freemotion
Food Guru
Thought I'd start a thread on cheesemaking, since more of us are expanding our talents in this area. So please post things you've learned, recipes you've tried, what worked and what didn't.
I will start! Today I made a two-gallon batch of Camembert with goat's milk, from the recipe on p. 100 of 200 Easy Homemade Cheese Recipes. It is now in the molds, which are set in a medium storage tote. The four cheeses are draining on two layers of mats....a bottom layer that I cut from that "ice cube tray" stuff that goes over commercial flourescent light fixtures, and a finer layer that is cut from needlepoint mesh from a craft store. I have a baster and measuring cup in the box for removing the whey as it drains out. I have to flip the cheeses in about two hours.
It is a mold-ripened cheese, and needs to be aged at 55F, so it will go into the cellar in the box with the lid on. This should keep mice and bugs out during it's weeks of ripening. I can hardly wait!
I need to make two more molds so that I can make a two gallon batch of brie next, six little baby brie's.....
With my milk "allergy" that I've had since I was a young adult (too many decades!) I have not had the opportunity to try too many soft cheeses, as they would make me very sick. For many years I stuck with the cheeses that I knew I could tolerate: Parmesan, Romano, cheddars, mozzarella (but not fresh.) I used to be able to get a product called Lactaid drops, a teensy bottle of L. acidophillus that I could use to treat cream cheese for making cheesecake and heavy cream for making ice cream. That product has not been available for years, since Lactaid and other low-lactose dairy products became available....but never have I seen Lactaid cream cheese or cream of any type.
I am so excited to start on my soft cheese adventures!
Join me?
I will start! Today I made a two-gallon batch of Camembert with goat's milk, from the recipe on p. 100 of 200 Easy Homemade Cheese Recipes. It is now in the molds, which are set in a medium storage tote. The four cheeses are draining on two layers of mats....a bottom layer that I cut from that "ice cube tray" stuff that goes over commercial flourescent light fixtures, and a finer layer that is cut from needlepoint mesh from a craft store. I have a baster and measuring cup in the box for removing the whey as it drains out. I have to flip the cheeses in about two hours.
It is a mold-ripened cheese, and needs to be aged at 55F, so it will go into the cellar in the box with the lid on. This should keep mice and bugs out during it's weeks of ripening. I can hardly wait!
I need to make two more molds so that I can make a two gallon batch of brie next, six little baby brie's.....
With my milk "allergy" that I've had since I was a young adult (too many decades!) I have not had the opportunity to try too many soft cheeses, as they would make me very sick. For many years I stuck with the cheeses that I knew I could tolerate: Parmesan, Romano, cheddars, mozzarella (but not fresh.) I used to be able to get a product called Lactaid drops, a teensy bottle of L. acidophillus that I could use to treat cream cheese for making cheesecake and heavy cream for making ice cream. That product has not been available for years, since Lactaid and other low-lactose dairy products became available....but never have I seen Lactaid cream cheese or cream of any type.
I am so excited to start on my soft cheese adventures!

Join me?