I want to make cheddar....can someone help?

[justusnak]

OK, since I now have a great milking goat...she gives 3 quarts a day now....I would like to dive into making cheddar cheese. I guess I am just brain dead here or something, because I can not figure out what all these recipes are saying....mesoph#@%#@^ ??? Starter??? HU?? Some say use Butter milk...I have the rennet....what do I need here?? Help???

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

hey Justy!

the best goat cheese makin' book is 200 Cheesemaking blabbityblablblabblab...

the mesoblabityblab can be purchased at any of the cheese supply places - my fav is Leeners - wow what service!

rennet - check!

goatmilk - check!

ok here is my cheddar thread:
http://adventuresinthegoodland.blogspot.com/2011/05/improper-cheddar-cheesemaking-step-by.html

 

[freemotion]

You'll also need cheese salt or kosher salt (fine), a cheese mold and follower (made mine from plastic containers from a restaurant supply place), a press (built mine totally from scrap wood), cheesecloth, and a cheese mat (bamboo place mat or that plastic craft canvas will do) and the grate thing (I cut up one of those "ice cube tray" thingywhatsits that go on an industrial florescent light fixture, got it at Home Cheapo and cut it into sizes to fit my drying/draining containers) to keep air circulating under it while it is forming a rind. And some cheese wax and a natural bristle brush unless you are going to dip it.

Goat cheddar is tasty but the texture is grainy and it won't melt all gooey, just be forewarned. Using three gallons goat's milk to one gallon cow's milk makes a big difference, even if it is purchased milk.

If you buy a good-sized packet of mesophillic culture you can make many, many cheeses with it, not just cheddar! I get mine at www.dairyconnection.com. I get the MA19 and love it. One packet will do a LOT of batches as you use 1/4 tsp for 2-5 gallons no matter what the recipe says to use. So one packet, properly stored, will make a LOT of cheese!

 

[justusnak]

Thanks ladies....wow, this might be above my level of accomplishments. I think I need a mentor...LOL I know someone "local" that makes sheese...I might have to just get my nerve up to go ask her for a hands on session.

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

no no baby! you can totally do it. all cheese is a recipe - with funny sounding ingredients. all it it is warming up the milk and a lot of stirring. you can totally do that!

and so what if it doesnt turn out - just give it to the pigs. and as Free says, its still cheese even if it doesnt turn out like the picture. i ended up with one that was just like Parm - it was perfect....just not cheddar.

but hey if someone will show you 'how to' yay!

*hugs!*

 

[justusnak]

Thanks OFG....I will have to look for that mesogoblity goop stuff. LOL I really DO want to try...like you said, if nothing else, I will make great pig food! LOL

 

[freemotion]

Oh, didn't mean to overwhelm you.....just wanted you to gather your supplies before starting so you don't find out you are missing something in advance. Re-read my list. You'll see that you probably have everything or something you can substitute. In parentheses are how I improvised, and it is not the only way. OFG uses a bucket of kitty litter to weight her mold and follower. Had I known that before I started, I might not have bothered making a press! You can use something else for almost everything....the only things I buy are rennet and cultures, and that is a once a year purchase. Oh, and I now buy cheesecloth, as it works better than muslin, but I made MANY good cheeses using a cut up discount store pillow case!

I've used sea salt, too, calling the red specks from the Redmond Real Salt "artisan salt" flecks. Looks like dirt. Spin it, baby, spin it!

I got my bamboo mats while waiting in line somewhere....you know, the stores that have those "bargain bins" lined up near the cash register. I also have used lids to lift the cheese up while it is forming a rind....you just have to keep it up out of the whey that drips for a couple of days while you rub it with salt and turn it a couple times a day.

Cheese is super easy. The hardest part is stirring without going nuts. I turn on the tv or get a book to read. If you can measure and stir, you can make cheese.

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

and stirring and stirring...and stirring...and more stirring.... i watch stupid sitcoms on hulu which end up being about 20ish mins. honestly the stirring is the most annoying part.

here's my vendor list of supplies the mesoblipblabitigoo is about $5:
http://adventuresinthegoodland.blogspot.com/2011/02/what-you-need-to-make-cheese-glorious.html

and here's how we get 'er done round here, y'all:
http://adventuresinthegoodland.blogspot.com/2010/09/cutting-cheesecurds.html

the kitty litter cheese press! whooot! and you can also see some more step by steps.

Bourbon Red uses a similar hill billied up version but he uses landscaping bricks (weighed one, added enough to make it press).

i finally broke down and bought a "real" cheese mold...but the first one i made out of a coffee can! no really! i punched holes in it with a nail and had a small plate to use as the chaser. and ssshhh.... its a better size/shape than my fancy plastic mold! ha!

you can also check out Story's Guide to Country Wisdom (skills?? something like that) - they have old timey ways of making cheese. remember that folks used to make their own cheese all the time. and they didnt even have hulu.



(OT: hi Free! i'm stuck in the house - freakin' 109* out there. boo.)