| On 21 Apr 2007, Cassandra
Mirabal said: Your website is absolutely wonderful! I've been looking for what seems like ages for how to make a good at home cheese press and your detailed directions were a god send! Thank you so very much for making this website! I think (hope) I'm at the stage I can attempt mozzarella! Thanks again!! |
| On 19 Apr 2007, Marty
said: Thanks for the info David. I will let you know how the pressed labneh turns out. It might be suitable for a "feta" type cheese. Here is a link to some fantastic baking recipes using the leftover whey from the yogurt. www.storeyourcoffee.com/Whey%20recipies.html BTW I have been baking the no-knead bread also and find it to be very good‚ have you tried it with sourdough? It is fantastic‚ all you do is substitute a 1/4 cup sourdough starter for the 1/4 teaspoon of yeast. Very good. |
| On 19 Apr 2007, David
F. said: Peter; Cheryll and Marty; Nice to hear from Peter again. Cheryll: wine cheese? Marinating the cheese in wine after pressing might work. Wouldn't you rather drink your wine along side your cheese‚ more respectful to both? My prejudice against "flavored" cheese is showing. Marty: Interesting idea. The yogurt bacteria would help preserve it‚ so I don't think it would spoil‚ but I wonder about the texture. Labneh does not knit together like curds of regular cheese‚ and might either fall apart when cut‚ or be hard as a brick. Anyone else try pressing labneh? |
| On 18 Apr 2007, Marty
said: Hello‚ as an experiment‚ I have pressed and salted drained yogurt‚ and I was wondering if waxing and aging would be beneficial to this "cheese"? |
| On 17 Apr 2007, peter
said: Cheryll: Sounds like an interesting project‚ but: If you are planning on some sort of firm cheese‚ the only solution I can think of is replacing some of the whey with wine‚ but it will waste a considerable amount of wine.. I have seen some commercially made blue cheese w. cognac in it‚ but I believe it was added by soaking the cheese in the cognac after pressing.. That wouldnt work with conventional firm‚ yellow cheese as you dont normally perforate the cheese ( perforating the blue cheese allows for just enough air inside so the blue mould can grow ) |
| On 16 Apr 2007, Liza
said: Hi There! First off‚ great page - I found it from your posts at countrylife.net. I'd like to try your blue cheese recipe. First off‚ I'm planning on a more typical starting cheese using rennet/meso culture‚ since this is what I have experience w. Do you think that will introduce any issues? 2nd qu -- In recipe it says 2Gallons (i.e. 2 lbs) but pictures look like much less - 1Gallon/lb. I'd like to do 1Gallon/lb. - how would you change the inoculum amounts? |
| On 12 Apr 2007, Cheryll
Holmberg said: My husband and I are looking for a goat cheese recipe that includes adding wine. Have you ever come across such a recipe? We enjoy your site very much.Cheryll Holmberg‚www.holmbergfarm.com |
| On 10 Apr 2007, Michelle
said: Yes‚ I mean "home made from scratch buttermilk". We use all raw cow and goat milk. |
| On 31 Mar 2007, David
F. said: margaret: For a lengthy page on kefir‚ see my friend Amfitheatro'sDOM's Kefir Page. Kefir grains are congealed colonies of mixed bacteria and yeast which ferment milk. They are rinsed and added to milk to make more kefir. Larry: If the whey is acid (as it should be after making ricotta)‚ the low pH inhibits the growth of yeast. I found my bread would rise poorly using it as bread liquid. But... if it works well for you‚ go for it. |
| On 25 Mar 2007, Larry
Hepker said: Using whey from cheesemaking instead of water in Pane Rustica works well for me. I hate to throw whey away even after making ricotta from it. |
| On 24 Mar 2007, margaret
said: What is this kefir thing? What are the "grains" they talk about?How is it different from yoghurt if at all? |
| On 24 Mar 2007, ruth
said: Dear David‚ During a trip to Venice I accidentally bought a piece of Ricotta con Limone; which happened to be the most delicious sort of dessert. Tried to find recipe but did not succeed. Would you know what it is? Could you provide me with a recipe? Thank you; and again - your site is most informative and really pleasant. |
| On 18 Mar 2007, David
F. said: Larry: Yes‚ several years ago‚ Redco‚ the maker of Junket tablets‚ asked me to write up a few cheese making recipes using their tablets. I didn't mind because I think tablets are a more stable source of rennet than liquid‚ and especially better for home cheese makers. Some "expert" cheese makers turn their nose up at tablets. I don't know a good reason why. |
| On 16 Mar 2007, Larry
Hepker said: We live on a small farm in Iowa and have 2 Dexter cows‚ one of which I am milking. I wanted to make neufchatel cheese to use up some of our milk but couldn't find my recipe list from the Junket rennet box. I searched and ended up here. Your recipe seemed quite familiar. Imagine my surprise at finding the Junket recipes and there was your name at the top! The cheese turned out great as usual. |
| On 16 Mar 2007, Larry
Hepker said: Here's a second comment since all wouldn't fit in one. I saw the Pane Rustica recipe and decided to try it. I'm an experienced breadmaker and used 50% white and 50% fresh ground kamut flours. The bread turned out great! Thanks for such a delicious recipe for bread that is easily as good as what they sell at Panera restaraunts! |
| On 11 Mar 2007, David
F. said: Rick: "Cheese curds" are second nature to cintizens if Milwalkee and environs‚ but... a mystery to the rest of the world? In essence‚ I believe they are curds taken out when making basic cheese‚ after cutting curds and stirring (no heating). Someone out there knows for sure how to make Wisconsin cheese curds? As I remember WI curds‚ they were very similar to basic cheese curds before cooking. |
| On 10 Mar 2007, Rick
said: My kids eat store bought Cheese Curd like its water. I have read all of the different recipes but cant find anything that tells me how to prepare the curd for eating and looking like the store bought stuff. Any suggestions?? |
| On 10 Mar 2007, David
F. said: My web friends: Thank you for your kinds words‚ all. Michelle: Do you mean home made from scratch buttermilk? It certainly SHOULD work. If you mean making your own from purchased cultured bmilk + milk‚ ma certo! Pam and Kevin: I am perfecting a pane rustica with 60% white and 40% whole wheat flours. Will post as soon as I am satisfied. And yes--it is so delicious I have made no other kind of bread since I tasted it! Silvio: Yes‚ it is very easy to make some cheeses and they are delicious (see Labneh‚ neufchatel and farmer's cheese). |
| On 10 Mar 2007, Silvio
Fuentes said: It is simple fabuloss to how to make cheese‚ it simple and ease thanks for that.Silvio. |
| On 09 Mar 2007, Pam
said: I just ate a slice of the pane rustica...heaven! with a slice of homemade cheese‚ and a glass of homemade pear wine‚ no 4 star fancy restaurant could have been better! thanks for the recipe‚ it will be a family favorite. |
| On 27 Feb 2007, Kevin
said: Prof. Fankhauser: Many thanks for this. You should know that these recipes are a real blessing for me and my family. |
| On 27 Feb 2007, Kevin
van der Laan said: With the pane rustica‚ salt is called for in the ingredient list but never added. Why not? |
| On 27 Feb 2007, Michelle
said: Just if anybody is wondering‚ I use homemade (not cultured‚ not pasteurized) buttermilk for the receipes on these pages and it works fine. Thank you David for these wonderful pages! |
| On 27 Feb 2007, David
F. said: Kevin etc: Mea culpa...I am still modifying the original NYTimes recipe to my taste. (The original STUCK to the towel‚ did not have whole wheat flour‚ did not call for salt...) as I modify it‚ I may not remember to include changes in BOTH the ingredients list and in the protocol. That is what your helpful suggestions are for! So‚ add salt to the initial water. (Will try to alter the recipe now--wish me luck) |
| On 25 Feb 2007, David
F. said: chris: FINDING LOCAL MILK: You might use several approaches‚ but be VERY diplomatic in all attempts‚ respectful of those who husband the dairy animals: 1) Go to local feed mills‚ ask if they know of local dairy goat farmers. Maybe ask to leave your phone # to have them call if they have milk. 2) Ask at local health food stores. It will be more expensive‚ but possible. 3) Take a nice country drive‚ look for goats along the back roads. Either the farmers may have milk‚ or will know who does. Remember that‚ legally‚ raw milk usually must be sold as "pet milk." |
| On 19 Feb 2007, chris
said: Can you please tell me where I can get goat's milk in the Akron/Canton/Cleveland area?Thank you |
| On 19 Feb 2007, paul
said: Aaron: I use buttermilk from the store and it works perfectly fine. The company that I use is Sealtest. I am not sure if you have access to the this company‚ but in Toronto it is a mainstream brand. If you doubt whether or not your buttermilk is active just take one cup or your buttermilk and mix it with three to four cups of milk‚ stir‚ and let it sit at room temperature for 12 hours or so. If it thickens and sours then you know your starter is ok |
| On 17 Feb 2007, peter
said: Aaron: Buttermilk is made using a mesophilic starter and is what is used in commerciually made cheese 95% of the time.. If you are having buttermilk starter problems‚ check out my message dated Jan 15 this year.. There are loads of frozen DVS type cultures that can be used directly in the vat‚ but they are very expensive compared to using a homegrown starter |
| On 17 Feb 2007, peter
said: Anthony F‚ David: I very much doubt that the buttermilk in question has been pasteurised after it was cultured.. Thing is that if you try to do this in an industrial setup‚ you will be cleaning hundreds of square ft. of heat exchanger plates and potentially hundreds of ft of pipes manually.. Ever try heating buttermilk to near boiling?... Same thing happens in the industrial setup.. It ends up being a gel like product that smells like burnt milk ( been there‚ done that‚ cleaned more heatexchangers than I care for ) |
| On 16 Feb 2007, Aaron
said: Thanks Peter and Paul‚ I'll keep trying! Can you tell me what you have used as a starter? I've tried buttermilk. Are purchased mesophilic starters more reliable ? |
| On 16 Feb 2007, Aaron
said: Thanks Peter and Paul‚ I'll keep trying! Can you tell me what you have used as a starter? I've tried buttermilk. Are purchased mesophilic starters more reliable ? |
| On 16 Feb 2007, peter
said: Aaron If you want to do a little math on the fat content of the milk‚ I have made a couple of online calculators here:www.naeslund.dk/milk Pam You should be able to get the bb Linens to grow and restart in skimmed milk at 16 deg C.. Just scrape the surface a bit and use the scraping to innoculate the skimmed milk |
| On 15 Feb 2007, paul
said: Aaron... Don't feel discouraged about the clean break issue‚ it took me quite a while to get it myself. Important word of advice‚ make sure that you heat the milk/culture mixture to 30 C and then add the rennet. I just finished making fat free cheese using store bought milk and I had an excellent clean break.I don't think the fact that the milk is homogenized makes much of a difference. After adding the rennet ( I use liquid rennet) I let the milk sit on my radiator which was about 26C. After two and half hours I had a very nice break. Temperature is very important because rennet is an enzyme |
| On 15 Feb 2007, Pam
said: can limburger be used to inoculate a cheese for B.linins? B.linins is a very expensive culture to buy‚ if I could just use a little limburger that would be fantastic (I read that you can on another cheese site‚ but trust Dr Fankhauser more) thanks.Pam |
| On 15 Feb 2007, Aaron
said: Success (clean break)! The trick with store-bought milk is to buy low- or no-fat milk and add cream (following http://schmidling.com/making.htm). David‚ you use a rubber band for pressing; some sites have specific weight/pressure schedules. |
| On 15 Feb 2007, David
F. said: Anthony F.: If indeed the buttermilk you bought was pasteurized after it was cultured‚ it is worthless for making buttermilk or cheese. However‚ because the acidity of buttermilk is a natural preservative‚ it is very often sold without subsequent pasteurization. Look more closely at the supermarket shelf. I believe you can find a non-pasteurized product. If it is locally produced‚ it will probably contain live cultures. You can call the manufacturer to ask if there is a question. |
| On 12 Feb 2007, Aaron
said: Anthony‚ you can buy buttermilk online from New England Cheese Making Supply Company (among others). David has links on this website.I'm in Boston and use Garelick buttermilk. I haven't had success but the buttermilk container doesn't say it is pateurized so it may not be the problem for me. Have you had success with store-bought milk? I have found a cheese website aimed at the urban cheese maker: http://schmidling.com/making.htm The author uses pasteurized milk or even powdered milk. I will try a batch over the next few days and report back how things go. |
| On 12 Feb 2007, Anthony
F. said: I was trying to buy some buttermilk from the local supermarket for a cheese starter and noticed it was cultured buttermilk‚ but also pasteurized and homogenized. I assume pasteurized buttermilk will not work. Where can I get the buttermilk you recommend?Thank You |
| On 11 Feb 2007, Mia
said: Well David‚ my bread turned out beautifully! I think I'll be making this a lot. Thanks for your wonderful recipes and especially for the step by step pictures- they really do help! :) |
| On 11 Feb 2007, David
F. said: Mia: I have corrected the error in my Pane Rustica web page (cause: when I converted the recipe to double columns‚ I lost text). Thank you for calling my attention to it. Please let me know if there are any other questions about it. |
| On 11 Feb 2007, Aaron
said: Hi. Thanks to David for a fascinating website. I'm wondering if anyone has had success with store-bought milk? I'm onto my seventh gallon of milk and cannot achieve a clean break despite carefully following the trouble shooting page and having added calcium chloride. I've tried adding rennet immediately after buttermilk and I've tried adding it the morning after. I almost had clean break today after letting the milk/rennet mixture sit for 24 hours. But the curds collapsed on heating. All help welcome! Thanks. |
| On 10 Feb 2007, Mia
said: Hi David. I've tried your feta recipe and the soft cheese recipe. They tuned out wonderful. Very inspiring. I'm just beginning the rustic Italian bread this morning. I'm not sure of what 'nbsp' means in step 5- or what to do at that step. Could you clarify please? I'm also assuming the salt is added when the rest of the flour is whisked in? I sure hope my bread turns out like yours in the picture! It looks just like the bread we bought in Paris. Great site- I return here frequently. Thankyou. :) |
| On 04 Feb 2007, David
F said: ziauddinshihab: Thank you for your positive email! I am SO grateful that anything we in the States can do to make lives more hopeful! May we ask where you live? Have you make cheese yet? What cheeses are eaten in your location? Thank you again‚ and PEACE TO THE WORLD. |
| On 04 Feb 2007, ziauddinshihab
said: siriam very much greatful to you for your web page on cheese making. its make my life in a hopeful living.thanks |
| On 31 Jan 2007, paul
said: Just a note to those who are having trouble: I find it most important to MAKE sure you heat your milk to 30C before adding your rennet‚ otherwise the curd will not form for a long time. I tried adding rennet at room temperature and absolutely no curd formed after two days! Beware. Also an extra special thanks to Peter who has been most helpful to me and others‚ and of coarse thanks to Dave for his help and web site |
| On 31 Jan 2007, paul
said: Good for you Crystal‚ cheese making is very fun and exciting‚ don't stop and please don't hesitate to explain your procedures!! One question: how much weight should one use when making basic cheese. I am using a 5lb weight‚ but I only used two bags of milk which works out to approximately 2.6 liters of milk...thank you! |
| On 27 Jan 2007, David
F. said: Crystal!: Wow! I am so happy that you have had so many cheese successes! There are so many pitfalls in the more advanced cheese recipes‚ that many of us may land on our faces in one or another! My latest culinary love affair is with pane rustica (Italian peasant bread). Isn't it wonderful. Thanx so much for your reassuring email. |
| On 24 Jan 2007, Crystal
said: Thank you so much for this lovely cheese site. I'm now officially obsessed with making cheese and much of it is because of the great detailed instructions from this site. I've made the fresh mozzarella‚ neufchatel‚ blue‚ gjostest‚ and ricotta. And it's so much more than just the cheese; I made and entire dinner from these recipies- the gnocci‚ rootbeer‚ panna rustica‚ a lovely blue cheese‚ and the schnecken for dessert. Thank you so much‚ I can't thank you enough! |
| On 21 Jan 2007, David
F. said: Peter and Paul: On the subject of CaCl2 added to milk: On 10 Oct 2005‚ Peter said: "...you might find it beneficial to add 2-4 grams of CaCl2 per 5 gallons of milk." By my calculations‚ this is 0.01 to 0.02% CaCl2. Measurements I did indicate that 3/4 teaspoonful weighs 3.6 gm‚ enough for 5 gallons. I still have not tried making moz with it. Will tell you when I do (soon???) |
| On 19 Jan 2007, Joseph
said: This is so weird lol.i never knew where cheese came from...now i know.i want horse milk :P. |
| On 18 Jan 2007, peter
said: Paul: I think I wrote a suggestion on how much CaCl2 to add somewhere on this page - if not feel free to email me - my email adress works without modification. Feta is easy - a suggestion tho: use 80% buttermilk and 20% yoghurt as a starter‚ and be very sure you get lipase enzyme extracted from lamb - there are other versions out there‚ but some taste really nasty |
| On 17 Jan 2007, paul
said: I will try the CaCl2 Peter‚ I have read about it many times. Currently I am trying to make feta cheese‚ I will keep everyone posted as to how it went |
| On 17 Jan 2007, peter
said: Paul‚ David: I would suggest making a fresh batch of starter‚ and not trying to restart the old one - the problems can be caused by phages and will not be fixed by restarting.. At the dayjob we do our own startercultures‚ starting from a 1 litre bottle of verified good "old" culture about once every 5 weeks or so.. The rest of the time we just take 200 litres of the old starter and add it to 5 tons of milk ( cheesemaking on a "slightly" larger scale ).. I still believe the key to proper "spin" in the mozz. is the addition of CaCl2 - Anyone try it? |
| On 16 Jan 2007, darlene
said: love your site. am in the process of making yogurt as i write. thank you |
| On 16 Jan 2007, David
F. said: Peter (thanx) and Paul: Thanx again to Peter for expertly handling questions while I was otherwise occupied. I agree 100% about Bmilk's longievity. If your Bmilk does not make overnight at 68-70F (20 C)‚ refresh as Peter suggests or buy fresh Bmilk. Use judiciously as starter. Paul: Fresh mozzarella is REALLY tough. I have yet to get reproduceable "spin" from mine. I suspect it requires very special milk. (I.e.‚ buffalo!) |
| On 15 Jan 2007, paul
said: Hi Peter‚ don't worry about the feta question‚ I found some recipes‚ thanks. By the way‚ would you have any idea as to why my mozzarella wouldn't coagulate and stretch properly? It reached a pH of 4.8‚ thank you |
| On 15 Jan 2007, paul
said: thanks a lot Peter‚ I will give that a try. I hope that some day I can be of some assistance to you. By the way‚ would you know how to make feta cheese. This is my next project but there is no information on how to make it on this site. Once again‚ your help is much appreciated‚ cheers! |
| On 15 Jan 2007, peter
said: Paul: If it was that slow‚ its probably either really a really slow starter you are using‚ or the temperature is too low.. Buttermilk starters work best at 33 deg C‚ yoghurt starters work best at 40 deg. C.. One way to maintain a good starter is letting it go through a couple of generations before using: Take a pint of skimmed milk‚ heat to 90 deg C for 30 minutes‚ cool to 16 deg C‚ add half a cup of buttermilk‚ leave at 16 deg C for 16-18 hours‚ when pH reaches 4.6 repeat the process a few times before using for cheese making. |
| On 15 Jan 2007, peter
said: Keep some bottles of the homegrown starterculture in the freezer and restart it as described a few days before you make a batch of cheese.. |
| On 15 Jan 2007, peter
said: Clara: Buttermilk isnt as prone to go bad as regular skimmed milk etc. since the milk is already dominated by good bacteria. Generally: If it tastes bad or looks funny‚ it is bad.. Same goes for yoghurt and other cultured products |
| On 14 Jan 2007, Mia
said: Great page. Now I'm interested in trying cheese recipes that don't rely on store bought sources- for example rennet made from the thistle plant- (lacking the fourth stomach of a calf). |
| On 14 Jan 2007, clara
said: How long is buttermilk good after the expiration date? |
| On 14 Jan 2007, clara
said: How long is buttermilk good after the expiration date? |
| On 13 Jan 2007, paul
said: Hello everyone‚ I attempted to make mozzarella with unhomogenized milk‚ but I could not get the mozzarella to strech and fold. I checked the ph every couple of hours‚ and it dropped to 4.8 after about two days. Why wouldn't it stick together after the ph dropped so low? Thanks |
| On 13 Jan 2007, paul
said: One more question‚ why did it take so long for the ph to drop? I waited a day and a half and the ph was at 5.7‚ then I left it over night it was at 4.8 in the morning. Thanks again!! |
| On 12 Jan 2007, Fabio
M. said: I discovered your webpage by chance (as most do I suppose)‚ and really enjoyed your approach and recipes/methods.Just a short note on your Pane Rustico recipe: moisture in bread baking is 50% of the ingredients to have good bread.This because the moisture ‚ beside "transporting" heat to the dough‚ prevents an early dryout of the surface and crust formation‚ that would stop the rise of your bread. Having a good moisture level leaves the dough free to rise at its maximum before the crust forms.You found a very smart trick to do so‚ usind a big cast iron pot‚ an other way is to put an o |
| On 11 Jan 2007, Dr.
Yousef Diab said: I would like to thank you for the information given on your site .Dr. Yousef |
| On 11 Jan 2007, Louie
Gambino said: A few weeks ago I was able to assist cheese making. We pick-up fresh warm cows milk at 06:00am. We added 1 dissolved rennet tablet per 20 liter bucket of warm milk. Once home we put the buckets next to an electrical heater with a blanket over the buckets. One and a half hour later‚ we opened the buckets‚ cut the curd‚ covered again and 20 mins later we drained and the cheese was made. I must say his cheese is not bad at all‚ and it was made in no time. We also made ricotta . Since he does not use starter‚ is there some sort of loss in quantity or quality ? Regards‚Louie |
| On 10 Jan 2007, David
F. said: Shuabe: Actually‚ these days‚ most rennet‚ including Junket tablets‚ are a product of the rennet gene being inserted into yeast (recombinant DNA) so are technically not animal‚ although the gene came from an animal originally. If you have problems with that‚ there are non-animal rennets from Mucor. See my page on rennet. |
| On 10 Jan 2007, Shuabe
said: I found your advice on making cheese excellent. Is there a substitute one can use for rennet‚ which does not originate from animals.Thanking you in anticipation. |
| On 06 Jan 2007, peter
said: Hector: Cheese w. lactose free milk is possible‚ but not really suited to kitchen production without some expensive lab equipment. Am a bit curious about lactose intolerance vs cheese‚ since the lactose content in cheese is very small.. That said: Heat your lactose free milk to 33 deg C‚ add citric acid dissolved in water ( 1 part citric acid‚ 3 parts water ) until the pH in the milk is 5.2-5.3‚ add rennet and continue as per recipe.. This is how some types of Feta and Mozzerella is made |
| On 05 Jan 2007, Hector
Godinez said: If I am lactose intolrant what do you suggest I use for making cheeses.I can use the lactaid milk?Thanks‚Hector |
| On 05 Jan 2007, Hector
Godinez said: If I am lactose intolrant what do you suggest I use for making cheeses.I can use the lactaid milk?Thanks‚Hector |
| On 04 Jan 2007, David
F. said: Fleur: Kefir is extremely easy to make if you have kefir grains‚ and keep refreshing the culture. The best site I know of for kefir is one run by a friend of mine form a while back‚ Dom Amfiteatro. Here is his site on kefir. |
| On 03 Jan 2007, Fleur
Whitaker said: Do you have a recipe for kefir? |
| On 03 Jan 2007, Joe
said: Thanks Peter and David for your advice and expertise. I will keep trying! |
| On 03 Jan 2007, David
F. said: Joe: I have long complained about the nonsensical way in which pressure in a cheese press is expressed. Students of physics knows that pressure must be in mass per unit area! 20 lbs on a square inch is 144 times the pressure as 20 lbs on a sq ft... Who knows what "press under 20 lbs" means??? Thanks again to Peter for his excellent contributions to this page! (And HAPPY NEW YEAR to all‚ including NN.) |
| On 02 Jan 2007, peter
said: Joe: Sour cheese is often caused by not removing enough lactose ( fuel for the starter culture ) prior to cooking.. In industrial setting the procedure for cooking is to replace 30% of the whey with water hot enough to reach desired cooking temperature.. Doing this is not practical on the kitchen counter‚ so I'd remove 30% of the whey‚ add 100F warm water and start cooking. The acidity of the cheese could also cause it to be crumbly. |
| On 01 Jan 2007, Joe
said: I have recently began attempting to make cheese at home with homogenized store bought milk. My cottage cheese turned out well. My monterey and cheddar are not the right consistency and flavor (taste the same and sour). I have 2 questions. 1) Is pressing the cheese under 20lbs of weight the same as "20lbs of pressure"2) Both the cheeses have had a clean break‚ pressed well and aged over a month but then are crumbly like feta. Do you have any ideas why this might occur- might the milk be the cause? Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks for your help. |
| On 01 Jan 2007, Nikolce
said: Happy New 2007 Year! to you my friend David and every cheesemaker on this comment page!New Cheeemaking Forum will be on net nearly?Nikolce‚ Macedonia |
| On 31 Dec 2007, paul
said: Good news Peter‚ I tried the fat free milk with the 35% cream and made my first hard basic cheese. Everything worked very well‚ I also used a little more rennet than called for. Thanks for your help‚ greatly appreciated!! |
| On 29 Dec 2006, paul
said: Thank you for your assistance Peter. I will try it out and see what happens. Happy New Year!! |
| On 22 Dec 2006, peter
said: Paul: I havent tried mozz. w. homogenised milk‚ but I would do the skimmed milk + cream trick I mentioned earlier.. That way only a small percentage of the fat globules are affected ( cream is not homogenised ).. Homogenised milk can give some funky results in gouda type cheese‚ so I wouldnt recommend it.. |
| On 17 Dec 2006, Lynn
said: Thank you for putting this info up. Two Moms and five children are going to attempt cheese making at home! |
| On 15 Dec 2006, paul
said: Peter: Thanks alot for your advice‚ in your opinion can good mozzerella be made from using whole milk that is homogenised? |
| On 14 Dec 2006, peter
said: Matt: Re: Salt types.. I dont know about the US‚ but here in Denmark the "kitchen grade" salt you buy has been enriched with iodine‚ so you might want to get industrial food grade salt‚ as this is pure sodium chloride and nothing else. Seasalts contain a vast variety of minerals and other salts than sodium chloride. So I dont really know why this should cause a "reaction" |
| On 14 Dec 2006, peter
said: Matt: Re: Rennet.. I dont know if this helps or not‚ but traditional rennet enzymes are extracted from the stomach lining from calfs‚ and a little googling turned up with this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RennetTraditionally‚ the method was just to put a small piece of dried calfs stomach in the milk‚ and that has worked for thousands of years‚ so start looking :-) |
| On 14 Dec 2006, peter
said: Paul: First off: Make sure you are using whole fat milk ( 3% fat ) and stay away from that longlife (UHT) milk.. Homogenised milk shouldnt cause the problems you describe - if you want‚ you can combine skimmed milk and cream - that way you get very close to unhomogenised milk - look at www.naeslund.dk/milk for a guide how to combine skimmed milk and cream to reach the desired fat content |
| On 14 Dec 2006, peter
said: Paul: Try doing a few experiments with just a quart of milk:Double the rennet quantity‚ Leaving it to coagulate for twice as long ( upto 24 hrs)‚ Temperature: Optimum temp. for buttermilk starter and rennet is around 33 deg. C- dont exceed 40 deg. C as this can cause problems for the rennet. Try adding more starter culture‚ Try adding 0‚1 grams of CaCl2 per quart of milk etc. Also: David has a good guide on troubleshooting rennet problems ( How to get a clean break).. |
| On 13 Dec 2006, Paul
Durkacz said: Dear David‚ I would like to begin by first thanking you for your excellent web page on cheese making. It is to the point‚ yet detailed‚ and very informative. It is really nice to see that people like yourself take the time to make such a dedicated information site‚ free of charge! You deserve praise for your work David‚ cheers! I followed all of your recipes exactly‚ and I had no problems until I arrived at the "Neufchatel"? cheese‚ which is the first to use rennet. The end product is very cream‚ not as shown in your pictures.... |
| On 13 Dec 2006, Paul
Durkacz said: (please read first letter)..I believe the reason is because I am using store bought milk‚ all of which is homogenized. I have tried three times with different milks‚ and I know that the rennet I am using works(I tested it separately)and after reading literature I have basically found the only reason could be the homogenised milk.Any help on this would be greatly appreciated. Can I use homogenised milk and successfully make cheese...Paul |
| On 12 Dec 2006, matt
danko said: i cannot use those either. I have gotten a hold of vegetable(microbial) rennet and have used that‚ but still question it as far as my diet is concerned. It contains a very small amount of regular salt‚ .5% i think. I havent had a reaction to it yet. My real question is‚ does any one have any recipes for making cheeses that require no rennet. I have made the labneh and panir from Dr. Fankhauser's page‚ but i have heard of a type of mozzarrella that requires no rennet‚ but cannot locate a recipe. Does anyone have any insight? Or any other type of rennetless cheeses?Thanks so much!!!!! |
| On 12 Dec 2006, matt
danko said: I have been making various soft cheeses through the help of Dr. Fankhauser's site for over a year now. But recently I have adopted an all organic diet‚ which means that i cannot consume non-organic milk or regular salts (I can only consume a high quality sea salt). So basically‚ any cheese i wish to consume has to be made by my own hands‚ becase no company produces cheese following both of those aforementioned requirements. Many companies make organic cheese‚ but always use regular salt in them. Some cheeses are made with sea salt‚ but not organic milk. Junket tablets contains regular salt‚ so |
| On 05 Dec 2006, Pam
said: I have found that goats milk makes more curds/less whey than cows milk‚ and I have used both store bought homoginized whole cows milk and raw fresh‚ my goat milk always ends up with more cheese per gallon than the cows milk‚ there is some variation between type of goat and protein and fat levels‚ I have nubian and nigerian goats‚ both on the higher end. |
| On 01 Dec 2006, David
F. said: Phil: Because I raise goats for milk‚ goat's milk is my mainstay. "Make whey?" You probably know whey is a by-product‚ not a goal of cheese making. I do not know that goat's milk has significantly more whey than cow's. After heating acidified whey to near boiling for ricotta‚ most of the protein has been precipitated‚ including‚ I presume‚ immunoglobulins. Obviouly‚ these would be inactivated by near boiling temps. |
| On 30 Nov 2006, Phil
said: A great site‚ thank you for sharing this information. Do you use goat milk to make your whey? Is it easier since it has much more whey and maybe 20% curds? Does the liquid whey at the end of making ricotta have any proteins? No immunoglobulins? Thank you. |
| On 28 Nov 2006, peter
said: Mike: Adding meat or veggies to cheese can make it a bit dangerous in the food safety department as both dried meats and veggies can contain clostridii family bacteria wich can cause botulism. If you intend to experiment with this I'd strongly suggest you add postassium nitrate or sodium nitrate to the milk before starting the cheese ( use 1.5 grams per 10 litres of milk ) as this will inhibit the clostridii family bacterias growth. Also sterilise the products going into the cheese by baking at 95 deg C for atleast 60 minutes. |
| On 27 Nov 2006, Ravi
said: Thanks for these pages and the syllabus. My second and subsequent tries at labneh and ginger ale have been very successful and I'm in the final stages of my first batch of Neuchatel. I used raw milk from the local gourmet supermarket and everything seemed to go according to the plan you have detailed. One minor comment‚ one gallon of milk created much more curd than a single filter could handle. I had to spread it over several cloths and that's after I lost one partial batch due to clumsiness. Otherwise I am hopeful that I'll be able to salt‚ roll‚ and taste my product by tomorrow. |
| On 27 Nov 2006, Mike
said: Do you have a recipe for Pepperjack cheese‚ or others cheeses that involve adding cured meats and/or veggies? |
| On 25 Nov 2006, peter
said: Farnsworth: I just created a handful of javascript based calculators for the most common milk fat calculations.. They can be found here:http://www.naeslund.dk/milk/ When I say skimmed milk‚ I am thinking of the really low fat stuff ( 0‚03% fat in industrial situations)‚ but regular skimmed milk is typically 0.5% and I wouldnt consider the difference a big deal in kitchen counter cheesemaking as there are many other uncertainties:-) |
| On 24 Nov 2006, Farnsworth
said: Peter: re: Mixing cream and skimmed milk Aah‚ reading your comments carefully‚ I see I will need 97% fat free milk.. Thanks for your help.. Will definately post my results.. |
| On 22 Nov 2006, Farnsworth
said: Peter: re: mixing cream and skimmed milk It absolutely did make sense.. Just one more question‚ when we talk about 'skimmed milk'.. What are we refering to? As we have skim milk with different percentage of fat‚ even skim milk which claims to have absolutely no fat at all.. Which should I use for this percentage to work? |
| On 20 Nov 2006, peter
said: Farnsworth : Re: mixing cream and skimmed milk:.. Just dump the 2 parts in the bowl.. for semi hard yellow type cheese w. 45% FIDM you want approx. 3% fat in the milk..for 10 litres of 3% milk you need 0.8 litres of 38% cream and 9.2 litres of skimmed milk.. Did that make sense? |
| On 13 Nov 2006, Farnsworth
said: Hi Peter. Thanks for your comments in regards to using skim milk and cream. What is the method of mixing the two? Should I simply add the cream and stir? |
| On 01 Nov 2006, Nancy
Hayes-Plazolles said: Your website is so very helpful. We have been making cheese from our goat milk for a few years now. I'm glad to see you added the very simple recipe for Paneer. We have been making that a while. Now‚I have been looking for a recipe to make Kasseri‚ a greek cheese used to make saganaki. I have sheep and dairy goats‚ so the milk is not a problem. From the description‚ it is similar to mozzarella‚ (warm curds‚ kneeded‚ etc.)‚ but it is aged. Have you tried this one yet? or have you heard of it? If you go to a Greek restaurant‚ order it‚ and you will understand why I would like to make m |
| On 31 Oct 2006, David
F said: Hey Cheese Folks: I will be in Berlin‚ Germany for the next couple of weeks. I hope to make a weekend trip to Prague and Brno Nov 10-12th. If there are folks interested in cheese making in these general areas‚ let me know! Maybe we can share a beer‚ a wurst and a slice of cheese! Forgive me if I do not answer questions as quickly in the next weeks. |
| On 29 Oct 2006, peter
said: Farnsworth: You can use homogenised milk‚ but you will have to adjust your method to some degree as the process changes the milks properties to some degree.. I'd use skimmed milk and cream - it shouldnt cause any problems.. |
| On 29 Oct 2006, peter
said: Emma: Adding "stuff" to spice up the cheese isnt a problem.. We sometimes add caraway seeds to the cheese over here ( 8 grams of caraway seeds per kg of cheese )... Sterilise these by baking at 95 deg C for 60 minutes as they can contain clostridium family bacteria and stir them into the curds just before pressing.. |
| On 29 Oct 2006, David
F said: Neil: Please tell me this is not the first cheese you have made... (Newbies: see my Beginning Cheese Making page!) As I warn on my moz page‚ moz is extremely temperamental. But‚ getting no firm curd is a fundamental problem‚ not just moz. Calcium chloride helps make firm curd in Pasteurized milk. Raw milk? Seek out cooperatives. Ask for "pet milk..." (Find leads at health food stores.) |
| On 28 Oct 2006, Neil
said: I was told to look for un- pasteurized‚ non- homogenized milk‚ but it is so hard to find. Do you recommend a place to purchase the fresh milk if I need it? If I don't need fresh milk for this procedure‚ what do you think that the problem is? Thanks for the help. |
| On 28 Oct 2006, Neil
said: I tried the recipe for the fresh mozzarella (Pasta Filata several times using store bought milk (I even tried mixing in heavy cream a couple of times to get the consistency of fresh cows milk). Will I get the same results if I used this store milk? It hasn't worked for me yet. The curd formed each time‚ but was very watery and loose when I tried cutting it (even after waiting the right amount of time). I used rennet tablets (maybe the ones I bought were weak?) dissolved in water and a little salt‚ as well as active cultured butter- milk. I followed the instructions step- by- step. I was told t |
| On 28 Oct 2006, David
F. said: Farnsworth: Our friend Peter would be able to answer with more authority‚ but I know homogenized milk can be used to make cheese. You may have to add a little calcium chloride to get firmer curd. I don't think it would be worth adding cream to non-fat‚ but may need more research. |
| On 23 Oct 2006, Farnsworth
said: What milk to use? I can use non-homogenized milk bought at the store‚ which I was assured would make the best cheese‚ but I pay $10 per gallon.. Which is outrageously expensive. Can I use non-fat milk and add whole cream? Would that be the same as non-homogenized milk? |
| On 19 Oct 2006, David
F. said: Gopal: I assume you refer to Water Buffalo (true buffalo)‚ not the American Bison‚ erroneously called a buffalo. If so‚ then asolutely it can. In fact true buffalo milk makes the BEST Italian mozzarella. If you are new to cheese making‚ be sure to study Beginning Cheese Making. It sounds like you are writing from India? |
| On 19 Oct 2006, Gopal
Sharma said: Can buffalo milk be used for making good cheese? |
| On 17 Oct 2006, David
F. said: Emma: "Additives to cheese...?" Now my prejudice is showing. I think if you are going to make cheese‚ make cheese. You can always add esoteric spices afterward (much like yogurt: add flavors afterwards!) There is a yuppie trend to add all kinds of stuff to cheese to make it unique. Hey--if YOU made it‚ it IS unique. P.S. I LOVE freshly grated horseradish! Mix with sour cream: yum. Clears your head. |
| On 16 Oct 2006, Emma
said: One question‚ my grandfather used to make horseradish‚ and garlic cheese for us... do you ever add anything to spice it up? are there rules for this?Thanks |
| On 14 Oct 2006, David
F. said: Paula: I do not know of any pathogenic mold which may grow on mature cheese. Indeed‚ when supermarkets are ready to throw away cheese with mold‚ I think it is just getting good. Blue/green mold is Penicillium--no problem. The white is mycelium that has not yet sporulated. Yellow and orange even I might trim off--anyone know details of unusual cheese molds? (Could be Neurospora?) Black is Aspergillus--NOT desireable. |
| On 13 Oct 2006, Emma
said: Thanks for the site‚ it's helped a lot... People seem to think I'm nuts for drinking raw milk‚ now what will they think that I'm making hard cheese too!Emma |
| On 10 Oct 2006, paula
said: Hi David‚ Could you do up a page on molds? I mean one that identifies a mold on cheese by color and characteristics‚ and lets us know if its OK to eat?? You know; blue‚ white‚ yellow‚ orange‚ dark green‚ etc. (Like I have on some of mine‚ now!) |
| On 10 Oct 2006, Gary
said: Would it be a problem if I waxed a cheese before it developed a rind? I'm looking to make a very small cheese that the kids can take with lunch or have for a snack. I would like to wax it for storage and transportation purposes‚ but don't want a rind on it. I guess I'm trying to duplicate those little waxed cheeses you can get at the grocery store. Would waxing before rind development cause a problem? Is it only for aging purposes that you let the cheese develop a rind?Thanks for the help. |
| On 10 Oct 2006, Gary
said: David:Thank you for the reply. After I had posted this question I read a lot of stuff that led me to the same conclusion. The only thing that puzzeled me was that the curd did not float‚ and other batches that I have produces from the same materials‚ diffrent milk‚ have produced no bubbles.I have tasted a batch that did not age long (5days) it was great. I can't wait until I get to try the aged product. Its your farmers cheese we are talking about here. Thanks for the help. |
| On 08 Oct 2006, David
F. said: Gary: Bubbles in cheese means that your starter is contaminated with a CO2 producing bacterium. E. coli is the mose common. This does not necessarily make it dangerous‚ but since you didn't INTEND bubbles‚ you need to get fresh starter or cleaner milk to start with. |
| On 04 Oct 2006, Gary
said: I have made farmers cheese and my third batch is kind of spongy. I cut a little off the top and there are a bunch of tiny airbubbles in it. Any ideas as to what might casue this? I used yougurt starter. The curd did not float. I use 4" pvc in my press. |
| On 01 Oct 2006, David
F. said: David Zilly: Cover it‚ for sure. One wants natural bacteria from the milk‚ not from the ambient air... |
| On 01 Oct 2006, david
zilly said: in your buttermilk from scratch recipe you don't say if the jar should be covered or not. i'll find out soon enough‚ as i've already started‚ but thought i might find out faster from you and also that it may well be a question that others have. |
| On 19 Sep 2006, Sherine
said: David F and Ivan: Thank you for your reply. I have found a recipe for soy yogurt that you can drain for a "Labneh" kind of soy cheese. I will try both and let you know of the results. |
| On 19 Sep 2006, peter
said: David re: Additives Sorry for the delay- have been incredibly busy the last couple of weeks. Sodium Phosphate is commonly used in cheese spreads‚ and yes - it does make it more alkaline‚ but by the time this happens‚ the protein bonds have already been formed.. I dont know the chemical reaction‚ but it does seem like it dissolves the cheese to some extent The curd cooking process may also have some effects‚ as some of the enzymes destroy the long protein chains during time‚ but it shouldnt happen right away.. |
| On 18 Sep 2006, Ivan
said: Whilst I've never done it myself‚ I do know that there is such thing as soy cheese.. And tastes‚ surprisingly‚ amazing. I don't know if this is the same recipe of commercial soy cheese‚ but it'll make for an interesting read this |
| On 18 Sep 2006, Ivan
said: It's a bit worrying though‚ for when you read ingredients in the commecial non-dairy cheese products you see a list such as:Water‚ non hydrogenated vegetable fat and oils‚ soya protein‚ starch‚ thickeners: carrageenan‚ and locust bean gum‚ salt‚ yeast extract‚ emulsifying salts: calcium phosphate and potassium phosphate‚ raw cane sugar‚ flavour‚ herbs‚ spices‚ colour: annatto and beta carotene.. Whereas when you buy dairy cheese‚ ingredients are: milk‚ rennet and (in some cases) lipase. |
| On 15 Sep 2006, David
F. said: Sherine: Sorry... "Real cheese" is made with milk‚ using starter and rennet. No way around that. Others will doubtless be more knowledgeable that I on this subject. Tofu is the closest I know of using soy. You may want to research which milk protein is the offender. Perhaps milk from other sources may be less allergenic? |
| On 14 Sep 2006, Sherine
said: What a wonderful webpage. However‚ I have a Child with life threatening allergy to milk and its byproducts and I was researching making " real" cheese from soy or other nut milks. Is this possible?. I would really appreciate your comments. Thanks |
| On 04 Sep 2006, Bob
Bowers said: Following David F.'s suggestion on what to do with my non-setting milk‚ it made the best ricotta I have ever had. It appears that homogenization was the most likely cause of my failure to set as the milk did not look like buttermilk but did have an acid taste. It also appears that using yogurt as a starter is less likey to cause over-acidity than buttermilk in any case. Another web site suggests using powdered milk and adding a pint of cream per gallon. I am trying to learn to make good cheese becuase I spend a lot of time in Mexico where there is excellent fresh cheese but any aged cheese has |
| On 04 Sep 2006, Bob
Bowers said: (Continuing) ... but any aged cheese has no resemblance to the same product in the US. One reason is that the only dairy product one can trust to truly be dairy in Mexico is milk. Both butter and cheese products often say "and/or vegetable fats" in the ingredient list. Well I can always take some with me‚ but not a large quantity. |
| On 04 Sep 2006, Bob
Bowers said: I'm on my 2nd cheesemaking adventure. My first was a soft cheese like a goat cheese and was successful. My second was the basic cheese recipe from this site for 1 gallon of milk. I do not have access to raw milk. I am not getting a clean brak‚ which is either because the milk has clabbered or because of using pasteurized milk. What can be done with the mix‚ besides throw it out and try again? |
| On 03 Sep 2006, David
F. said: Peter on Mozzarella: You are correct that curds must be acid to spin for moz‚ but there is more--but I don't know for sure what... I suspect that the structure of protein in the milk is critical (i.e.‚ water buffalo milk has perfect protein???) I doubt that Na2HPO4 would help--that would make the curds more alkaline... (Did you mean NaH2PO4?) Maybe PO4 helps??? STILL looking for the perfect "taffy" spin with goat's milk... |
| On 01 Sep 2006, peter
said: Pam: Try using a buttermilk starter ( use buttermilk made form cows milk - its probably the easiest to find) - using buttermilk is usually a lot cheaper and much more efficient than the frozen or dried cultures.. I have absolutely zero experience with kefir as a starter‚ but it is indeed an interesting experiment Re: Homogenising I have no idea if this works‚ but the key to homogenising is to treat the milk as rough as possible‚ maybe pretend it is whipping cream and whip the ll out of it? :-) |
| On 01 Sep 2006, peter
said: Re: Mozzarella CaCl2 shouldnt interfere with the stringyness of the cheese when cooking‚ but too little acid could cause problems - get some pH strips and check the acidity of the whey or milk - you should end up pretty close to 5.25‚ lower the pH even more to increase the elasticity.. For low fat cheese‚ another trick can be ( might not be legal in your area if done commercially) adding upto 0.02% Na2PO4. Never tried this myself‚ but it is suggested as a solution in the Dairy Processing Handbook Tetrapak sells.. |
| On 29 Aug 2006, David
F. said: kate: I have confessed this before‚ but again‚ there are aspects of making fresh mozzarella which occasionally escape me... Perhaps Peter knows mozzarella production well enough to spell out the particulars? But‚ about half the time‚ my moz does NOT spin well. (The issue is not ONLY acidity...) The good news is that the (NOT) mozzerella tastes good‚ and is consumable. There are SO many parameters to making fresh moz. I need to take another trip to Napoli to learn the details! |
| On 27 Aug 2006, kate
said: Great website! I'm a beginner cheese-maker. I made the American Mozzarella with powdered milk and cream and it came out pretty well. Thought I'd try the fresh Moz but used store homog and used 1/2 t of calcium chloride along with the rest of recipe. My curd never spun. It was crumbly and lifeless. Could it have been the milk and calcium chloride or the fact that my thermometer broke and I think it could have gotten up to 98F after I cut it. Also the house was rather cool - maybe not enough acid???? |
| On 27 Aug 2006, Pam
said: I am using DVI culture mm100 from the dairy connection(I wish I found this site before I started making cheese!)I have experimented with using kefir as a culture starter‚ came up with a nice holey cheese‚ am planning on trying one with viili next. how do you homoginize at home? |
| On 25 Aug 2006, peter
said: Ivan: What spreadsheet are you talking about?.. I think I have a few different ones on my website?.. If you are trying to make whole milk from skimmed milk + cream you should be fine aslong as you dont use that longlife milk that can be stored outside the fridge.. |
| On 25 Aug 2006, peter
said: David / Pam: The goaty flavor coms from the 3 fatty acids called caproic acid‚ caprylic acid and capric acid.. These fatty acids are especially dominant when milk fat is broken down by the natural enzymes in the goats milk. Homogenising the milk helps the hydrolysis greatly since this reduces the thickness of the protective "shell" around the fat globules |
| On 25 Aug 2006, peter
said: The common way to make blue and white cheese more "goaty" would be to homogenise the milk - this is how it is done on an industrial scale.. When making Feta you typically both homogenise and add lambs lipase enzymes.. What kind of starter culture are you using?.. This could also affect the final result |
| On 23 Aug 2006, Ivan
said: Peter.. I'm a b it confused.. Your spreadsheet states that it's okay to use skimmed milk (if you also add to it cream).. Is this correct‚ or would it be obsolete for me to try this? Should I be able to follow the recipes on this page by using normal‚ store-bought homo-pasturised milk? |
| On 22 Aug 2006, Pam
said: I must be doing something right‚ as my milk and cheese are never goaty.I do have some lipase‚ purchased when I first started "cheesing" for a recipe for mozzarella (my family didn't like it) the goat cheese I got on a salad in a VERY nice restaurant had a distinct goaty flavor‚ and someone that gets cheese from me would like some goatier‚ so I was hoping for a way to get it funky for her‚ but safe to eat.blue cheese was made from the soft cheese recipe‚ how long is it OK to eat? we have been using some I made about 9 months ago |
| On 22 Aug 2006, David
F. said: Pam: Frankly‚ in my experience‚ "goaty" flavor comes when the milk is collected in less than sanitary conditions. (Peter is undoubtably correct about hydrolysis of butterfat contributing to 'goatiness'‚ but personally‚ I never add lipase.) If you mean strong cheese‚ then age your cheese at least 6 months. Also‚ fresh soft chevre should be eaten soon. It should not be kept long--it is likely to spoil. |
| On 21 Aug 2006, Emma
Stout said: Have you done any experimenting with French goat cheeses like crottin? I am interested in trying some that are not so common.Thanks for your site. The cheeses look great! I'm trying Brie right now.Thanks again for your site.ejs |
| On 21 Aug 2006, Karl
Ehlert said: I found a great Greek Style yogurt for my starter culture. It has 5 different bacteria‚ compared to most other's only 4. My question is‚ "Does the orginal culture break down‚ in terms of bacterial composition or percentages‚ perhaps depending on each bacteria's ideal temperature/conditions? Should I start with a fresh culture each time or periodically? |
| On 21 Aug 2006, peter
said: Ivan: Making cheese from skimmed milk alone is a waste of time and milk - first of all it will have the same feel as if you took a bite of the tyres on your car‚ second - the taste will be close to non existant - if you do get some flavor in it‚ it wont be very pleasant.. The curds will be very fragile when you cut them‚ but as the whey separates they will become more firm‚ so just stir gently while cooking - cook a little longer if you want the cheese really firm..good luck |
| On 21 Aug 2006, peter
said: Pam: The "goaty" flavor comes when the some of the lipase ( David ? ) enzymes start decomposing the fat in the cheese.. You can buy these enzymes ( typically from Lamb‚ but they work ) and add as needed.. - Email me if you want brand names for this product.( dont have them at hand ) |
| On 17 Aug 2006, Pam
said: I have what may be a strange question‚ I make a soft chevre type cheese with fresh goatmilk‚ and its great‚ but it does not taste "goaty" is there a way to funk it up a little and still have it safe to eat? wondering if I let it sit till "goaty" then pasturize and make the cheese? would welcome suggestions! |
| On 17 Aug 2006, David
F. said: TO BEGINNING CHEESE MAKERS: If you are new to cheese making‚ please read my page on Beginning Cheese Making before you plunge in. It may save you many trials and tribulations. For instance‚ ultrapasteurized milk‚ in my opinion‚ is worthless for the purpose of cheese making. Many questions come from folks using recipes other that those I have posted. Please understand that I can trouble shoot problems with my recipes. Specify precisely which recipe you are following. |
| On 17 Aug 2006, Ivan
said: Hi Peter.. Thanks for your advise. I followed the hard-cheese recipe in this page and whilst I got a clean break the curds formed were rather weak and fell appart easily. Could this be because of the milk I used? I used normal‚ sore bought‚ homogenised milk. Perhaps I should use skim milk instead next time‚ but I fear the cheese will be too hard afterward.I'm making another batch next week so I'll spend some time reading some more. |
| On 17 Aug 2006, Ivan
said: Is powdered milk homogenised? Perhaps it might be an idea to try this.. |
| On 15 Aug 2006, Hilary
Elmer said: About the w.w. bread recipe:Your recipe is lacking in two ways. 1: kneading.All that bran interfering with the gluten makes it essential to develop the gluten well. That means 10 minutes for an experienced kneader‚ and 15 for an inexperienced kneader. 2:rising. To soften up the bran (as well as dissolve phytic acid)‚ you need a long rising period. Rise the dough at room temperature. Let it rise twice in the bowl‚ and a third time shaped into loaves‚ then bake it. A typical batch of bread takes 6 hours‚ and I always try to slow it down rather than speed it up. |
| On 15 Aug 2006, Ivan
said: Hi Tyson. Living in the city makes things hard when trying to make cheese. Particularly living in Melbourne‚ Australia‚ which makes things rather limited. I had to travel one and a half hours to buy rennet‚ and paid $80 for a kilo. Granted‚ they claim it's good for 5000+ liters of milk‚ but it was still rather pricy. I don't know if there'll be a difference between brand name milk and no-name‚ cheap milk.. Although I will have to do more research on how to get raw milk.. I hope I don't have to go back to where I bought the rennet though. |
| On 15 Aug 2006, peter
said: Ivan: Gouda needs to be slightly more acid than regular hard cheese‚ so you will want to add more starterculture.. Start off by doubling the starter.. The substitution of whey for water is intended to stop the acid production in the cheese‚ so I'd remove less whey than you would on a normal cheese.. |
| On 14 Aug 2006, Tyson
said: I think Sarah and Ivan are having the same problems as me. They both probably use store bought‚ ultra-pasteurized milk. And if they're like me‚ they got the 3.29 milk instead of the 4.69 brand name. I'm experimenting with calcium chloride but I sitll don't know much about it except the label is a shocker when seen in my spice cabinet. The ultiimate result might be we just have to get raw milk. |
| On 14 Aug 2006, Tyson
said: What Sarah described I think was a very weak curd. Last time this happened to me I cut the curd anyway and put it on the stove to get it to the right temperatures you describe. Let it sit for a few minutes‚ the whey will separate out of the weak curds and the curds will get a little more stiff. I had to be careful but I did manage to get an amount of cheese pressed and it's curing in my fridge now. If you're using store bought milk you may have to deal with a weak curd and a lot more trouble‚ i'm not even sure if what I made is cheese or a future poison but I'll let everyone know in a week. |
| On 13 Aug 2006, John
said: Just finished my first cheese making‚ a farmhouse cheddar from my New England Cheesemaking Kit. Came out very good so far‚ just a couple of questions for those who are fimiliar with these recipes. If I make a double batch from these recipes that came with the kit‚ what Items do I "NOT" need to double? i.e. Culture‚ Rennet? |
| On 11 Aug 2006, Thanis
said: Was checking out the Mascarpone recipe and it requires TARTARIC ACID. Just wondering if using cream of tartar would be alright‚ and asked if anyone was succesful in using lemon juice to make their mascarpone? |
| On 11 Aug 2006, Thanis
said: Did some research and I found that Tamarind has lots of tartaric acid. Just wondering if I can use tarmarind juice instead. I can't find tartaric acid in my stores and there are no wine stores in my country. |
| On 11 Aug 2006, Billpete002
said: hey‚ awsome page and a great depth of knowledge! keep up the great work! looking forward for more recipies in the future! |
| On 09 Aug 2006, Ivan
said: Your recipe for hard cheese (Which I will use as a guide to make gouda).. Is that using supermarket milk‚ or fresh raw milk? I'm assuming the former‚ as you're ading buttermilk to it and I read somewhere that this process gives the milk the consistency of raw milk.. But I could be wrong.. Please let me know.. To make gouda I will simply modify your hard cheese recipe to after cutting the curd‚ raising the temperature and substituting whey for water‚ and dunk it in brine at the end of the process. Have you ever made gouda?How does it turn out? |
| On 09 Aug 2006, Ivan
said: Okay.. I found instructions to build a great cheese press.. Check it out.. http://fiascofarm.com/dairy/cheesepress.html I will be working on it this weekend.. And in regards to milk‚ I also did more reading and found my answers to it.. Really exciting as things are about to happen.. I took your advise and made some kefir.. It's resting now. I've made it in the past‚ many years ago.. But had forgotten most of it.. I'll be making some batches of gouda this weekend‚ and will post my experiences. |
| On 08 Aug 2006, Sarah
N. said: I love your site! I've been trying with varying degrees of success to make cheese. I made Panir and I've been trying to make the easy Mozzarella. I succeeded the first time‚ but I had to add four times the rennet‚ or it wouldn't set curd at all. My last two batches have been unsuccessful‚ they look like they have a clean break on top but underneath there's no solid curd‚ even when I leave it longer‚ add calcium chloride‚ extra rennet‚ etc. What am I doing wrong? |
| On 07 Aug 2006, Ivan
said: What I wanted to know was.. What type of milk do I use? Is it acceptable to make cheese by using the mil bought at the supermarket?I'd assume that would be full of chemicals and other non-pure substances.. Living in the city kind of narrows down my choices.. |
| On 07 Aug 2006, Ivan
said: Hi there. In terms of your cheese press: It does look like a decent invention‚ though I don't know how reliable it will be. I've looked at some recipes over the internet which suggest you press the cheese at a certain weight‚ and with the home made cheese press you suggest there is no control over this. My question is: Is regulating weight in the cheese press necessary? |
| On 06 Aug 2006, David
F. said: Dr. Samara: Intersting that you have the ‚same last name as the generous family with whom I stayed in Bi'lim‚ Palistine! Microwave time depends rigorously on the power of the oven. Time is relatively meaningless. The starter depends entirely on what is available in your country. The bottom line is‚ does it WORK for you??? If the protocol you use makes good yogurt‚ then go with that! I do not strain my yogurt at all. |
| On 05 Aug 2006, david
samara‚ M.D. said: Dear Dr. F; I really appreciate all the wonderful advice on your site; it reminds me of the Frank McGee encyclopedia‚ "On Food and Cooking." I make yogurt on a regular basis‚ being Lebanese and I'd like to share some of my techniques to make the process go a lot faster.I use a large 2 quart(2 liter) Pyrex mixing bowl which has a handle which comes in useful later. I use 1% organic milk as it has a good flavor. I find that I can microwave the milk for 19 to 20 minutes in my microwave depending on the coldness of the milk to get it to the proper temperature. This means no stirring or w |
| On 05 Aug 2006, david
samara‚ M.D. said: Dear Dr. F;. This means no stirring or watching or boiling over and I can even do this while putting up the groceries as I come into the house. Heat and forget. I then use the handle of my bowl (which is really in the shape of a giant measuring cup)and place the whole thing in a pot of cool water. I have a pot which is small enough to allow the mixing bowl to sit on its lip and handle and be suspended in the water. This allows it to cool down within 40 minutes. If I over cool it‚ back into the microwave for another minute or so.Total prep time is about an hour and I can be doing other things d |
| On 05 Aug 2006, david
samara‚ M.D. said: Dear Dr. F; Sometimes I add or replace my starter with a commercial brand called Yogourmet out of Canada which I get at my local health food store. This starter retains its power and is quite good. To limit the wateriness of the yogurt‚ I have taken to straining it for only about an hour‚ no more‚ in a strainer with my hankerchief (they sill make them!)as the filter.I get great product every time and the yogurt comes out nice and creamy as if it were made with full fat milk.I hope these tips may be helpful for your readership who may have less time to prepare the yogurt in the old fashioned w |
| On 05 Aug 2006, David
F. said: Ivan: STILL... I suggest you try a few of the projects on my beginning page. Make some yogurt‚ and then Labneh from that--you'll love it‚ and it is SO easy. Frankly‚ anyone who has made the basic cheese I have posted say they love it‚ especially after several months curing. Here is a home made cheese press. Did you see it? No need to spend big $ (or rubels?) for a press. |
| On 04 Aug 2006, Ivan
said: Hi David.Thanks for your reply.I do understand the fact that parmesan and blue cheeses are hard to make.. I just don't think that unless I make a cheese I will enjoy‚ I'd see the process rewarding enough to continue.. In any case.. I've enough resources to create the right environment for both situations.. The only thing I need is a cheese press.. And I'm not going to buy one for $100.. My only other option is to fabricate one.. And this part‚ I will find challenging. =/ |
| On 03 Aug 2006, David
F. said: Gary: It is posible that excessive heat would cause harder curd (lumpy?).The temp during the setting of the curd is especially important. Temp when hanging is less so. As soon as the neufchatel forms a clean break‚ cut and hang--do not let it sit too long in the heat. Tyson: In my experience‚ you cannot make cheese with ultrapasteurized milk. Try it with inexpensive fresh milk. Also‚ the milk may have clabbered from excessive acidificaition. Cut down on proportion of inoculum‚ length of time‚ or temp of incubation. |
| On 03 Aug 2006, Tyson
said: I tried to set up a curd again. I bought a half gallon of organic milk that the box said was good until sometime in september. I split it up into two quarts‚ and added 1 tablespoon (half of the recommended ratio) of yogurt. after 10 hours I added a quarter tablet of rennet to one‚ and a half tablet of rennet to the other. Two hours later both of them still have the same‚ weak curd that leaves white specs all over my finger. if the milk has clabbered‚ then what kind of kind of monstrous yogurt have I made? could the problem be temperature? Do I need to monitor the temperature exactly? |
| On 03 Aug 2006, Gary
said: Dr. Fankhauser‚ thanks for such a great resource. I have started making cheese from my own goats milk. Things have gone well as I have followed your curriculum. I have made it all the way up to mozzarella. I have however had a problem of late with my neufchatel. The first several times I made it it was fantastic‚ but the last few batches have been lumpy. The taste is still great‚ but the texture is lacking. I have gone back to the instructions every time and I still have the same lumpy texture. My house temp is kind of hot but I am hanging it in my fridge. Any thoughs on the lumpyness? Thanks |
| On 03 Aug 2006, David
F. said: Pam: I have a refrigerator set on the warmest setting in which I cure my cheeses. The temp turns out to be in the upper 40s... There are thermostat kits that one can buy to turn a fridge into a 50 F "cave." But if you are just starting‚ I would wax your cheese‚ and let it sit in the warmest part of your existing fridge for 2-6 month. |
| On 02 Aug 2006, Pam
said: HiI'm enjoying the website & have spent several days reading it. I've made yogurt‚ kefir and soft cheese‚ but am attempting my 1st aged cheese. I followed a recipe from a cheese kit for farmer's cheddar cheese & dried it on my kitchen counter for 3 days & today was the day to wax it & store it for 2-6 months. I understand that ideally 55 degrees is what it should be stored at.....I have no place that stays at 55 degrees. Will a refrigerator work at all?Thanks! |
| On 02 Aug 2006, peter
said: Ivan - Re: Cheese yield As a rule of thumb 10 kg of milk turns into 1 kg of cheese‚ but there are a few factors that affects this:Water and fat content : Most cheese contains 40 to 60% water and 10-70 % FIDM ( Fat in dry matter ).. I have some more detailed info on this subject if anyone is interested - please email me if you want this |
| On 01 Aug 2006, Jerry
Ulett said: I have been making my own yogurt and yogurt cheese for several years and now want to try making mozzerella and ricotta. I can do it on my own using the Fankhauser instructions‚ but I would like to find a home cheesemaking group near Seattle‚ WA where I live. |
| On 01 Aug 2006, David
F. said: Ivan: Please look first at my Beginning Cheese Making page and follow its 'curriculum.' Parmesan (lengthy aging‚ carefully controlled conditions) and Blue cheese (careful attention‚ proper inoculation and strict temp and humidity) are very challenging cheeses‚ to say the least. Gouda is a possibility. BUT... if you are new to cheesemaking‚ may I say AGAIN‚ the complex skills must be learned. Do the projects in sequence and you will have less frustration‚ and better cheese! |
| On 01 Aug 2006, Ivan
said: .. and I will certainly keep a log of my ventures which I will happily share to all who wish to read it.My question is in regards to the yield of cheese from its respective quantity of milk.. From a gallon of milk‚ how much cheese (whether it be parmesan‚ bleu or gouda) should I expect to have?By looking at some home-made presses‚ they seem to be rather small.. And what I want is really a substancial wheel.That is all for now. |
| On 01 Aug 2006, Ivan
said: Impressive.. I've been rading through the board and you've been consistently replying to messages for over six years‚ and that's something to take my hat off to.Anyway.. I'm looking into making cheeses (hence why I'm here). I am one of those people who want to read about it until the theoretical resources have been exhausted‚ before I start to 'do' something.. And so i've been around many cheese sites for the past week reading about the making of cheese..I think I will begin with three: Parmesan‚ bleu‚ and gouda. It seems to be an easier job than I had expected.. |
| On 31 Jul 2006, David
F. said: Pam: Thanks for the recipe! Dropping chunks in hot coffee took me by complete surprise! Tyson: Sounds like the milk had clabbered. Reduce the amount of BMilk by 1/2 or even 1/4. It probably won't hurt to double the rennet‚ but it sounds like you are describing clabbered milk. (You saw my page on Trouble shooting clean break failure?) |
| On 31 Jul 2006, Tyson
said: I made the yogurt and buttermilk without any problems at all. I tried making actual cheese and I could not get the milk to form a curd. The milk was thick and when i tried to test the break it looked like it would work but then i ended up with a bunch of white on my finger. the curd was too soft for me to grab a cube after cutting it. Did the milk clabber? I'm not sure what happened. Maybe the tablet rennet I have is old and I need to use more? |
| On 29 Jul 2006, pam
said: since I have enjoyed making the wonderful recipes that Dr Fankhauser has generously shared with us‚ I thought I might share one of my own‚ it is for Juustoa‚ a traditional finnish cheese‚ also called squeaky cheese. 2 1/2 gal milk (I use goat) warmed to 88F‚add 1T sugar and 1T cornstarch‚ blended into 1c of the warmed milk‚ then mixed into rest of milk add 1/2 tab rennet dissolved in 1/4c cool water‚let set till clean break‚ cut into 1/2" cubes and rest 15 min‚ drain‚ squeezing as much whey out as possible and press into cake pan‚ bake at 400F for about 15 min‚ pouring off whey as it come |
| On 29 Jul 2006, pam
said: s out‚ then broil till light golden brown‚ cool on rack and let dry for 1-2 hours‚ we love to drop chunks in hot coffee and eat it all melty. |
| On 28 Jul 2006, mr.pokerstick
said: Awhile back i found your website when i needed to make whole wheat bread.I then discovered all the other great recipes .Its such an inspiration please dont ever remove this wonderful site .I hope u dont mind i put your link on my website www.pokerstick.com (plug)thanks |
| On 28 Jul 2006, mr.pokerstick
said: Awhile back i found your website when i needed to make whole wheat bread.I then discovered all the other great recipes .Its such an inspiration please dont ever remove this wonderful site .I hope u dont mind i put your link on my website www.pokerstick.com (plug)thanks |
| On 27 Jul 2006, David
F. said: Veronica: I presume you have seen my design for a home made cheese press??? I have been using it for years with great success. These days‚ the hardest thing to find is a tire inner tube to cut the rubber bands from. But you could use rubber hose in the same way. Take a look. |
| On 25 Jul 2006, Veronica
said: Thank you so much - I've been making cheese with my goat milk for a few years‚ but have never seen it put so well. Your instructions are wonderful and easy to follow. Now if I can just figure out a good press! |
| On 15 Jul 2006, amy
said: Regarding the tartaric acid for mascarpone cheese‚ the early Italians would have used the tartaric acid residue scraped from the inside of used wine barrels. |
| On 15 Jul 2006, Vivek.M
said: Hey‚ Hello‚ Really neat site! Many thanks! I'm not a expert in the kitchen‚ so the pictures are a great help! I've always wanted to make cheese for pizza :) and it's simple enough for a newbie. Thank you! BTW: You might want to alter or disable the email address format check. There are bots that parse web-sites and harvest email id's and then spam them; your check makes it easy for them since i can't disguise my email ID; which is vivekm1234 |
| On 13 Jul 2006, cheryl
said: i love this site. thank you for all the information. I have just recently started making yogurt and cheese which I have found that i love doing. I have 3 blocks of cheese aging in my refrigerator now. My butter keeper seems to hold the right temperature for the aging process. Was wanting to know.... Is it ok to use my Foodsaver to seal the cheese while it ages. I have done this and the cheese looks fine. |
| On 09 Jul 2006, David
F. said: Hello All! Back from Palestine and Israel! Will soon post pictures of a Palestiniam woman making "Jibna beida‚" (cheese white) which they serve every AM. Everyone: please tune into the desparate plight of Palestinians under Israeli occupation. The world needs to bring justice to the region. Rebecca: Make your brine with whey to prevent surface dissolving. You can rinse off xs salt to use‚ or soak in milk overnight. Sean: It sounds like you are not following my recipe rigorously (recheck it)... For yogurt‚ scald to 185 F‚ then incubate at 120 F. |
| On 09 Jul 2006, Julie-Anne
Latham said: I have been looking for cheese and yogurt recipes in my town. Not having any success thought I'd check the web‚ found your site!Will try your recipes‚ easy ones first!!!Thank you so much from Down Under. |
| On 07 Jul 2006, Connie
said: Has anyone tried to make mozzarella cheese from American Buffalo milk? |
| On 07 Jul 2006, peter
said: Rebecca: Too much fat makes the cheese very soft.. Also: you really dont want to go below 15% salt in the brine as this can make the surface of the cheese dissolve or turn slimy.. The only thing I can think of to make the cheese less salty is to make the cheese harder from the start ( press it longer and maybe heat it a little longer when cooking the curds ).. Ofcourse you could take it out of the brine before it gets too salty‚ dice or slice it and store it in olive oil with oregano‚ garlic and some olives... a nice‚ ready to eat snack :-) |
| On 07 Jul 2006, shaheen
said: thank u dr fankhauser for your best site off making cheese it helps me alot at making mozzarella as i have factory of making cheese in egypt can i fin informatin about romano cheese |
| On 06 Jul 2006, Rebecca
Cody said: My feta (from raw cow's milk) is much too salty. I tried a batch using less salt in the brine‚ but the cheese turned to mush. How do they keep commercial feta from being so salty?Also‚ the batch that turned to mush had a lot of butterfat (Jersey milk). Would it work better if I skimmed most of the cream off? |
| On 06 Jul 2006, Rebecca
Cody said: My feta (from raw cow's milk) is much too salty. I tried a batch using less salt in the brine‚ but the cheese turned to mush. How do they keep commercial feta from being so salty?Also‚ the batch that turned to mush had a lot of butterfat (Jersey milk). Would it work better if I skimmed most of the cream off? |
| On 06 Jul 2006, Sean
M said: Cool site‚ I really appreciate the explanations of the changes at various steps. Tremendously helpful! Regarding
altitude (5‚000')‚ I have noticed that my double boiler
only heats milk
to 190F‚ which is insufficient for yoghurt. I kept getting
a really
nice ricotta instead. I have to heat the milk in a regular
pan to a
full simmer to break down the proteins. Steve S.: Citric acid is often available in bulk at mid-eastern (at least Lebenese and Syrian) markets and specialty stores. |
| On 06 Jul 2006, Sean
M said: Labneh sounds a lot like salted quark. Are there differences other than the salt? |
| On 05 Jul 2006, Kate
said: Had fun with your recipe for ginger ale over the July 4th weekend. We used champagne yeast instead of bakers‚ and 6+ Tbsp of grated ginger. Lots of flavor! |
| On 04 Jul 2006, Sherrie
said: I love your site. I am collecting the supplies that I am going to need and have found a source of raw goat milk. I want to find out if I'm good at this before we go to the expense of getting a couple of dairy goats :)I was wondering if you have a recipe or a site I can go to to find a recipe for Mizthra cheese? I know it should be made out of ewes milk but I would like to work my way up to it. |
| On 03 Jul 2006, Mr
Smith said: Cheese is tasty |
| On 03 Jul 2006, Mr
Smith said: Cheese is tasty |
| On 26 Jun 2006, peter
said: David: Enjoy your trip‚ and yes‚ I will keep an eye on things here :-) Thanis : UHT pasteurised milk is not suitable to make cheese from since the UHT process alters the proteins in the milk.. As an alternative I would try powdered milk.. Make sure you get whole milk powder and not skimmed milk or buttermilk powder.. It might take a few trys to get it right‚ but it shouldnt be that much different to using regular milk.. Good luck ! |
| On 26 Jun 2006, peter
said: Janet: Making butter from goats milk is exactly the same process as from cows milk‚ so yes‚ you can use a regular churn! You will need to cultivate your own starters from a conventional starter. Heres what you do: Take 1 litre of skimmed goats milk heat to 90 deg C for 30 minutes without boiling‚ cool to 16C and add half a cup of normal buttermilk.. Leave for 16-24 hours at 16C until it thickens nicely.. Repeat process until you feel the cows milk has been diluted sufficiently.. |
| On 26 Jun 2006, peter
said: Janet: continued Same process works for yoghurt‚ but use yoghurt‚ raise the temperature to 38C and reduce the time to 3-6 hours.. Questions? Email me! |
| On 26 Jun 2006, peter
said: Janet: continued II Forgot to mention: Due to some enzymes present in the goats milk‚ the butter may turn rancid quite fast and taste horrible‚ but its worth a try. Unfortunately these enzymes are pretty hard to get rid of... |
| On 26 Jun 2006, peter
said: Pam /David : The stringy feel that real mozzarella has when it melts is afaik due to the acid environment in the cheese‚ and you generally want the pH in these types of cheeses slightly lower than in the normal hard yellow types of cheese. However: There are versions of cream cheese designed for use in burgers etc that are made by adding trisodium phosphate ( slightly alkaline ) to the cheese and then melting it.. |
| On 24 Jun 2006, Thanis
Lim said: Just wondering if instead of Fresh milk‚ I use one of those UHT (Long Life) milk sold in cartons. Fresh milk is not readily available in my country so UHT milk will have to do. What are the possible effects? Will I still be able to make cheese? |
| On 23 Jun 2006, Janet
Brown said: Thank you so much for goat's milk recipes! I'm allergic to bovines but passionate about cheese. I read at the end of your goat milking instructions that keeping goat's milk longer allows the cream to rise. Is it possible to use this cream to make goat's milk butter? Would one use a regular type butter churn to do it? Second question‚ how do I get cheese‚ buttermilk and yogurt starters that aren't from cow's milk? |
| On 23 Jun 2006, David
F. said: Cheesemakers: Until 9 July‚ I will be in Palestine and Israel‚ meeting with peace activists on both sides of the wall. You will understand if I do not respond to posts on this board. Maybe my expert friend Peter could respond to questions in the interim??? Thanks‚ Peter‚ either way. Meanwhile: Pam: My understanding is that melting cheese is cheese made in an acid environment. Right‚ Peter? Noriya: You should have no problem making yogurt. Jon: Have not made sour cream. Try it both ways: use a) BMilk or b) yogurt as starter. See my fermenters page. |
| On 21 Jun 2006, Jon
Wallin said: I'm pretty stoked about your page. I just received a 26qt stockpot for Father's Day and can't imagine a better way to inagurate it than with your yogurt recipe (not that I'll make 26 quarts!!). I can't wait to proceed up to Fresh Mozarella (via your reccommended "learning to make cheese" process)...I loved that stuff while living in Italy. Here in the USA it costs $5.00/ball‚ so I don't eat it. One question: Do you have a recipe for Sour Cream? Would it be like your yogurt recipe only using cream instead of milk and sour cream instead of yogurt for the starter? I've even read |
| On 20 Jun 2006, Pam
said: I have a couple of questions‚ 1st‚ what makes the difference between cheese that melts (or should!) like mozzarella and cheddar‚ or panir‚ sometimes my cheddar will melt‚ other times not‚ will your basic hard cheese recipe yield a "melty" cheese when done properly? 2nd‚ I read someones post at another site where they said their cheese got "sour"‚to them bad. is there a difference between sharp and sour? PS love the idea of the notebook‚ we do that with our soap‚ will start with the cheese!thanks. |
| On 14 Jun 2006, David
F. said: Rob: The reason I like Zatarain's is that it has a richer flavor than other extracts I have tried (notably Hires and McCormick's). You might also experiment with increasing the amount of concentrate you add. Did you follow their recipe or mine? Try adding 1/3rd - 1/2 more extract and see what you think. |
| On 14 Jun 2006, Rob
said: After successfully making the ginger ale (wonderful!)‚ I couldn't wait for my order of Zatarain's Root Beer in order to make root beer. So‚ at the nearest grocery store they have McCormick's Root Beer "Concentrate"‚ so I purchased some. The recipe on the box called for yeast and fermentation so I thought that maybe it would be the same. The result tasted like root beer flavored club soda. Any words of wisdom‚ David‚ about concentrate vs. extract? |
| On 12 Jun 2006, Damon
said: I'm taking your advice and starting with yogurt before making cheese. My yogurt tastes great and is a fine consistency. Adding powedered milk thickened my second batch just as it was supposed to. But I'd like to know a couple things: 1- Can I safely make even thicker yogurt by adding more powdered milk? Is there a cut-off point there where I might be adding too much‚ or where it would have no added effect? 2- My yogurt has a slightly "grainy" sort of texture to it. Is there any way to make yogurt that is perfectly smooth like the supermarket variety? Did I just screw up? |
| On 12 Jun 2006, David
F. said: Teresa: Stop being SO perfect!!! ;-) Seriously‚ without knowing the precise protocol you are following (is it my recipe for neufchatel?)‚ I can't tell for sure the problem‚ but rubbery cheese often comes from 'cooking' the curds too warm. Neufchatel does not call for ANY 'cooking' at all... Recheck the recipe and compare what you did. Take home lesson for all: Keep a detailed notebook for your cheese projects so you know for sure what you did and can build on your experience. |
| On 12 Jun 2006, David
F. said: Scott: In my experience (as I think you suspect)‚ the most likely reason curds do not knit together is that they are too cold when pressed. Try pressing as soon as you have finished 'cooking' them and they are still quite warm. |
| On 08 Jun 2006, Scott
said: I've made my first batch of hard cheese and came accross this problem. I did achieve a clean break and set the curd at 93 degrees for 15 minutes. All seemed to go well with the brining and pressing. After a few days in the fridge‚ I opened accidentally fumbled the container and the cheese broke in half. Upon examination‚ it looks like the curds never‚ for lack of a better word‚ congealed. It looked like I tried to press together the curds that never had a prayer of coming together. I could still see the individual curds!I'm thinking that either I let the curds cool to much before I pres |
| On 07 Jun 2006, peter
said: Cricket: According to my literature the composition of horse milk is: 1.3 % casein‚ 0.9% whey proteins‚ 1.7% fat‚ 6.2% carbohydrates ( lactose ) and 0.5% minerals etc... actually its pretty close to goats milk‚ apart from approx. 60% less fat.. |
| On 07 Jun 2006, peter
said: Cricket: The bacterial starters normally used for cheese‚ yoghurt etc. should also work with horse's milk |
| On 06 Jun 2006, Cricket
said: Hello!We are on the GFCF diet... My children are able to tolerate goats and sheep milk but only 1 out every 2 months.When I am making yogurt and cheese with goat's milk... and since they seem ok with store bought goat's‚ would I use the same starters as you show on your website? Also I would be interested to know about the casien content in horse milk?Thank you for any and all help! Cricket |
| On 06 Jun 2006, Darlene
Kelly said: I have searched the Web for various cheese making instructions but your's is by far the best. The instructions are clear and informative. My only regret is that I live too far away to sign up for your class. Dr. Fankhouser is fabulous!!! |
| On 06 Jun 2006, Teresa
said: When i first made the Nuefchatel cheese I did nothing perfect and the cheese came out great.Now that we have a love for this cheese I can't make it. It turns to rubber rather than a soft cheese. I have tried 3 different rennets‚ sterlized pots etc. Any ideas? Thanks‚Teresa |
| On 04 Jun 2006, David
F. said: Michelle: Here is a recipe for harvarti Jim Wallace posted on cheesemaker's list serve a while back. I have neither made it‚ nor converted it into the materials I use (raw milk‚ buttermilk‚ rennet tabs‚ etc). Sorry you had problems with Danlac recipe. Write to them--I have communicated with the guy who founded it‚ and I think he would be interested to hear your problem. |
| On 04 Jun 2006, Michelle
said: Good evening!I came across a recipe to make havarti cheese on the danlac website‚ I tried to copy and paste the recipe I purchased($5) from them to my other cheese recipes on my notepad but I couldnt seem to do it?Would I get in trouble from Danlac if I forwarded thier recipe to others? |
| On 31 May 2006, peter
said: David: The holes in the havarti cheese is regular air‚ left when the cheese is pressed.. Normally‚ when making swiss cheese‚ Edam types etc. you do the first stage of pressing in the cheese vat‚ so the cheese is still covered in whey‚ and thereby filling any holes in the cheese block with whey.. When the cheese is cooled and brined the curds swell and suck up the whey in the holes |
| On 31 May 2006, peter
said: David: The nice round holes in cheese are formed when Leuconostoc mesenteroides ssp cremoris ( part of the buttermilk culture ) start fermenting the citric acid in the cows milk. Coliform bacteria can also make holes in your cheese if you havent added KNO3 or NaNO3 to the milk ( this inhibits their ability to produce CO2 ).. Please email me for a more detailed description of the process |
| On 31 May 2006, peter
said: David: Havarti origins: According to my literature‚ this is indeed a Danish thing‚ but it is also widely popular ( and has always been ) in the northern part of Germany‚ so I cant imagine that they havent made at it at some point.. AFAIK The Havarti name has been protected by the Stresa Convention since the 50s.. This means that you cant call blue cheese made outside the Roquefort district Roquefort and so on.. |
| On 30 May 2006, David
F. said: Peter and Michelle: THANK YOU Peter! Thank you for sharing your expert knowledge on cheese making! Michelle--I did a search on the web‚ and found descriptions of Havarti‚ but no recipe. Peter: do you know which bacterium produces the "bubbles" in havarti? It is said to originate in Denmark‚ right? |
| On 31 May 2006, peter
said: Michelle Follow the recipe for making basic hard cheese‚ add a pint of cream and use 2 cups of buttermilk per gallon for the starter.. Make sure you dry press the curds ( normally you'd press the curds while still covered in whey‚ but you want airholes in a Havarti).. Wax or vacuumbag the pressed cheese as soon as its dry enough.. Age it for a month or more.. |
| On 29 May 2006, C
said: David‚I had the same problem with my wax cracking (parrafin)‚ but‚ as I am also a novice bee keeper‚ I simply mix beeswax (approx 25%) to my parrafin to obtain a softer wax. many less problems with cracking now!!C |
| On 24 May 2006, mvroske
said: My kids and I love your whole wheat bread recipe. Thank you. I am enjoying the rest of your website as well. |
| On 19 May 2006, Michelle
said: Hello there!I am hoping someone might be able to help me find out how to make havarti cheese?I have been searching for a recipe to make Havarti cheese for quite some time with no success‚I would greatly appreciate your help.Michelle |
| On 18 May 2006, David
F. said: Joe: Crumbly sounds like the curds are too dry. I have no idea what recipe you are following‚ but here are 3 points: 1) if curds are heated too high‚ they get tough‚ 2) if they get cold before they are pressed‚ they will not knit together‚ 3) leave in the fridge only until the surface is dry‚ then wax. Steve S: I am sure you can use Fruit Fresh to make American Moz‚ but not positive about the proportions. Do this experiment: 1/2 gal milk + 3/4th tsp FF‚ 1/2 tab rennet. Take careful notes and report back how it works... |
| On 15 May 2006, Steve
S said: I wanted to try making the American Mozzarella recipe on this site‚ but am having trouble finding the citric acid powder. The closest I can find is Fruit-Fresh‚ which is a mixture if ascorbic acid and citric acid. Is this worth a shot‚ or should I keep looking? |
| On 13 May 2006, Joe
said: I have a problem after aging my cheeses a month‚ they are very dry and somewhat crumbly. I have tried 3 cheddar recipes which I sealed in wax and stored in a cool closet for a month. Each time they turned out too dry. I also have tried to make a Gouda and let it age in a Fridge for a month without waxing. Same result...too dry and crumbly. Any ideas on what I am doing wrong? |
| On 10 May 2006, bill
meyer said: Great for the beginner!bill |
| On 09 May 2006, Sharon
said: I made the 30-minute mozzerella following a recipe from Ricki Carroll and the only thing I changed was that I used 2 junkets tablets for the rennet. I used store bought milk and did not check acid level. |
| On 03 May 2006, David
F. said: Sharon and Pam: Pam is making American moz‚ not sure of Sharon. BUT... US recipe vs Italian is VERY different. Yes‚ the whey from US will be milky--maybe you could extract ricotta by boiling? Italian: lack of melting is usually due to low acidity. Let curds sit longer. Take home lesson? Moz is a challenge... |
| On 02 May 2006, Sharon
said: Hi Dave‚I made mozzzerella cheese and it had a good flavor to it. It also made a good slicing cheese but I could not get it to melt on pizza. I used 2 junket tablets to a gallon of milk as I had not found this site and was just guessing the amount and this was the first batch of cheese that I had made. Am I correct in assuming that it did not melt because of the amount of junket that I had used? |
| On 01 May 2006, David
F. said: Karen: SALT: I have used both table and Kosher salt. When adding it to curds or laban where it will dissolve‚ I use kosher salt (which does not dissolve as rapidly as table)‚ but rubbing the outside of a cheese‚ I use table. BTW‚ how much difference IS there in densities? |
| On 29 Apr 2006, Pam
said: I made some american mozzarella from your recipe yesterday‚ turned out perfect thank you very much! but am wondering‚ when I make mozzarella I always seem to have a lot of cream left in the whey‚ it's not clear like when I make other cheeses‚ not just this time‚ but it seems to always be that way with mozzerella‚ am I doing something wrong that I am losing the cream? |
| On 28 Apr 2006, Karen
said: I was researching yogurt makers when I stumbled on your site. I think I spent 2 or 3 hours reading as much as I could. Now I have a batch of yogurt getting happy in a cooler! The step-by-step pictures are great‚ especially the series demonstrating a clean break. One question as I read through the recipes‚ what kind of salt are you using? Regular table salt or kosher or sea salt? They have different densities so equal measurments end up with different levels of saltiness. Just curious. Thanks. |
| On 26 Apr 2006, bo
said: Love your website‚ and wish I could have had you as my biology professor! Thanks for all the tempting Cheese recipes‚ but I'll take baby steps and start with making homemade GingerAle and RootBeer =D |
| On 17 Apr 2006, anu
said: I'll post my recipe soon but I have a ton of this stuff taking up freezer space so if you would like some‚ direct me to a mailing address. |
| On 17 Apr 2006, David
F. said: Shannon: Thanks for your question--providing me the opportunity to get on a soapbox... (No worry‚ I'll be nice)... I love experimental cheeses with imaginative additives--BUT... I urge folks to master the basic processes and learn to appreciate what the 'honest' cheeses taste like before they add supernumeraries... Answer to Q1: add your stuff after curds but before pressing. Q2: freezing halts curing‚ hinders taste and character. Only freeze if you have not added salt and followed pressing protocol. |
| On 16 Apr 2006, henry
clay said: Aloha‚I came upon your page on a web search. I can tell taht your recipes will have me making cheese in no time.Thank you for providing professional and scienctfic recipies |
| On 16 Apr 2006, Shannon
said: I'm very new at cheesemaking‚ and your site rocks! Thanks so much for sharing your expertise!I have a question: I'd like to make the basic hard cheese‚ and add herbs‚ or other ingredients like garlic‚ or hot peppers‚ etc. Is that possible? If so‚ at what point would I add them‚ and does the addition of such ingredients change the handling procedures to avoid spoilage?Thanks!! |
| On 16 Apr 2006, Shannon
said: Do you recommend freezing any of your finished cheese? I'd like to make a large batch‚ and would like to freeze for later use.Thank you |
| On 16 Apr 2006, David
F. said: Anu and Pam: Here is my recipe for Limoncello. Let me know if yours differs significantly. Thanks for the inspiration. (The link seems to be messed up. If it does not work‚ merely go back to my main Cheese Page‚ and click on "Limoncello.") |
| On 15 Apr 2006, Pam
said: yes PLEASE publish the limoncello recipe! I am making mead‚ melomel and methleglin‚will send some your way when it's ready if you are interested? whats better with cheese than a little wine or spirits? BTW‚ your waffle recipe is the BEST |
| On 14 Apr 2006, David
F. said: Harriet:: Slow heating is important for warming milk. Your toaster oven idea seems like it would work for this purpose. Anu: When did I ever decline limoncello??? I loved it in Italy‚ and a local friend taught me to make it here with everclear‚ sugar and lemon. Shall we compare recipes? Better idea: send me some‚ and I'll let you know... ;-) Hey folks‚ shall Anu and I publish our recipe(s) for limoncello? |
| On 14 Apr 2006, Nancy
Brown said: Your cheese pages are great. The instructions are written so that even I can understand and believe that I can make cheese. Thank you |
| On 09 Apr 2006, anu
said: Dr. F‚ I absolutely love your site! I'm a lawyer by day‚ fromagiere by weekend!!! Thanks for great‚ clear‚ instructions that focus on instruments you'd have around the house. I have a (chevre) goat cheese going now. I also dabble in limoncellos...let me know if you want me to send you some (made from Meyer lemons from San Francisco) |
| On 04 Apr 2006, Harriet
Smith said: I live in Costa Rica and have a small farm with only three goats. I am making cheese to sell to tourists - from US‚ Europe and Canada - and find that your pages are the most helpful I have found here in my tropical isolation. It is nice to see a kind of "make-do" attitude when it is not always possible to run down to the store or order something online that you need. I have one idea - I use my toaster oven to gently warm the milk. I put the big pot on top of the toaster oven and just put the toaster oven on warm. I check the temp every once in a while. This brings the temp up g |
| On 02 Apr 2006, Marcie
said: Thank you‚ Dr. F--my first batch of cheese is in the press and everything has gone according to plan so far. Thanks for the wonderful clear instructions! |
| On 02 Apr 2006, Marcie
said: By the way‚ for Dave Martin and others concerned about lactose intolerance--try goat's milk cheeses. Lactose intolerant people (like me) can handle them just fine. As for cow's milk products‚ yogurt and hard cheeses are supposed to be better tolerated than soft cheese‚ but I have trouble with all of it. I still eat it‚ but with a side of Lactaid! |
| On 31 Mar 2006, David
F. said: Pam: Honestly‚ I am not sure that these "new-fangled" mix of cultures are significantly better than the traditional cultures. I try to use cultures which I can purchase near my home which work great‚ i.e.‚ Dannon Plain. Newer cultures must be ordered. If anyone has experience with the newer cultures‚ tell us. Matthew: I am with you 100% but... My audience here-to-fore has been primarily from the US‚ thus I use the "English" system of measurements which is my milieu. I am trying to provide metric measurements as well. The revision is far from complete. |
| On 30 Mar 2006, Matthew
said: You've got really great information on this website. It's a pity a lot of the measurements are in imperial‚ like quarts‚ ounces‚ gallons and cups‚ so it's often confusing as to how much we are talking about. For example‚ 1 quart (US‚ dry)=1101 ml; 1 quart (US‚ liquid)= 946 ml; 1 quart (UK)= 1137 ml. I was wondering if we will ever see some consistency so that the information is clear throughout the world. Or are we going to be stuck with multiple systems and constant conversions? I don't think measurement should vary between countries. |
| On 28 Mar 2006, Pam
said: a culture question‚ I have yogurt culture I purchased in my beginning days‚before I got cheap‚ which contains streptococcus thermophilus‚ lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp bulgaricus‚ lactobacillus acidophillus‚ and bifidobacterium longus and infantus‚ Dannon has a new "Activa" yogurt‚ with "bifidus regularuis"(trademark) is this the same bifidobacterium? and is this better than yogurt with just the streptococcus thermophilus and lactobacillus like Dannon plain? |
| On 27 Mar 2006, David
F. said: Mat: Bravo on your hard chese! Have you tried making Labneh from your yogurt? (Super easy) Delicious drizzled with lots of quality olive oil‚ dusted with sieved dried mint‚ and eaten with toasted pita wedges. Try it and get back to us. |
| On 27 Mar 2006, David
F. said: Victoria! No‚ YOU rock! You sweetheart! My mouth is watering and I already feel greedy... I make red raspberry jam from the bushes on my homestead. We should trade. |
| On 27 Mar 2006, David
F. said: Vera: Raw milk cheese is more delicious but carries finite risk. It is safe to eat after 60 days aging. Is the cow your own‚ or are you closely familiar with the cow? This is advantageous. The cow should be TB tested‚ have very clean quarters and healthy environment. Cheese made from bulk milk should certainly be aged 60 days because it would be easy for milk from one diseased cow mixed with hundreds to be carrying a pathogen. |
| On 27 Mar 2006, David
F. said: zerhkl‚ alias jj.com‚ alias hkh: Sooo... Is there some way I can help you? I would like to think that you have something positive to offer. Vandalization brings a certain purile satisfaction‚ I know. But tell us how we can help you. I HATE censorship‚ and will not do it if I can help it. What do other readers think? Countrylive.com recently had a poster they had to censor--I thought they should just leave it up for "society" see it for what it was. |
| On 27 Mar 2006, Mat
said: Great website‚ I started with yogurt and have just made my first hard cheese. Keep up the good work! |
| On 26 Mar 2006, zerhkl
said: CRAP rubbish site suckers |
| On 26 Mar 2006, jj.com
said: POO POO POO POO POO POO site!! |
| On 26 Mar 2006, Serene
said: Great website! Great work! Just one simple question. Tartaric acid is not readily available from where I am‚ can I substitute it with white wine vinegar or is there a better substitute? |
| On 23 Mar 2006, hkh
said: you suck! |
| On 23 Mar 2006, Vera
said: My father has recently taken up cheese making and is very into it! He is using fresh cows milk‚ it is not pasturized‚ can this be a problem? Is there anything he can do to ensure the milk is safe to use? |
| On 22 Mar 2006, Victoria
Winde said: Dear Dr. F‚You rock! Not only do you know what you're talking about‚ but you're thrifty to fault! I love you man! The world needs more like you. I'm a total fan‚ and if you ever need blackberry jam from washington state to put in your yogurt‚ just say the word!Best‚ VLW |
| On 08 Mar 2006, peter
said: David / John: I am trying to figure out what the purpose of the cheese salt is.. As I mentioned earlier: if its just for salting the cheese‚ regular salt will work fine. Re: Iodine in salt: I have no idea if the iodine in the salt affects the curds‚ but I have noticed a slightly different taste from these salt types.. The stuff we use at work does not contain iodine |
| On 07 Mar 2006, David
F. said: Peter: Cheese salt??? "Cheese salt" seems to be an extremely diffuse definition... CaCl2 is used in extremely small quantities. But‚ when salting cheeses NaCl is used in much greater quantites. So... Does or does NOT iodide signigicantly affect the quality of cheese curd? My experience is that iodide does not have a major impact on curd quality. I could be wrong (obviously). Who know what effect iodide has on curd quality?" David F. |
| On 06 Mar 2006, peter
said: John / David: What is the purpose for "cheesesalt".. If it is added to the milk it may well be Calcium Chloride. If its for salting the cheese‚ regular salt will do fine‚ but beware: Atleast over here‚ the tablesalt you buy in stores is iodine enriched ( by law )‚ if this is the case in the US too‚ you can use the salt used in dishwashers - that stuff is pretty clean |
| On 06 Mar 2006, peter
said: Julie / David: I have had great success with the following method: Regular bluecheese recipe made from milk w. approx. 6.5% fat. Mix regular buttermilk starter with the blue mold and proceed as usual.. after 1 week of ageing I sprayed the cheese blocks with a white mold culture ( P. Camembertii ).. Leave for another 3-4 weeks until a nice thick white mold covers the cheese.. If you want it softer‚ age it some more or use milk with even more fat :-) |
| On 05 Mar 2006, Pam
said: I have had cheeses get blue‚ white‚ black‚ yellow and pink molds‚ the one with black stunk so bad I would not have tried to eat it‚ the pink one was slimy...so out it went‚ I trimmed the yellow off and tasted the cheese and it was very good‚ so we ate it...and are still alive‚ no harm done‚ the the blue was on purpose‚ as was the white‚ St Maure? all of my cheddars end up with a blue mold on the outside‚ but it does not seem to hurt them.should I be more careful about tasting them when moldy? |
| On 01 Mar 2006, David
F. said: Julie: It is easier to answer if you distill your question(s) down to a single post. Blue cheese: please read the page on blue cheese that the humidity must be around 70% and the temp 50 F. You clearly had around 100% humidity. Mold overgrows. Purchase a decent hygrometer. Black mold may be Aspergillus--not a good one. Green is usually Penicillium--good. I would taste a tiny amount to see if it is tasty--if bad‚ good bye. Anyone else want to weigh in on good/bad cheese mold? |
| On 28 Feb 2006, julie
siers said: PART 1 of question...I'm aging a blue cheese right now. I used a crumbled (ruined) cheddar cheese and added a blue starter‚ homemade from some store bought cheese‚ per the instructions on your site. I put it in a clean plastic bucket with a tight fitting lid. I had a bowl of water in there with it for the first 3 days‚ but took that out when I figured it was too humid (the insides of the bucket were wet). The temperature has stayed at a near constant 50 degrees. It is now day 12 and I looked at it. I am afraid of it. How can I tell if this is good mold or bad?? |
| On 28 Feb 2006, julie
siers said: PART 2...The entire thing is covered in greyish blue fuzz - totally uniform. It smells like blue cheese‚ but also like regular mold‚ but I've never seen that much mold on store bought cheese‚ so I've got no experience in what much mold is supposed to smell like. I have no way of gauging the humidity (my homemade hair hygrometer didn't work). The bucket is still wet on the inside walls and the cheesecloth I have the cheese wrapped in is damp. Do I assume it is spoiled if it's been that damp for 12 days? |
| On 28 Feb 2006, David
F. said: Therese: As I understand it‚ Quark is made from cooked buttermilk: catch curds in a cloth‚ drain whey out. Same principle as when making ricotta. Easy to make. Pam: Brava for your blue cheese successes! It is a Master's cheese. Dave: Yes. I saw and agree with that New Scientist article. It seems obvious that the strong flavors of a quality cheese would trump the delicate nuiances of wine... Conclusion: Serve fine wines first‚ then serve a house red with richly flavored cheeses. |
| On 28 Feb 2006, Dave
Martin said: John: Did you see the article in New Scientist magazine a few weeks ago about wine and cheese. Apparently cheese does soemthing to the sense of taste and prevents you from tasting many of the subtler flavours in wine. After cheese a panel of experienced wine tasters were unable to pick good wine from bad (well average anyway). |
| On 26 Feb 2006, Pam
said: just wanted to share a happy‚ I made blue cheese from your recipe‚ with my fresh goats milk‚ my daughter took some to a chef at the culinary school she attends‚ and he RAVED over it‚ said it was wonderful‚ and wanted a LOT more. thanks for the great recipes! |
| On 26 Feb 2006, Therese
said: Great page! I just made my first Neufchatel and am loving it. Just a few questions...(1) Would you happen to know whether Neufchatel is the same as "Quark" (in German)? It looks and smells a lot like it.(2) Is there a recipe for cottage cheese somewhere on the web site? The booklet that came with my rennet had one‚ but it involved lots of stirring and warming... is that really needed?(3) Can the whey leftover by Neufchatel be used for Ricotta cheese? I tried to‚ but no curds formed (and generally‚ there seemed to be little white stuff left in it.) |
| On 24 Feb 2006, David
F. said: John: I have no clue what they mean when they specify "cheese salt..." Pomposity‚ perhaps. Maybe you have to buy it from them? Let's ask Peter‚ our resident professional. I have used table‚ Kosher and sea salt. They all work. Finer grain size mixes better with the curds. I got scolded by a reader of my site for not using sea salt all the time. He may be right‚ but... Salt prevents unwanted bacteria from growing--not rocket science. So--if you have sea salt‚ fine. Kosher salt may be a little coarse? Table salt works perfectly in my experience. |
| On 24 Feb 2006, John
said: Hi all‚ Im a wine maker at heart but with all good wine one must have good cheese. I received my first hard cheese making kit in the mail today and have been reading through the directions and the recipes. Question: All the recipes call for cheese salt‚ but none came with the kit. Is there a substitute? Like regular table salt‚ sea salt etc... Thanks for your help and please don't run off on me‚ Im sure once I start my first batch‚ Im going to have questions. Does anyone have suggestions on things I should differently than what the recipe calls for in my kit (New England Cheese Company K |
| On 21 Feb 2006, peter
said: Julie: It sounds like your curds are too dry. There could be 2 reasons for this: Too much / Too agressive starter or the cooking process is too hot or too long. If you feel your curds have gotten too firm you can add cold water. This helps the curds regain some of the lost whey. |
| On 20 Feb 2006, David
F. said: Dominic: If the cheese is no thicker than an inch or so (2-3 cm)‚ brining would be OK. It is best to have the brine be slightly acid so the cheesee does not dissolve on the surface (use the whey‚ or add a little vinegar). Do not leave in the brine longer than several days. The best temp for curing cheese is 50-55 F. Should be 60-80% humidity. Wax as soon as you get a dry yellowish "skin" on the surface. |
| On 19 Feb 2006, Dominic
said: Hi Frank‚ just made my first cheese‚ all looking good except I forgot to add the salt before pressing. Could I give it a brine bath? Also could you advise on best place to cure the cheese? Is a cool room OK? |
| On 15 Feb 2006, Julie
said: I just thought of one more thing. When I'm stirring the curds during the slow temp raise‚ the curds start binding together and I keep cutting and cutting trying to get everything to 1/4 inch cubes (which really seems impossible). Can you cut the curd too thoroughly resulting in too much whey loss in each curd? |
| On 15 Feb 2006, Julie
said: One gallon raw milk brought to 88F‚ add 1/8tsp mesophillic- wait 1 hour‚ 1/4 tab Junk rennet- wait till firm curd -- can you wait too long? I got caught up in messes with kids and I know it curded nicely an hour or more before I got to cutting. Please let me know if that could be the mistake. Second question: how do I innoculate some blue into those loser curds? |
| On 15 Feb 2006, Julie
said: I've just seen your instructions regarding inoculating blue cheese into your curds... my curds are dry crumbles varying in size (from crumb to pea to walnut). Would the water/blue mix rehydrate my curds and let it turn into a block like I see in your pictures? |
| On 15 Feb 2006, David
F. said: Julie: Without knowing what other recipes you are following‚ I do not have a definitive answer‚ but failure to mat may be due to one or more of these: a) curd is too cool when placed in mold‚ b) curd was over cooked‚ making curd tough‚ c) not enough pressure in the mold. Your narrative sounds correct‚ so I would check the accuracy of your thermometer. Otherwise‚ well formed salted curd at 90 F and pressed in the mold should knit together. It is still edible. You might even try inoculating with blue cheese spores since air can get inside the cheese... |
| On 15 Feb 2006, Julie
said: Curd won't mat. I have tried to make cheddar cheese three times now. First time was with your recipe using buttermilk (or yogurt - I forget now)‚ second and third times have been with mesophilic culture from Leener's site. This third time I have done everything correct. The milk stayed at a constant 88 degrees farenheit in the beginning and after cutting‚ never went above 96F. I gently stir/scooped and kept cutting around 96F‚ then drained (this time for only 10 minutes)‚ then decided not to try "cheddaring" and so salted (1 gallon raw milk‚ 2 tsp sea salt) and put straight into |
| On 15 Feb 2006, Julie
said: Curd won't mat. PART 2... the mold. The cheese was still at 90F when put into the press. Whenever I put it to drain it clumps together‚ but each time I salt it and mix around I can feel it is already rubbery and dry. It won't clump together again. Please - what am I doing wrong?! |
| On 15 Feb 2006, Julie
said: Regarding my two part question above: can I still age the unmatted cheese curds and if so‚ how? The first time I made cheddar and it stayed curds I stored them in a baggie with a lot of air in it in the fridge hoping to age it. I kept digging into it though and now they're gone. They tasted like dried buttermilk clumps. |
| On 14 Feb 2006, Frank
Mason said: Thanks for all instructions. I just am starting out so I'm working threw your list. My family just finished of my first batch of Yogurt and realy liked it. I'm right now looking for Rennet. I asked for it at my local Safeway and the clerk gave me that "Crazy Person at Aisle 5" look. But I will try a few more stores before I order it on line.thanksFrank |
| On 12 Feb 2006, Nathan
said: I really enjoy you're site. I have one question though. I added the rennet to the Fresh Mozzerella and waited over four hours but it was still completely liquid. It was only after that that I added a full tablet of rennet to a tablespoon of water and then it thickened. I live in Denver‚ could it be the humidity or some other factor? Thanks. |
| On 10 Feb 2006, Erroll
said: I think there's a reason for every detail in most old recipes. The reason might not be relevant any more‚ might have been unfounded‚ or might have some benefit that we don't know about any more. In a lot of cases‚ and not just with cheese‚ we may never know the reason. It might be worth trying the recipe both ways to see if there's a noticeable difference. I'm wondering if one way might be more reliable‚ in terms of getting a clean break‚ than the other (he says looking at his liquid not-milk that smells something like cheese while recalling fondly the flawless neufchatel from last month). |
| On 09 Feb 2006, David
F. said: Erroll: Some recipes call for inoculation and adding rennet nearly simultaneously‚ others inoculate‚ wait then add rennet. I have no full answer‚ but these are the traditional recipes. Call it the art of cheese making if you like. My suspicion is that adding inoculum early and waiting allows more flavor to develop. The cheeses which call for nearly simultaneous addition are more likely to be eaten fresh. What do you think? |
| On 09 Feb 2006, Erroll
said: Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge of making cheese. I have a question about the timing of rennet additions in your cheese making course. I noticed that in making neufchatel you add rennet when you inoculate‚ but in making "basic cheese" you add rennet the following day. Why the difference? |
| On 07 Feb 2006, margaret
said: Yes‚David. The whey from labane (ie yoghurt) is no good in bread-making. But whey from some of the Israeli white cheeses I used to make when I had my dairy on the kibbutz is fine (pH around 4.6) |
| On 06 Feb 2006, peter
said: David / Felice: I dont know if you guys get Danish Feta in the US‚ but most danish feta is made from cows milk too. A common trick to steer the taste towards the greek versions is adding Lipase enzymes from Lamb. I have noticed that I have some slight problems with this kind of feta - so for me it seems that the enzymes are causing problems. Another issue might be the difference between traditional feta and the feta made by ultrafiltration ( the UF feta is cast into the container and has no holes ) |
| On 04 Feb 2006, David
F. said: Felice: First A major idiosyncrasy of feta is its high preservative salt content. Have ruled this out? Some folks soak it in water a day to remove some salt. Second‚ real feta is made with ewe's milk. Is it plausible that you are allergic to sheep's milk? American feta is usualy made with cow's milk. Third‚ is your feta domestic or imported from Greece? The bacterial flora in the two would not be identical. Plausibly‚ a bacterium in one could cause you problems but not the other? Beyond this‚ you are on your own‚ unless someone else has an idea. |
| On 04 Feb 2006, felice
bedford said: Your page is terrific. I have sort of an odd question that maybe you can help with.I read thru how to make feta- the reason I looked is that I can't seem to eat feta- while I love it; it produces digestive statis for about a month. Thus i was looking to see what other cheeses might be too similar and cause the same reaction. I still cannot figure out what in feta would produce such a strong reaction‚ when other cheeses are fine.So the question is what is the difference between a fresh goat cheese and feta? and how similar are they? I want to know if it is ok to try fresh goat which I just purc |
| On 04 Feb 2006, May
said: I really appreciate this web-site. It has been a tremendous help to me in my desire to make cheese.I had trouble finding rennet but finally found it at Wal-Mart in the ice cream toppings section. The last bought was $1.49 on 2-3-06.I wish to make goat cheese for the coming winter months as well as take Elderberry. High levels of sialic acid may prevent both A & B types of flue. Goat milk cheese is much higher in sialic acid-42% compared to 4% in cows milk. Whey is also high in sialic acid. Source of info: http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/full/2131556100/DC2 Thank you for the site. |
| On 03 Feb 2006, David
F. said: Susan: Well... gjetost is salty because you are condensing down all that whey‚ which contains electrolytes including NaCl‚ to a small fraction of its original volume. Gjetost should be made with fresh whey. If made from soured whey‚ the sweetness is proportionally reduced. Also‚ toward the end of the evaporation‚ you must stir like heck to keep the final product smooth like fudge. Due to too little stirring‚ mine has tasted like gjetost‚ but has turned out granular. Any of this help? |
| On 01 Feb 2006, susan
said: We just made our first batch of gjetost.....it is awful!...VERY salty and not the sweet 'caramel' flavor that I'm used to from 'store-bought'. any suggestions? |
| On 27 Jan 2006, David
F. said: Margaret: It IS true that it takes a lot of whey to make ricotta‚ but‚ as pointed out‚ there are few other uses for whey. I get about 8-10 ounces ricotta/gallon of whey. You can also make gjetost by boiling it down. There IS a problem using whey in bread if it has soured any at all‚ because yeast does not like low pH... I have had problems with bread not rising well using whey. |
| On 26 Jan 2006, Doug
said: David F. Thank you. I tried your recipe using one gallon of milk and the results were very good. I had been using a mesophilic starter from an online cheese making suply house and it always failed. The homemade starter you prescribe works just fine. Thanks so much! |
| On 26 Jan 2006, margaret
said: Elaine: You can make ricotta from whey but it takes a huge amount for a little ricoota.Also I used it for liquid in home breadmaking. (Unless you keep kosher)It also has cosmetic uses apparently |
| On 25 Jan 2006, Julian
Harig said: I am so glad that i found your cheese page. your page is the only page that really explains how to make cheese. Thank you! |
| On 21 Jan 2006, David
F. said: Doug: Floating curd is due to contaminated starter inoculum. It is not necessarily dangerous‚ but CO2 generating bacteria are present (not supposed to be for most cheese). Get fresh starter (buttermilk or yogurt)‚ be scrupulous in cleaning and air drying equipment. Try my recipe for hard cheese and see how you like that cheese. |
| On 18 Jan 2006, Doug
said: Hi folks‚ a novice here and searching for advice. I have made several attempts at making basic cheddar and jack recipes. Each of them has resulted in acidic and dry cheese. The curds always float‚ could that be part of the problem? |
| On 18 Jan 2006, Dave
Martin said: Peter: Thanks very much for the info. I'll look out for the stuff with the holes and see how it goes. |
| On 17 Jan 2006, peter
said: Dave: If you have a look at the feta‚ you will notice that there are 2 kinds of feta on the market - the traditional one with lots of wheat grain sized holes in it‚ and a "new" version with no holes at all. The traditional version is made like most hard cheeses described here and shouldnt cause problems. The kind with no holes is made by filtering the whey off the milk before making the cheese‚ that way it can be cast into cans or other aseptic containers. |
| On 17 Jan 2006, peter
said: This kind of Feta can be made by using acid instead of a starter and therefore it may contain lactose‚ but check the dietary info on the package. Afaik lactose is the only possible source of carbohydrates (sugars) in cheese. |
| On 16 Jan 2006, Dave
Martin said: Peter: Thanks for the reply. I have emailed you for the details. Hard cheeses aren't so much of a problem but its the softer ones that my wife really misses (ricotta and fetta especially). These do contain lactose. I'll let everyone know how my experiments go. |
| On 15 Jan 2006, peter
said: Dave Martin: You are correct in assuming that the starter culture wont work with lactose free milk - this causes 2 major problems with the cheese: The curds will be way too soft and the cheese will rot when you start ripening it. It is possible to acidify the milk using chemicals‚ but it does require access to the proper acids ( Citric acid will work‚ but wont taste right ) and a decent pH meter. Email me for details on the acid(s) used and procedures. |
| On 15 Jan 2006, peter
said: The enzyme trick you mention may work‚ but it would require a couple of test runs. OTOH - the quantity of lactose left in Gouda and Edam type cheese after aging is so small that it is often specified as "0" on the datasheet for the product |
| On 12 Jan 2006, David
F. said: Elaine: Did you look at my recipes for hard cheese (etc?). They suggest saving the whey for ricotta. |
| On 12 Jan 2006, Elaine
said: Whey.What do you do with your excess whey? I make cheese at a small dairy and see a lot of whey go to feed pigs. Aside from making butter‚ are there any other uses for it? I would appreciate your advice. Thanks‚ Elaine. |
| On 11 Jan 2006, Dave
Martin said: Hi Folks. Another lactose free question here - I am trying to make lactose free cheese for my wife. From all I have heard‚ without lactose the starter will not acifify the milk and will cause setting problems with the curd. I seem to have 2 options - use lactose free milk and acidify with citric acid (or similar) or use regular milk‚ culture and let it naturally acidify then add the lactase enzyme to remove any remaining lactose before adding the rennet. The downside with this is that the enzyme takes 24 hours which may be too long a wait between culturing and rennet. Any suggestions? Thanks. |
| On 08 Jan 2006, Michael
M. said: I just made home made butter‚ and I would like to know if any one can tell me how to keep it for longer period of time? Can it be froze‚ is there an other was to keep it fresh? |
| On 06 Jan 2006, David
F. said: Victor: I think the closest to queso fresco would be Farmer's cheese. Alternatively‚ look at Neufchatel. If you make it‚ let me know if it is what you wanted. I had what I would call "fresh white cheese" in Costa Rica which was similar to this. |
| On 04 Jan 2006, Victor
Valle said: Please send recipe of How Made Fresh cheese.Como hacer queso freeco?.AtentamenteVictor Valle |
| On 05 Jan 2006, Matthew
V. said: Wonderful cheese pages! Recipes are well explained and ingredients are easily available... except for the calcium chloride. Would you have any idea of somewhere I could purchase some?I have tried your neufchatel recipe and it worked quite well‚ but my cheese was too moist. Would it be better if I had let it drain longer in an other cloth? (Cause the cheese was dry near the bag and moist in the middle) Thanks! Matthew. |
| On 02 Jan 2006, J.
Imhoff said: Hi‚ Fank‚ Found your cheese pages while looking for a recipe for Cincinnati Schnecken. What a great discovery! Thanks so much for all the good instruction and information on cheese making (and schnecken‚ too). I am wondering if you sell your goat cheeses in the area‚ and also‚ if you have a good local source for tartaric acid for mascarpone making? Thank you again.Judy Imhoff (Anderson Township) |
| On 01 Jan 2006, Mat
said: Fantastic web site‚ keep up the good work! I made my first batch of yogurt using your recipe today‚ and it's great! Once I've perfected the techniques I'll move onto Labneh... |
| On 29 Dec 2005, David
F. said: Michael: Do you mean "ultra-pasteurized" milk? (I do not know what "ultra-pure" milk would be.) The structure of the protein in ultra-pasteruized milk has been seriously altered. I suspect for it to work for cheese‚ you will have to add calcium chloride at the very least. (See previous posts.) I would do small volume pilot test batches first. Try making yogurt--it should work for that‚ then it would work to make labneh. |
| On 27 Dec 2005, Michael
said: Where i am i only have access to "ultra pure" goat milk. How does this compare to fresh; or‚ maybe more appropriately‚ how should i compensate when using it to make cheeses? Thanks! |
| On 26 Dec 2005, peter
said: Bob: In theory it is possible to make lactose free cheese‚ but you cannot use the recipes here directly with lactose free milk. On the other hand: The amount of lactose left in cheese is so small that it doesnt cause problems for people suffering from lactose intolerance‚ if that is your reason for asking. |
| On 19 Dec 2005, BOB
RENDE said: Question: Can I make lactose free cheese by starting with lactose freemilk? Thanks |
| On 17 Dec 2005, peter
said: David: My way of testing the rennet is to be considered "quick and dirty" and will not help in troubleshooting problems getting a clean break‚ but from what I read about Christines problems‚ Her milk wouldnt coagulate at all‚ and testing with buttermilk will show if its a problem w. the rennet or not../peter |
| On 15 Dec 2005, Christine
said: David‚ I have poured over your page on "getting a clean break" I am going to try a differnt source of rennet and adding CaCl2 to the store bought milk before adding bacterial starter. Thanks! |
| On 15 Dec 2005, cheesycheester
said: UMMM....Your food looks interesting...So yeah don't count on me making any of it! Laterrrr Buddy..... |
| On 15 Dec 2005, Eugene
said: your food looks so good! I can't wait to go home and make some1 Yummy!... |
| On 14 Dec 2005, Jessica
said: In the farmer's cheese recipe it states that the cheese should be used within a week or two‚ and doesn't last much longer. I am using it as a base for blue cheese as your recipe suggests. Is it fine to let it age several weeks? Does the blue cheese mold help preserve it? |
| On 13 Dec 2005, David
F. said: Peter and Christine: I am dubious about Peter's test of rennet. My impression is that because buttermilk has clabbered‚ it will not set up with rennet. This is my experience when I add too much buttermilk as starter. If the milk shows even a little clabbering‚ it never forms a clean break. Christine: have you looked at my page on diagnosing clean break failure? |
| On 13 Dec 2005, peter
said: Christine: OK... Now its time to check what you are doing:take a pint of buttermilk‚ leave on the table till its room temperature. Add rennet and wait..What are the 2 sources of rennet you tried?.. It cant be the buttermilk. I have never seen coagulation problems of this kind caused by the milk.. In fact‚ the only time I have ever seen milk that wouldnt coagulate was when the new guy at work forgot to put rennet in the rennet tank and started making cheese :-) |
| On 12 Dec 2005, Christine
said: Peter: I tried the test to see if the buttermilk (@ room temp)would coagulate. I was not able to get the buttermilk to set with two sources of rennet. I think my problem may be using this brand of buttermilk. I will try using yogart to see if I can get the yogart to coagulate. |
| On 11 Dec 2005, peter
said: Christine: First off: I'd take a close look at the rennet: Can it coagulate buttermilk at room temperature?I cant name anything normally present in milk that would stop the rennet process‚ but I can think of several human factors Now‚ I am not trying to make you look stupid‚ but can you describe exactly what you did ( temperatures‚ additives etc. ) with the last batch of goats milk? |
| On 10 Dec 2005, Bryan
said: How about Jack or Munster cheese recipe? Are they only processed cheeses? |
| On 09 Dec 2005, Christine
said: Peter: Thanks for the testing ideas. It will save me a lot of milk and it will help me to understand which one of my additives are not working. I think it may be the buttermilk. It is store bought organic type. I bought two boxes of Junket brand rennet to verify if the rennet was weak. Many thanks for your great advice. |
| On 09 Dec 2005, peter
said: Christine: Hmmm: Normally you'd add the rennet within an hour after the starter. Are you using liquid or dry rennet?. It sounds like the rennet is bad - check it by adding a small dose to a cup of room temperature buttermilk. It should coagulate within an hour or so. Even if your starter isnt working‚ the rennet should have worked within 24 hours. Be ware that the rennet enzyme is destroyed at around 50C‚ so you dont want to pasteurise the rennet :-). Do a few experiments using a pint of milk in a small bowl untill you get the tecnique working instead of wasting gallons of milk |
| On 08 Dec 2005, Scott
Purvis said: Dr. Fankhauser‚I just spent about 15 minutes cruising through your cheese site. I have to say that this is one of the most informative "how to" sites that I have ever come across on the web. I plan to referince it often for my first batch next month.Thanks for your efforts!!!!Scott |
| On 07 Dec 2005, Christine
said: Peter: I have let the milk rest overnight and added the rennet as late as 24 hours after the buttermilk or yogart starter was added. I tried goat's milk with a buttermilk starter. I added the rennet and allowed the mix to rest for 12 hours‚ (no Break) then rechecked after 24 hours. No break! Any thoughts? |
| On 07 Dec 2005, pam
said: some of my cheeses as they are aging are dripping oil‚ right through the wax coating‚ is is ruined? any ideas what could I do to prevent this? |
| On 06 Dec 2005, peter
said: Christine: You might want to do a few experiments with smaller quantities of milk if you are having problems with the break.. How long time between you add rennet and attempting to cut the curds?.. Have you tried waiting maybe another 4 hours?.. The cooler the milk is‚ the slower the coagulation process will be.. At work we coagulate the milk at approx. 34C and it takes approx. 40 minutes |
| On 06 Dec 2005, Christine
said: David and Peter: Thanks for the advice on using calcium chloride. I drove 50 miles to a little farm to buy goat milk and I will try again... Do you think my kitchen is too cool overnight to get a good break. I set back the temp to 62F overnight. I am using buttermilk to start the process . |
| On 05 Dec 2005, David
F. said: Christine!: Please note that the amount of CaCl2 to add to milk for cheese is 0.02%‚ not 0.2% I mentioned previously. Peter posted on 24 Apr 2005 that the amount to add to brine should be 0.2%. That is 10x what should be added to milk for cheese. For 5 gal pasteurized milk‚ 0.02% would be 3.6g CaCl2. I just measured that 3.6g crystals = 3/4 tsp. Thus 3/4 tsp crystals/5 gal = 0.02%. You should completely dissolve the CaCl2 in a little water before adding it to the milk‚ stir in well. Thanks Peter for clarifying this. |
| On 05 Dec 2005, peter
said: David / Christine: You should achieve a better break if you add 10-20 grams of CaCl2 per 100 kg of milk. However: Homogenised milk is not the best solution for cheesemaking as the fat globules here are just the right size to clog the casein structure formed by the rennet‚ thereby increasing the water content in the cheese. |
| On 05 Dec 2005, peter
said: Also: The pasteurisation used for milk is much harder than the pasteurisation used for cheese milk. The harder past. changes the whey proteins in the milk and makes it harder to get rid of them in the whey; while this gives a better yield it is also bad since the whey proteins inhibit the enzymatic ripening of the cheese. |
| On 05 Dec 2005, peter
said: To make a long story short: If you can only get storebought milk‚ use skimmed milk and cream. The cream has not been homogenised and this way you get undamaged fatglobules.It takes a little math to figure out just how much cream to add‚ but its pretty simple with the spreadsheet ( MS Excel ) I just uploaded here: http://www.naeslund.dk/peter/files/cheese/milkstd.xls |
| On 05 Dec 2005, peter
said: Jessica: The black growth you see is most likely another form of mould growing on the cheese. I'd try to avoid the black moulds since they "generally arent the friendly ones" |
| On 02 Dec 2005, Jessica
said: I am impressed with the amount of information in your site‚ and how clearly you have presented each recipe. Thanks. I've had great results with several of your recipes. The neufchatel is my favorite so far‚ very tasty. I started a blue cheese a week ago‚ and now there is definitely some growth on it; some looks just right and is getting a green color‚ but there are a couple of spots with a different black growth. Does that mean that there was contamination from another bacteria? Is the cheese ruined? |
| On 02 Dec 2005, David
F. said: Christine: I keep hearing that people using store bought milk (which is both pasteurized AND homogenized) frequently have problems getting a clean break. Both of these processes alter the structure of the protein maybe causing this problem. Adding calcium chloride is proposed by many to be a solution‚ but I have little experience here. Peter has suggested 0.1-0.2% in brine. Same in precheese milk‚ Peter? |
| On 02 Dec 2005, Bert
Newman said: Thank you so much for sharing your experience and love of cheese. As a rank beginner I haven't encountered any other source as comprehensive and fun. I shall keep you informed of my progress‚ like it or not. Bert Newman |
| On 02 Dec 2005, Christine
said: David‚I have tried to make the Farmers cheese‚ and I have had little success using store bought milk. I have used both yogart and buttermilk. Is it possible that the rennet tablets are not working? I have used 4 gallons of milk with no success. Any advice for store bought milk users? |
| On 01 Dec 2005, Frank
said: Your Site Is the BOMB! Totally Rad Dude!!! |
| On 29 Nov 2005, Tim
Kelly said: Best pizza I ever had. |
| On 22 Nov 2005, David
F. said: Keithz: You are so right. I should have included metric measurements with all English measurements. Let me see what I can do. I think I have done OK on temperatures‚ but know I have messed up on the volumes. Sorry. |
| On 23 Nov 2005, Keithz
Cheeze said: Morning form my side of the World (Australia)Just some feed back from your wonderful (I see with passion) web site covering the world of chesse and other products ‚ as we are a metric society you may ( if you wish) consider having your great recipes with the metric equivenlent.Just a thought!! I was able to get a coversion table on the web...eulater |
| On 21 Nov 2005, David
F. said: Christine: "Cream of Tartar" is really potassium bitartrate which is less acidic than tartaric acid. For this reason‚ it would probably not work in recipes calling for the acid. I have not posted a gorgonzola recipe. I HAVE posted a blue cheese recipe‚ but it does not call for tartaric acid. On the other hand‚ look at my mascarpone recipe for the use of tartaric acid in making it. |
| On 21 Nov 2005, Christine
said: Hello‚Can you tell me if "Cream of Tartar" will work in place of tartaric acid in your gorgonzola recipe?Many thanks‚Christine |
| On 20 Nov 2005, Bruce
Robertson said: Dr. Fankhauser‚ Just wanted to say thanks for your cheese page. I really enjoy all the pictures and detailed comments. They've really helped me improve my cheese-making and have encouraged my enthusiasm. I'm also a biologist (evolutionary ecology) and find a strange attraction to cheese-making for that reason. A fan‚ Bruce RobertsonDivision of Biological Science University of Montana |
| On 18 Nov 2005, peter
said: Shunjool: Creme Fraiche is sour cream. The most common version here in Denmark is 18% fat ( 50/50 mix of 38% cream and skimmed milk will give you something close to that ). Heat 1 litre of cream to 25C in a stainless steel or glass bowl and add 2-3 generous tablespoons of fresh buttermilk. Cover the bowl and leave on the kitchentable for 18-20 hours without stirring. The cream should have thickened to a degree where it feels like the creme fraiche you get in the stores. The lower the temperature‚ the longer it will take‚ but the benefit is a softer‚ more aromatic taste |
| On 17 Nov 2005, Jony
Frost said: I am so pleased that i can actually come on a website and use some recipies. They are the best cheeses in the world. |
| On 16 Nov 2005, niki
said: THANK U THANK U!! im doing a school project about cheese and i need 2 no sum good cheeses thank u!! |
| On 16 Nov 2005, Candyce
Haman said: Your website is exactly what i have been looking for. What a wealth of information‚ and the pictures give the beginner alot of confidence. Thanks!! I can't wait until my days off to get started. I make wine. Imagine making the cheese too.....Who knew? |
| On 15 Nov 2005, shunjool
said: I was looking for a good recepie for yogurt and yours is the best‚ due to the fact that you have not only decribed the prosess step by step‚ also illustreated. Thank you very musch. I aslo was wodering if you have any recepies how to make crem freche‚ I hope I spelled correctly. thanks. |
| On 15 Nov 2005, pam
said: while we are on the subject of yogurt‚ I purchased some of the the new yogurt with "L.casei defensis" to see if I could use it as a starter‚ anyone know if this a real culture or did they make it up/rename one that already exists? I make kefir which is loaded with "probiotics" and love it but have friends that won't try it but want yogurt. I use my excaliber food dehydrator to make yogurt‚ works great. |
| On 13 Nov 2005, David
F. said: Nancy!: You have not told us what you were trying to make!!! It sounds like yogurt. Please look at my yogurt page. I use a "cooler‚" even styrofoam‚ with 50 C water added to a level just below the neck of the jars. Cover securely‚ leave undisturbed for 3 hours. Works perfectly. But please‚ are you in fact trying to make yogurt‚ or some other project... |
| On 12 Nov 2005, peter
said: Nancy: Howabout using the bathtub if you have one?... Heat the milk to the approx. temperature you want and use a bathtub full of water to keep the temperature more constant... More water in the tub means longer time before you have to start adjusting temperatures again.. |
| On 09 Nov 2005, margaret
said: Nancy‚ do you mean for incubation like for yoghurt? If so I have 2 answers. If we are talking a small quantity like 1 to 5 litres you can use a thermos or insulated water or soup container. Larger amounts you can put the innoculated milk in a plastic bucket (less heat transfer than glass or metal) inside one of those picnic box things that we call a chilly bin or esky Down Under.Failing that... I use winter jackets round the bucket and a towel on the floor (for insulation)But I live in a warm climate (Israel‚ the original one in the MidEast).It is a lot less exact than you might imagine |
| On 09 Nov 2005, margaret
said: continued...You do not have to be in control - it can take a bit longer in winter or another blanket and no harm done.Experiment‚ take notes‚ make deductions and with more experience you will find the best combination of time + place for your own house and climate |
| On 08 Nov 2005, David
F. said: Nancy: For what purpose you are warming your milk because the answer depends in part on what you mean by "warm." First--look at my page on Beginning Cheese Making which discusses stainless steel pots with thick aluminum (or better‚ copper) bottoms. These distribute the heat. Second‚ I use a gas stove‚ and HATE electric stoves since you cannot tell by eye how hot it may be‚ have hot spots‚ and cannot turn them off quickly. Third‚ if you have a thin pot and an electric stove‚ ut water in a large pot‚ place the smaller pot with milk in the water. USE A GOOD THERMOMETER. |
| On 08 Nov 2005, Nancy
said: How do you all usually warm your milk? My stove gets too hot and my oven‚ in the off mode‚ gets too warm. I currently use the sink with hot water with some success. Looking for advice. |
| On 07 Nov 2005, David
F. said: John: You probably figured out from the "Clean Break Failure Site" that the milk got over acidified. You did exactly what I would recommend: Pour it through a fine weave handkercheif (not "cheesecloth" which is rarely used in cheese making...) You could have let it sit a while longer to fully clabber. |
| On 07 Nov 2005, John
said: Just made a first cheese as described on the site (fantastic site‚ by the way!) I tried the Neufchatel variety. I can see my first attempt was not good‚ and I did not achieve a clean break. Are there any suggestions about what to do with milk that hasn't achieved the clean break? I decided to filtre it through cheese cloth anyway‚ to see what I get. What would milk in this state be called (or is it simply 'curdled milk?') |
| On 02 Nov 2005, peter
said: David: I cant name any specific molds that will grow on a low pH media‚ but my general opinion is that products that arent designed to have molds grow on them should be discarded if you find molds on them.. Maybe its just me being overly careful :-) |
| On 02 Nov 2005, peter
said: Pam - Re: Hard cheese: A few parameters to play with if you want the cheese softer: Lower the curd cooking temperature or shorten the cooking time - In other words you want the curds to be softer before pressing Or: Lower the pressure when pressing and /or shorten the pressing time. If you want to be scientific about it you should only change one parameter at a time ( I'd start by lowering the cooking temperature by 2 deg. C ) |
| On 02 Nov 2005, peter
said: Pam - Re: Nitrates: Unpasteurised milk can and will contain various bacteria‚ some of wich are pathogens‚ others can just mess up your cheese and make it taste bad. give it way too many holes. The main reasons for adding nitrates to the cheese are: 1: Prevent Coliform bacteria from releasing Carbon Dioxide‚ wich causes the cheese to inflate like a balloon in the early stages of ripening. |
| On 02 Nov 2005, peter
said: 2: Prevent Clostridii growth - The nitrates are reduced to nitrites by enzymes present in the cheese. Nitrites kill the Clostridii present in the cheese and thereby prevents them from forming acid ( David: Do you have an international name for this acid: CH3CH2CH2COOH ? ) and lots of gases ( H2S for one )that can inflate the cheese to a degree where it literally pops like a balloon releasing a really unpleasant odour. The nitrites are later on consumed by another enzyme and are untraceable in a 10 week old cheese‚ so there are no health reasons not to add nitrates to the |
| On 02 Nov 2005, peter
said: cheese‚ however: Organic cheese is usually made without nitrates‚ but I guess the reason is mostly a matter of ideology - aiming to make products as "pure" as possible.. |
| On 02 Nov 2005, peter
said: Pam: You might want to check out the reply I wrote to Robin on Oct. 11 covering the same subject |
| On 01 Nov 2005, Josh
said: Thank you Peter and David. I will be using ph strips so I will be able mix up my strains and see what occurs without having to estimate incubation time. Oh yes- David what do you think about using a foodsaver to package my product. I would like to send some cheese to a friend in CT from CA. Any suggestions on storage-FDA says cheese that is non-commercial can be shipped without any regulations. Thank you. |
| On 01 Nov 2005, pam
said: there has been a lot of talk about nitrates/nitrites being toxic to us‚ as long as we are really careful with out hygiene (in cheesemaking!) is it really necessary? |
| On 01 Nov 2005, pam
said: I am just starting to taste test some of the cheeses I made a few monthes ago‚ cheddar‚and gouda‚ they taste great‚ but they are awful hard and dry‚ I use fresh goat milk‚ nubian‚ which is very creamy‚ am I pressing it too hard? |
| On 30 Oct 2005, Courtney
said: It's neat how you can make all these food products so easily! i really enjoyed making these products! |
| On 30 Oct 2005, David
F. said: Peter: Do you know of any specific strains of pathogenic molds which are known to grow a acid pH? My impression is that only non-pathogenic fungi grow at these low pHs. I have seen white mycelium (cottonly-like growth) on top of yogurt which is months old‚ but have not had a problem using it for cooking. Neither Aspergillus flavus‚ of aflatoxin fame‚ and Stachybotrys‚ the most famous house toxic mold‚ could grow on yogurt. |
| On 29 Oct 2005, peter
said: David / Cynthia: I have kept yoghurt in the fridge for 8 weeks with no problems. At yoghurts normal pH you shouldnt see any of the usual suspects w. regards to pathogenic bacteria or molds ( the typical molds we see on milk products wont grow properly at a pH this low ). I'd open the container‚ look at the product and expect some whey on the top‚ but apart from that‚ it should look and smell like yoghurt. If not I'd discard the whole thing. Some of the "bad" molds can release some toxins‚ and with yoghurt being a liquid product these toxins can spread easily |
| On 27 Oct 2005, David
F. said: Cynthia: Properly made yogurt should be adequately tart with a pH of around 4.3 and keep for very long periods. I know of no pathogenic bacteria which could grow at this pH. Harmless mold‚ on the other hand‚ may grow on the surface at this pH. This may impart a slightly moldy flavor to the upper portion of the yogurt. You may still use the yogurt for cooking after pick off the mold or skim off the top 1/2 inch of yogurt. If the yogurt never made properly and is still near pH 6.0‚ spoilage may be indicated by off flavor‚ "ropy" consistency‚ discoloration‚ etc. |
| On 26 Oct 2005, cynthia
said: hi...i would like to know how to detect if a yogurt was spoiled. As in what are the characteristics of a spoil yogurt (in terms of colour‚ taste‚ smell‚ texture‚ pH etc.). |
| On 24 Oct 2005, David
F. said: Lynn and Peter: When at my local brewery supplies (for the home brewer) house‚ I found an "Acid Blend: of citric‚ malic and tartaric acids‚ 2 oz for about $1.25. I am going to try making maxcarpone with it--I suspect it will work. |
| On 24 Oct 2005, peter
said: Re: Mascarpone: Another option is using either citric acid or Glucono Delta Lacton (C6H10O6). I have tried the latter for homemade mascarpone and it works fine‚ but its not something you'd find in a supermarket here No matter wich of these acids you decide to use‚ you really need to make sure you get it in Food Grade quality. Other grades may contain small amounts of toxic chemicals |
| On 20 Oct 2005, Lynn
said: Thank you‚ David |
| On 20 Oct 2005, David
F. said: Lynn: Cream of tarter is a potassium salt of tartaric acid (only slightly acid compared to tartaric acid)‚ and therefore of little use if you are trying to acidify milk. Sorry. Did you ask the manager at your local supermarket? Alternatively‚ try a local wine making supply store. Wine makers use tartaric acid to adjust the pH of grape juice for ideal fermenting conditions. You might also try a store specializing in spices and flavorings‚ or even your local pharmacist. |
| On 20 Oct 2005, Lynn
said: I saw the recipe for Mascarpone cheese‚ using tartartic acid. Can cream of tartar be used instead? I checked one web site where I could order two oz of tartartic acid for 99c‚ but the minimum order was $10.00 |
| On 12 Oct 2005, Yuyo
said: Thank you for the info.Great site.YUYO |
| On 11 Oct 2005, peter
said: Nitrates: When I mention adding nitrates to the cheese I am talking about either potassium nitrate ( KNO3 ) or Sodium Nitrate ( NaNO3 ) If Saltpetre is household name for the same thing as here in denmark‚ then it is the right stuff to add‚ but check the container. The legal limit here in denmark is 20 grams per 100 litres of milk‚ wich turns into approx 3/4 grams per gallon |
| On 11 Oct 2005, peter
said: Forgot to add: Normally you add the potassium nitrate at the same time as you add the starter.. dissolve it in a cup of water and mix it in. |
| On 11 Oct 2005, robin
said: Thanks for your reply peter when you say add nitrates do you mean salt petre (one gram per gallon)if so thats what i use in my bacon curing |
| On 11 Oct 2005, peter
said: Robin: Adding too much rennet can make the cheese bitter tasting I assume you are thinking about making cheese from unpasteurised milk? If this is the case there are a few things you should be aware of: 1: Filter the milk to remove straw‚ hair etc. 2: Use a fresh‚ active starter and use a little more than usual. 3: Add 1 gram og potassium or sodium nitrate per gallon of milk 4: Be extra careful about the hygiene when making the cheese. |
| On 11 Oct 2005, peter
said: Since many of the pathogenic bacteria grow extremely well at the same temperatures as the starter bacteria‚ you need to give the starter the best conditions possible‚ so it can "take control" before the pathogens do it. Adding nitrates (Food grade) prevents the coliform bacteria ( that you undoubtedly have in the raw milk ) from forming gas during the early part of the ripening stage and ruining the cheese. Later on in the process the nitrates are broken down to nitrites wich is extremely toxic to certain Clostridii ( also common in raw milk ) that otherwise may cause problems |
| On 11 Oct 2005, peter
said: during the last part of the ripening process ( making the cheese smell and taste like feet ). There is no need to worry about adding nitrates in such small quantities to the cheese. During the ripening‚ the nitrates are broken down and are completely untraceable after 10 weeks or so One warning though: If you are making swiss cheese you dont want to add nitrates as these kill some of the good bacteria in the special starter used for these types of cheese. It is also pointless to add to camembert and blue cheese since these cheeses in most cases are eaten before the clostridii start the |
| On 10 Oct 2005, robin
said: Thanks fo your advice i doubled up on the rennet and in the hour it worked so i guess you were right. i don't know what affect this will have on the taste but the cheese lookes great.can you give me your views on unpasteurised cheese and is it difficult to do at home the farmer who sold me the milk has been drinking it for years. and i understand lots of french cheese is un pasteurised look forward to your reply |
| On 10 Oct 2005, peter
said: Josh/David: In optimum conditions you typically add the rennet at pH around 6.0-6.5 depending on the type of cheese you are making. David is right about the pH range for rennet activity Is the whey just cloudy or do the curds fall apart when stirring gently? If the whey is just cloudy it wont matter a whole lot‚ but if the curds fall apart you might find it beneficial to add 2-4 grams of CaCL2 per 5 gallons of milk |
| On 10 Oct 2005, peter
said: Robin Sounds like bad rennet.. Get a cup of buttermilk at room temperature‚ add a few drops of rennet‚ mix it in... it should coagulate within an hour.. If nothing happens within the hour‚ your rennet is bad! Rennet should be stored cold ( in the fridge ) and away from sunlight.Oh.. and never try to pasteurise the rennet‚ altho a good idea from a hygiene POV you will destroy the active enzymes in the rennet and render it useless. Higher fat content in the milk just leaves you with softer curds and eventually softer cheese. |
| On 09 Oct 2005, David
F. said: Robin: You did not mention what recipe you were following. The yogurt is fresh and active? Did the milk still look JUST like milk the next AM (12 hrs)? (No thickening) Did you warm up the milk to 30 C before adding rennet? Is the rennet fresh? (I use rennet tablets‚ as you know.) I would have skimmed the cream‚ but that should not be a problem. Check clean break troubleshooting page. |
| On 09 Oct 2005, robin
said: HELP We bought 5 gal of jersey milk of the farmer unpasteurised at 20 c put in two cups of yogurt at 30 c next day one teaspoon of rennet nothing happened this milk is one third cream too creamy perhaps ? can it be saved. maybe by adding bottled milk ? |
| On 09 Oct 2005, robin
said: HELP We bought 5 gal of jersey milk of the farmer unpasteurised at 20 c put in two cups of yogurt at 30 c next day one teaspoon of rennet nothing happened this milk is one third cream too creamy perhaps ? can it be saved. maybe by adding bottled milk ? |
| On 07 Oct 2005, David
F. said: Robin: What cloth were you pressing in? Classic "cheesecloth" is NOT desireable. The weave is too coarse. I use boiled white handkerchiefs. I suspect this is the reason your cheese stuck. Josh: The pH optimum for rennet stability (chymosin) according to the web is between 5.3 and 6.3. I would aim for around 6.0. Peter? What do you think? Adding rennet early is better than adding it late‚ for sure. |
| On 07 Oct 2005, Josh
said: David‚ I am having problems getting a clean break- I decreased the innoculation time to 7 hrs. @ my house. which works fine but I tried reducing the 5 gallon to a 3.5 gallon- all calculations aside no clean break what is the proper ph level for rennet activity and is it different for each style cheese? Thank you. |
| On 06 Oct 2005, robin
onley said: great followed recipe (success)only problem cheese stuck to cloth after pressing may be did'nt press hard |
| On 28 Sep 2005, pam
said: David:I would be very happy to send you some kefir grains! there is a kefir site that has cheese recipes‚ but I was not able to get them to work‚ your expertise would be great! email me your address and I will get them in the mail‚ they are the real‚ live grains‚ do you need the care instructions? my email is hotoes40@yahoo.com |
| On 26 Sep 2005, David
F. said: Pam: I would like to try making cheese using a kefir starter. I have none at the moment. If you could send me an ounce‚ I will let you know if I can figure out a way to use it as starter. To use kefir as starter‚ one would have to filter out the grains before adding rennet‚ and adjudge the drop of the pH. Not to fast‚ and not too slow... |
| On 24 Sep 2005, pam
said: I have made chevre with part kefir‚(very creamy and wonderful) have also drained kefir to make "cheese" like yogurt cheese? but whenever I use it in any other recipes it does not make a clean break. |
| On 23 Sep 2005, David
F. said: Jackie‚ Josh and Tony: Glad to see this page works even when I can't get to it! I always suggest starting with easier cheese projects than Mozzarella. Italian is the best‚ but difficult (for me). American is easier‚ using citric acid to acidify for the spin. Proper spin is the most difficult part. Italian gets acid with bacteria. Pasteurization: 63 C for 30 minutes. HTST: 72 C for 15 sec‚ cool rapidly. |
| On 21 Sep 2005, Tony
said: I am a newcomer to cheese making and would like to know how long to heat the goats milk‚ to pasterize it. |
| On 20 Sep 2005, jackie
said: Josh‚ thanks‚ but I'm still not sure about your answer. Is the citric acid involved in making the cheese "spin"? Is it necessary? What else could be responsible for my lack of "spin"? My cheese seems to curdle fine‚ but doesn't get the pullable consistency. |
| On 19 Sep 2005, Josh
said: Hello: I'm a novice cheese head‚ but in my trials I have found that bees wax does not affect flavor -that being said it is horrible for using as a cheese wax- it cracks A LOT and does not allow for any contraction of your wheel-whether from handling Or cutting.I have a problem with over cooking my curds- At first I overheated them-killing my preserving bacilli- and spoilage (instead of ripening)Now I can't seem to get the consistency right- my curds do not gel together in my press- I am using about 25lbs. for 12 hours.I plan to use a water buffer during my heating process next time.Can anyone |
| On 19 Sep 2005, Josh
said: Jackie_ About the mozz. Citric acid is used as an astringent in the curdling process- also white vinegar works wonders with out imparting any off flavor-but measurements must be exact- Take a look at Paneer/Panir- making this Indian cheese helped me learn a lot about coagulation I can describe the molding process of mozz. as exactly the same as balling pizza dough. |
| On 19 Sep 2005, jackie
said: I am trying to make Mozzarella‚ with no success (third try). I noticed mention of citric acid among the comments‚ but it is not in your recipe. Is it necessary? I cannot get the cheese to "spin"‚ it just falls apart‚ although I get a good clean break. |
| On 19 Sep 2005, peter
said: Pam: I have used the plastic emulsion type on hard emmenthal style cheese with no problem with the smell migrating into the cheese‚ however.. If your cheese is soft it is more sensitive to smell and flavor migration.. Using Bees wax may work.. I have never tried it‚ but I like the idea.. If I remember it right bees wax has a pretty distinct smell that may or may not migrate into the cheese‚ so dont use it on soft cheese if you dont want to risk the wax flavor migrating into the cheese.. |
| On 19 Sep 2005, peter
said: Beth/ David: Kefir is made with a combination of lactic acid bacteria and yeasts.. The yeasts produces alcohol wich may or may not affect the active enzyme in the rennet.. Also: the alcohol and enzymes released by the yeasts may affect the flavor the cheese would develop under normal conditions. This is definately an interesting experiment‚ and I'd love to hear more about the results if you try this! |
| On 17 Sep 2005, David
F. said: Stephen: Please look a my page on trouble shooting failure to get a clean break. Sterile white cotton cloth is fine for draining curd (T shirt or otherwise‚ boiled and dryed). Beth: I think you might be able to use kefir as a starter‚ but I have not tried it. Adjust the proportions and amount to produce good starting condidtions. |
| On 17 Sep 2005, Beth
said: Thanks so much for your site...just wondering‚ can kefir be used as a starter instead of buttermilk? |
| On 16 Sep 2005, Stephen
said: I forgot to say that ?do i need a cheese cloth because i just cut a big square out of my white cotton t-shirts those are a fine weave i staralise them i was wondering if theres anything wrong with that |
| On 16 Sep 2005, Stephen
said: Hey i loooooooooove what your doing at this web sight im having trouble make farmers cheese though iv tried 4 times now and i got another batch tonight iv had a hard time getiing a clean break accually any curd forming at all iv already did the yoghurt and labneh so any tips also tell me if theres anything specile that would help im only 12 but i could manage |
| On 15 Sep 2005, David
F. said: Been away to Turkey‚ N. Greece‚ Macdeonia (visited a cheese factory ih Bitola)‚ Albania and Italy in the last ten days and was not able to answer questions. It looks like "peter" did us all a service by fielding some questions (as he has so expertly done before). Bravo! |
| On 15 Sep 2005, pam
said: it's the plastic emulsion‚ it's exactly like latex paint! they call it cream cheese wax on the container.I am just a little concerned that the smell will go into the cheese. I have bees‚ and so beeswax‚ would that work on cheese? |
| On 15 Sep 2005, peter
said: Pam: Cream cheese wax?.. Commercial cheese wax is paraffin (cheap candle material ) with a little vaseline added to make it a little softer and more flexible Another option is to use a plastic emulsion ( like latex paint‚ even smells like paint ).. This leaves a completely airtight skin on the cheese.. This can be good or bad depending on what kind of cheese you are making.. The emulsion is typically used on stuff like Emmenthal |
| On 15 Sep 2005, peter
said: Pam: You shouldnt have any problems using the Cabrales as an innoculant‚ and doing so may even bring you close to the original‚ but I wont make any guarantees :-) |
| On 13 Sep 2005, Pam
said: Peter: too bad I don't have a cavern! I have cow and goat milk‚ hope to have sheep in a year or so‚ I may try it down the road.thanks! |
| On 13 Sep 2005, Pam
said: has anyone tried cream cheese wax? I got some as I have a lot of mold here‚ stuff molds fast‚ but it smells awful‚ very chemical/petroleum‚ not sure I want to put that on my cheese |
| On 13 Sep 2005, peter
said: Jim: The only reason for cooling the milk before pasteurising is if you need to store it for a while before you have enough to pasteurise a batch.If it takes you several hours to complete the milking process I would cool the milk in smaller batches though.. At milking temperature the milk is an excellent growth media for bacteria‚ so pasteurise immediately or cool to 3-5C ASAP.. |
| On 13 Sep 2005, peter
said: Pam: I just read the info here: www.cheesesupply.comAnd apart from it being made from mixed milk (cow‚ sheep and goat ) and being aged in caverns ( caverns used for cheese aging usually have a pretty unique flora compared to the controlled conditions in the traditional cheese ageing facilities at dairies. This can affect the taste. ) you shouldnt have any problems using the Cabrales as an innoculant. |
| On 13 Sep 2005, Pam
said: I was reading about cheeses as I try your recipe for blue cheese‚ and read about cabrales‚ I found several sources for it (very expensive) but am wondering if I could inoculate with a blendered slurry of a little of it amd make my own cabrales‚ or would it just be blue cheese? |
| On 12 Sep 2005, Jim
said: I'm sorry‚ I should have addressed you as Dr. Fankhauser. |
| On 12 Sep 2005, Jim
Mulligan said: Mr. Fankhauser‚First‚ I've loved experimenting with your recipes. Very straightforward and easy to follow. I have a question about milk pasteurization. Does freshly expressed milk need to be cooled prior to pasteurization or can I pasteurize it immediately? It seems as though I can but I can't find an answer anywhere about this specific question.Thanks‚Jim |
| On 02 Sep 2005, peter
said: Matt/David Adding a little CaCl2 wouldnt hurt and shouldnt interfere with the stretching/spinning. The main reason for wanting a clean break is to reduce the quantity of cheese lost in the whey.. This loss will be minor because the cloth you use when pressing catches most of the small particles.. However: You still want to make sure the curd breaks‚ but it doesnt have to be perfect.. What pH does the 1 1/4 tsp of citric acid bring the milk down to?.. Ideally you want it somewhere between 5.2 and 5.3 |
| On 30 Aug 2005, David
F. said: Matt: OK‚ listen (closely)--I do not know how much experience making cheese you have‚ but your difficult getting a clean break on any cheese you make suggests to me that you would profit by looking closely at my page on Beginning Cheese Making. It has staged projects which‚ once mastered‚ lay the foundation for more complex cheeses. |
| On 28 Aug 2005, Matt
said: This is getting really frustrating now. I went over to visit my girlfriend in PA where it is not illegal to sell fresh milk‚ unlike NJ. I made some Mozzarella for the pizza later that day‚ but still no clean break. I don't get it. In the end it doesn't seem to matter becaue out of 4 gallons of milk I probably got 3 pounds of cheese‚ so the recipe still works. This time it was really odd though because after it coagulated as much as it was going to I went to reheat it to 108 degrees and the curd melted together as it began to precipitate. Which is absolutely perfect for Mozzarella‚ so I was gre |
| On 28 Aug 2005, Matt
said: I also tried making Neufchatel the other day and it worked out just fine (still no clean break though) except that I let it dry out too long so it became crumbly instead of spreadable. It was still excellent on salads‚ almost like feta. Well I am having a blast with all of this. I hope you all have a wonderful day! |
| On 26 Aug 2005, David
F. said: Matt: You are still trying to make American mozzarella? I have made it with store bought milk. For a gallon of milk‚ you must be exact about 1 1/4 tsp citric acid (be sure it is citric acid). Even if you just bought the rennet‚ it might not be fresh. Try using a whole rennet tablet. Follow the temps exactly. I can't believe that you won't get a clean break! Do not disturb it while it is coagulating. CaCl2 firms up the curd if required. I don't know what effect i might have on spin. Peter‚ do you know? |
| On 22 Aug 2005, Matt
said: Thanks for the help with the mozzarella‚ however I still haven't gotten a clean break. I measured everything precisely abd heated the milk exactly and obtained fresh rennet. My only other guess could be the calcium issue with store bought milk. I am going to buy some Calcium Chloride soon but I read that if you use the CaCl2 in mozzarella then it doesn't spin properly. Do you know anything about that‚ whether it is true or not? |
| On 18 Aug 2005, Zsuzsa
Prigge said: Dear Dr Frankhauser‚my husband and I have just spent a delightful week in Colorado on an organic goat and flower farm . We learned much about organic farming‚ cheesemaking‚marketing.Yet‚ reading Your web page I have learned even more about cheesemaking. Being a pharmacist I've read the scientific links with great interest. In all things I have alwaysmaintained that fundametal understanding of the ways things workare the only way we are able to modify our behaviour on the long run. So ‚please‚ do not underestimate your visitors: do provide them with as much scienceas possible even in a subject |
| On 14 Aug 2005, David
F. said: Matt: American mozzarella should actually be a fairly easy cheese‚ but not as easy as yogurt and buttermilk... Carefully measure the amount of citric acid‚ the volume of milk and the temperature of the milk. Also‚ is the rennet fresh enough? Tablets last longer than liquid‚ but not forever. If in doubt‚ use a whole tablet rather than 1/2. |
| On 13 Aug 2005, Matt
said: Hello‚ thank you so much for making a site like this! I just started making cheese and apparently Mozzerella is one of the hardest ones to make =P Anyways‚ I am having 0-2 on getting a clean break and most of your troublshooting concerns recipes which call for over night inoculation when I am trying to use citric acid. Is there any advice you could give as to why it isn't working? I would most apreciate it. Thanks again! |
| On 11 Aug 2005, AYO
said: Hi. I have been looking for books or websites about cheese & youghurt for quite along time now. What a good day is today that i found it on your websites . Thanks ‚ May God bless you& give you more wisdom & understanding .Dr. Fankhauser |
| On 04 Aug 2005, David
F. said: Bill: The pH optimum for rennet is 5.8‚ but if using bacterial starters‚ you will want to add rennet around 6.0 so that it does not become over acidified‚ leading to fragile curd which is VERY difficult to harvest. I presume you have looked at my web page on trouble shooting clean break failure. |
| On 03 Aug 2005, bill
said: as i live in key west‚ my room temp is about 90 F in the summer. i've tried citric acid with better results than buttermilk‚ but never have gotten a "clean" break. yields vary enormously‚ i'm using a rennet liquid from the dairy connection. i notice that both over and under acidified stuff is a problem‚ but never have i seen a recommended PH for the milk before adding rennet.any suggestions?thanks much‚ bill |
| On 27 Jul 2005, Jose
Porferio M. Lesidan III said: Wonderful site! I have been looking for books or sites about cheese making for quite sometime now. What a blessing it is for me to accidentally "stumble" on your site. I learned so many things and I am very excited on starting my little cheese hobby.God bless you Dr. Fankhauser and more power! |
| On 23 Jul 2005, David
F. said: Harry: I have never made a string cheese‚ but I believe this is what you are describing. I am paretty sure that the curd is allowed to get acid‚ is then heated‚ and pulled like taffy as it cools. Anyone out there ever made it? |
| On 22 Jul 2005, Harry
Persaud said: I am in dire need to get the recipe to make Quesillo‚ a Mexican strubg cheese. Could you be of help. This cheese is rolled up like a ball of twine and it shreds like strands of hair. Please help. My phone is (415) 756-2233 |
| On 20 Jul 2005, S
K Sharma said: Excellent site for knowledge and to try ourself. Thanks to Mr. Fankhauser's. |
| On 12 Jul 2005, peter
said: Gregory: Are you getting a good break when cutting the coagulated milk ? Another common problem could be that you are stirring too hard.. You could try letting the curds sit for a few minutes before you start stirring.. Also.. Stirring for a while before starting cooking helps a bit too Do you pasteurise the milk?. If so how hot and how long ? Pasteurising too hard tends to give some strange results Producing cheese with such short notice will probably only leave time for something like Feta though..If you are in deep trouble and really need cheese made fast‚ I'd be glad to |
| On 12 Jul 2005, peter
said: I'd be glad to fly in and make some feta with you if you pay the travel expenses :-)good luck |
| On 10 Jul 2005, David
F. said: Gregory: Did you follow one of my recipes or some other? The precise steps you performed is crucial to diagnosing the problem. It sounds as though your milk was over acidified. If you are a first time cheese maker‚ I strongly recommend following the stages listed on my Beginning Cheese Making page. See also Trouble shooting clean break failure. |
| On 09 Jul 2005, gregory
r nichols said: We have now wasted 6 gallons of goats milk just trying to get curds from breaking into tiny bits. We did not squeeze or stir curds roughly. Please let us know what is wrong. How long must you cook curds normally to acieve the scrambled egg consistency? HELP we are trying to enter cheese at the 4 h fair on 23 july and we are without.... Thank you |
| On 06 Jul 2005, Pam
said: thanks for the input...I just fed it to the squash plants. I guess my starter was too strong to leave that long I had never had a batch fail like that before‚ I will go back to putting the culture in for an hour‚ then rennet‚ that always seems to work well for me. I just tasted my first batch of Saint Maure (I may have spelled that wrong) aged for 3 weeks‚ my first moldy cheese! |
| On 30 Jun 2005, peter
said: David: Assuming you leave it overnight at room temp. ( 20C? ) it should be fine‚ but it just sounds like its way overkill to leave it that long ( never tried it ).. However I have added the rennet just a few minutes after the starter.. This helps a lot if your starter is semi bad Using a yoghurt starter is obviously slower as the optimum temperature for these bacteria is close to 40C. Growing them at room temperature slows them down considerably. One problem I do see about using yoghurt as a starter is the potential lack of eyes being formed in the cheese during the ageing.. |
| On 30 Jun 2005, peter
said: Typically we add 0.4 to 2% fresh starter.. If the mesiphilic starter is too agressive you might want to keep it in the fridge for a day or 2 before using it.. I cant explain why but it seems to slow it down to a more usable point |
| On 29 Jun 2005, David
F. said: Peter and Pam: I have made several kinds of cheeses over the years in which starter is added the previous night‚ and rennet added in the morning (see my basic hard cheese). It is very important to add the correct amount of starter. Fresh active buttermilk starter mesophilic) is particularly aggressive acidifier which must be added sparingly. These days‚ I add 3 Tbl/5 gal milk (approx. 45 mL/20 L). If the milk is too acid‚ the curd falls apart. Yogurt (thermophilic) as starter is much more forgiving. I add a cup/5 gal (250 mL/20 L). |
| On 29 Jun 2005, peter
said: Pam: You left the milk over night before adding rennet? Normally I'd suggest leaving the milk at 30C for an hour with the starter culture‚ then add rennet and leave overnight.. You could also add the rennet just after you got the starter mixed in At work we leave the milk for 30 minutes at 28-34C ( depends on recipe )‚ add rennet and let it sit for 30-40 minutes and we have no problems getting a clean break.. The only difference is that we use a continously grown fresh and active starter |
| On 26 Jun 2005, David
F. said: Margaret: Ironically‚ I have ACCIDENTLY made butter in my ice cream maker if I do not take the ice cream out soon enough! But I think you are right‚ a certain vigorousness is needed to have the butter "come." I prefer to make ice cream with the cream I skim‚ but I should try butter according to your post. Pam:If the milk has clabbered‚ you can make a labneh-style soft cheese (drain through a fine cloth). Do you now know why it did not give a clean break? |
| On 24 Jun 2005, Pam
said: is there any way to salvage the cheese if you DON'T get a clean break? I tried leaving the cultured milk overnight for the first time before adding the rennet and had my first failure‚ but hate to just throw away 2 gallons of milk! |
| On 24 Jun 2005, Pam
said: I make butter from my fresh cream skimmed off the top of the goat milk using the shaker jar I got with ranch dressing mix‚ I just fill it and hand it to the kids‚ takes as long as 15 minutes‚ but I get a good amount when I am done |
| On 23 Jun 2005, margaret
said: Cheri‚ I would think an ice cream maker too gentle. The whole point is to whack the proverbial sh-t out of the cream.There is no non-violent way to make butter. I would try a food processor. Use the knife-y regular blade so as not to get too much air in it‚ then once you have the curd nice and crumbly put it in a sieve and rinse in very cold water (10 deg Celsius) 3 or 4 times.Till it runs off clear. (Don't let it get into a solid ball at the churning stage or the whey gets trapped "inside")Good luck.There is nothing like homemade butter |
| On 17 Jun 2005, peter
said: Perhaps I should point out that when I am talking about separation temperature I am talking about the temperature of the milk as it enters a centrifugal separator‚ the purpose of wich is to skim the cream off the milk‚ NOT make butter.. |
| On 16 Jun 2005, peter
said: Cheri / David: First of all: The ideal separation temperature is 50-55 C ( feel free to convert to Fahrenheit :-) Second: I just uploaded a guide to buttermaking on a "slightly" larger scale compared to what you are doing. It can be found here: http://www.naeslund.dk/peter/files/cheese/butterbasics.pdf Making butter from milk will work‚ but is very inefficient compared to making it from cream. The ideal fat content depends on the churn used‚ but generally its somewhere between 30 and 40% Let me know if you have more questions |
| On 13 Jun 2005, David
F. said: Cheri: "Organic" yogurt does not mean that the bacteria are alive and well... Indeed‚ unless it sells well‚ it might sit on the shelf long enough for the bacteria to die. Please try to find Dannon Plain for starter. Get the one with the most distant expiration date. |
| On 12 Jun 2005, cheri
bradbury said: David: Thanks for the help. Now I'm wondering why my ice cream maker does not work as a butter churn? It seems like it should work - but I just had it running with a quart of cream in it for over an hour and not 1 little dab of butter has formed. I've had inconsistent results and I'd like to hit on one method that works. I'm looking forward to Peter weighing in? Thanks much :-) |
| On 12 Jun 2005, cheri
bradbury said: FYI - I'm using goat milk‚ not cow. I have a DeLaval 14 cream separator that we just got cleaned and functional after about a year of fiddling with it. Usually I have let the milk sit in the refrigerator for a day or two as I collect more milk. Then on one day‚ I separate about 9 gallons at a time. I have tried making butter immediately from the warm milk (I warm it to about 90 degrees F prior to separating)‚ tried chilling the milk in the refrigerator overnight‚ and a few experiments in between. So far I have not been able to consistently churn butter. |
| On 12 Jun 2005, cheri
bradbury said: (cont.) Other than the abortive attempt with the ice cream maker‚ I've been using 1-gallon jars as churns - I fill it 1/2 with cream‚ then rock the jar until the butter forms (hopefully). A couple of times I got over a pint of butter from 1/2 gallon of cream. Other times I got nothing. Thanks for any advice and help :-) |
| On 12 Jun 2005, cheri
said: Yoghurt help needed: David‚ I tried to follow your instructions for making yogurt. I don't have a cooler quite like in the photo‚ but have 2 similar (smaller) ones‚ plus 2 Salton yoghurt makers - a quart size and 1 that holds the little jars. I dutifully heated and cooled the milk to the temps you specify‚ added the yogurt (organic vanilla‚ could not find plain) and put it into various containers - 1 quart har each in a Playmate single cooler‚ a larger similar type cooler‚ and the 2 Saltons. |
| On 12 Jun 2005, cheri
said: After 3 hours‚ nothing happened. I checked the temps in the coolers and they were still around 120F. I don't think the Saltons get that hot though. I left them all overnight - the jars in the cooler never jelled‚ although they got a bit thicker when I filled the containers with more hot water and left them 2 more hours. The 2 Salton makers made fairly decent yoghurt‚ although it is runny not "set". Any advice on improving the technique so I get consistent results with the coolers? I'd prefer to use a non-electric method. Thanks! |
| On 12 Jun 2005, David
F. said: Cheri: Thanks for your posts. I have only made butter a few times‚ and I believe that Peter will be able to answer more authoritatively‚ but here is what I understand: 1) Slight acidification improves separation out of the butter fat. Try 1-2 tsp buttermilk/quart of cream‚ overnight at room temp. 2) The churning temperature is critical‚ I believe the optimum is around 61 F. Too cold‚ the flakes don't stick together‚ too warm they don't separate out well. 3) All whey must be well worked out or the butter won't keep. Peter? |
| On 11 Jun 2005, Cheri
said: David/Jessica: I'm sure different states (and counties) in the US have different rules. In Colorado‚ if you want to sell even goat milk soap at a farmer's market you have to make it in a commercial kitchen. Home made cheese isn't allowed for sale at the farmer's market. You need to decide how/where you want to sell potential products and contact whomever is in charge of that venue to find out what the rules are. I would expect to be able to get that information from the county extension offices too. |
| On 11 Jun 2005, Cheri
said: An interesting note on bypassing the "rules" about not being able to sell raw milk except for pet food: In Colorado (perhaps elsewhere) there is a loophole wherein you can sell shares in your livestock; then whomever buys shares in your animals‚ then gets to share in the output without problems. For example‚ I have sheep and want to sell raw sheep milk to my neighbors. But that's not legal‚ for human consumption. So I sell them a share in my sheep‚ and in return they get X amount of milk as a return on their investment. I love that idea‚ don't you? :-) |
| On 11 Jun 2005, Cheri
said: By the way‚ thank you for this wonderfully helpful site. I'm just now learning to make cheeses and yoghurt and butter‚ and there is SOOO much to learn. The photos and descriptions are very easy to follow. thanks for the time you spend keeping this site fresh. I'd like some help with questions about making butter‚ also - can you help? |
| On 30 May 2005, peter
said: David / Jessica: Over here in Scandinavia many smaller organic farms make and sell cheese‚ but they are subject to the same inspections by the health inspector as the larger places. The problem with this is that it costs a small fortune to build the proper facilities and conduct the nescesary quality control‚ so the products end up being very expensive. In turn this would mean that you have to make some unique products to justify the high cost. I would start by learning and perfecting a couple of products even before thinking of getting licensed. I dont know anything about the pro |
| On 30 May 2005, peter
said: I dont know anything about the procedures and regulations in the US‚ but my guess is that they are pretty much indentical‚ so feel free to email me with any questions |
| On 28 May 2005, David
F. said: Trini: Without knowing what steps your followed‚ it is hard to know where the problem might be. I would refer you to two pages: Beginning Cheese Making and Trouble Shooting Clean Break Problems |
| On 26 May 2005, Trini
said: I will like to make a 6-8 cups milk 2%how much rennet and I have tried it but I do not get a clean break! |
| On 27 May 2005, margaret
said: You can use whey as a facial and skin toner. (Just don't leave it on till it dries)I agree that whey in bread is less sucessful (but not inedible). Maybe dilute it 50-50 with water |
| On 26 May 2005, David
F. said: Jessica: The regulations on selling dairy products are quite strict. In many states‚ homestead milk can be sold as "pet milk." My understanding is that the legal hoops are high and difficult to be able to sell homestead cheese. Do not plan on selling of any scale unless you build a milk house and a cheese house to strict standards and inspections. Raw milk cheese must be aged 60 days to ensure no pathogens. Sharing with friends is murky... |
| On 26 May 2005, Jessica
said: I was wondering if you sell your cheese and if so do you need a licence or health inspector to check out your facilities?Or can you just do it out of a certifies kitchen?I make jam and soap (for home use not sale)so I was thinking of trying my hand at cheese but i know some people that make and sell jam and was just wondering if the licensing or what ever they do is the same.If you are not sure do you know any one that would know?Thank you for the great knowledgeJessica C. |
| On 18 May 2005, David
F. said: Sylvia: Actually‚ "sour" is technically a taste‚ not a smell. If your buttermilk smells spoiled or tastes bitter (from contamination)‚ then I would not use it. However‚ if it is only very sour‚ that should not be a problem. Contamination would come either from starter or the milk. I would purchase fresh buttermilk‚ be very careful about milk handling‚ and incubate only until the milk thickens. That should take care of it. |
| On 17 May 2005, sylvia
said: my fresh goats milk started smelling extreamly sour after i added buttermilk that i had cultured and frozen from the previous chevre i had made which had turned out just fine. should i throw it out‚ or can it be eaten even though i didnt pasteurize the milk. |
| On 14 May 2005, Millie
said: I haven't read all the comments‚ but I wanted to post and thank you for this excellent site. Your yogurt page helped me immensely and I was delighted to find your cheesemaking instructions! I am unable to find organic cheeses locally and had no idea how easy it would be to make my own. My young son is enjoying and learning from this as well as I am...we just wanted to thank you for taking the time to put these wonderful pages up! |
| On 09 May 2005, Carlos
said: About breadmaking: The yeast metabolism ("Saccharomyces" species) is not affected at pH values from 3‚5 to 7‚0. Lower values will be suitable for a few groups of bacteria‚ what is desirable in most cases. The "Saccharomices" are not able to use lactose (exception to "S. kefir")and the amount of required sugar must be added. Therefore‚ the competitive bacterias present in the whey will also eat this sugar and lower the CO2 formation. Perhaps cooking previously the whey will kill the bacteria for the yeast grow free. |
| On 06 May 2005, David
F. said: Peter: What you call "drained yogurt" is a traditional spreadable cheese of the Middle East. Here is my page on it‚ called Laban or Labneh. It is delicious drizzled with olive oil‚ mint sprinkled on top‚ and eaten with pita slices. Yum. |
| On 05 May 2005, peter
said: We typically produce around 3.000 to 3.500 tons of whey per week.. This whey is concentrated slightly using reverse osmosis and most of it is sent for further processing at another facility. The leftover whey that isnt sold as pig feed is still dumped in the farmers fertilizer tanks‚ and according to the farmers its great for this.. Re: Breadmaking: I have no clue about what pH the yeast prefers‚ but I have made bread with great success using the whey from "drained yoghurt" ( I will explain this later ). The main difference being: No sugar and no molasses.. |
| On 05 May 2005, peter
said: Drained yoghurt: A trick I learned from some vegetarian friends of mine Get some plain yoghurt ( or make your own ).. Place a coffee filter in a funnel‚ place funnel over a jar‚ fill the filter with yoghurt and leave overnight in the fridge.. Use it as a spread in sandwiches etc. |
| On 05 May 2005, peter
said: Oh.. btw: This product is derived from the lactose in whey‚ so it would seem that they whey is turning into gold at the moment: http://www.gaio-tagatose.com/ I have absolutely NO clues about the production process of this‚ but from what I have been told its not simple :-) |
| On 03 May 2005, David
F. said: Peter‚ et al: Interesting thread on uses of whey. I am pretty sure there are folks in the USA with too much whey who spray it on their land. My whey-supplimented bread did not rise well. I'm pretty certain that it is too acid for yeast to grow well. Carlos' point about "correcting" the acidity of whey may be especially important as an ingredient in bread. Perhaps substituting baking soda for salt woulod help. Anyone have experience here? |
| On 03 May 2005, Carlos
said: Peter and Michelle: The whey is also used in a widde range of processed products‚ such as ice cream‚ chocolate... and some industries use as raw material to produce oligopeptides for parenteral nutrition‚ in hospitalar use. What once was a polluent residue‚ today is a valluable by-product. Best regards‚ Carlos |
| On 03 May 2005, peter
said: Michelle: Apart from making Ricotta from the whey‚ the whey is dried to form a powder used in many snack foods‚ mainly because the proteins left in the whey have an ability to bind water. Bodybuilders pay a fortune for whey powder as a nutritional supplement.. Over here the leftover whey is treated with formic acid and used to feed pigs. If not treated with the acid the pigs will eat themselves to death.. Btw: Many people use fresh whey as the wet ingredient in breadmaking ( I believe David has a recipe that on this site.. ) |
| On 30 Apr 2005, Michelle
said: I am shocked about what you can do with all these ingredients! Such as taking the whey from making cheese and making ricotta cheese with it! ITS BRILLIANT! |
| On 30 Apr 2005, David
F. said: Lori: I encourage beginning cheese makers to work their way up to challenging cheeses like brie. Take a look at my Beginning Cheese Making page. As far as sour brie (do you mean bitter rather than sour?) If sour‚ did you taste the curd when you first made the cheese? It may have been sour at that point. Was the inoculum pure and active? Were the rigorous curing temp and humidity carefully followed? You need to understand the general critical factors in making cheese |
| On 29 Apr 2005, Lori
said: I've just started to learn how to make cheese. I began with a batch of Brie. I followed the instructions precisely. It looked wonderful right up to 3 weeks of ripening when I noticed a soft spot on the side. I cut open the round and the rest of the consistency was fine. However‚ it smelled sour. A nibble confirmed my suspicion. The whole lot was sour! Does anyone have any suggestions/ideas that might help? I don't want to make anymore cheese without knowing what I did wrong here. Thanks. |
| On 28 Apr 2005, Carlos
Alberto Franca Ribeiro said: Dear Doctor‚ to attenuate the pH of the whey is interesting in the first step of heating‚ in order to protect the lactoalbumin and lactoglobulin against excessive denaturation‚ which leads to poorests yelds. Beginning with the initial aciditidy of 8 oDornic works well. When reaching about 80 oC‚ we proceed the acidification to 45 oDornic to increase the positive charge‚ prommoting more binding points between denatured proteins (near to the isoeletric point)which have negative residual charge. Working with low pH values when heating promotes excessive denaturation and lower coagulability‚ incre |
| On 28 Apr 2005, Carlos
Alberto Franca Ribeiro said: (cont.) increasing protein losses. To write will be always a pleasure and I hope it could be helpfull‚ Carlos |
| On 27 Apr 2005, Amy
said: Peter: I followed the recipe‚ but I let the formed curd sit too long. It tasted sour right away after hanging. Subsequent attempts have proved much better! Thanks! |
| On 26 Apr 2005, peter
said: Amy: Describe the sour taste? Did you follow the recipe ?.. Typically cheese can become sour if you have too much whey left in it‚ or the pressing / hanging temperature is too high..If the cheese tasted "yoghurty" you could try making it at a lower temperature next time ( 20C usually works fine for that kind of cheese )‚ or try a different brand of buttermilk |
| On 25 Apr 2005, Amy
said: I'm learning about correcting acidity from James Aldrich's archived site‚which I found by following the links in Barbara Harick's email at the bottom of Fankhauser's wonderful cheese page! My first batch of neufchatel was sour‚ so I began to look for the reason(s) why. Mr. Aldrich offers detailed information on how to create the flavor you want by contolling titretable acidity-- different from ph‚ he says-- but I do not know how those are different‚ nor have I been able to find the proper type of acidometer to measure acidity as recommended by him....anyone???? |
| On 24 Apr 2005, David
F. said: Thank you again Peter! It is wonderful to have someone knowledgable in the finer details of cheese making help us out with these details. I can see that calcium might tighten up the surface of brined cheeses. Never tried adding it to the brine. |
| On 24 Apr 2005, peter
said: Margaret / David: Re: Cloudy brine..3 factors to look out for if you are having brine problems: pH - you really want it to have close to the same pH as the cheese ( 5.2-5.3‚ typically ). Adding whey to the brine can help fix this. If you can get your hands on food grade hydrochloric acid this can also be used Salt concentration: Optimum concentration is around 20%‚ The cheese starts to develop a slimy surface if the concentration gets close to 16% or lower. The slimy surface is partially dissolved cheese‚ that can turn the brine milky |
| On 24 Apr 2005, peter
said: Adding a little CaCl2 to the brine isnt a bad idea at all.. Typically it is recommended to have 0.1-0.2% CaCl2 in the brine. Too little CaCl2 in the brine can affect the cheese in the same way as lack of salt in the brine.. I'd start by looking at pH and Salt content in the brine‚ then possibly add a little CaCl2 Problems? - Email me |
| On 22 Apr 2005, David
F. said: Margaret: I think cloudiness of brine may be due to the pH of the brine being too high. (This can cause the cheese to soften as well.) Try making the brine with whey and see if that helps. Panir is a cheese common in India (source of this recipe)‚ but yes‚ many cultures around the world make a version of it. Carlos: Producing ricotta curd only works with lowered pH to aid heat denaturation of albumin. I have not heard of "correcting" the acidity. Tell us more if you like. Too high pH‚ no curd forms. Ian: I am not familiar with Oka cheese. What can you tell us? |
| On 22 Apr 2005, Ian
Graydon said: Thank you very much for all the work you put into this fantastic website. It answers many of the questions I have‚ and is greatly appreciated. You are a great teacher‚ and very generous with the knowledge you developed with your work. I am curious if you know any of the steps used to make my (a Canadian) favourite cheese‚ Oka‚ from Quebec. Please let me know. |
| On 19 Apr 2005, Carlos
Alberto Frana Ribeiro said: Dear Doctor Fankhauser‚I would like to congratulate you for the quality of the infformations left on your home page. I've read the "ricotta making illustrated" and did not read nothing about the whey acidity correction‚ before heating. I do this procedure in order to avoid protein destruction‚ leading to higher yelds. Dont reduce the whey acidity?Thanks in advance‚Best regardsCarlos |
| On 18 Apr 2005, margaret
said: Just read that "panir" recipe. Where is it from. Many cultures have a vinegar cheese. We in the kibbutzim call this by various names -usually the name of the person or kibbutz who gave us the recipe. We put salt tho' (200g kg to 5 litres of milk).Let it sit for 5 min after you have the separation then add salt and let sit 15 min before pouring out to the cloth. Ready the next day if you put 5kg weight on it. It has a slightly sweet taste. Btw Have you heard of fig as a coagulating agent? |
| On 18 Apr 2005, Margaret
said: My friend with the sheep and goats really loves the fetta recipe. The brine is quite milky and white-ish tho'. When I would make it in my kibbutz dairy it would be clear and stay so. D'you think we could add CaCl to it . I know the cheese would then be firmer too. |
| On 09 Apr 2005, David
F. said: Walter: Step 12 on the Neufchatel page tells you to work the salt in. The cheese is moist and soft. One could press it if you want a firmer cheese‚ but Neufchatel is usually used like a spreadable cheese. Take a look also at my Farmer's Cheese page. It is similar to Neufchatel. |
| On 08 Apr 2005, Walter
said: I'm currently making some goat's cheese: I've hung the bag of curds now for about 12 hours - still very moist and squeezing it produces some whey. At what point should I stop hanging it? It has a slightly rubbery texture which can broken up and packed into a small container (which I've done with a sample) - the texture resembles curdled eggs perhaps. In your Neufchatel recipe - when you add the salt do you rub it in to the lump in the picture‚ or do you actually crumble it up and then pack it? Does this crumbling affect the texture? |
| On 07 Apr 2005, David
F. said: Tom: Congrats on your successful mozzarella! This cheese is a challenge until one learns the ropes. Using hot tap water successfully obviously depends on the temp of your hot water. My home hot water is not hot enough. Thanks for the alternate heating method. Mythili: Excellent suggestion. I agree that I would rather not have a vinegar taste‚ even if slight. However‚ the recipe I received and others I have seen call for vinegar. Is butermilk readily available in India‚ and is panir traditionally made with it? What proportions are used? |
| On 06 Apr 2005, Mythili
Sriram said: In your recipe for Panir‚ you use Vinegar. If you use Buttermilk available from the grocery store you will get a better product as it does not give out an unpleasant odor and panir texture is also better. |
| On 04 Apr 2005, Tom
said: Fantastic web page. I have made your Fresh Italian Mozzarella 5 times now.My first time was an utter disaster. I used homogenized whole cow's milk from the store‚ and never got a clean break. I thought I remembered reading somewhere that homogenized milk may interfere with a getting a clean break.Since then I have used 1 gallon of skim cow's milk from the store mixed with 1 cup heavy cream.The second time I tried it‚ I got something that appeared like large cottage cheese. The curd was firm on the outside and soft and creamy inside. I think the temp was too high 94. |
| On 04 Apr 2005, Tom
said: I pressed this into a hard cheese.The last three times the mozzarella cheese has turned out WONDERFUL.This last weekend‚ I made my best batch ever without using the stove. OK I used the stove for sterilization and for spinning. I heated my milk mixture in my 5 gallon pot using hot tap water in the sink. I preheated my 4 gallons of milk in their plastic milk jugs during equipment sterilization. The heat transfer properties of water makes for a faster temperature rise without any chance of scorching. One gallon of 135 deg water will heat 1 gallon of 45 deg milk to 90 deg (ignoring any heat |
| On 04 Apr 2005, Tom
said: losses). It took about 1/3rd the time I needed on the stove. I also used hot tap water to reheat the cut curd.Thanks so much for the information on your site. |
| On 29 Mar 2005, oz
gadot said: thank you so much for this site.this is so good that you share this uniqe information. |
| On 28 Mar 2005, Patricia
Pardo said: Hi! First of all‚ I would like to thank you because I've learnt a lot in your web page.I do have a comment. I tried the method you describe for preparing yoghurt‚ and it didn't work. I change the warm water in the cooler for a thick wool blanket and to my delight the recipe worked! Next day the yoghurt was still warm. I think it is much easier to control the temperature with the blanket.Best regards‚Patricia |
| On 22 Mar 2005, David
F. said: Ashton: Did you see my Swiss Cheese page? You need to purchase a special bacterium‚ Propionibacterium shermanii which produces CO2 (the holes) and propionic acid (the bite) of swiss cheese. Please look a my beginning cheese page first. Swiss is a more challenging cheese than basic cheese. Walk before you run... |
| On 18 Mar 2005, Ashton
Edwin-Kent said: This site is wonderful! I've taken an interest in different cheeses. First types from my mom's country in India‚ and now from my fiance's country in Russia. Can you please describe how and what is needed to make swiss cheese? |
| On 02 Mar 2005, Andrew
said: Thank you for getting me addicted to cheeze making. I got this link off a beer brewing forum (www.homebrew.com). Fantastic site‚ hats off to you. Thank you for the info. |
| On 23 Feb 2005, Tim
Wagner said: Hi very interesting and informative page. I have a scource of fresh cow milk and I will very soon be tyring to make some cheese. My favorite cheese to date is Muenster‚ but I cannot find any recipees on it. Do you have any. Thanks again for an excellent website. Tim |
| On 23 Feb 2005, peter
said: Peter: If you want to grow your own startercultures it shoudnt be a huge problem if you have the proper equipment: The common trick is growing the cultures in sterilized ( 90C for 20 minutes ) skimmed milk‚ however.. Practical experience in an industrial setup shows that you get better results by making a "dense" skimmed milk by adding approx. 100 grams of skimmed milk powder per litre of fresh skimmed milk ( or use 200g powder + 0.8 litres of water ).. On a side note: Some‚ if not all‚ french cheeses are made with unpasteurised milk that contains a load of "forei |
| On 23 Feb 2005, peter
said: "foreign" bacteria‚ some of these can be pathogens‚ others may contribute to the variations in taste.. With regards to finding the proper strain of bacteria ( buttermilk-type starters typically contains 4 or 5 strains of bacteria ) it is mostly a matter of growing them at their optimum temperatures David: I dont know if you already have some info on the bacteria used in the various startercultures‚ if not I would be happy to provide you with something "web-ready".. Email me if you are interested.. |
| On 19 Feb 2005, Peter
Cane said: Dr. Fankhauser: Thanks for your website! I have a rather easy question I think. I've had a few courses in microbiology so I assumed it might not be too hard to culture some strains from some French cheeses that I like and use them for starters? Have you had any luck at this? I realize it I could get a contaminate strain on the first try‚ but I figure a few different cultures across different batches of the same type of cheese might reveal the right strain?What do you think?Thanks againPeter |
| On 16 Feb 2005, David
F. said: John O: Ops--the fresh mozzarella recipe SHOULD read 1/4 cup of buttermilk. Thanks for pointing out the dropped units... |
| On 08 Feb 2005, Rolf
said: found the website so inspiring that I am going to try this out.. cheese is yummy!!Just curious how close to my favourite Port Salute i can get‚ or a havarti? |
| On 07 Feb 2005, John
Oechsnerf said: Hi‚ In the recipe for the fresh mozzarella‚ it calls for 1/4th...buttermilk. I was wondering‚ 1/4th cup? Let me know please. I really like your website.Thanks |
| On 01 Feb 2005, Luiz
said: Sir congratulations for your excelent web page. One of the best |
| On 31 Jan 2005, David
F. said: Facundo: The temp for adding starter and rennet in the same time frame varies with the cheese. Neufchatel: 65 F‚ Feta: 85 F‚ fresh mozarella (pasta filata): 95 F. There are recipes for all of these cheeses linked to my Cheese Page. Keep careful records of what you do so that you can repeat it again! Kristin: Look at the bottom of my page on buttermilk for a "from scratch" recipe. You need raw milk for it to work. |
| On 25 Jan 2005, Kristin
said: Quick question... I read online of a way to make buttermilk by leaving milk in a clean jar on the counter until it thickens. Does this work? |
| On 25 Jan 2005, facundo
said: If I choose to add the yoghurt and rennet at the same time‚ what should be the temperature of the milk? thanks. |
| On 21 Jan 2005, Matt
said: Thanks again‚ Peter! As a beginner‚ it's great to have experienced folks to answer our questions. I hope I can do the same for someone else one day. |
| On 21 Jan 2005, peter
said: Matt: The open bottom should work fine. The molds we use at work ( I work for a large dairy company in scandinavia ) are made from nylon and have holes both in the bottom and on the sides‚ but you could start with holes in the bottom and drill holes in the sides if you cant get the whey to drain fast enough. |
| On 20 Jan 2005, Matt
said: Thanks‚ Peter. I'll give it a shot. In the past‚ I've used only molds with no drain holes but open bottoms. (coffee can with both ends taken out). Should I drill holes in the sides and bottom or just the sides? |
| On 20 Jan 2005, peter
said: Matt: PVC can contain and release some chemicals that are a suspected cause of cancer.. Professional cheese molds are made from either stainless steel or nylon‚ but I doubt it would cause you any problems using a pair of buckets as a mold / follower. Just remember to drill lots of small ( 0.8mm ) holes in the mold to allow the whey to drain There are 2 general processes for pressing cheese.. One way is doing the initial pressing with the curds covered with whey.. This will produce round‚ evenly distributed holes.. |
| On 20 Jan 2005, peter
said: The other way is scooping the curds into the mold and dry pressing it.. This will give you the same kind of hole structure as a gorgonzola / blue cheese‚ without the blue streaks tho..good luck |
| On 20 Jan 2005, Matt
said: I've made several of your cheeses and enjoyed them. I notice you use PVC for a mold. I was thinking of using small nested plastic buckets for mold/follower‚ but I've heard people say to avoid PVC and anything not food-grade plastic. Do you know anything about this? Is there some kind of danger of poisoning? |
| On 19 Jan 2005, Inge
said: I love this page. Last year I attended a cheese making course but you'r never done learning and this page makes it easy! |
| On 19 Jan 2005, facundo
said: made your cheese two times‚ once harder (higher temp)‚ once softer (about 37celsius). The third time I got sloppy and there was no clean break. |
| On 18 Jan 2005, Josh
said: Excellent‚ this page is great‚ informative and beautifully photograped.I am a restuarant manager and I am experimenting with many foods. Thank you so much‚ I appreciate your work. |
| On 17 Jan 2005, Margaret
said: Nice how you modified the labaneh page. A suggestion of mine is to add 1 or 2 dessert spoons of olive oil to the Drained labaneh. You can fold it in with a flat spatula (redundancy). Gives a lovely texture and takes some of the surprise and bite out of it esp. with goat and sheep milks.Also I use the whey in my breads ( hand and Bread-machine ) Messes up the kashrut of course but packs in the protein. |
| On 16 Jan 2005, peter
said: Erica: Using lactose free milk to make cheese may give you problems with the starter culture.. Sure you can make cheese with just rennet and milk‚ but the lactic acid wont be there to help develop the proper taste ( the cheese will start rotting instead of ripening ) One way to fix this problem could be to lower the pH in milk chemically with Glucono Delta Lactone ( E575 )..Mix it with warm water @ 35C ( 1 part GDL to 3 parts water ) and add it to the milk until you reach the desired pH.If you have trouble obtaining GDL you could try substituting it with Citric acid The pH to |
| On 16 Jan 2005, peter
said: Hmm.. This thing doesnt like long messages.. The rest should be here: The pH to aim for in typical semi hard yellow cheeses is around 5.25..Cheddar and Gouda types should be slightly lower The procedure is simple:Heat the milk to the innoculation temperature in the recipe‚ add acid till the pH is right ( add it slowly and make sure you disperse it evenly ).. Add rennet and follow the recipe as usual And no‚ I am not making this up.. A lot of the industrially made Feta and Mozzarella products are made this way as it saves time and hassles ) If you have any questions feel free to em |
| On 16 Jan 2005, peter
said: If you have any questions feel free to email me directly good luck /Peter |
| On 12 Jan 2005, Tina
Pender said: i need to find out what microbes play in the part of food! this dosen't help me!!!!!!!!! |
| On 10 Jan 2005, Sylvia
said: LOVE THE SITE! On 7/3/2004‚ Dr. Fankhauser wrote that long-aged cheese becomes a creamy yellow‚ so yellow cheese=flavorful cheese. What I had heard was that in the nineteenth century when cheese began to be produced in larger quantities‚ the cheesemongers realized that the good dairy cows‚ Jerseys and Guernseys‚ gave milk that had a higher % of butterfat‚ which made it yellower than milk from other breeds. So‚ they colored the milk from inferior breeds to make it look like better milk (higher fat content). An easy‚ historically accurate way to do this is to add carrot juice. |
| On 09 Jan 2005, David
F. said: BEN: The easiest way to make "cheese curds" is to follow the basic cheese recipe‚ but not press the curds into a wheel. To increase the squeekiness‚ my impression is that you "cook" the curds at a higher temperature than regular curds‚ say 115 F. Here is a site with a recipe: http://muextension.missouri.edu/explore/agguides/agchem/g09550.htm |
| On 09 Jan 2005, David
F. said: ERICA: I have heard from folks who wanted to use lactose-free milk to make cheese using my recipes‚ and my impression is that it should work. You may want to try making lactose-free yogurt first‚ then try cheese with regular milk first to work out the kinks in making cheese... Let us know how it works for you. |
| On 08 Jan 2005, Erica
King said: I am interested in making creams and cheeses‚ but I am stumped due to the neccessity to at some point use unprocessed dairy. I am extremely lactose intolerant and I want to start at the begining in creating dairy that I can tolerate. I will have to start with milk that has been treated with the enzyme that breaks down the latose.So can you help me to make cheese. I think I can use your site to make cream.Please let me know if you can help me.Thank you |
| On 07 Jan 2005, Ben
said: Very nice site....very complete. I'd like to make CheddarCheese Curd (that squeaks!) but can't find a recipe anywhere!!!! Any help would be appreciated! Thanks. |
| On 04 Jan 2005, David
F. said: PETER: Your responses are right on‚ thanks for sharing your insights! For those who don't know‚ Peter has considerable expertise in the ins and outs of cheese making. RACHAEL: Isn't microbiology interesting and relevant!? Thanks for your sunny report about ginger ale! |
| On 24 Dec 2004, Rachael
Blomeley said: I was doing a search one day on microbiology for interests sake (as you do) and came across your page. I found that your page mixed my two great loves - microbiology and cooking - in a simple‚ user friendly way. In the past couple of weeks I've made about 20L of ginger beer and it's been perfect everytime. No explosions! After Christmas I'm going to have a go at cheesemaking too. Needless to say your page is bookmarked and I'm looking forward to continuing to get all the micro-organisms I can to do my kitchen work from now on. |
| On 20 Dec 2004, Peter
said: A "group response": Agnes: The water-like fluid on top of your starterculture is whey... just leave it as is.. It wont do any harm.. Tracy: The rennet should work‚ even if the starter is bad... Test the rennet directly on a cup of fresh buttermilk.. You need to disperse the rennet evenly in the milk and wait till it sets.. |
| On 19 Dec 2004, Ricky
Knue said: I am very excited to get started. I can't find rennet locally‚ so will have to order in. I am presently teaching a biotechnology class in high school‚ to expose students to all aspects of 'life technology'‚ especially the ancient ways‚ and for our last lab we will attempt some sort of cheese making in the portable I teach out of. We have successfully extracted DNA‚ conducted an oil bioremediation lab‚ studied moldy tofu‚ planned for phytoremediation‚ studied the effectiveness of fungi and remediation‚ and tissue culture. This could be the best ever! |
| On 19 Dec 2004, lynn
said: I cannot get my goat milk to "set" It is canned‚ all i can get now‚ and i have tried several different things.Please help!! |
| On 18 Dec 2004, Tracy
said: What a fantastic website - I refer to it often... I live in Denver - are there considerations for altitude that need to be made? I cannot get the batch to the curd phase - I suspect it's the starter. I've tried both buttermilk and yogurt. I've tried both following the recipe to the letter‚ as well as have changed variables trying for a different outcome‚ and basically I get the same outcome each time - no clean break. I've also reviewed "how to achieve a clean break" without success so far. Any words of wisdom?Thank You. |
| On 18 Dec 2004, Agnes
said: Your website is great! But‚ I am having trouble making Mesophilic starter from purchased enzymes. I have been following instructions in Ricki Carroll's book and I am not sure that what I have created is correct. My starter is solid and yogurt like‚ but there is a lot of water like fluid in Mason Jar. Do I just pour off the fluid and use the thick yogurt like substance? Thank you for your help. I am trying to make cheese for a school science fair. |
| On 07 Dec 2004, Gloria
said: I liked the recipe for making a buttermilk culture from scratch‚ that I could make from ingredients that I had on hand‚ and the recipes to use that culture to make cottage cheese and sour cream. Is there an easy way‚ like that‚ to make cream cheese? Also‚ I wonder why the butter that I make from fresh raw milk stays harder at room temperature than store bought butter? |
| On 07 Dec 2004, ellen
said: this is an awesome site |
| On 23 Nov 2004, Peter
said: you can see a picture of the actual cheddaring process here: http://www.naeslund.dk/peter/files/cheese/cheddar.jpg -After cutting the slabs of cheese‚ as shown on the picture you need to knead a good pile of salt into the cheese before pressing it long and hard.. ( typically 24 hours ) before putting the cheese in vacuum baggies or other airthight containers |
| On 20 Nov 2004, David
F. said: BRYAN: Cheddar cheese is made by "cheddaring": mats of fresh curd are cut into slabs which are turned regularly as a means of accelerating acidification/curing of the curd before it is pressed. This turning of slabs originated in Cheddar‚ England. Bandaging of fresh cheese helps to wick whey which comes to the surface after it has been rubbed with salt. It also keeps dirt off the surface. |
| On 16 Nov 2004, Bryan
said: Terrific site‚ Dr. Fankhauser. I won't let the rennet snobs get me down! I have only made small forays into cheesemaking‚ based on recipes in the Rennet box. After reading through the posts‚I'm excited to move on‚ but I'm still vague on one thing. How exactly does one modify the "Basic Hard Cheese" recipe to make Cheddar? You defined "cheddaring"‚ but I'm still a little dense on the topic. Also‚ is bandaging strictly necessary? Thanks‚ BJL |
| On 14 Nov 2004, David
F. said: LORING: Sterilized milk (UHT) can‚ with care‚ be used for making yogurt without scalding. Pasteurized milk cannot. UHT is rare in the States. Careful control of incubation temperature favors success. GARETH: Tho theoretically plausible‚ I have never heard of health problems from blue cheese mold. It may make infinitesmal amounts of penicillin which MIGHT be of allergic concern. Some might be allergic to the spores. |
| On 12 Nov 2004, Gareth
said: David‚ Are you aware of any health risks from the bacteria of making Blue Cheese (such as breathing them in‚during pregancy‚ etc)? Thanks. Gareth |
| On 11 Nov 2004, loring
said: your cheese site is fabulous and your videos are even bettter. i just returned from several years in italy and am astonished at the paltry selection of cheese even in the heartland of america: Cheddar. Swiss. Colby. i rang the supposed cheese expert at the university and asked if i could audit a lab or two to watch how cheese is made. she said no. I had already found your page but then I found your videos. Thank you‚ thank you‚ thank you. I don't need her. If you get around to it‚ tape yourself making fresh mozzarella. ciao// |
| On 11 Nov 2004, loring
said: someone inquired about making yogurt with UHT milk. I never made cheese but i made yogurt for years. On Guam‚ I would cut the tab off a UHT container‚ insert a teaspoon of Dannon plain yogurt as a starter & leave the box in the oven overnight. The pilot light was sufficient. In Italy‚ I did the same thing and left the box on the radiator in my hotel. The technique worked fine in both places. I am not sure that yogurt isn't so easy to make that you almost cannot fail. Life should be like yogurt. //ciao |
| On 06 Nov 2004, David
F. said: DOMENIC: Thanks for your posts. I would LOVE to see your dad's recipe for mozzarella if you would share it (email me). For failure to get a clean break‚ see my page on troubleshooting. |
| On 06 Nov 2004, David
F. said: MARGARITA: Congrats on your successful cheese making! The art of cheese making often results in variations with each cheese that one makes‚ especially at the beginning. Tastes like beer??? Hmmm. That would be a big draw for some folks ;-) One of the variations could be your homemade yogurt. You might try Dannon plain‚ or fresh cultured buttermilk as a starter to see how the taste is affected. But the bottom line is‚ if you like the results‚ stick with the technique! |
| On 06 Nov 2004, David
F. said: LOREN: The more problematic ingredients for most far-flung cheesemakers are rennet and bacterial starter. These can be purchased by mail (see links on my main page.) Plain yogurt or cultured buttermilk are often available for starter. Pots and thermometers are usually available. Look at my page on Beginning Cheese Making for detailed suggestions. |
| On 05 Nov 2004, Loren
Claassen said: I live in India and am tryinig to have a friend bring out the equipment to make cheese. What do I need to order to make Cheddar in particular? Loren |
| On 04 Nov 2004, Margarita
said: I just want to thank you for all the information on making cheese. I made my first cheese with store bought milk. It worked just great! I have always wanted to know how to make cheese‚ and your sight gave me all the basics that I needed to do just this.I am on my third one pound cheese made from store bought milk!( Never knew I could use store bought). All three seem to have a different taste to them ‚ I love it! I started with homade yogurt as my starter. The result‚ a cheese that I had tasted in Mexico‚ sharp with a taist of beer!‚ at least- that is what my son and I thougt. Love it‚ love it |
| On 31 Oct 2004, Domenic
said: I am having a hard time getting goat's milk to coalugate. Any suggestions?I keep ending up with this gelified yogurt substaince. |
| On 30 Oct 2004, Dianne
Crampton said: What a wonderful site for the beginner. I have been looking for a cow farmer's cheese through our local stores for over a year and committed to make my own. It is essential to my family's cheese cake recipe. You filled the ticket. Thank you!Dianne Crampton |
| On 28 Oct 2004, Domenic
Abitino said: I want to thank you for the extensive info you provide on your website.i am from napoli Italy (now reside in central Florida)and my da as been making fresh mozzarella for the last 40 years and that was the only cheese I was tought. through the years I have developed a passion form this milky substaince. I am dyeing to try you recipe for bluecheese. I will let you know the results. I must tell you I have tried to make ricotta and let me tell you I got it down and tasting really good. Wish you could try it. Well once again thank you for all yur Info. Domenic Abitino |
| On 28 Oct 2004, Domenic
Abitino said: PS I am a chef and owner of an Italian restaurant here in Melbourne Florida.www.abitino.com |
| On 24 Oct 2004, David
F. said: Tim: Thanks for the post. (One has to be registered with NYTimes to see the article.) The article points up the legal US prejudice which favors corporate interests and slams the small family producer. Most artisan cheese producers have struggled to satisfy obsessive/compuslive regs which want us to trust only corporate foods. Rather than clean up and humanize corporate meat and dairy production‚ they want us to overcook meat and eggs‚ and give up the unique delicious home made cheeses etc. Cost to gormet taste in the US? Just taste cheeses and real salamis in Europe. |
| On 23 Oct 2004, Tim
said: There is an interesting article in todays NY Times(http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/23/nyregion/23mozzarella.html though I don't know how long you can read the archive)about how the state health inspectors are stopping all the small Italian cheese stores and dairys from making the traditional mozzarella! Apparently nowadays cheese made this way can be bad for you! What a pity. Thanks for creating a site that will allow me to try making my own cheese (until the inspectors close us all down). |
| On 17 Oct 2004, David
F. said: Steve: Chymosin is another name for rennet‚ the enzyme which coagulates milk. Yes‚ you need rennet (chymosin) for most cheeses. I have used Junket Rennet tablets successfully for years‚ and get them in the pudding section of my local supermarket. Look at my web page "Beginning Cheese Making" for suggestions for first cheese projects. |
| On 15 Oct 2004, Steve
Chastain said: I've read several pages calling for Chymosin as part of making cheese. Please tell me where I could purchase this or if I really need it.Thank you very much for your website..I have been wanting to learn to make cheese for years and your page has given me the confidence to give it a try.Thank You‚Steve R Chastain |
| On 15 Oct 2004, David
F. said: Gareth: Cheese that is more acid will melt more. Two ways for this to happen. The most effective is to let the curds sit several hours in a warm place (some recipes call for leaving it in the whey) to acidify before pressing. The other is curing. Acidification will continue in a cheese that is aging. I believe your cheese will melt better after it is several months old. Also‚ my experience is that goat cheese does not melt as well as cow's. |
| On 15 Oct 2004, David
F. said: Vanessa: Cheese is essentially the protein separated out of milk and either eaten fresh or preserved. So yes‚ what you describe is a simple cheese. It will be very mild‚ and will not age well (lacking bacterial starter which helps acidify the cheese). |
| On 15 Oct 2004, David
F. said: Liz: I have added a line on my page on the nutritional content of milks to include whey. Also on that page‚ I have placed a link to the USDA Composition of Foods data base that you can use to search what ever food product you are intersted in. |
| On 13 Oct 2004, Liz
said: Yea. I have finally succeeded in making a clean break. I kept some of the whey to drink which is quite good. What is the calorie‚ protein‚ and other nutritional info. Please guide me. Thanks. L |
| On 11 Oct 2004, Vanessa
said: Hi There! This is a great site! Well done :) I have been successfully making yogurt for a few months now without a thermometer‚ in the hotwater cupboard... But I will definitely get a thrmometer now so I can try making some of your cheeses. One I make at the moment: You heat raw cows milk until it starts to rise‚ then add lemon juice‚ stir and strain thru cheesecloth. Rinse in water‚ then press (I use a good sized rock) for a few mins‚ then eat! Even the kids love it‚ esp with a little rock salt and olive oil to dip it in. What do you think? Is this real cheese? Cheers from NZ |
| On 10 Oct 2004, Gareth
said: Sorry‚ that should read...it did NOT melt. |
| On 10 Oct 2004, Gareth
said: David‚ I hope you did not mind me jumping in there a couple of days ago with the response to Kristin! Now for my question. Friday was the GRAND OPENING DAY (1 month maturing) for my first cheddar. A little crumbly‚ and needs more time for the favour to develop more fully‚ but not bad. My question though‚ is when I tried to melt some cheese‚ it did‚ it just kind of browned on the surface. The favour and the texture seems to be OK‚ so any ideas why this should happen ? I am using whole cows milk‚ and 50 Pounds of pressure in the mold. The cheese was air dried for 4 days then waxed |
| On 09 Oct 2004, David
F. said: Lori: Gorgonzola: If you are premitted to bring in gorgonzola‚ that would be an excellent choice because in the States it is of lower quality and higher cost. I am not sure whether USDA will permit it‚ but because of its long cure time‚ it should be OK. Tomini: As I recall‚ these are like tiny flavored mozzarella balls? I do not have a specific recipe how to make them. I KNOW they are fresh cheeses‚ and doubt that USDA will let them into the country. |
| On 06 Oct 2004, Kristin
said: When I cut the curd‚ I cut it into 1/2 inch cubes as your tutorial described (I had it printed out and stuck to the range-hood above the stove). When I cut it‚ though‚ it fell apart...not liquidy‚ but fell apart. I can't remember how long I let it sit...my parents came over right then and I was interrupted for awhile. |
| On 06 Oct 2004, lejahnke@lycos.com
said: Dear David f. I found your site yesterday and read so much that I had a nightmare about you last night. You and cheese. I am in Italy at the moment and preparing to return to the States. I am not sure I can live without tomini and fresh mozzarella. I found the recipe for fresh mozzarella but do you know how to make tomini? If the answer is on your site‚ I am sorry I did not find it yet. For the moment‚ a short answer will do until I return. Should I try to bring back a chunk of tomini or is that irrelevant? I guess another question is should I bring back gorgonzola? ciao//lori |
| On 05 Oct 2004, David
F. said: Kristin (and Gareth): I agree with Gareth. You probably should have cut the curd earlier (as soon as you get a clean break). But this is not serious. Sinking curd is good (floating curd has bubbles which could be bad). It sounds like you cut the curd too small: should be 1/2 inch cubes. I believe your cheese will be fine‚ if hard and dry (as Gareth mentioned). |
| On 05 Oct 2004, Gareth
said: Kristen‚ It sounds to me like you let it sit for to long before you cut the curds. Obviously it depends what cheese you are making but I always leave it at 90F for about 90 minutes (but you can ckeck it before this). You should not have to leave it more than 5 or 10 minute more than this before you cut the curd. I suspect that your cheese will now come out very dry. What were you making? Hope this helps. |
| On 04 Oct 2004, Kristin‚
Again said: I made basic hard cheese (it is ripening in the fridge now). After adding the rennet and letting it sit for 3 hours (I think?)‚ the milk separated‚ but the curd sank to the bottom in one large lump. I couldn't tell wether I had gotten a clean break or not‚ so I went and cut the curd. I ended up with the tiniest curds‚ almost as if the curd had shredded rather than been cut. What did I do wrong? Took me much longer to drain and press‚ but it's finished...unsure how it turned out though‚ taste wise.What happened? |
| On 02 Oct 2004, Kristin
said: I bought it at the Vermont Country store. Their online store is just as good as their in-person store. Lots of old-time remedies.www.vermontcountrystore.com It's difficult to find cola syrup anymore (as I found out when I was pregnant 3 yrs ago)‚ and when you do find it it's usually in a tiny bottle. Vermont store has it in a nice big‚ like 10 oz bottle‚ I think. Costs $10 at most. |
| On 02 Oct 2004, David
F. said: Kristin: Presuming that cola syrup is THE major flavor in cola drinks‚ then you certainly could use it just like root beer extract in my recipe for making home made root beer. Let us know how it turns out! Where did you get cola syrup? |
| On 01 Oct 2004, Kristin
said: Question: I have a bottle of Cola syrup (kept around for cases of nausea). Can I make carbonated cola with that the same way as the root beer? |
| On 30 Sep 2004, David
F. said: Gareth: In my experience‚ the reason cheese does not bind together when pressed is two fold: a) the curd was too cold when placed in the press‚ and b) there was not enough pressure in the press. |
| On 30 Sep 2004, David
F. said: Grant and Michael: I do not have recipes for either longhorn nor burrata (tell me more about the latter). If anyone DOES have recipes for these‚ please post! |
| On 30 Sep 2004, David
F. said: Kim: In order to have carbonation in home made rootbeer or ginger ale‚ you must add sugar. Pasteur discovered this connection. So‚ no‚ you cannot make carbonated drinks using fermentation with splenda or other artificial sweeteners. |
| On 30 Sep 2004, kim
lewis said: We are going to make the ginger ale and root beer but I was curious if anyone knows the amounts to use if you are using splenda and sugar for diabetic students. |
| On 25 Sep 2004, Michael
Newsome said: Do you have any recipes / instructions on making burrata cheese? |
| On 20 Sep 2004, Kristin
said: For those looking for Junket Rennet Tablets‚ it is avaiable online (and in person) through the Vermont Country Store: http://www.vermontcountrystore.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=6152&itemType=PRODUCT&iMainCat=39&iSubCat=173&iProductID=6152 In the store‚ one box is under $3‚ but online you can buy 3 boxes for $8. This has been one of the only places I have found it. |
| On 20 Sep 2004, Gareth
said: Thanks for the great informative website. Just a short question. I made Stilton a couple of days ago‚ it is now drying‚ but I am not sure about the exterior texture. It seems to not be very bound together (as it is not really pressed much). It his correct (or should I have pressed it harder)? THanks |
| On 19 Sep 2004, grant
grider said: enjoy your site.Have been brewing for years‚just started making cheese.Am looking for info on "longhorn cheese"Any info you have would help.Again‚great site. |
| On 09 Sep 2004, David
F. said: JENNY: The "DO NOT DISTURB" sign is up only after the rennet is added. It does not matter while the inoculum is "ripening" them milk. Some recipes add rennet with the inoculum. These should not be disturbed from the beginning. Others let the inoculum work for hours before adding rennet. No problem aggitating these prior to adding rennet. |
| On 02 Sep 2004, Jenny
said: question about innoculating milk... on your "Critical factors in getting a clean break" page‚ you state that inoculated milk should sit undisturbed overnight; yet most of your recipes say to let it sit 1-2 hours.when should it sit longer? Thanks‚ |
| On 02 Sep 2004, ken
roark said: hello 1st of all thanks for the great page on making cheese........but i need some help! i used raw whole milk to make NEUFCHATEL for the first time.........i left the cream in‚ instead of skimming it off.....after adding the rennett i let sit undisturbed for 12 hours (overnight)‚ the next morning it seemed to be set but i was unsure.........so i let it set for another 12 hours... then i did the clean break test again and i noticed that under the surface approx 1/2" it was set very firm‚ but the top was not.........i proceeded to cut and ladle out when i noticed that what was on top was t |
| On 28 Aug 2004, David
F. said: ARIS: How dry do you want your ricotta? Two suggestions 1) Let it hang an extra day or two in the fridge‚ 2) freeze it and thaw it (forces out water). If you want it DRY‚ I have no experience‚ but you will have to salt it and press it. |
| On 28 Aug 2004, David
F. said: CORDARRAL: Thank you for your comment. Let us know which cheese you make! May we ask where you live? |
| On 28 Aug 2004, David
F. said: LORE: The curd is SUPPOSED to sink after you cut the curd. If it floats‚ that means it is contaminated with CO2-producing bacteria. Sounds like you are succeeding. |
| On 28 Aug 2004, David
F. said: POLAT: I recommend you start your cheese making journey with the cheese projects on my Beginning Cheese Making page. I hope to be able to visit your cheese factory some day! Where do you live? |
| On 24 Aug 2004, Polat
Karlidag said: Dear Sir‚I thank you it's realy great.I will try to do home cheese if I can do that I will make my cheese factory after that I will invite you to see it. |
| On 23 Aug 2004, Lore
said: This page is great because it has good pictures and good instructions. I have a question‚ though. My curds fall to the bottom of the pan. Am I doing something wrong? |
| On 20 Aug 2004, cordarral
said: This is a very good page to learn about the makeing of cheese from. |
| On 17 Aug 2004, Helene
& Gary said: Ooops Cheese Cake:Use Feta Cheese Recipe:1. Wait until curds have almost drained.2. Sample April's wine.3. Trip‚ catch bottle and dump curds back into whey.4. Strain again.Note: Cheese should not resemble anything close to Feta...It should have consistency of a cream cheese.5. Use cheese instead in any basic cheese cake recipe.Cake was wonderful‚ covered in Strawberry preserves. We have actually named it Fankhauser Cheese Cake....would love to know what happened...is this 'double straining' a known technique ? |
| On 14 Aug 2004, Aris
Bakas said: Do you have any suggestions on how to dry ricotta?thanks |
| On 11 Aug 2004, barrett
said: What a great site! I'm going to annoy my wife for month's with these recipes.One other really easy cheese to put on for beginners (and the only one I've ever made) is the Indian paneer‚ found in sag paneer and other dishes. A decent recipe for it is here - http://1stholistic.com/Recipes/recipe_panir.htm |
| On 10 Aug 2004, David
F. said: MICKY: Any stainless steel pot with an added thick bottom (usually 1/8 - 1/4 inch pad of aluminum‚ but copper is even better) will do. The pad of metal distributes the heat preventing the hot spots you are having problems with. The one I currently use is made by "Morgan Ware" and specifies that it is 18/10 stainless‚ and carries the words "Sandwich Bottom" on its bottom. |
| On 08 Aug 2004, Micky
said: I love your website! I have made jogurt before. My problem is the stainless steel pot which invariably scorches in a ring at the bottom. May I ask the brand name of your expensive but super efficient milk boiling pot? Thank you so much. |
| On 08 Aug 2004, David
F. said: GLENN: My problem with aluminum is that acid dissolves the metal‚ and the metal ions become soluble and dissolve in the milk‚ perhaps increasing the risk of Alzheimer's (and possibly other problems?) I don't think anodized makes any difference. Teflon coated would provide a barrier‚ but you don't want to overheat it (which wouldn't be a problem if you are only heating milk in the pot). |
| On 04 Aug 2004, Helene
& Gary said: our apologies to Glenn and Liz for jumping back in...we used store bought cow's milk for our feta...i don't believe this is forum for ranting about local dairy regulations...we can only imagine how good this would be with fresh goat's milk !!! |
| On 04 Aug 2004, Glenn
said: Does the prohibition against using aluminum for acidifying milk also apply to anodized aluminum such as calphalon? Thanks. |
| On 31 Jul 2004, David
F. said: LIZ: The recipes your are using are not from my pages? Two points right away: 1) I have not had much success making cheese with powdered milk‚ and do not recommend it. 2) Stringy yogurt is contaminated with unwanted bacteria. For successful Yogurt‚ use a fresh starter‚ I recommend Dannon Plain. See Beginning Cheesemaking to refine necessary skills for successful cheesemaking. |
| On 31 Jul 2004, David
F. said: HELENE & GARY: Thanks so much for feedback from our friends from the North! Did you use store bought or farm fresh milk for your cheese? I too love the pure flavor of the home made feta. As you say‚ "Whooohooo!" |
| On 29 Jul 2004, Helene
& Gary said: ...thank you !!! the feta is wonderful...we are surprised with both quantity and esp. quality......we could not have done this without your remarkable website...again‚thank you !!! |
| On 25 Jul 2004, Helene
& Gary said: you have brought us back to our roots in prairie saskatchewan...we have finally found junket in ontario (nicastro's in ottawa) if anyone local is looking)...am making feta first time...am about to add the junket...whooohoooo...cheers from perth‚ ontario |
| On 18 Jul 2004, Liz
Lirette said: Your web site is great.Attempt #5. 1gal milk(powder)1 qt cream‚ 1/2 cup bulgarian buttermilk‚ 1/2 rennet tab. warmed the milk to 80 added culture‚ 3hrs later the rennet. This set in laundry overnight. I made a yogurt but it was very stringy or drippy. I could not even strain it. Could it be the bulgarian style? #6 1gal. milk‚ cream I used the Mesophilic starter and 1/8 cal.chloride. After several hrs. I added 1/2 rennet to set for 18 hrs. My clean break cut the curds but then the whey got milky. I have another bag cheese draining as I write. Thanks for all the help and courage you've given thr |
| On 10 Jul 2004, David
F. said: BARB: Interesting experiment you have performed‚ the only problem is we don't know the variable! I suspect (as you mention) that the temperature difference was the culprit. It sounds like you estimated rather than measured the temp? Precise temps are very important for yogurt. Jostling would cause it not to firm up‚ but it should still be thickened like buttermilk. I doubt you can start over on the liquid batch. I would add rennet to the liquid portion and make cheese from it. |
| On 09 Jul 2004, Barb
said: I made a batch of yogurt (2 gallons in pint jars) and incubated in two ice chests. The ice chests are identical and I have used them both for making jogurt. One batch turned out perfect; the other turned out with the consistancy of milk. The water I filled the chests with came from the same source and the temperature (120 degrees approx) was within about 3 degrees of each other. The only thing I can figure out is that the second batch got jostled too much.Question: Can I take the 'bad' batch and run it through the whole process again or do I need to throw it away?Thanks‚Barb |
| On 09 Jul 2004, Barb
said: I learned "how to" with this site and it is still the one I come back too. |
| On 06 Jul 2004, David
F. said: David E.: You raise an interesting question to which you may have at least a partial answer. The bacteria in yogurt convert lactose to lactic acid by fermentation. If one used a low lactose milk as the starting material‚ I would expect the acidity of the product to be lower. Have you made yogurt with milk you know is low in lactose?But‚ as you know‚ 2% refers to the milk's butterfat content‚ while the lactose remains the same. I predict that "acidophilus" milk would not work well for yogurt. Anyone try it? Thnx for the McGee reference. |
| On 05 Jul 2004, David
E. Samara‚ M.D. said: I have referred to your site many times! I make yogurt and labneh a lot since I am Lebanese. I am lactose intolerant and always have lactose-free milk at home. My question is whether or not the yogurt starter bacteria will be "happy" in a low lactose environment. I currently use regular 2% cow's milk and a very good starter from YOGOURMET (when I have no fresh yogurt.) Also‚ You and your readers with a scientific bent may be interested in "On Food and Cooking" by Harold McGee which addresses the chemical properties of food during cooking‚ baking and processing. |
| On 03 Jul 2004, David
F. said: NOTE: The link in the previous post must have a "squigle" after the / and in front of the katzer to work... Apparently my server doesn't recognize and display it in this context. Sorry. DBF |
| On 03 Jul 2004, David
F. said: KWAKU: Ah‚ yes... Sounds like you suspect the answer (Great American Dupe...). Americans especially add bright orange annatto dye (http://www-ang.kfunigraz.ac.at/katzer/engl/generic_frame.html?Bixa_ore.html) to make commercial cheese "yellow." Puzzling over this‚ I suspect the origin is that long-aged cheese becomes creamy yellow‚ so the yellow suggests more flavorful cheese??? Anyone else have an idea? |
| On 02 Jul 2004, kwaku
brown said: why is american cheese orange‚ yet bwe call it yellow. Moreover‚ what is it that makes it orange. The "Gerat American Dupe". |
| On 30 Jun 2004, Fred
in Wisconsin said: Thank you for maintaining this page! I've referred to it many times now. The directions are remarkably clear and complete. I do appreciate it! |
| On 30 Jun 2004, Bill
Outlaw said: This is one of the best web pages I've ever come across!! |
| On 26 Jun 2004, David
F. said: ADA: Thanks for the interesting question. According to the info on http://www.ochef.com/257.htm‚ "Greek yogurt" is made with ewe's milk‚ which is about 5% butterfat. So two important differences: type of milk (hard to adjust for this one since ewe's milk is qualitatively different from cow's) and % B.F. ("whole" milk in the States is 3.5%‚ so you would have to add cream to bring it up to 5% B.F.) |
| On Fri 25 Jun 2004, Ada
said: Hello. I learnt how to make yoghurt and buttermilk using the information on your webpages. So lots of thanks to you for putting them up. I have a question - what make greek yoghurt greek? Are there any special tricks that one must know if one is to make greek yoghurt? I am very curious. Please share your thoughts. |
| On Fri 18 Jun 2004, David
F. said: DON: In the US‚ most large supermarkets have Junket Rennet tablets in the pudding section. There are many beer and wine supply stores which also sell cheese making supplies. Or ask the managers at either of these stores to order it. There are numerous web-based supplies as well. Finally‚ herbs like Lady's Bedstraw or Stinging Nettles are reputed to have rennet activity. Will let you know after I do the experiment... |
| On Wed 16 Jun 2004, DON
said: GREAT INFO...JUST ONE QUESTION FOR NOW....CANNOT FIND RENNET LOCALLY‚ IS THERE SOMETHING ELSE I COULD USE? |
| On Fri 04 Jun 2004, Kris
said: I let it drip overnight‚ but I was using commercial yogurt..the cheap generic brand since I can't afford to use regular bottled milk (too expensive and my boys go through 3 gals/wk!) to make yogurt. I happened to have some plain yogurt in my fridge and thought I'd give it a shot‚ but it barely did anything. Next time I get a chance‚ I'll try making some homemade yogurt first‚ then make labneh. I've also got to do some running around to try to find rennet... |
| On Thu 03 Jun 2004, David
F. said: KRIS: Can't imagine that plain white handkerchiefs aren't in your local variety store‚ but any fine weave cotten cloth will serve as a milk filter. Some folks turn their noses up at Junket tablets‚ but they are the same as rennet. In fact‚ the tablets have a longer shelf life than liquid rennet. (Do NOT use flavored Junket pudding with rennet‚ obviously.) How long did you let your yogurt drip? I hope you used homemade yogurt; artificially thickened commercial yogurt may not separate as well. |
| On Wed 02 Jun 2004, Kris
said: I love your website! I have a couple of questions‚ though... what size handkerchief do you use‚ and what do I do if I can't find a handkerchief? Unfortunately‚ they are not as widely sold as they used to be.Also‚ one cheesemaking tutorial said NOT to use Junket brand rennet‚ that it's "not the same thing as cheesemaking rennet"‚ not that it matters since I can't seem to find it anyway.I tried Labneh‚ but it didn't drain off the whey hardly at all‚ it was just as liquidy as when I started‚ even though it had long since stopped dripping. used walmart 'ladies' handkerchief & yogurt. |
| On Mon 17 May 2004, Ginger
said: Love your site‚ thanks for all the work and info. WHERE DO YOU FIND THE TIME!? I have goats; since finding your site I have been anxiously waiting for milk production to exceed demand (we drink ALOT of milk!)...I anticipate my first cheesemaking attempt in the next few days. Wish me luck‚ and keep up the good work! |
| On Sun 02 May 2004, David
F. said: LAURENT: Thanks to the support of the University of Cincinnati‚ this site has been up since before 1999‚ and‚ depending on their continued support‚ will be up for the foreseeable future. (Ah‚ the fragility of the web world. It worries me.) Let us know how your cheese projects go‚ and how we can improve this site. The French are master cheese makers--what is your connection with the French? |
| On Sun 02 May 2004, David
F. said: JOYCE IN KS!!!: Old friend--Thanks for the feedback on your recipe for American Mozzarella (you are famous!). Yes‚ the stage of lactation makes a big difference in the process and it the quality of the cheese. I attribute the "failures" I have had in recent years to rich milk shortly after freshening. I still occasionally see references to old Lactobacillus Board contributers Dominic and Ric. |
| On Thu 29 Apr 2004, Joyce
in KS said: Hi David! Just wanted to let you know that I'm still out here making lots of cheese & yogurt in Kansas‚ but with 4 children to homeschool now‚ I just haven't had much time to talk about it!! Glad to see the site is still here and going strong! |
| On Thu 29 Apr 2004, Joyce
in KS said: to Chris Larson---It is possible that there is a little too much citric acid in the mozzarella cheese that you were making. Different amounts seem to be needed in different parts of our goats' lactation‚ and I have to adjust during the milking season. What kind of milk are you using? Even if it doesn't come out really smooth and melty‚ the cheese is still useful in cooking--like in lasagna. Also‚ this mozz. can be frozen and used later. I've got a 4 1/2 gallon batch finishing up on the stove right now‚ but I have "failures" occasionally even after 4 or 5 years of making it. |
| On Wed 28 Apr 2004, Laurent
said: Hi guys‚ this line just to thank you. I find your site amazing‚ being an amateur cheese maker myself (using a french book)‚ I found lots of additional explanations and new techniques to experiment. Congratulations for this fantastic work.Hope you'll keep the site alive long enough to give me a chance to try everything. Cheers Laurent |
| On Wed 21 Apr 2004, David
F. said: CHRIS: Measure quantities very carefully. The times in the microwave vary according to the wattage of your microwave. Try pouring 1/2 gallon 80 C (175 F) water over a pound of curds to see if it spins better than using the microwave technique. (Don't know what "for longer worse" means.) |
| On Sun 18 Apr 2004, chris
larson said: tried to make your american moozzarella and when I got to the microwave portion it really failed it would not come together tried mic for longer worse? can you help? thank you chris |
| On Wed 14 Apr 2004, Mark
Bulger said: Thank you‚ for this wonderful website. I am a big believer in making it at home and have always had a strange love of all things fermented. I feel we are losing our touch with making the simple things in life and taking the time to learn and make cheese or beer or anything else‚ gives us a connection to life that is so important. Thanks so much. |
| On Tue 06 Apr 2004, David
F. said: TEENAGER: I loved your comment! Thanks. I know exactly where you are coming from. Never are new projects more interesting than when you have a deadline task weighing on you. Please don't leave us hanging! What cheese will you make? I suggest either labneh from yogurt‚ or neufchatel. Did you see the page on Beginning Cheesemaking linked to my main page? |
| On Mon 05 Apr 2004, Teenager
said: Haha‚ these site is awesome‚ for some reason I'm compelled to make cheese. Even though I'm onl 17 and I should be typing up a paper >.> |
| On Fri 02 Apr 2004, W.
D. Bathgate said: Thanks very much. I'm trying the buttermilk approach as we speak. SO‚ I gather that acidic cheeses are a "now" sort of thing where bacteria cheeses are the ones that age and become hard? I appriciate your help‚Wes |
| On Thu 01 Apr 2004, Kathy
Fick said: I try to make a different type of cheese each year. I found your page this year and I'm going to try 2 or 3 this year. Thank you. |
| On Sat 27 Mar 2004, David
F. said: CARLOS: Check out New England Cheese Making Supply (http://www.cheesemaking.com/) for the precise cultures for buttermilk if you do not have fresh cultured buttermilk available. |
| On Sat 27 Mar 2004, Carlos
Bauza said: Looking for buttermilk in the internet‚ your site came up! Thanks! Is it possible to purchase cultured bacteria for making buttermilk? I cannot get any sort of buttermilk in Puerto Rico.Please help. |
| On Wed 24 Mar 2004, David
F. said: W.D.: Mascarpone‚ according to the recipe I use‚ is acidified with tartaric acid‚ not bacterial fermentation. Thus‚ it will not get any more tart than it is immediately upon preparation. "Aging" it will only encourage contaminating bacteria to grow‚ and can cause off flavors. Two solutions: 1) use a little more tartaric acid than the recipe currently calls for‚ or 2) try inoculating the cream with 1/8th part buttermilk just before you add the tartaric acid. The buttermilk will cause continued fermentation with "good" bacteria. |
| On Sun 21 Mar 2004, W.
D. Bathgate said: DAVID:I did make some good mascarpone but it never really developed any "tang" to it before it started to smell like bad milk. How do I get the aged flavor out of it? |
| On Thu 18 Mar 2004, David
F. said: U. CURJEL: Because one scalds and cools milk before making yogurt‚ the scalding is actually MORE than pasteurizing it. So‚ no need to pasteurize. Use the fresh milk (even better‚ use it immediatelty while still warm). Pay attention to proper cooling to below 55 C before adding the starter. |
| On Wed 17 Mar 2004, U.Curjel
said: Great site! This week I'll try making yoghurt. I have access to farm fresh (cooled) cows milk. Is it necessary to pastureize it or can I use it "raw"? |
| On Sun 14 Mar 2004, al
said: thank you |
| On Sun 07 Mar 2004, David
F. said: MAZIM: I am sure there should be little problem mixing a variety of fresh high quality milks‚ though the precise times for a clean break‚ and the quality of the firmness of the curd will vary. Pay close attention at each stage (see my page on basic cheese)‚ and make the slight modifications necessary. Please keep us informed about your findings. |
| On Sat 06 Mar 2004, mazin
marji said: I like your web site and I would like to ask a question: is it OK to make white cheese by mixing milk from cow‚sheep and goat and what is the best way to do that? Thanks |
| On Tue 24 Feb 2004, Sandy
said: Your directions are wonderful! Thanks so much for the detailed information. I have a housefull of children..all were excited and even the non readers could check if I was doing it right. Thanks again |
| On Sun 22 Feb 2004, David
F. said: STEVE: Officially‚ skyr needs a special starter from previously made skyr‚ but an approximation is: 1) Scald 1 gal skim milk‚ cool to 100 F. 2) Stir in 2 tsp cultured buttermilk (should be skyr for starter). 3) Dissolve 1 rennet tablet in 1/4 cup cool water‚ stir into milk. 4) Let sit at 80 F for 4-5 hours until soft clean break. 5) Cut curd‚ drain in cloth like labneh. Here is a web site for skyr. Or cut and paste: http://www.isholf.is/gullis/jo/Miscellaneous.htm#thet |
| On Sun 22 Feb 2004, David
F. said: INGRID: Temp and humidity especially affect the curing of cheese. Yes‚ the type of milk affects the taste and consistency of cheese. For instance‚ the best mozzarella is made from water buffalo milk. (Do you have that available in Indonesia?) But a cheese can be made from any milk. Go to my page on Beginning Cheese Making for suggestions for first projects. Moz is a bit of a challenge. |
| On Sat 21 Feb 2004, Ingrid
said: Dear Dr.Fankhauser‚I just love your website‚ it gave me a lot of information on the chemistry of cheesemaking.I currently residing in Indonesia‚ went to school in United States before and also a cheese lover.In Indonesia‚ it is so expensive to purchase cheese and fresh mozzarella is just not available.Now I will test on making the cheese.I am wondering if the humidity (temperature) and the type of milk will affect my cheese making process?Thank you‚Ingrid |
| On Sat 21 Feb 2004, Rose
said: Thank you Thank you Thank you! As a true homesteader wanna be‚ I am seeking all info related to dairy and cheesemaking. I needed some true basic information. I will try this prior to my moving south to the ranch after retirement. |
| On Fri 20 Feb 2004, Steve
Sykes said: I am quite impressed with your cheese pages. Do you have a recipe for Icelandic Skyr? |
| On Wed 18 Feb 2004, David
F. said: Eric: Freezing yeast is good for storing for long periods (maybe even a year)‚ but several cycles of freezing/thawing is a killer. You should perform the classic test: 1 Tbl yeast‚ 1 tsp sugar‚ 1/4 cup warm water. Mix thoroughly. If it doesn't foam up in 15 minutes‚ it will do a poor job of raising bread. |
| On Wed 18 Feb 2004, Eric
said: What is the proper way to store yeast and for how long can it be stored? I have some leftover yeast for my breadmachine that I put in the freezer but its been sitting in there for about a year so its probably not good anymore‚ right? |
| On Sun 15 Feb 2004, David
F. said: JONATHAN: Yes‚ frozen buttermilk is interchangable with fresh buttermilk if it is kept fozen solid (0 F or below) and tightly sealed. The bacteria are relatively unaffected by the freezing (but they do not like repeated freeze/thaw cycles). And yes‚ it would work perfectly in pancakes. However‚ I only freeze it so that the culture remains pure over several months. |
| On Sun 15 Feb 2004, Jonathan
said: i notice you use frozen buttermilk in one of your recipes...does freezing kill the milk's culture? is frozen buttermilk interchangeable with fresh? ie can you still make buttermilk pancakes with thawed buttermilk...with the same effect? love your cheeses! |
| On Sat 14 Feb 2004, W.
D. Bathgate said: THANK YOU! :>) After only two tries I got a clean break and made my first cheese with your 1-gallon recipe!And on the third try I actually made CHEESE!:>).I was able to find a Beer makers supply store that had Tartaric acid and made some of the best tasting Mascarpone Ive ever had.I cant get it in my local store either which made it a REAL treat.Anyway‚ thanks again. Youve really made may year.Wes |
| On Fri 13 Feb 2004, David
F. said: BATHGATE: You answered your own question re. liquid rennet equivalence vs tablet (1 tsp = 1 tablet). Re. chemical acid use in cheese making: I already mentioned I prefer bacterial acidification. If you want to use chemicals‚ purchase pH paper and add sufficient acid powder to reach the desired pH. Tartaric acid (a crust formed during wine fermentation is used in air bags and cosmetics) is more acidic than cream of tartar. (I.e. use more "cream" than "acid.") |
| On Fri 13 Feb 2004, W.
D. Bathgate said: Ok‚ I have another one.Does using cream of tartar have the same affect as tartaric acid?They do differ somewhat in composition.Thanks‚Wes |
| On Fri 13 Feb 2004, W.
D. Bathgate said: By the way‚ sorry for so many questions I've become VERY inspired. |
| On Tue 10 Feb 2004, W.
D. Bathgate said: OK‚I found the rennet liquid to tablet equivalent on your pages. Thanks much. I still need to know what happens when you use too much/little. Also I can't find citric acid powder anywhere but the net and I don't like ordering. Can ascorbic acid be used to make mozzarella? |
| On Mon 09 Feb 2004, W.
D. Bathgate said: Thanks David. My next question is two fold. First‚ How much liquid rennet to tablet rennet?And second‚ What happens when you use too much or too little rennet? |
| On Mon 09 Feb 2004, Diana
said: Thank you!! Do you know how difficult is‚ first of all‚ to find cheesemaking instructions at all? If there are some‚ they often assume we know more than we really do. Your instructions are wonderful! I was especially impressed with the fact that you actually tell what rennet is‚ and WHERE IT CAN BE FOUND. WOW! That wes my biggest question. Maybe I'm unusually dim-witted‚ but I don't think so. I'm getting fresh farm milk this morning‚ and now at least I know where to get rennet. Wish me luck. |
| On Sun 08 Feb 2004, moazam
said: how do i get the colour of kraft cheese (yellow) |
| On Sat 07 Feb 2004, David
F. said: Moazam: I strongly endorse the use of metric system for measuring. I try to include both English and Metric on my pages. At home I would like to metric (esp. temperature)‚ but often use Tbl‚ tsp‚ cups‚ etc... Please let me know which pages do not include metric measurements. |
| On Sun 08 Feb 2004, moazam
azam said: After searching for a week and viewing different sites i found your site most intertesting and easy to follow.However i havent yet started actually making cheese.The Measures and weights are given in Gallons and pounds which are rarely used in India.If litres and KGs is used it is easy to follow |
| On Fri 06 Feb 2004, David
F. said: W.D. I rarely make cheese with exogenous acid (I prefer acidification by fermentation)‚ but I am certain that you can substitute lemon juice for tartaric acid. There are vinegar cheeses too‚ but these don't seem appetizing to me. Calculating the conversion factor for tartaric acid to lemon juice is a good challenge for a student of chemistry... anyone? |
| On Tue 03 Feb 2004, W.
D. Bathgate said: I'd like to know if Lemon juice can be substituted for tartaric acid in making cheese.If so‚ what is the conversion? |
| On Mon 26 Jan 2004, David
F. said: ANVAH: We live in a 150 year old house with a stone (unheated) basement. I can age cheese quite nicely there in the winter (about 45-50 F) If I need higher humidity‚ I age in an unpluged refrigerator in the basement. In the summer‚ I use a refrigerator with the thermostat turned as high as it will go. I adjust the humidity with a pan of water of the diameter which yields desired humidity. |
| On Sat 24 Jan 2004, Anvah
said: Dear David‚How do you maintain proper humidity and temperature at home? I'm making my first Mozzarella from your page. I'd like to try Cheddar eventually. But the aging has me worried since I have no room to maintain the proper temperature or humidity. (Fridge is the closest I can think of. )Thanks‚Anvah |
| On Wed 21 Jan 2004, Bobbi
Harris said: David‚ you should really write a book on Cheese Making for Dummies! This place is great! I had made cheeses with my aunt years ago when she had a small dairy goat herd‚ we now have our own small farm and yes that includes our dairy girls! I now make goats milk soaps and cheese. Your recipes break things down so nice‚ that I can't wait to get my kids into the cheese making! Even tho they don't eat much of it! Mom does!!! Thank you so much!!!! |
| On Thu 08 Jan 2004, David
F. said: THOMAS: Whether you "hurt" the cheddar by aging it in the same container as blue is a matter of taste‚ but you will certainly get Penicillium growing on the cheddar‚ and get a bit of the blue 'tang' in its flavor. If you want to preserve the cheddar nature of your cheese‚ it should be aged separately from the blue. |
| On Mon 05 Jan 2004, thomas
bricker said: i have made a blue cheese and a farmhouse chedder and am ageing them both in the same cooler. now the farmhouse chedder is getting a blue mold on outside and was wondering if it is taking on the blue mold and flavor. you can age them together cant you with out hurting them |
| On Sat 03 Jan 2004, David
F. said: ANN: While there will be differences in a given cheese based on which milk source is used‚ to my knowledge‚ the recipes I have posted will work with any untainted milk. I use goat milk because that is what I have‚ but have used store-bought cow's milk with success. I know from experience that store milk works fine for yogurt and many cheeses. However‚ reconstituted powdered milk may not be satisfactory‚ in my experience. |
| On Fri 02 Jan 2004, Ann
said: I love your page and I believe it has given me the courage to try making cheese. But I have a question...when you say "milk" as in your yogurt or basic cheese receipe‚ do you mean fresh‚ unprocessed COW's milk? Your other recipes (like feta) say "goat's milk." I will have goat's milk‚ so does that mean I can't use your recipes that just say "milk"? Obviously‚ I'm new to this...your thoughts would be appreciated! - Ann |
| On Thu 01 Jan 2004, Glenn
L. said: OK no swiss yet‚ but I did get a lively culture from a small amount of Jarlsberg today...perhaps cheddar or gruyere. They can't kill the culture without ruining the cheese is my theory. |
| On Thu 01 Jan 2004, David
F. said: MAKING SWISS CHEESE: Dean‚ you motivated me to post the Swiss cheese recipe I have had for a while. It is at Making Swiss Cheese. You will see that it is a challenge... |
| On Thu 01 Jan 2004, David
F. said: GLENN: I do not recommend that anyone new to cheesemaking attempt Swiss cheese. (See my page on Beginning Cheesemaking.) Swiss cheese is quite complex‚ requiring an additional specific bacterial culture not used in other cheeses (Propionibacter shermanii) plus a complex series of temps‚ humidities and salt baths‚ taking up to a year to complete. To answer your question‚ it is plausible that live cells of this bacterium survive in mature Swiss cheese. However‚ to attempt this cheese the first time‚ I would purchase the culture from New England Cheesemaking (see my links). |
| On Thu 01 Jan 2004, Glenn
L. said: Your Cheese Page has inspired me to try making cheese myself (today‚ in fact). I am thinking that commercial cheeses still contain useable cultures‚ I.E. swiss cheese‚ jarlsberg‚etc. Am I correct or crazy? |
| On Fri 12 Dec 2003, David
F. said: Look on my page on Beginning Cheesemaking under the discussion of milk. The short answer is that one can make cheese with most any store bought milk. |
| On Tue 09 Dec 2003, Dean
Logan said: I'm interested in making cheese‚ but have not been able to find a source for raw milk or just pasteurized milk(not homogenized). My only source is homogenized milk I buy in the store. Do I need to perform any additonal steps when using homogenized milk and what kind of end product will result‚ i.e. quality‚ etc.?Since I believe this is a problem in many states now I think it would be informative if you would address this on your website.Thank You |
| On Tue 25 Nov 2003, David
F. said: BILL: You don't need much brine to preserve feta‚ only enough to cover. If there is any of the original brine‚ you could put the cheese and remaining brine in a ziplock bag‚ close out the air‚ and seal it. Yes‚ replacement brine as specified would work‚ but you may not need it as strong since the cheese is already fully brined. I would try 1/2 cup water and a tablespoon and a half of salt. Don't save it TOO long... |
| On Tue 25 Nov 2003, Bill
said: Dear Dr. Fankhauser:I purchased some Bulgarian Feta Cheese and the carton leaked. I lost all the brine. Reviewing your recipe‚ ph. 11 it would appear that all I need to make a replacement brine is 20oz water and 5 tbls salt. Is this correct? I thought i needed to heat some milk and add salt. what do you say?Thank you. |
| On Sat 22 Nov 2003, David
F. said: PERRY: Fresh mozzarella is a mild tender cheese. While "no taste" may not be accurate‚ it should never be strong flavored. The part that most often gives people problems is getting the "spin." You GOT IT! Mozzarella takes on flavors of the dishes into which it is cooked. It is especially good in lasagna! I presume you have had fresh Italian mozzarella to compare it with? |
| On Wed 19 Nov 2003, Perry
Fielder said: Thank you for producing this site. With your instructions it is as close as I have come to making cheese after 4 trys. I got through it all and the mozarella looks like mozarella and acted like you said it would while making it. But my wife said it had no taste. (I lost my tongue and other stuff to cancer) I can't figure out what happened. I had a clean break‚ it strung out and balled up ok.Do you have any ideas? |
| On Sat 15 Nov 2003, David
F. said: ROBERT: While I have not yet made swiss cheese‚ it‚ like most other cheeses‚ has bacterial starter added to it to acidify and add flavor. Bacteria unique to swiss makes propionic acid which gives swiss its bite. I imagine this is the taste to which you refer. Assuming that the swiss cheese you have has not been pasteurized‚ let a block of it age at 50-55 F for a month or two. See if that does not kick up the bite a notch or two. There is a web site for Carr Valley Cheeses in Wisconsin: http://www.carrvalleycheese.com/InTheNews.asp |
| On Thu 13 Nov 2003, Robert
said: I found your site to be interesting as I had stumbled across it while looking for another Ohio Cheesemaker that I cannot locate on the internet.. I am indeed a lover of cheese in general but a good strong / aged swiss is something that seems to be elusive to me. I would be very interested to hear from you about how swiss cheese becomes strong andor more flavorful. I may not be describing the taste I like well enough though. and...... I had seen a sticker somewhere mentioning a" Carr Family Cheesemaker " in Ohio for over 100 years and i am not familiar with them; might you be ? Thank |
| On Wed 12 Nov 2003, robert
chambers said: Thanks very much for the information. The cheese came out pretty good and we all enjoyed. |
| On Sat 01 Nov 2003, Dave
Cole said: Incredible site.Absolutely amazed at the depth of your knowledge!I hope you keep the site up forever! |
| On Thu 02 Oct 2003, David
F. said: PAMELA: I must preface by saying that I aim for cheese which has NO additives except milk‚ inoculum and rennet. But apparently KNO3 can be added to inhibit certain unwanted bacteria from growing. It can be added to the milk before making cheese‚ or to the curds before pressing. C&P the following URL for a brief description: http://www.finestkind.co.za/ingredients.htm Let us know when your novel is published se we can see the reference! |
| On Thu 02 Oct 2003, Pamela
said: Many thanks! I'll be happy to make reference to this cheese page. |
| On Sun 28 Sep 2003, Pamela
said: This site exceeded my highest hopes for what I'd find on the internet. Thanks! Q: I'm writing a murder mystery and want to plant potassium nitrate at a suspect's house. I've read it has been used as a preservative for cheese. If it were you‚ dear cheese guru‚ at what point in the (blue) cheesemaking process would you add this chemical‚ and do you have any comments on this?Why add preservatives if aging is good for cheese? Does your blue cheese (from recipe) have a shelf-life? Thanks again! |
| On Sat 27 Sep 2003, David
F. said: ERTUGRUL: Although I did not learn any new recipes for cheeses‚ I did eat white peynir (cheese) for breakfast every day with our olives‚ got to see a cheese factory in Selcuk‚ and spoke about Turkish cheeses with some wonderful friends in Istanbul who supply material to cheese makers in Turkey. Click to see some pictures I took in Turkey. It was the richest seven days of our lives! |
| On Mon 22 Sep 2003, Ertugrul
said: Thanks David. I will check the items. Could you plaese inform us about your travel to Turkey ? Did you meet any cheese producer ? And have a new cheese receipt ? :)) Regards |
| On Sun 21 Sep 2003, David
F. said: ERTUGRUL: Check my page on problems getting a clean break (http://biology.clc.uc.edu/Fankhauser/Cheese/Problem_getting_a_clean_break.html) . Also‚ never disturb the milk after the rennet has been added. It sounds like you may have stirred the milk during the coagulation phase? I do not think your temperatures would cause the problem you describe. |
| On Sun 21 Sep 2003, David
F. said: RICK: I have not used calcium chloride in the past‚ but speaking with friends in Turkey this past week‚ they use CaCl2 to firm up curd. I don't know if it could make it bitter. Check the web for quantites to use. Often bitter is due to milk that is off‚ or starter that is not pure. It should not be a problem to get good curd with store milk. Follow the temps carefully. |
| On Sun 21 Sep 2003, Ertugrul
said: Hi David‚ Thanks for your page. I'm trying to make Feta cheese but now this two times its coming like yoghurt. Before the Feta I finished very well Neufchatel Cheese and Farmers Cheese. I am living in Suriname / South America and room temperature is naturally 35-30 C. Where is Im making mistake ? I am using cow's milk. I know the temperature is little bit more than your suggest. Could you please help me ?Regards‚Ertugrul |
| On Tue 16 Sep 2003, Rick
said: Thanks David for all of your help. I have managed to get curds‚ but only with the addition of calcium chloride. However‚ the cheese comes out so bitter that you can't stand to eat it and it winds up going to my pot bellied pig. She loves it. Is this due to the use of the calcium chloride‚ if so. How do I get store bought milk to made firm curds without it? I have no way to get milk that has not been homogenized. Thanx Rick |
| On Wed 10 Sep 2003, Sandra
Douglas said: Thanks for all the information. I have only started making cheese a week or two ago and enjoy it very much. I am hoping that my daughter will use you web page for her history this year. Thanks again Sandra (Samm) Douglas |
| On Sun 31 Aug 2003, Helen
H. said: Thank you for sharing your work‚ your interests‚ and family with us. What an interesting and educational website. I found a wonderful buttermilk in Ohio and want to culture more of it here in PA. Thanks again. Helen H. in PA. |
| On Tue 26 Aug 2003, Cassandra
said: I NEED HELP!!!IF SOMEONE CAN HELP ME PLEASE EMAIL ME AT enchantedflame16@yahoo.com |
| On Sat 23 Aug 2003, David
F. said: We are going to Turkey 11 Sept thru 18 Sept! We are eager to meet people there‚ especially if they are cheese makers‚ are dairy people‚ or are interested in connecting with Americans with those interests. Anyone have friends in Western Turkey or have any pointers in the above topics? If so‚ you can either post an answer or click on the blue "David F." to send me an email. Thanks in advance‚ David F. |
| On Sat 23 Aug 2003, Robert
Peters said: Dear Dr. Fankhauser: I want to say‚ "superb job on your website." It's very informative and concise. From cheese making to homemade root beer‚ it's wonderfully educational! |
| On Wed 20 Aug 2003, David
F. said: Making tofu is on my list of projects to which I look forward. Finding a good source of soy beans is the first prerequisite (or using soy milk). A search on the web will turn up recipes for how to make tofu. I have been in communication with a Japanese woman who makes it‚ and as soon as I make it‚ will publish on the web. |
| On Sun 17 Aug 2003, donna
said: do you know how to make cheese with soymilk & no casinate? |
| On Mon 11 Aug 2003, Anita
said: Hi David ‚ you were right‚ I checked my thermometer and it inaccurately read 208 at boiling. Am anxious to try again after I recalibrated it. Another question‚ please...can we use the whey left over from making cheese to lacto-ferment vegetables??Thanks for all your help |
| On Sat 09 Aug 2003, David
F. said: ANITA: High temperature during the 'cooking' of the curd will make the curd rubbery. Check the accuracy & precision of your thermometer by measuring temp of ice water and boiling water. IT sounds like the curd got to hot. |
| On Mon 04 Aug 2003, mgg
said: David‚ will whole cow's milk from the grocery work for your Feta recipe and how long should I brine it?Someone told me that hers disintegrated in the brine - she thinks it is due to using supermarket milk. Please let me know your experience with Feta. |
| On Mon 04 Aug 2003, Anita
said: Hello David‚I would appreciate some advice on what I did wrong with a batch of large curd cottage cheese I just made. I used 4 oz. meso culture‚ 1/8 liq rennet in 1 gallon of skim milk. I believe I followed the temp fairly close but it turned out rubbery‚ and only produced 1/2 the amount the recipe said it would. It doesn't taste bad‚ it's just that it's like eating little erasers! I know you don't use the liquid rennet or meso culture but it's what I have on hand. Maybe I should switch. Thanks Anita |
| On Sun 03 Aug 2003, Evelynn
said: I design point of sale systems for pizza restraunts‚ and sample the food on numerous occasions :P I can assume that I am not allergic to milk products. All of the products (yogurt/buttermilk/whole milk) were purchased that same day from a large supermarket chain. (checked expiry dates)I had approx a 2 inch diameter portion of the cheese‚ as did my boyfriend. He also felt very ill afterwards. (30min - 1h). |
| On Sun 03 Aug 2003, Evelynn
said: Pt 2. In retrospect the only thing that did not turn out like the pictures was when I cooked the curds I might have cooked them too long. Because they were almost too hot to handle. |
| On Sun 03 Aug 2003, David
F. said: EVELYNN I presume you are referring to 'explosive' diarrhea (and possibly vomiting)? If this occurred within 30 minutes of eating any food‚ it would be because of a toxin (or allergen) in the food (an intoxication)‚ not a bacterial infection. The most likely culprit would be Staph. aureus (which makes enterotoxins) in either the milk or the inoculating cultures. Pathogens do not multiply well in acid conditions such as acidified milk. The first thing would be to check the expiration dates on your materials. [Text size limitation require a second submission: see post below.] |
| On Sun 03 Aug 2003, David
F. said: (Evelynn‚ pt 2): It is also possible that it is 'coincidental.' You ate something else toxic during the same time frame. For 'explosive' diarrhea‚ it would have had to be eaten within just a couple of hours‚ not the day before. Finally‚ I presume that you are not allergic to milk products? Did you eat unusually large quantites of the cheese? Did anyone else sample them with you? Did they have the same effect on them?I have never heard of this kind of reaction to fresh cheeses. There are diseases which can be passed thru raw milk‚ but they usually develop within 30 minutes. |
| On Sat 02 Aug 2003, mgg
said: I made my first renneted cheese - Neufchatel! It tastes very pleasant‚ slightly tangy‚ added 1.5 tsp kosher salt. I followed the recipe and it took 26 hrs to get a clean break; the curd was very fragile‚ though‚ and as I started laddling it my little cubes disappeared. I assume‚ that is what I should expect with cold renneting. I used grocery purchased whole cow's milk and buttermilk.Now‚ that I am on a roll‚ what should I try next? (I like fresh unripened cheeses). May be Feta? |
| On Sat 02 Aug 2003, Evelynn
said: Ok tried making the italian mozz cheese. Everything turned out OK. I ate some and it tasted like mozzarella. Thirty minutes later... Explosive trip to the restroom. I did sterilize the pot but only used a dishwasher on the utensils.What possibly types of "bad" bacteria might I have met? |
| On Wed 30 Jul 2003, mgg
said: Thanks‚ I will be using whole milk.David‚ when making Neufchatel do you test for a clean break in the curd?Also‚ I assume that the temperatures specified in your recipes should not be adjusted for the garden variety supermarket milk‚ is this correct? |
| On Wed 30 Jul 2003, David
F. said: MCG: One can make very fine cheese from store bought milk. If you make it with whole milk‚ the flavor will be richer. Partially skimmed less so‚ and skimmed milk may be very mild. I have not had good luck with reconstituted powdered milk. Also‚ (although I have never resorted to this) some say that addition of lipase to store bought milk improves the flavor. (See the link to New England Cheese Supplies.) Keep us informed! |
| On Wed 30 Jul 2003, MGG
said: This is a very interesting site‚ thank you!I am planning to make all the soft cheeses. I live in an urban area and can only access a dairy case of a local supermarket. Any advise on what I should expect in terms of taste? |
| On Tue 29 Jul 2003, David
F. said: KAY: Indeed‚ it IS possible to subculture mold from fungally cultured cheeses to make you own version of these expensive cheeses. For how to do it‚ look at my recipe for blue cheese linked to my main cheese page. Essentially‚ you collect a sample of the desired mold‚ suspend in water‚ and lightly wash the curds with the suspension before pressing. Brie is a CHALLENGING cheese‚ requiring carefully controlled temp‚ humiditiy and turning. Blue cheese is easier. |
| On Tue 29 Jul 2003, Kay
said: Firstly - Thankyou! I've had a great deal of fun lately trying out all your recipes :) - Cheddar all waxed and in the fridge‚ ricotta great‚ feta just about ready to eat‚ and last nights magical mozzarella spinning was the highlight so far - and tastes gorgeous!Your recipes really do work first time for dummies (biggest case in point of all: ME) - and the video's are really valuable to watch (and a good laugh ;)) Do you think it would be possible to culture some mould from store-bought brie and use it to make a brew to coat a cheese with? Any guesses on how you'd tackle this?Thanks again -K |
| On Sat 19 Jul 2003, David
F. said: BRIAN: The concern about high altitude cooking is that water boils at a lower temperature. Therefore‚ steamed or boiled foods cook at a lower temp and require a longer cooking time. There should be NO problem if you use a monitoring thermometer because it is in fact the TEMPERATURE at which foods are cooked which is the key factor. There is little problem with aged cheeses in terms of pathogenic bacteria. With fresh cheese‚ you must have good quality milk and starter. Many is the cheese project which‚ altho it did not turn out as expected‚ became a delicious 'something else...' |
| On Sun 13 Jul 2003, Brian
D.Young said: Fantastic site. I'm also curious to the temp. differences at higher altitudes as another persons has asked. I'm at 5-6000ft. My wife said she doesn't want to get sick and die from my cooking experiments! Is there a concern about eating something not done just right? Also‚ if something comes out weird can you salvage it by putting it into somthing else? Thanks- BDY |
| On Sun 13 Jul 2003, Eva
Hughes said: I made the cheese in the video. The biggest stainless pot I have holds 4 gal‚ so I used 3-gal milk‚ 1 cup live cultured yogurt‚ 1/2 tablet Junket rennet. I had no problem with clean break. I might have cooked it to long. The curds were floating on top of the whey. Yes the curds stretch and pull like taffy. I tried not to do that to it‚ but then they all stuck together. It was the consistency of bread dough when I put it in the press. Thank you so much for all your help. I think your web site is the best I have found. It is so nice to have you share your knowledge with others. |
| On Sun 13 Jul 2003, David
F. said: EVA: Which cheese were you making? Did you follow the directions explicitly? Curds will naturally meld together if left unstirred in warm whey. By "stringy‚" do you mean that the curds stretch and pull like taffy? This occurs when the whey is quite acid and too warm. (This trait is much sought after for mozzarella.) The cheese may be OK even with these unexpected results. |
| On Sat 12 Jul 2003, Eva
Hughes said: Everything went fine until I went to drain off the whey. All the curds started sticking together and got stringy. By the time I drained off the whey it was one glob of cheese. I salted it the best I could and put it in the press. Where did I go wrong‚ and is the cheese going to be any good? Should I toss it out? I need some help here? Thank you for your help. |
| On Fri 04 Jul 2003, David
F. said: LAURA: "Not getting a lot of curds and whey?" Perhaps you mean you are not getting a lot of curds? By definition‚ one gallon of milk makes exactly one gallon of curds and whey. Depending on which recipe you are using (which one ARE you using?)‚ you should get at least a pound of curds per gallon of milk. Give us more info for a diagnosis. |
| On Thu 03 Jul 2003, Laura
said: I'm making goats milk cheese and I'm not getting alot of curds and whey. What can I do?Thank youLaura |
| On Sat 21 Jun 2003, Howard
Cohen said: Having a great time. Have made several soft cheeses and have started to build my own cheese press. Only problem is a milk intolerance that requires a bit of self control |
| On Sat 14 Jun 2003, David
F. said: RUBY: I am excited to get your email on Mozzarella di bufallo‚ as we learned to love it in Naples‚ Italy. I presume you are in Italia? I eagerly look forward to my next visit to Italy‚ and will take you up on your offer! An assignment for you: would you ask the folks that make the mozzarella (where you live?) what bacterial starter they use for their mozzarella? I use a mix of buttermilk and yogurt‚ but am uncertain what is used traditionally in Italy. Grazie mille‚ David F. |
| On Sat 14 Jun 2003, David
F. said: KRIS: If you have handled your milk carefully (see my page on "Proper Handling of Milk")‚ you can use milk as old as a week if it tastes sweet. I often do this when the goats are tapering off‚ since it takes that long to accumulate 5 gallons of milk. An advantage of milk this old is that the cream has separated enough that you can make a batch of ice cream (see recipe). I responded separately that I don't think your altitutude would seriously affect cheese making. David F. |
| On Fri 13 Jun 2003, Ruby
said: I will soon be able to acquire raw water buffalo milk and will be trying the Buffalo Mozz recipe. If you ever get to Italy‚ i invite you to see‚ do‚ assist my sister in law in making ricotta on her farm in the mountains...plus‚ this is the same area of the world that makes Italian Buffalo Mozz‚ and i am certain that you would be welcome to watch‚ as they do it behind glass for the public to see‚ also ... my other brother in law knows the family and could get you in‚ if you wished.Please save my email address.....just in case. I will visit again‚ after i get my milk and make your recipe. |
| On Fri 06 Jun 2003, Suzanne
D said: Finish for post on whey cheese. Float cheese in combination of 1 quart of white wine and 1 quart salt brine for 4 days. I also added lemon verbena to this. Eat immediately. My husband has flipped over this cheese. |
| On Thu 05 Jun 2003, David
F. said: SUZANNE: It is GREAT to get good feedback on my cheese pages! You are correct‚ the essentials of cheese making are not difficult‚ once clearly understood. Let us know how it tastes once you cut it open. Your "Whey Cheese" is a kind of flavored ricotta. You got cut off at the end of your recipe by the 'post length police...' Please repost! Thanx |
| On Sun 01 Jun 2003, Kris
said: Thank you for this site-have made yogurt and first 1 lb. of cheese from your very clear directions and my fresh goat's milk! Have a couple of questions though. I live in high altitude (nearly 5000 feet above sea level) and wonder if I need to adjust tempuratures accordingly. So far‚ I have had success using the same temps. as suggested in your directions. Also‚ my block of cheese was dry and with a yellowish rind after only 24 hours after pressing. Could this be because I live in a dry climate? Can I go ahead and wax the cheese now? Thanks! |
| On Sun 01 Jun 2003, Kris
said: One more question‚ please. I want to try the larger recipe with 5 gallons of milk‚ but to get that much milk I would need to use milk 2 1/2 days old. Do you think that will be fresh enough‚ or should I just make the smaller batches with the freshest milk? THANKS!! |
| On Sat 31 May 2003, Suzanne
D said: I have been struggling with making a good hard cheese for almost a year using direct cultures (MA). In each batch I experienced more failures. I just waxed my first batch using your your basic recipes and I think it will be a great success. Thank you for your simple‚ step by step recipes that seemed to take much of the mystery out of cheese.I wanted to share a great whey cheese recipe. Take the whey from 2 gallons of cheese. Boil to 200 degress‚ add 1/4 cup vinegar. Strain through fine cloth and weight (20 lbs) for 24 hours. Flavor for 4 days in 1 quart of wine and 1 quart of salted wa |
| On Wed 21 May 2003, Rick
said: I use raw cow milk for my moz and getting a good firm 'clean break' but when I make my moz pizza why it's get so yellow and grease‚ that because of to much fat in the milk if it's so what can I do? |
| On Sat 17 May 2003, David
F. said: CONNIE: I have made ricotta many‚ many times‚ but never with whey from yogurt. Check out my page on making ricotta‚ and see if it might satisfy your request for something to do with the whey from yogurt. |
| On Sat 17 May 2003, David
F. said: LISA: You are very observant. Yes‚ in my experience with feta‚ there is no warming (some call 'cooking') of the curd for this cheese. If anyone else out there has experience with feta‚ we would love to hear it. |
| On Sat 17 May 2003, David
F. said: RICK: Tried to respond to your post last week‚ but the cyber gods were not favorable... I do not know why you might be getting less cheese with your moz‚ but two ideas occur to me. One: What milk are you using? Commercial skimmed milk might make less curd. Second‚ are you getting a firm 'clean break' before you cut your curd? This would increase your yield. |
| On Tue 13 May 2003, Connie
said: Thank you SO much for the time you take to maintain you web site! It gave me the courage to try! I began making yogurt with your method "a long time ago" (? 3 years or so). My family says mine tastes better than store-bought and they can make it the flavor they choose. I often drain the yogurt and add powdered sugar (rather than salt) - we use this with fresh fruit and graham crackers - it tastes a bit like cream cheese. Question: is there a cheese that can be made from whey drained from the yogurt? (with no rennett) or do we just feed it to the dogs?. |
| On Mon 12 May 2003, Lisa
Almarode said: Thank you so much for this great site! I'm new to goat milking and new to cheesemaking‚ and I just made my first 1lb. of basic hard cheese and 6oz. ricotta from 1 gallon of milk. Your instructions were clear and wonderfully detailed. (you're missing a farenheit conversion in a spot or two) Question: for feta‚ on step 7‚ is there no heating involved to contract the curd? |
| On Sun 11 May 2003, Farid
said: Thank you very much. |
| On Tue 06 May 2003, Anne
said: Thank you so much for your beautifully documented recipes and instructions. You are very generous to provide such a resource. I can't wait to get to work. |
| On Mon 05 May 2003, Rick
said: I had use your Mozzarella recipe and it's work great‚ but I am getting less than 1/2 Lb 1 Gal of milk. Why ?. |
| On Sun 04 May 2003, Yolanda
said: Just want to say I love your site. I have spent all afternoon reading over it. I am excited to start "trying" my hand at making some cheeses other than yogurt and yogurt cheese. Uh oh could this be the beginnings of a new hobby? Thank you for such an informative site! |
| On Sun 04 May 2003, Elmo
said: IT'S ALL SO CONFUSING!!!WRITE A KID VERSION FOR THE KIDS NEXT YEAR THAT HAVE TO WRITE AN ESSAY ABOUT CHEESE OR OTHER FERMENTED STUFF! |
| On Sat 03 May 2003, David
F. said: BRIAN: I have never understood those who look down their noses at Junket tablets. I have never had problems with them. They keep better than liquid‚ are perfectly measured for 5 gallons of milk (1 tablet)‚ and are readily available at my local Supermarket. Check my page on rennet. CaCl2 apparently makes a firmer curd‚ and may improve cheese made with pasteurized milk. I have never used it‚ and have not felt the need. Reports are that the taste is affected by CaCl2‚ not necessarily for the better. Anyone else have experience with CaCl2? |
| On Wed 30 Apr 2003, Brian
said: David‚Just a quick question......just about every other source for cheesemaking states that "Junket" Rennet tablets are not adequate for making cheese. I realize you do well with it. Any comments / theories as to why the prevalent negative opinion on Junket? Thanx! |
| On Wed 30 Apr 2003, Brian
said: David‚Another quick question......there is a lot of documentation out there on Calcium Chloride use in cheese recipes that are based on store purchased homogenized milk. Is this an improvement? I realize with any hobby‚ there are those who will try to sell you anything and everything stating that you "must have this extra thing here...".Sorry for the comparisons as to what "others" are doing‚ I'm just trying to understand the differences.BTW - Beautiful website! Great job! |
| On Sat 26 Apr 2003, David
F. said: JANIS GRAHAM: You are correct that most cheeses are fermented. This is because‚ as a rule‚ a bacterial starter is added to acidify the milk so that the rennet enzyme will work well during coagulation. This acidification is a result of fermentation. Would you let us know the citation to the Finish study? |
| On Sat 26 Apr 2003, David
F. said: ANNE CUOZZO: Thanks for the feedback. Interesting that you had to use 3x the rennet. You DID add bacterial starter‚ right? It is especially impressive that you succeeded with the mozzarella since that is a more challenging cheese. Brava for concentrating on eating healthfully in a time of chemo (and afterward). We are pulling for you. |
| On Sat 26 Apr 2003, David
F. said: RICHARD THE K: (Sorry for the delay in answer.) You can certainly freeze whey until you have enough to make ricotta. I think it would be better to let it sit at room temp for 12-24 hours first‚ then freeze‚ then thaw and heat to near boiling. If you wait to acidify until after freezing‚ the bacteria might not be as active. BTW‚ you can make about 6 ounces from a gallon of whey. |
| On Mon 14 Apr 2003, roberto
markulin said: Hello David‚The cheese & home page are excelent.It will take a while for me to read all.I live in Buenos Aires‚ Argentina.Greetings‚Roberto. |
| On Fri 11 Apr 2003, anne
cuozzo said: Hi. I tried your Italian mozzerrella‚ and it came out great! I had to make some changes to it. I have just come off chemo for the 2nd time and have to be careful what I eat. I used pasterized‚ homogenized whole milk‚ added 1/4 cup heavy cream‚ but I had to use 3 rennet tabs to get it to come out right. I think this was because of the milk I used. With this success‚ I am going to try some of the other cheeses. Thank you for making it easy to follow. Sincerely‚ Anne Cuozzo |
| On Wed 26 Mar 2003, Janis
Graham said: Hi. I write a monthly women's health column for Redbook Magazine. I am reporting on a study from the University of Oulu in Finland‚ which found a link between consumption of fermented cheeses as well as yogurt and a reduced risk for urinary tract infections. I was hoping you might be able to tell me which cheeses commonly consumed in the US are fermented. Is it correct to assume that most cheese is fermented? Much thanks‚ Janis |
| On Mon 17 Mar 2003, David
F. said: THACH NGUYEN: I believe that using existing cheeses for an inoculum should be possible for a variety of cheeses‚ but not all. Stilton should work‚ since like other blues‚ the mold is introduced after the curds are formed. Brie and camenbert are a different story‚ but could plausibly be used if added at the milk stage rather than the curd stage. These latter require more careful attention to temp and humidity. |
| On Wed 12 Mar 2003, Juan
Torres said: Mr. David:I have been in a lot of sites reading about "home making cheese". Your site is the most complete . I feel confortable now to start trying. I will let you know how it goes. Thanks.JuanT |
| On Tue 11 Mar 2003, Richard
the K said: Now a question or three. You mention freezing buttermilk. Can you also freeze yogurt and have it maintain its "starter" properties? How about freezing whey 'til there's enough for a sizable batch of ricotta? I just threw out a couple of pints of whey. |
| On Tue 11 Mar 2003, Richard
the K said: A fine site‚ Dr. Fankhauser. Thank you. I'm just getting started‚ but here are some comments. I did the initial heating in a non-stick dutch oven‚ IN THE OVEN‚ figuring a non-point source of heat would eliminate any scorching problem. It did‚ but it took 4 hours @ 200. I'll try higher temp next time. I also use my (electric) oven for all kinds of low temp things by changing the lightbulb. 40W yields 80-90 for proofing bread‚ 75W gives appx 110 for keeping yogurt snuggy‚125W for jerky and like that. |
| On Mon 10 Mar 2003, Thach
Nguyen said: Hello Dr. Fankhauser‚I am fascinated by your cheesemaking pages.I understand from your blue cheese recipe that you created the inoculum from a "Saga Blue" that is uncontaminated. Does this method work for other type of cheeses? For instance brie‚ camenbert‚ or Stilton?Many thanks.Thach |
| On Wed 26 Feb 2003, David
F. said: NANCY: I have never used capsules as an inoculum. What I KNOW is that the bacteria must be alive and well‚ sufficient numbers must be added to overcome competing bacteria‚ and proper yogurt protocol must be employed. For a start‚ I would use a cup or two of milk‚ and try one capsule per cup‚ carefully following yogurt protocol. If that makes yogurt‚ you can scale up‚ and try more milk per capsule. If it doesn't work‚ use two capsules/cup. |
| On Sun 23 Feb 2003, Nancy
said: Loved your carefully illustrated and wonderfully detailed instructions on cheese making. Thank you for this information. We are getting away from cow's milk and hope to use more goat's milk and it's products as we go along. I did have a question about using Bifidum Longum Acidophilus capsules as a yogurt starter in place of already established yogurt. The capsules contain Lactobacillus acidophilus‚ Bifidobacterium bifidum Bb-12 and bifidobacterium longum in a 460 mg capsule. Do you think it would work and how many capsules would it take? Thanks in advance. N |
| On 18 Feb 2003, Jan
said: David‚ I just made a couple changes in the JavaScript. See if it works any better for you‚ now. |
| On 16 Feb 2003, Kim
said: I am totally amazed at how easy this is. I have made yogurt in the past but it was very tart. This yogurt is "THE BEST". Thanks for sharing it with us. I have passed it on to many!!Thanks againKim TaylorNapanee Ontario Canada |
| On 16 Feb 2003, David
F. said: Hmmmm... Not enough info here‚ but "very dry" suggests you may be: 1) warming the curds to too high a temp‚ causing them to be too hard‚ 2) pressing the cheese with too much force‚ or 3) curing the cheese too long before waxing. However... Being successful at making Parmesan‚ then the problem is probably not your skills‚ but the application thereof. What recipes are you using? Let's try one at a time‚ say the cheddar‚ which is very similar to my "Basic Cheese" |
| On 11 Feb 2003, Mary
R. said: Okay. This year I want to be able to make some good cheese. I have been making yogurt and soft cheeses for years. I have had limited sucess with parm and gouda. I make montery jack and cheddar but they end up tasting the same and are very dry. What am I doing wrong? |
| On 09 Dec 2002, David
F. said: MICHAEL CLAY: I would LOVE to try making Italian mozzarella with buffalo milk! Unfortunately‚ I know of no water buffalo here in SW Ohio. Please let us know your progress. You may know that some (incorrectly) say that mozarella can't be made with goat's milk. However‚ WB milk is the real thing! I'll never forget my confusion in Naples‚ Italy when I saw on the sign on a shop "mozzarella di bufalo"‚ thinking of our bison... |
| On 09 Dec 2002, Lucille
said: I'm back! Yes‚ the "Portuguese style" cheese is a white semi-soft cheese that we eat fresh. I'll have to track down the actual recipe‚ but basically you press the curds into molds‚ salt the top with coarse salt‚ let it drain for an hour‚ flip the molds‚ salt again‚ let it sit‚ then slide the cheese out‚ and it's ready to eat. I've also mixed black pepper‚ fresh parsley etc in the curds before pressing. It's really good. By the way‚ we make our "molds" by cutting 2 inch long rings out of a length of white PVC piping. I get about 12 -15 individual size cheeses. |
| On 07 Dec 2002, Michael
Clay said: Howdy from Texas -- GREAT STUFF! Found out about it from a Portuguese buffalo e-mail list. Plan to try some of your recipes with milk from our water buffalo. THANK YOU! http://www.TheClays.com/buffalo/ |
| On 12 Nov 2002, Bob
said: David‚ thats right the curd was delicate. Longer time needed. I can only get homogenised milk‚ so I wanted to try with dried adding the fat as an extra.I will try again. Thanks for your help.Bob |
| On 12 Nov 2002, Bob
Jordan said: What a great little site! Thanks for your time and efforts. We'll try out most of the things this winter while it rains here in Seattle.(even the ice cream!) |
| On 11 Nov 2002, David
F. said: BOB: Perhaps you cut the curd too early before it had time to firm up. If it is then stirred (for instance‚ during "cooking") the curd falls apart. Was the curd VERY delicate? Should I ask why you used dried skimmed milk plus double cream instead of whole milk? It is possible that the powdered milk is a problem. In my experience‚ once milk is powdered‚ it no longer behaves like regular milk. I have not had good luck with it either for cheese or yogurt. But there are those who say they have had some luck using it. |
| On 10 Nov 2002, Bob
Greaves said: After successfully making hard cheese with whole milk. I have just tried1gallon of dried skimmed milk and 1 pint of double cream.. Not turned out sogood. I am sure its me (not the milk) The problem occured at the "cut andstack " part of the process. Normally I get a nicely consolidated curd thatcan be cut.This latest attempt seems to stay almost like a paste.I would welcome any thoughts please.bob |
| On 07 Nov 2002, David
F. said: LUCILLE: Please tell us more about "Portuguese style" cheese. Is this a white semi-soft cheese eaten fresh? Want to share your recipe and what you like to use it for? P.S. Rennet tablets work just fine. Don't let the "rennin snobs" get you down! ;-) |
| On 02 Nov 2002, David
F. said: BRENDA: I believe what you are describing is an uncured version of my basic cheese recipe (5 gallons). (That assumes that when you say it is like mozzarella‚ you primarily mean that it is white and moderately soft‚ not that it has the melting properties of mozzarella?) Try the basic cheese recipe‚ and see if the fresh product is not what you are looking for. Curds are a different story. Ask. Congrats on passing inspection (no easy task). |
| On 30 Oct 2002, Brenda
Brice said: I was wondering about making a cheese called farmers cheese its a white mild cheese kind of like mozerella‚ do you have access to any special hints? We are a small dairy in Idaho (34 cows) and want to make cheese curds for local home delivery. Your mozerella reciepe has worked out really well. I use rennet from the store and some yougrt mixed in makes it have a little more taste than before. Im still profecting the process. We will have to set up a building here on the farm to sell cheese (inspected) Our local kraft plant is going to close down and we are looking into selling our milk proc |
| On 22 Oct 2002, Lucille
said: Fantastic site! I've been making "Portuguese style" cheese with my mother for a number of years‚ but was concerned because we use the Junket tablets. Many cheesemaking books tell you not to! It was reassuring to find that you also use the tablets with success. Your cheesepress was incredible! All of a sudden I'm not having to worry about how much a press would cost. I really appreciate the simplicity‚ and the use of readily available items. Thanks from Guelph‚ Canada |
| On 18 Oct 2002, David
F. said: FOLKS: Sorry about the double posts (and sorry Lisa). I need to work on the posting system. It does not clearly indicate that the post has been received. Will try to clarify. |
| On 18 Oct 2002, David
F. said: LISA: Tell us more about your sailing adventure. And what dairy products will you be making? Will you have cultures‚ or keep culturing your starter? Where will you get your milk? Or do you plan to make cheese before you go and eat it along the way. Good plan. |
| On 18 Oct 2002, Lisa
said: Great site. We are going cruising on our boat and will enjoy the "fresh" dairy products we make while sailing on a skimpy budget in costly exotic islands. Thank you. |
| On 09 Oct 2002, David
F. said: JUAN: I am quite interested in making‚ for instance‚ tofu‚ but have not tried it yet. If anyone hears of a tried and true recipe‚ I am interested. FYI‚ "cheddared" cheese merely means that the curd is turned several times to remove more whey before it is pressed into wheels or blocks. |
| On 01 Oct 2002, Juan
Junos said: have you ever looked into the non-dairy cultures of coagulated proteins? like bean cheezes - the active agent is a fungus call Koji - used to make fermented bean cake and sake and tempeh- but I can't seem to find koji anywhere- thanks for the cheeze info tho- got 26 gal milk yesterday and successfully clabbered half - don't know if it will be cheddar or what? got some Ideas for cheeze equip that might be easier & cheaper - I'm using cheap Rubbermaid storage bins and a heating pad keeps perfect 36 deg C at low and 145f and 170f at med and high- gonna try mozarella too. |
| On 26 Sep 2002, susan
b. miner said: i really liked your web site. even though i know somewhat about cheese making‚ i really felt your site was so informative and interesting. it's about time there are recipes for goat milk without all the ingredients that can't be found locally. god bless:) |
| On 20 Sep 2002, David
F. said: Julia: Interesting question‚ and a simple way to thicken up yogurt. Draining yogurt like this will lose soluble vitamins (B vitamins‚ especially riboflavin‚ which you can SEE in the whey as the greenish cast)‚ minerals and any undigested lactose. What you DON'T lose is the protein. Of course‚ these same losses occur when one makes cheese. |
| On 20 Sep 2002, Julia
said: Hi David‚ Nice site. I recently started making my own yogurt. The instructions I originally found and currently follow are like making lebanese cheese‚ however the yogurt is only drained for a few hours. I usually allow mine to drain for 3-6 hours maximum and then it achieves the wonderful thick and creamy consistency of greek yogurt though without any added cream. I do this because I prefer a thick yogurt and didn't really want to add another ingredient (gelling agents). My question is‚ what nutrients are lost from my yogurt from the whey that is dripping off? |
| On 01 Sep 2002, David
F. said: J.T.: Too low incubation temperature can cause yogurt to be too thin‚ as can too short incubation‚ too little inoculant‚ deteriorated inoculant‚ and possibly other reasons... However‚ remember that homemade yogurt is always more delicate than commercial. Yes‚ adding powdered milk would thicken it up. Do you have a thermometer to monitor the temp? Let us know. |
| On 31 Aug 2002, J.T.
Peirce said: Great site! I have one suggestion and one question. About two years ago I started making beer in my basement. There is a product called "One Step" that is available at most home brewing supply stores. It simplifies equipment sterilization considerably. Now for the question: I made yogurt for the first time last night and it was delicious. However‚ it turned out too thin. (I used the suggestion of adding the milk powder before the heating of the milk.) I am theorizing that the incubator did not stay warm enough long enough. Does this sound plausible? Any suggestions? |
| On 13 Aug 2002, David
F. said: CAMILLA: Sounds like a problem. You should add yogurt starter to room temperature milk the night before. Let it sit at room temperature overnight. The next morning‚ the inoculated milk should still have the consistency of "regular" milk (but will be slightly acid). If is has thickened at all‚ then something has gone awry. I presume that you added the correct proportion of yogurt the night before? If the milk will have problems getting a "clean break." Be careful with the temperatures‚ amounts‚ and times. |
| On 12 Aug 2002, Camilla
said: Great site‚ really enjoyable to read.I have tried you basic recipe for cheese and I have managed to produce something that resable cheese in look and taste. As per instruction I left the milk overnight at RT to inoculate with the yoghurt. The morning after the liquid had assumed a certain consistency like very liquid yoghurt‚ is this how it should look?ThanksRegardsCamilla |
| On 14 Jul 2002, David
F. said: WARD and JODY: Thanks for the kind words. Really had me going until I got to your names! Glad that you enjoyed the cheese samples. Wish I could share them with more of these fine folks. When will you take the plunge and freshen your does??? ;-) |
| On 07 Jul 2002, ward
wenstrup said: Fantastic site. And wonderfull cheese. Thanks for the samples last week. Your neighbors Ward & Jody |
| On 05 Jul 2002, David
F. said: CLARK B: Good question‚ I will have to do a little chemical calculation to answer definitively. Alternatively‚ you might do a Google search for mozzarella + vinegar. I am sure someone out there has that info for you. Let us know if you find out before we do... |
| On 03 Jul 2002, Clark
B said: In the supermarket I looked at the ingredients of 4 packaged american mozzarellas (Polly-O‚ Sorrentino and 2 others I forget). None of them use citric acid. They all use vinegar. Obviously what's important is getting the proper pH in the milk‚ and vinegar is much easier to obtain then citric acid‚ so what I'm wondering is: what is the equivalent amount of 5% vinegar to achieve the same pH in 1 gallon of milk as 1 and 1/4 tsp. citric acid? Thanks muchly for any help here. |
| On 02 Jun 2002, Gary
J said: David‚You should come over to www.homesteadingtoday.com and lend them some of your expertise. |
| On 14 May 2002, David
F. said: WARREN: You are technically absolutely correct. Pounds is meaningless unless expressed in terms of a unit area. To be frank‚ I approximate the appropriate pressure with my homemade press‚ adjusting so that adequate compression and expression of whey is acheived. And yes‚ I have seen the Fiasco site‚ and like the variety of info they have there. One of my principles has been to try ut use materials readily available nearby. So I try to make good cheese without purchasing specialty starters‚ etc. One day I will do the experiment with them |
| On 13 May 2002, Warren
said: First questions..1) hard cheese pressing pressure is usually given in pounds only. Wouldn't a more reproducible and accurate unit be PSI( pounds per sq inch)? Pounds only could result in much different pressures depending on the horizontal cross section of the mold. (smaller mold=higher press.)2) HOW can I check acidity of Mozzarella curds ? I can use litmus paper for liquids but what do I use for a solid ?Comment ( no offense David)A site with a few good cheese recipes is WWW.fiascofarm.com I have I have made her"Queso Fresca" a number of times and it is excellent. Warren |
| On 29 Apr 2002, David
F. said: JUDE': If you got a clean break and good curds‚ then it worked! (congrats). If the curd was too soft (you said like cottage cheese)‚ you can firm it up by warming the curds&whey to 35 or even 37 C. (98 F). It sounds like your "goat lady" has the right idea about rapid chilling. Any technique that quickly chills the fresh milk is good. RE: sterilization of jars & lids: As long as the milk keeps for 7-10 days‚ then it is adequate to wash with hot soapy water‚ rinse well‚ and let air dry. Sterilization by boiling is fine too‚ but may not be manditory if all else is very clean. |
| On 28 Apr 2002, Jude'
said: oops 2 times! #3-? is from my goat lady. She read your info on milk and asked if she puts 1" of milk in a fruit jar and then freezes it. After milking she filters and adds fresh milk to this frozen milk. mixes milk around until she feels the milk cool. She then refrigerates it. She wants to know if this is good system to keep bacteria down. She said she does not sterilize the lids but washes in hot sopy water. good/bad? She liked idea of milking board. Thanks for all your help‚ On other question I was using your recipe. |
| On 28 Apr 2002, Jude'
said: Thanks for last ans.It worked but ended up more like cottage cheese. Tasted ok but will do things different next batch.=learning curve 2nd-? is I only have liquid rennet right now‚ is there a comparison chart for tabs? |
| On 27 Apr 2002, David
F. said: JUDE': Not exactly sure which recipe you are following‚ but one does have to be careful with buttermilk as a starter. It is quite aggressive. If you know that you will have to leave it for a longer period of time‚ add less buttermilk. On the other hand‚ if you add buttermilk as the inoculum in the early AM‚ you could make the cheese in the later evening. Under no circumstances should the milk appear at all thickened when you add the rennet. |
| On 25 Apr 2002, Jude'
said: Hi F.‚ I added my buttermilk to the milk last night. The only problem is that I work and can't finish it until this evening. I did not put it back in the Fridg. I left it out at room temp. Is that ok? Or should I throw it out and start over! |
| On 24 Apr 2002, Jude'
said: Never mind the recipe‚‚‚ I found it here on this web page (face now very red! :0 ) |
| On 23 Apr 2002, David
F. said: BECCA: You can make a cheese with buttermilk if you drain the buttermilk through a fine weave sterile handkerchief‚ similar to making Labneh from yogurt (see my recipe on my main page.) It will be a soft‚ tart‚ spreadable cheese to which you may want to add salt. Try mixing with seived mint and olive oil and serving on pita. |
| On 23 Apr 2002, becca
said: is it possible to home-make unrenneted cheeses with a buttermilk starter culture? i've made simple cheese with vinegar to coagulate the milk‚ but i'd like to try a starter culture now. |
| On 15 Apr 2002, David
F. said: JUDE: Remember that you can use "store-bought" cow's milk to make any of the recipes on my page‚ so you don't HAVE to wait for goat's milk. Yes‚ the flavor and/or consistancy of the cheese from cow's milk may differ‚ but give it a try. Ironically‚ a warm spot to grow cultures in many American homes is on top of the refrigerator near where the warm air comes up. It would help to know what culture you are trying to grow‚ and how long you need to incubate it. I use yogurt and/or buttermilk for my bacterial starters for cheese‚ and give directions for how to propagate them. Ciao. |
| On 15 Apr 2002, Jude'
said: I just LOVE this web page‚‚ thanks David F. I just got my kit and am now looking for fresh goat milk‚‚ so I am sure I will be back to this page for questions and ans. I do have one ? how to maintain a temp of 75 degrees to make culture? house cold / crock too hot‚ no pilot lights etc. any suggestions? |
| On 28 Mar 2002, Liz
Breslin said: Very clear concise instructions and illustrations. Great website. |
| On 09 Mar 2002, David
F. said: LISA: How long before a cheese is "sharp?" This is the "art" of cheesemaking‚ not the "science." I love my sharper cheeses‚ my wife doesn't want to even cut them... My suspicion is that the sharper cheeses are less likely to harbor pathogens than fresh‚ but...? If you start with properly handled pathogen-free milk‚ no problem. |
| On 09 Mar 2002, David
F. said: Thanks Warren for the URL to New England Cheese making Supplies. To remind all of their URL address‚ it is http://users.crocker.com/bigcheez/about.htm. While I have never used them‚ I see their name with regularity among cheese makers on the web. |
| On 04 Mar 2002, cc
said: hi‚ i made some blue cheese‚ i use roquefort as a starter‚ its been aging in my fridge 3 months‚ and now the mold has some red color in it‚ should i throw it away?? |
| On 18 Feb 2002, Lisa
Reese said: 2. Nearly every recipe I've seen says that you have to age for at least 60 days to be sure that the "bad" bacteria have been overcome by the "good" ones. Does that mean this 6-week old cheese isn't safe? Thanks for any help you can give! |
| On 18 Feb 2002, Lisa
Reese said: Howdy! I'm hoping to clear up a question or two here. I cut the first cheese I made when it was 2 weeks old‚ and it tasted a lot like a Monterey Jack cheese--very mild. I cut the next cheese when it was 6 weeks old‚ and it was so sharp-cheddarish that I myself didn't like it! My father‚ who loves that really sharp‚ crumbly cheddar‚ thought it was very good. Here are my questions: 1. I thought it took 6 months to get cheese really sharp? (rest on next posting) |
| On 09 Feb 2002, shel
said: hi...i just read something on your website that really interested me..you said you and your wife like to experiment with cheese making and you teach some of the techniques in your biology lab... i find that exciting! i too have just started making a very simple milk cheese (ricotta) with my soon to be husband. i learned how to do this from an indian teacher i work with...and i too am also a biology teacher! ive never emailed anyone like this before...but i felt compelled to email you...thank you for your site..i enjoyed reading from it.shel |
| On 05 Feb 2002, Carole
said: I love this websiteit is so informativeI am considering cheese-making to sell the cheese at our local farmers markets.I am starting from scratch and not sure of which milk to access. Many years ago I did a course on cheese making‚ so long ago I fear nothing I learnt will be of use today. The milk I would have used then was from an Ayrshire Cow‚ (native of Scotland) because of the high butter fat content.I have access to fresian milk any ideasCarole UK |
| On 04 Feb 2002, Lisa
Reese said: This is my favorite site on cheese-making. The Professor has a firm connection to the real world--frugality‚ common sense‚ and utility. I'd love to meet him‚ or hear him speak!Thanks‚ Professor!Lisa |
| On 25 Jan 2002, Gabriel
McAtee said: I am having great difficulty finding ANY cans that are not ribbed. Can anyone recommend a product that comes in an un-ribbed can?Failing that‚ I went to the local hardware store to look at PVC water pipes‚ thinking to purchase a 1' section of 8" interior diameter pipe. Of course‚ they (1)only sell it in 8' and 10' lengths (depending on brand) and (2)won't cut it down for me... laugh They want me to buy a fancy saw‚ too...Will PVC pipe work? If not‚ how about any other solution that will do the trick?Thanks!--Gabriel |
| On 22 Jan 2002, Warren
said: URL for Cheesemaking things. Its New England Cheesemaking Supplies. I've had good luck with them. http://users.crocker.com/bigcheez/about.htm Best of luck‚ warren |
| On 06 Jan 2002, Zack
said: I would like to find out how to make cream cheese. I would really apprecieate it if you would tell us how to make it‚ or at least guide us to a web site that will. Thank you. |
| On 18 Dec 2001, David
F. said: MARK: Sorry if I don't get to this page as often as I would like... sometimes my teaching responsibilities take precident. It sounds like you never got a clean break on your neufchatel. If you don't get a clean break‚ you will never get curd. IF you stir it before you get a clean break‚ you will never get a clean break. And yes‚ in theory‚ you can make a blue cheese with any curd so long as it has enough moisture‚ air‚ low salt‚ proper temp and humidity. |
| On 18 Dec 2001, David
F. said: DAVE: Dense and dry sounds like you may have left it in the refrigerator too long‚ or over did the salt application to the forming rind. I don't THINK it has to do with the pressing pressure unless you REALLY cranked up the pressure. You should only let it cure in the refrigerator until it forms a rind‚ then wax it. Also--did you double check the amount of salt you added? 1/4th cup per cheese from 5 gallons of milk is the proper amount. |
| On 12 Nov 2001, Dave
Beaupre said: I used the recipe for cheddar cheese‚ 1 gallon whole milk purchased from a local grocer. As it turns out the cheese was very good according to several of my family members. I had two observsations however. The cheese was very dense‚ dry‚ and salty. I am wondering if these characteristics were due to the weight that I used to press the whey out of the cheese‚ (5 lbs)? any thoughts on this? |
| On 07 Nov 2001, Mark
Ostrenga said: Is this site visited by anyone? I was hoping for replies from other cheese people. Someone must have some information to share. |
| On 06 Nov 2001, Zack
said: I'm a long time reader‚ first time poster(like you haven't read this before. Any way‚ on with the rest of my post)‚ and I think that it would be a good idea to post recipes for Cheddar‚ and Locateli cheeses on your site. I would also like to find out how to make my own butter. Thank you |
| On 06 Nov 2001, Mark
Ostrenga said: This may sound stupid‚ but‚ could someone make a blue cheese out of say..a feta recipe? I make feta pretty well it seems. The consistancy comes out pretty well. could I just add my blue cheese culture after the curd is cut and then put the cheese into a mold and let it drain‚ then age it? |
| On 05 Nov 2001, Mark
Ostrenga said: I followed the recipe for neufchatel cheese‚ and ended up with a sour tasting but very soft cheese‚I left the pot sit undisturbed for 24 hours‚ but failed to cut the curd(I thought I read it correctly but was thinking of a chevre recipe I had read. anyway‚ I put the uncut curd into cheesecloth and let it drain overnight.I did this over the kitchen counter not in the fridge. the product was like a thick yogurt. I put it in chevre molds that I had made with holes in them and have them sitting in the fridge draining onto a pan‚ they seem to be thickening some but what consistancy should they be . |
| On 05 Nov 2001, Mark
Ostrenga said: My goal is to make the blue cheese you show on your recipe page‚ I read another recipe that says not to poke holes but let the bacteria start on the outside then poke the holes‚ why is that?I have some maturing under my cupboard at about 58degrees‚it is pretty firm‚ it's only been there 4 days‚ should I poke holes? |
| On 01 Nov 2001, judi
said: I was wondering if you could tell me when a cheese is "off"? I made a cheddar and was ready to wax it when it developed mold and an unpleasant smell.I brushed off the mold with salt and vinnigar but it still smells bad! Is my cheese ruined? Thanxs David |
| On 28 Oct 2001, Judi
C said: We found that there were problems making the follower stay straight while pressing We made a follower that is 3" thick by joining two pine boards together now our cheeses are always square. |
| On 25 Oct 2001, David
F. said: BRIAN: I think it is better to add the blue cheese inoculum just before you place the curd in the molds. Be sure to make holes so that the mold gets air. Won't grow without oxygen. I have successfully made cheese with store-bought milk‚ tho never tried blue cheese with it. Bona fortuna! |
| On 25 Oct 2001, David
F. said: STEFIE: I do not believe that there is much of an issue of safety when making blue cheese. So long as Penicilium mold is growing‚ pathogens should be inhibited. My impression is that the flavor is affected by the temperature. Too warm‚ and the mold overgrows and flavor is not as good. Too cool‚ and the mold does not grow well. |
| On 25 Oct 2001, David
F. said: ANTHONY: The milk should still be the consistency of milk after it has had starter added and let sit over night. It sounds to me like it is curdling BEFORE you add the rennet. No wonder if you are keeping it as hot as 90 F. You are making yogurt instead of cheese. No way will that give a clean break. Go back to the recipe on basic cheese: follow directions for proportions of yogurt starter‚ and temperature of incubation (should be room temp). "Nice and thick" it should NOT be when you add the rennet... Good luck. |
| On 22 Oct 2001, brian
moran said: Am in the process (cheese is draining in the cheesebag) of making the farmer's cheese‚ end goal being blue cheese. Using pasteurized store-purchased milk‚ we couldn't get it to make firm curds‚ only something resembling yogurt. Straining it does yield something that tastes and looks more cheesy than yogurt-y. Could the blue-cheese inoculation be done at the time the curds are being bagged and drained? |
| On 17 Oct 2001, Anthony
Clark said: I have had absolutely no luck with unpasteurized fresh goat milk. I can not get it to set. It cultures fine‚ (12 - 24 hours at 80 - 90 degrees Farenheit)‚ but it will not set. I use Dannon plain yogurt and the milk gets nice and thick but the Rennet will not give me a firm set. Any ideas? |
| On 17 Oct 2001, Stefie
said: You say that the curing temperature is crucial‚ but what is the effect of curing blue cheese at a few degrees warmer or cooler? Warmer would make the mold grow faster‚ I assume‚ but how would it affect the taste? Is there an issue of the cheese being safe to eat? |
| On 15 Oct 2001, Tish
said: Hi there‚ I made my first ever batch of cheese on the weekend - following your recipe (basic cheese and ricotta). Both cheeses worked perfectly. many thanks! |
| On 07 Sep 2001, David
Fankhauser said: DEBBI: Ask your local supermarket manager to order it for you‚ mine in the US Midwest are willing to stock it. Here is the URL to an email I got from the manufacturer: http://Biology.clc.uc.edu/Fankhauser/Cheese/Rennet_Redco.htm. Cut and paste to see it. Also‚ there are mail order houses for cheese supplies. Who has a URL for a good one?) |
| On 07 Sep 2001, David
Fankhauser said: MARK: Please try the basic hard cheese (or yogurt/labneh) first. Mozzarella is a heart-breaker of a cheese‚ sometimes it works‚ but other times... As far as your current cheese: you can still separate the fine curd: pour thru a fine weave towel. Add salt to taste to the resulting soft cheese. |
| On 07 Sep 2001, David
Fankhauser said: Warren: Sounds like your blue cheese is progressing! Remember that fungi (mold) require oxygen to grow. You could punch additional holes thru your cheese to "aerate" it. |
| On 07 Sep 2001, David
Fankhauser said: JEREMY:Yes! You can use existing cheeses for starters for your own cheese. I got GREAT results using "Saga Blue" as a starter. But don't forget curingj temperature and humidity. They are crucial. |
| On 07 Sep 2001, David
Fankhauser said: CONNIE:Depending on the bacterial count in your frozen milk‚ I would a) only make yogurt with it‚ b) Make a hard cheese‚ c) turn it into farmer' cheese. See my site for all these recipes. |
| On 07 Sep 2001, David
Fankhauser said: PARTHO:Note that you are making a difficult cheese‚ one which still is the Master of me rather than... Make basic cheese first so you know what a clean break is all about. |
| On 05 Sep 2001, Debbi
said: I love your site. I am interested in making my own cheeses but do not know where I can get rennet. Any suggestions? |
| On 04 Sep 2001, Mark
Gionet said: Hello thanks for the great site reg: the Ital mozzarella protocol. Recently got gal raw goat milk & pasturized (140Fx30 min then ice bath; note might have hit 160F for 1-2 min). Stuck with protocol except for 1 tab veg rennet rather than junket rennet. Achieved curd‚ washed‚ & let set for 5hr then overnight at rm tmp. Placed in frig during day. Checked acidity at 6pm‚ & still not spinning. Curd was firm out of refr but nearly dissolved in hot water. Going to let it sit out again but wondered if you had another idea to salvage this $14 experiment. Thanks |
| On 27 Aug 2001, Partho
Dutta said: Hi Dr. Fankhauser‚I have a great interest in cooking and have always been fascinated by cheesemaking. I have followed your recipe for the mozzarella but I have never achieved a clean break. I am using whole milk from the super market. I get a break when I put in the rennet‚ buttermilk + yogurt etc. ( i always have to add some citric acid)‚ but its not as clean as your photos show. Also‚ when I put the curd into cold water‚ after letting it sit for a while‚ it breaks up. Can you please advise on where I am erring.Thanks and regardsPartho |
| On 17 Aug 2001, Connie
Dana said: Two years ago I was making some simple cheeses and they were turning out well. The next season I seemed to have lost my touch and I gave it up. After seeing this site‚ I am encouraged to get out the old cheese pot and try again‚ now that I know I can "SEE" and read all the wonderful information you have shared! Many thanks! I also have lots of frozen unpasturized goat milk. I haven't tried to do anything with it yet‚ as I am not sure what it will be good for. Any ideas? Thanks again! |
| On 13 Aug 2001, Jeremy
said: My comment is really a question: I was wondering if you had tried making a starter culture from an existing chesse like Parmagiano Regiano‚ in a way similar to your method for making the blue cheese starter? I am interested in trying this myself. Thanks‚JDO |
| On 09 Aug 2001, Stephen
LeClaire said: This is the page I have been looking for. Thanks for the effort. |
| On 07 Aug 2001, Warren
said: David‚ My Bleu cheese is OK but lacks internal veining. Outside has heavy bloom. Internal lack probably due to softness of curd. On the "official" Stilton site in the production process they mention "buttering" do you know what this is? Also they do not press in molds. Trying again with longer drain time. Will let you know how it turns out. Warren |
| On 06 Aug 2001, Jan
said: Just Testing. I made some changes. |
| On 09 Jul 2001, David
F. said: Warren: If you started with "Farmer's Cheese‚" it is a softer curd cheese than others. Did you drain the curds in a refrigerator to remove most of the whey? This should have yeilded a fine-curded product into which you mix the inoculum. There may be no problem with your cheese to this point. Be sure to give the developing blue cheese plenty of air as it is growing the mold both inside and outside.Let us know how you are doing with it. |
| On 29 Jun 2001, Warren
Whittemore said: Am trying your Bleu Cheese recipe as I love Bleu. Using your recipe for Chevre and goats milk... after 24 hrs I got a clean break but curds seem a little soft. ie didn't stay really discrete curds when mixed with innoculant and placed in mold. Does this indicate I didn't let the ripening go long enough ? |
| On 13 Apr 2001, David
F. said: FAUNA: Liquid rennet works fine for making cheese‚ you add (to my recollection) about two to four drops per gallon (one teaspoon per 5 gallons of milk) depending on the type of cheese you are making. (Right‚ Rik?) So full speed ahead on making hard cheese! |
| On 06 Apr 2001, fauna
said: Drain yogurt over night in frig using coffee filter; add salt & chopped olives -either kind - great spread on crackers & bagles or add powdered sugar to drained yogurt to use on "breakfast" bagles/ raisin toast/english muffins! As a bee keeper‚ I use honey mixed in yogurt by itself‚ for smoothies and over fruit salads. Hard cheese is next for me if I can find the right rennet (liquid drops was all I could find - and I had no results with that!) Great site Mr. F.! Thanks! |
| On 03 Mar 2001, Liz
Ellis said: I am currently writing a research paper along with a farmhouse cheese maker in Australia about teh virtues of using raw milk in cheese production. Would you please email hte addresses of any sites that would be a useful research tool as well as any books or literature that would also be of assistance. iam currently studying Applied Science in Dairy and Food Technology as well as having completed a degree in International Trade and Business. I loved you web page it was very informativeCheersLiz |
| On 26 Feb 2001, David
F. said: MARK: What is your initial impression of whole milk cheese vs skim milk cheese. I have found skim milk cheese more inclined to be rubbery and squeeky to the bite? And‚ of course‚ a little less rich and flavorful. |
| On 12 Feb 2001, mark
Digatono said: We my wife and I made two batches using your basic protocol for hard cheese one with whole milk the other with skim |
| On 10 Feb 2001, Sam
said: I made feta cheese -after a couple of days of it soaking in the brine - it started to go soft and the brine started to go milky white. How can I fix this ? |
| On 10 Feb 2001, David
F. said: Thanks for the positive feedback! What kind of cheese did you make? How old is it by now? |
| On 09 Feb 2001, Bear
aKa Mark Digatono said: Thanks for your help and comments thanks to you and rik my first cheeses look to be a success. your page was imensely helpful. |
| On 09 Feb 2001, David
F. said: Follow the basic recipe for cheese‚ but do not heat the curd at all in step 11. This produces a soft curd. If you want even softer curd‚ you should heat the milk prior to adding the rennet to only 28 C. |
| On 21 Jan 2001, Nancy
said: Can you supply a simple recipe for making homemade cottage cheese? |
| On 20 Jan 2001, Max
Taylor said: Very interesting site.Enjoyed it very much and will start with making yogurt. Thank you. Max |
| On 01 Jan 2001, David
F. said: 80 Kg/day is WAY beyond MY scale! I take my hat off to you. Please let us know how your experiments with mozzarella go. It is‚ in my experience‚ a challenging cheese to make‚ but one which is very rewarding. I presume you will not try to make 80 Kg on your first try ;-)... |
| On 27 Dec 2000, Peter
Samsom said: fascinating page. I made cheese on a relatively small scale (@80kg/day) for 6 or 7 years to try and earn a living. Looking to have a go at mozzerella now - there's someone milking buffalo nearby (in the north of England)! Best wishes. |
| On 16 Dec 2000, Steve
said: Awesome!! I love all the information you have on your site. If only my college had intersting professors like yourself!! |
| On 16 Nov 2000, David
F. said: Answers to Jon's questions: APPLICATION OF WAX: As I mention on my page on waxing‚ I melt the wax in a pan‚ and roll the cheese through it. It gives much better coverage and seals completely. The wax only has to be thick enough so that it does not crack and flake off. PRESSING CLOTH I let the cloth hang out of the press. I found that if you fold the cloth in‚ the surface of the cheese was very irregular. Don't cut off the excess or the cloth will shred when you wash it. This means you have to carefully cleanse the follower too. |
| On 16 Nov 2000, David
F. said: Answers to Jon's questions‚ part II: CROOKED FOLLOWER This is a continuing problem for me too. I check the cheese in the press every 30 min or so for the first two hours after loading in the curd and adjust the tension on the rubber bands so that the follower is straight. If you get an idea on how to manage this problem‚ let us know. |
| On 14 Nov 2000, David
F. said: Dawn: My cheese press is of my own design‚ and I never saw one like IT before... So it hardly matters that a cheese press looks different from mine. I have seen folks post notices of having equipment for sale (including a cheese press) on cheese discussion boards. I'm not sure how kosher this is‚ but it has been done. Also‚ look up the Artisan Cheese Makers site: they might have folks interested in a press. Buona fortuna... David F. |
| On 14 Nov 2000, dawn
davis said: When my family and I purchased our home there was an item that was left in the garage. We still keep in touch with the previous owner and asked what it was. She said it was her grandfathers cheese press. It is rather large and doesn't look like yours. We would like to sell it‚ but I don't know where to begin. Do you have any advice? Thanks‚ dawn davis |
| On 13 Nov 2000, David
F. said: Jon: Sorry for no answers to your questions. Did not check this board since last week. 1: Cheese crumbles when un molded because it was too cool when placed in the mold. 2: The edges will round as the cheese dries. 3: Salt helps to dehydrate the cheese as well as prevent unwanted bacterial growth. More answers soon! |
| On 10 Nov 2000, Jon
Armour said: This board is great‚ except I have not had anyone respond to my questions. There is no way to tell on the board if anyone is responding to anything. Can this be changed. Thanks. Jon |
| On 09 Nov 2000, Jon
Armour said: I have several questions. First‚ What is the best way to apply the wax to a cheese? With a brush or by dipping the cheese in the wax and how thick does it need to be?Second‚ When lining my cheese mold I use a dish towel as David had suggested. My follower always seems to just barely fit and then there is alot of extra material hanging out. Do I cut off the excess material and fold the cloth over the cheese before putting in the follower or put the follower in directly contacting the cheese? And‚ my follower always seems to want to go crooked in the mold because of the weight in the press. |
| On 09 Nov 2000, Jon
Armour said: Third‚ What are the differences in salting‚ either adding the salt to the curds and mixing them in as in cheddar or brining in a container like gouda and feta. Is the only thing the salt suppose to do is develop the rind and keep the development of bad bugs from happening?Cordially‚ Jon |
| On 08 Nov 2000, Jon
Armour said: When I mold and press my cheeses‚ and then remove them from the molds and cheese cloth‚ I seem to always get a rough finish on the outside and chunks come off here and there. Is there something I am doing wrong? How do you get a smooth rounded edge appearance? No one has done any writing on how to finish out a cheese as far as appearance. Can anyone give some tips on achieving a nice finish on my cheese? thanks‚ Jon |
| On 13 Oct 2000, riktrense
said: David.....Martin F has tried several times to post on this comments page but keeps getting a refusal. I don't know what he is doing wrong.Rik |
| On 09 Oct 2000, David
F. said: Just a note of thanks to those of you who have left messages‚ and an invitation to the rest of you who have visited the site. Give us a comment! Questions are welcome‚ as are suggestions for additions or corrections.Regards‚ David F. |
| On 29 Sep 2000, Rik
vonTrense said: Hello David Guess you are very busy this fall. I am going public with my website which is http://homepage.ntlworld.com/riktrense it contains the photos of my latest cheesepress should anyone wish to make it themselves. It works very well.Regards....Rik |
| On 16 Sep 2000, Rik
vonTrense said: Hy David Sorry about the duplication I was typing away and did not realise the comments were limited to ten lines.I will email you or post the other half of my comments...can you erase the duplication please Regards Rik vonTrense |
| On 16 Sep 2000, Rik
vonTrense said: Hy David I think once people cotton-on to this board it is going to leave some of the others a bit bare....after all its like a parson having a direct line to God (if you will pardon the pun)I know Martin F my midlands collegue has problems and would like your advice.I know you love your lastikband press and I have no adverse comments it does the required job. BUT all my life I have been a perfectionist..striving to better things that I need If I find something doesn't do what I think it should then I get stuck in. It would appear we only have ten lines......Regards...........Rik vonTrense |
| On 16 Sep 2000, Ahmad
said: hi David |
| On 15 Sep 2000, Riktrense
said: Hy David I have now eight cheeses waxed and waiting for maturity. As an experiment I have salted and pressed the Ricotta's . I have also added various herbs. They do taste nice as they are but I have waxed them to see how they turn out. I hope they keep in the fridge I shall test after twelve weeks. Will keep you informed.Can you make cheese from UHT milk?This is ultra high temperature treated milk that has a shelf life of 12 months in its unopened state?Nice touch this comments page.Regards...Rik vonTrense |
| On 12 Sep 2000, Jan
said: Hi David‚ This should be in reverse chronological order‚ now. |
| On 11 Sep 2000, David
F. said: Welcome to the new Comments Page. We hope you will let us know what recipes work for you‚ or whether you have any problems with them. Also‚ if you have suggestions for additions or corrections‚ let us know. Thanks‚ David F. |
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| On 02 Dec 2005, David
F. said: Christine: I keep hearing that people using store bought milk (which is both pasteurized AND homogenized) frequently have problems getting a clean break. Both of these processes alter the structure of the protein maybe causing this problem. Adding calcium chloride is proposed by many to be a solution‚ but I have little experience here. Peter has suggested 0.1-0.2% in brine. Same in precheese milk |
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| On 04 Jan 2007, David
F. said: Fleur: Kefir is extremely easy to make if you have kefir grains |
| On 19 Apr 2007, David
F. said: Peter and Cheryll; Nice to hear from Peter again‚ and Cheryll: wine cheese? I agree that maybe marinating the cheese in wine after pressing might work. But...Wouldn't you rather drink your wine along side your cheese? It is more respectful to both wine and cheese. My prejudice against "flavored" cheese is showing. Marty: Very interesting idea |
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