luck.

 

[rach_88]

If you are interested in making cheese. I just bought a Mad Millie cheese making kit for mum as a birthday present. She loves it. I bought it online at www.madmillie.com. If you haven't made cheese before there is a beginners kit you can purchase. THis is the one i got for mum