Has anyone here tried making their own cheese from scratch?

[mudbug]

What did you make and how did it go? I do not

need resources on how unless you want to post for others. I am interested in anyone who has tried it themselves. Thoughts, opinions on your OWN PERSONAL experiences?

Thanks in advance.

[This message has been edited by cchiu (edited 12-09-2000).]

 

[momoreg]

My husband has a kit with several starters. He has so far made cheeses that take under 2 days to make, and he really loves doing it. Next is mozz., then cheddar.

 

[shroomgirl]

Yep! there is a real skill and artistry to cheese....I have come to appreciate that more and more, especially after we made goats milk feta and cheddar....ricotta and soft fresh cheeses are VERY Easy....the others are way more complicated. There is a definate learning curve and you have to WAIT to see what kind of product your making....I've not totally given up, but I have not persued it much in the last year.

 

[mudbug]

Thanks Katherine but I wasn't looking for how to do it (have plenty of resources on that). I am interested in anyone who has tried it themselves. Thoughts, opinions....

 

[shroomgirl]

CChiu....I would take a class, like an adult class at a university if you are seriously wanting to learn....
it is really tricky and there are so many nuances that are hard to pick up from a book... Unfortunately there are not alot of commercial cheese makers in Mo. I've tried to get at least one for the Farmers market and there are NONE....so I've let a wine shop sell artisan cheeses and Mo wines....
I generally have no problem learning from written directions but this is different!
Good luck. I'd love to hear where you go with this.

 

[mezzaluna]

Cchiu, try this one: http://www.yourfoodlinks.com/cheese/...esemaking.html

The University of Wisconsin Dairy Science program could also probably direct you. Just type "University of Wisconsin Dairy Science" (with the quotation marks) into your search engine.

Hope this helps!

 

[katherine]

The fresh cheeses are easier and lots faster than aged ones and require less equipment.
Here's a link for your information: http://www.cheesemaking.com/
Also, for fresh mozzarella curd, to make your own mozzarella from: http://www.creamery.com/#mozz
Happy cheese making.

 

[katherine]

I've made different cheeses in the past, but it takes equipment (press, molds) and an awful lot of milk to make hard cheese. In order to age it properly you're going to have to make lots of it far ahead of when you want to use it, and set up an aging place, either in a cool cellar or a dedicated refrigerator. I found it took several hours of my time to make a cheese that wasn't all that big, and buying retail ingredients made it cost about twice what store-bought cheese does. Most people who make their own everyday cheese are doing it to use up extra milk their cow or goats produce in season.

Specialty cheese is different: fresh cheeses in small batches are easy to do, there are a lot of different types to make. I make queso blanco (paneer) myself, and I've made a firm yogurt cheese, too.

 

[live_to_cook]

The only cheese I've made is a sort of cream cheese.

Take a gallon of whole milk and add a container of yogurt with active cultures. Let it sit in a warm place overnight.

The next day, take the yogurt you've made and let strain through 3-4 layers of cheesecloth for a day. From a gallon of milk you get maybe a quart and a half of darn tasty spreadable cream cheese. It's even better if you use raw milk straight from the dairy. (In my opinion; the USDA may not agree.)

The more complicated stuff is, um, beyond me.

[This message has been edited by Live_to_cook (edited 12-10-2000).]

 

[shroomgirl]

CChiu I went to Dept of Ag conference at TanTara this weekend and met Dairy farmers!!! got a list of goat,sheep and dairy cows....so if you'd like I can turn you on to raw milk producers.....again if your going for hard cheeses I'd find someone already making a good product and go hang out with them for a while.

 

[m brown]

I make yogurt weekly for my baby and recipes.
I have made goat cheese and flavored soft cheese, easy stuff. better than store bought.

------------------
bake first, ask questions later

 

[mudbug]

Thank you for all your input everyone! I think that if and when I decide to try, I'll start with the soft cheeses. We don't eat cheese often enough to justify a major undertaking.

Shroomgirl, how interesting to hang out with different people from the industry... I'll be sure to ask if I need fresh milk!

m brown, I've made yogurt also. Goat cheese might be the next thing...