Cheese making...
Discussion
I thought I’d start a cheese thread as I think a few on here make their own. Please add anything you think is relevant. Cheers
Mozzarella
Following my pizza post I have edited out and added more info about making the mozzarella. I pinched the general method from the web but have changed the quantities and a couple of bits which I think make it easier.
Ingredients used were:
2.27 litres whole milk
Citric acid (powdered from the chemist)
Rennet (Waitrose stock the one I used)
Salt
Equipment was a couple pans, large sieve and bowl (that fits one of the pans), probe or thermometer and a good set of fine scales.
Dissolve 4.5g of citric acid in 120ml of cold water and add to the milk in a large pan. Very gently start to heat stirring occasionally. While it is warming add ¼ tsp of rennet to 30ml of water.
Once the milk reaches 32 degrees (Celsius) it should look like this…
The fats have separated and you have lumpy milk. Take it off the heat and add the rennet mix, stir thoroughly and leave to cool for 5 minutes.
After 5 minutes the rennet should have set the curds. Basically it should look like a big white jelly. If not leave a bit longer. Once set use a long knife to cut the cut (right to the bottom of the pan). Cut into 1” cubes. Then put the mix back on the heat and cook the curd to 40 degrees. Gently stir to evenly heat and cook.
Drain into a sieve and season with salt, I used 5g. Retain the whey if you want to keep the finished cheese in it.
One tip is to hold the sieve handle at the end in one hand and tap the basket end of the handle with a clenched fist. This will drain the curd quickly and form it into a round(ish) shape. (this techniques works for draining anything).
While the curd is draining put on a fresh pan of water and bring up to 85 degrees. Lower the curd into the water and cook for 2-3 minutes.
This is where my method is not as traditional as I think it should be but it worked for me. Basically at this point you are supposed to don a pair of heavy rubber gloves and shape the cheese in the water stretching and wetting it until it forms a smooth ball. I cheated, emptied half the water away and put a fresh bowl over the pan and formed the cheese in a bains marie just splashing it with a bit of water here and there.
Last stage is to cool the cheese in iced water...
That’s it. First one took me half an hour, second time 15 minutes.
Mozzarella
Following my pizza post I have edited out and added more info about making the mozzarella. I pinched the general method from the web but have changed the quantities and a couple of bits which I think make it easier.
Ingredients used were:
2.27 litres whole milk
Citric acid (powdered from the chemist)
Rennet (Waitrose stock the one I used)
Salt
Equipment was a couple pans, large sieve and bowl (that fits one of the pans), probe or thermometer and a good set of fine scales.
Dissolve 4.5g of citric acid in 120ml of cold water and add to the milk in a large pan. Very gently start to heat stirring occasionally. While it is warming add ¼ tsp of rennet to 30ml of water.
Once the milk reaches 32 degrees (Celsius) it should look like this…
The fats have separated and you have lumpy milk. Take it off the heat and add the rennet mix, stir thoroughly and leave to cool for 5 minutes.
After 5 minutes the rennet should have set the curds. Basically it should look like a big white jelly. If not leave a bit longer. Once set use a long knife to cut the cut (right to the bottom of the pan). Cut into 1” cubes. Then put the mix back on the heat and cook the curd to 40 degrees. Gently stir to evenly heat and cook.
Drain into a sieve and season with salt, I used 5g. Retain the whey if you want to keep the finished cheese in it.
One tip is to hold the sieve handle at the end in one hand and tap the basket end of the handle with a clenched fist. This will drain the curd quickly and form it into a round(ish) shape. (this techniques works for draining anything).
While the curd is draining put on a fresh pan of water and bring up to 85 degrees. Lower the curd into the water and cook for 2-3 minutes.
This is where my method is not as traditional as I think it should be but it worked for me. Basically at this point you are supposed to don a pair of heavy rubber gloves and shape the cheese in the water stretching and wetting it until it forms a smooth ball. I cheated, emptied half the water away and put a fresh bowl over the pan and formed the cheese in a bains marie just splashing it with a bit of water here and there.
Last stage is to cool the cheese in iced water...
That’s it. First one took me half an hour, second time 15 minutes.
Edited by 21TonyK on Monday 4th September 09:08
We did a cheese-making day course at a local place - http://www.monklandcheesedairy.co.uk/
Start the day by stirring 1,000 litres of warm milk, finish the day by stacking all the cheeses into the maturing rooms - and, a couple of months later, stop by to collect a couple of the cheeses you made on your day.
Really interesting, learnt a lot - including that I'm VERY happy to buy good cheese from artisan makers, and can never be arsed to DIY.
Start the day by stirring 1,000 litres of warm milk, finish the day by stacking all the cheeses into the maturing rooms - and, a couple of months later, stop by to collect a couple of the cheeses you made on your day.
Really interesting, learnt a lot - including that I'm VERY happy to buy good cheese from artisan makers, and can never be arsed to DIY.
4159265 said:
We did the exact same thing.
Our conclusion was that it was fun as a 'couple / kids fun thing', but nicer and cheaper to buy from Aldi
Although that might be us being bad at it!
I won't be making it every time I want pizza but it did melt and brown much better than shop bought.Our conclusion was that it was fun as a 'couple / kids fun thing', but nicer and cheaper to buy from Aldi
Although that might be us being bad at it!It's the sort of thing I might make in batches and try freezing,
You may or may not be interested to know there is a cheese fest doing a limited tour of the country at the moment. Yep, a festival all about cheese.
https://www.cheesefestuk.com/
https://www.cheesefestuk.com/
Cold said:
You may or may not be interested to know there is a cheese fest doing a limited tour of the country at the moment. Yep, a festival all about cheese.
https://www.cheesefestuk.com/
Subscribed. Looks like it might be a while until the are down my way although I do at least 5-6 food fairs, trade and retail, each year so might see the same producers, just concentrated in one area!https://www.cheesefestuk.com/
Might just manage the Bournemouth one if it ties in with Uni-runs for my daughter!
On a similar theme, I made my own butter the other week. Was very easy (if you have a food mixer) and I liked the results. You can control your own salt levels and the taste was very good. Apparently it works better with older cream, so if you see it on offer in the supermarket at end of date code, the results may be even better.
I can't remember the exact web page I referenced, but this captures the process:
https://toriavey.com/toris-kitchen/homemade-butter...
Took about 15 mins. A great one to do with kids as well as no heat is involved and they like the end product.
I can't remember the exact web page I referenced, but this captures the process:
https://toriavey.com/toris-kitchen/homemade-butter...
Took about 15 mins. A great one to do with kids as well as no heat is involved and they like the end product.
Paneer
I was encouraged to make some of this at the weekend when I saw a load of whole milk for 15p/litre in the supermarket
Even easier than mozzarella, only ingredients are milk and some acid.
Vinegar is the cheapest and most convenient probably (wouldn't advise using brown malt vinegar!) but if you overdo it the cheese will taste of vinegar. Lemon juice is an alternative, but lemony cheese isn't that great either. The pros would use a calculated quantity of citric acid I would imagine...
So step one, heat the milk to almost boiling - I measured mine at 85 degC. Heat it really gently and/or stir regularly - otherwise you get brown burned bits.
Then remove it from the heat and add your chosen acid - I added vinegar - a tablespoon at a time, stirring each time. Eventually this will happen (third shot for me):
I then let it cool further, then strained through muslin in a colander. Squeezed as much moisture out of it as possible, then into the fridge overnight (if possible).
Out of the fridge, cubed up:
Half of it made into a bangin curry! Other half in the freezer (results of that TBC).
It's great in a curry - bland otherwise... Good stuff in the photo but a lot of it falls apart while making the curry. Compressing and cooling it as much as possible seems to be the way to avoid that.
I was encouraged to make some of this at the weekend when I saw a load of whole milk for 15p/litre in the supermarket
Even easier than mozzarella, only ingredients are milk and some acid. Vinegar is the cheapest and most convenient probably (wouldn't advise using brown malt vinegar!) but if you overdo it the cheese will taste of vinegar. Lemon juice is an alternative, but lemony cheese isn't that great either. The pros would use a calculated quantity of citric acid I would imagine...
So step one, heat the milk to almost boiling - I measured mine at 85 degC. Heat it really gently and/or stir regularly - otherwise you get brown burned bits.
Then remove it from the heat and add your chosen acid - I added vinegar - a tablespoon at a time, stirring each time. Eventually this will happen (third shot for me):
I then let it cool further, then strained through muslin in a colander. Squeezed as much moisture out of it as possible, then into the fridge overnight (if possible).
Out of the fridge, cubed up:
Half of it made into a bangin curry! Other half in the freezer (results of that TBC).
It's great in a curry - bland otherwise... Good stuff in the photo but a lot of it falls apart while making the curry. Compressing and cooling it as much as possible seems to be the way to avoid that.
Jambo85 said:
Amazed you had success with this! Last time I asked a chemist for citric acid (for brewing) they looked at me like I had two heads and said no...
Apparently its most common use these days is for mixing with heroin.
It’s not a controlled substance, they shouldn’t really have refused you, though they are allowed to.Apparently its most common use these days is for mixing with heroin.
Amazon has it, very cheap too.
Vaud said:
It’s not a controlled substance, they shouldn’t really have refused you, though they are allowed to.
Amazon has it, very cheap too.
Yes I have tons of it now!Amazon has it, very cheap too.
I got the impression they didn't actually stock it to keep vagrants out - however the fact they were dispensing methadone called that into question...
Apologies for the thread sidetrack.
I've made sour cream cheese quite a few times, tried white vinegar and even at low levels, only just turning the curds, I can smell the vinegar and the final taste is not right.
I've had consistent good results with supermarket lime or lemon juice. My method is very similar to the paneer above, except I use a very fine muslin cloth that I boil in the kettle to line a stainless steel colander and I leave it to drain overnight out in the kitchen to sour.
I had a few goes at hard cheese and these have been very hit and miss and I've not really achieved my goal. I went for crumbly white and would have been happy with anything similar to Cheshire, Derby, Wensleydale, etc. I got something more like Parmesan in texture but mild in taste. A couple of goes at cheddar have yielded edible results, but not really cheddar.
I had one go at Scandinavian Brunost (brown cheese), from left over wye I'd stored up in the freezer from the above. I know this is not really cheese but it worked really well. It is really a slow reduction with added butter, but like marmite, people love it or hate it and it is very much an acquired taste, but not mine.
My attempt at Stilton was an abysmal failure, that picked up a bright pink mold so got binned and I started boiling my muslin bag immediately before use in the kettle. I used a cheese making penicillin from Amazon. I intend to have another go at this.
I also do home brewing, so I understand the importance of cleanliness, cheese making takes that to a new level, but I'm at the stage where I making hard cheese, but need that extra level of knowledge regarding producing the wanted textures and tastes.
I want to be able to make matured hard cheeses like those I've mentioned.
I've been meaning to try calcium chloride and citric acid and this thread prompted me to order both from Amazon, two quid each for 100g more than enough for dozen batches.
I've had consistent good results with supermarket lime or lemon juice. My method is very similar to the paneer above, except I use a very fine muslin cloth that I boil in the kettle to line a stainless steel colander and I leave it to drain overnight out in the kitchen to sour.
I had a few goes at hard cheese and these have been very hit and miss and I've not really achieved my goal. I went for crumbly white and would have been happy with anything similar to Cheshire, Derby, Wensleydale, etc. I got something more like Parmesan in texture but mild in taste. A couple of goes at cheddar have yielded edible results, but not really cheddar.
I had one go at Scandinavian Brunost (brown cheese), from left over wye I'd stored up in the freezer from the above. I know this is not really cheese but it worked really well. It is really a slow reduction with added butter, but like marmite, people love it or hate it and it is very much an acquired taste, but not mine.
My attempt at Stilton was an abysmal failure, that picked up a bright pink mold so got binned and I started boiling my muslin bag immediately before use in the kettle. I used a cheese making penicillin from Amazon. I intend to have another go at this.
I also do home brewing, so I understand the importance of cleanliness, cheese making takes that to a new level, but I'm at the stage where I making hard cheese, but need that extra level of knowledge regarding producing the wanted textures and tastes.
I want to be able to make matured hard cheeses like those I've mentioned.
I've been meaning to try calcium chloride and citric acid and this thread prompted me to order both from Amazon, two quid each for 100g more than enough for dozen batches.
Edited by 4x4Tyke on Wednesday 31st January 17:54
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