A couple of weeks ago I made a stirred curd cheddar with GREEN CHILE! Man am I excited. I'll have more on that in another post. I plan to make stirred curd with Jalapeno soon. Stay tuned for that one WITH pictures and video. It is truly a different experience. More tactile and soul soothing.
On another note...I've made some modifications to the cheese press. They are quite minor in appearance but make a world of difference! It is so much easier and more precise now. I like it much, much more. Pics and possibly even an assembly, dis assembly video will be coming in the near future.
On yet another note, kindof...I might be making and selling a small number of these presses. It seems to me that the costs associated with making pressed cheeses can be prohibitive to many. I plan to make a press that is easy, stores small, and is affordable. After all, we are talking about food here. Fun, delicious, easy, accessible, and affordable. That is how I feel about food.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Monday, April 6, 2009
Making cheddar today! pt 7
This rough, loose looking mass is the cheese after the first 10 min press. Also the whey drained off during this time. After the second press it is a bit tighter and after the 12 hr press there are no cracks at all. Only the lines left by the cheese cloth. I think next time I'll mill the curd to just a bit smaller pieces and see if it packs more nicely. To see how it looks after the 12 hr press look at one of my earlier posts about waxing my first cheddar.
Making cheddar today! pt 6
Here I've lined the mold with cheese cloth. This is so that the pressed cheese won't stick to the mold and fall all apart when I try to remove it from the press. Next I loaded the milled/salted curd into the mold. You can see that whey has already started to drain out just from the mold packing process. I then line the 'follower' (part that does the pressing) with cheese cloth and place it onto the curd. I find it extremely important to carefully line the mold and make sure that you minimize the cheese cloth overlapping to prevent large creases in the cheese. I still haven't figured a way of preventing the creases entirely but I did minimize them. Finally, I've show how ready the whey drains off under only 10 pounds.
Farmhouse cheddar in 2# size is pressed in 3 phases:
Farmhouse cheddar in 2# size is pressed in 3 phases:
- 10 #'s for 10 min
- 20 #'s for 10 min
- 50 #'s for 12 hr
Making cheddar today! pt 5
This is how the curd looks after it has been broken into smaller pieces. It is supposed to be 'walnut sized' pieces. Also, you can see how much whey (and looks like some fat) has drained out just during the milling process. After I poured off the whey I added salt and mixed VERY thoroughly.
Making cheddar today! pt 4
These images are of the curd after it has drained 1 hr. It has lumped together but it is still very much a crumbly, drippy mass. Notice the way it breaks roughly and easily. And notice how big the curd really is. My hand is much smaller than how much curd I've got.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Making cheddar today! pt 3
After adding the rennet the next step is to wait 45 min. You should now have a firm, white mass - curd! Then cut the curd all the way from top to bottom from front to back and left to right. Then again only this time with the knife at a 45 degree angle so that the long poles of curd you've just cut are now diced. It is important to stir the curd periodically during the next phase to make sure it doesn't mat together into a big lump. That would prevent the whey from coming out of the curds and make the cheese much too moist.
Now I've gotten to the draining the curd part. All you do is line a colander with cheese cloth and pour in the whey and curd. They yellow whey drains out and the white curd stays behind. The picture here is of the curd draining. It is supposed to stay relatively warm so I tie the corners of the cheese cloth, run a wooden spoon through and hang it in the pot I just dumped it from. Then place the lid over that. The lid doesn't sit tight but it does keep the draft to a minimum.
Making cheddar today! pt 2
Here I can be seen testing for a 'clean break' of the curd. This was not quite ready yet. I gave it 5 min more before cutting.
This is a video testing for clean break curd.
This is a video testing for clean break curd.
Making cheddar today!
I am going to post several entries today, so that it is a bit less confusing for readers, I hope. There will be some video and some pics so please be patient.
Following are pics the milk being warmed to 90 degrees. Then being stirred after I've added the mesophilic starter. I didn't repeat showing the stirring process after adding the rennet since there is really nothing different to see. While adding the rennet, however, it is important to stir while adding the rennet so that it is evenly disbursed. I couldn't show that since I only have two hands.
Following are pics the milk being warmed to 90 degrees. Then being stirred after I've added the mesophilic starter. I didn't repeat showing the stirring process after adding the rennet since there is really nothing different to see. While adding the rennet, however, it is important to stir while adding the rennet so that it is evenly disbursed. I couldn't show that since I only have two hands.
Friday, April 3, 2009
Final Cheese Press, for now
This is as far as I'm going to be taking the cheese press build for now. You can see in the pictures that it is VERY stable. Notice only have two tiny pieces of dowel between the mold and the weight. I rocked the whole thing to see if it would fall and it did not. The total weight on it at this point is 50 lbs. And don't forget this 'collapses' to flat. Very nice design.
Cheese set to age
Last Sunday I made my first attempt at making Farmhouse Cheddar. This is a simple hard cheese that only needs to age for 30 days minimum. It was such an enjoyable experience that I'm going to make another this Sunday. Being my first try I was extremely careful about temperatures and triple checked the instructions as I went along. I pressed the cheese (this is why I built the cheese press described in an earlier post) for 13 hours and then set it to dry at room temperature. The drying process can take 2 - 4 days and in my case it took 3 and a half days, roughly, and lost about 6 oz by weight. The final cheese (without the wax) is 2 lb .5 oz. I started the process Monday morning and it was ready to wax by Thursday evening. Got it done. Here are a couple of pictures of the cheese before and after the wax was applied. So this cheese will be ready in about 30 days but I'm giving it 37 just to make sure it has flavor. My current temperature is not ideal though. At 60 degrees it is a bit warm. I would like it to be at about 55 however my basement is 60 and the refrigerator in my garage currently cannot climb above 38 as the weather here in SW Michigan is still cold. So, basement, 60 degrees, and inside a stainless steel stockpot with lid to keep any possible pests away (mice, roaches, etc). I don't know that I even have them down there but I sure would hate to lose my first cheese to such a silly thing.
Enjoy the pictures.
Dried but no wax.
Applying the wax.
Done!
Enjoy the pictures.
Dried but no wax.
Applying the wax.
Done!
Top board of cheese press completed
I made the top board of the cheese press during my lunch break at work. I sanded it and made everything pretty nice considering it is cheap plywood. Now to go home and oil it. Sunday I'll make another cheddar, this time taking pics of the steps along the way for you to see just how simple it really is.
Easy to build cheese press, for cheap!
Yesterday I made a press for making hard cheese. I found that you can buy a press for around $300 but that really seemed like it would suck the joy right out of the experience. I've made one myself for $30. I assume 'most' people could do the same. It really is a breeze to do. No special skills needed. I followed a VERY EASY plan posted by the Fias Co Farm. I highly recommend this plan. Here are two pics of my (almost) final product.
This next picture is of how nicely small this press stores. The construction allows it to be disassembled with zero effort. The legs simply slide out through the bottom when you pick up the press. Brilliant.
I did not picture the top board because I didn't make it yet. However, this should take all of 2 minutes. Just means drilling four holes and that certainly was not difficult. You could probably get someone at a hardware store to do it for you if you don't have a drill.
It should also be noted that I didn't show the "whey catch/drain" made from the pie pan because it is unnecessary, but it does help to contain the pressed out whey. You could just as easily set this on a cookie sheet and achieve the same result.
The supplies I used were purchased at Amazon ($20 for maple cutting board, 12 x 16) and Lowes ($10 for stainless steel washers and screws, and the oak 3/4" dowel cut into 16" long pieces). I have to recommend the maple cutting board for two reasons:
1. It won't flavor or stain your cheese or cause problems with the acid and bacteria
2. The thickness of the board allows the legs to be held in a secure 90 degree upright position. I did consider using plastic board for even greater sanitation but the thin nature of plastic cutting boards would not have kept the legs upright.
One last note about the maple cutting board. It seems to me that the top board for this press could be made from any material that will not warp or bend since the top board will never contact the cheese. I'm going to use scrap plywood I have in my garage for FREE.
For the weights I've used freeweights from my neglected bench weight set. Also free. It seems reasonable that you could use absolutely anything you desire for weights as long as it is measured to be correct using a scale. If the weight is wrong your cheese might turn out very differently than you expect (drier, more moist, buttery, flakey, etc). Proper weight is very important.
Build time for this was about 1 hr because I was being EXTREMELY picky about precision. It's just my personality. If you simply go through the steps as decribed I'd say 30 min would do it. Don't forget the mineral oil for treating the wood.
Good luck!
This next picture is of how nicely small this press stores. The construction allows it to be disassembled with zero effort. The legs simply slide out through the bottom when you pick up the press. Brilliant.
I did not picture the top board because I didn't make it yet. However, this should take all of 2 minutes. Just means drilling four holes and that certainly was not difficult. You could probably get someone at a hardware store to do it for you if you don't have a drill.
It should also be noted that I didn't show the "whey catch/drain" made from the pie pan because it is unnecessary, but it does help to contain the pressed out whey. You could just as easily set this on a cookie sheet and achieve the same result.
The supplies I used were purchased at Amazon ($20 for maple cutting board, 12 x 16) and Lowes ($10 for stainless steel washers and screws, and the oak 3/4" dowel cut into 16" long pieces). I have to recommend the maple cutting board for two reasons:
1. It won't flavor or stain your cheese or cause problems with the acid and bacteria
2. The thickness of the board allows the legs to be held in a secure 90 degree upright position. I did consider using plastic board for even greater sanitation but the thin nature of plastic cutting boards would not have kept the legs upright.
One last note about the maple cutting board. It seems to me that the top board for this press could be made from any material that will not warp or bend since the top board will never contact the cheese. I'm going to use scrap plywood I have in my garage for FREE.
For the weights I've used freeweights from my neglected bench weight set. Also free. It seems reasonable that you could use absolutely anything you desire for weights as long as it is measured to be correct using a scale. If the weight is wrong your cheese might turn out very differently than you expect (drier, more moist, buttery, flakey, etc). Proper weight is very important.
Build time for this was about 1 hr because I was being EXTREMELY picky about precision. It's just my personality. If you simply go through the steps as decribed I'd say 30 min would do it. Don't forget the mineral oil for treating the wood.
Good luck!
Just getting started
Hello,
My name is Marvin Bowen. I've just started making homemade cheese! I can't tell you how excited I am to be producing something that I've loved for my entire life. It is simply a wonderful, zen-like experience.
As I progress through the various stages of making cheese I'm going to be detailing my experiences, good and bad, giving any advice I've received, posting useful links, emails, photographs, etc in order to help anyone who finds this blog in their own quest for cheese success.
Cheers and happy cheesing!
My name is Marvin Bowen. I've just started making homemade cheese! I can't tell you how excited I am to be producing something that I've loved for my entire life. It is simply a wonderful, zen-like experience.
As I progress through the various stages of making cheese I'm going to be detailing my experiences, good and bad, giving any advice I've received, posting useful links, emails, photographs, etc in order to help anyone who finds this blog in their own quest for cheese success.
Cheers and happy cheesing!
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