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.
Every time I think I have gone insane you do something that reminds me I am not alone.
ReplyDeleteJust where are you finding the time for all this cheese-dom? :)
ReplyDeleteTime? What time? Was I supposed to be somewhere? I actually do it on Sunday. This particular cheese was 4 hrs from start to beginning of 12 hr press. And with the 45 min waiting periods I can easily do other things at the same time.
ReplyDeleteI didn't go insane, I chose to stay where I began.
ReplyDelete