been considering making my own cheese,
does anybody here make there own?
looking at leeners cheese making kit.....but before i make a move
i figured i would ask here to avoid costly mistake.
thanks
jerry
The degree to which you try is the degree to which you're happy ;D
Haven't done it yet.......been contemplating making my own mozzarella for a while now......just haven't found the time. I will soon though. If you do it, I'd like to know what you think.
SD
SD, Been thinking about mozzarella too. They have starter kits for about $25, I guess they look decent for beginners.
You don't need a kit, HCT. You can do it pretty easily without a kit. The most exotic ingredient needed is rennet tablets which can be found in most grocery stores in the pudding section. Other than that, most homes already have whatever else is needed. If you're interested, I'll shoot you the link I was looking at to getting me started.
SD
Quote from: smokinrookie on January 17, 2009, 03:50:27 PM
sd,
you mind shooting that link this way?
I agreee I'm up for trying to make some cheese!
C
Allright guys, I'll be on later tonight and see if I can wrassle that up. Gotta go for now.....my experimental spinach-artichoke dip is almost done.
sd
Smokingrookie, let us all know how you do if you decide to go ahead with it. I am very interested in making my own cheese, bought some books even and read up on it a bit. That has been a few years back though and I still haven't got off the start point. I think for me the toughest part would be regulating temperatures. I was going to use an old spare fridge that we have downstairs in the "meat prep" kitchen but it kinda went south on me, at least that's the excuse I am using today.
OK guys.......here are some of the links I've been looking at......not real tough, but mmmmmmmmmmmmmm, fresh mooza!
http://www.ehow.com/how_2289661_make-homemade-mozzarella-cheese.html
http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/recs/250/Homemade-Mozzarella-Cheese77029.shtml
http://homecooking.about.com/od/cheeserecipes/r/bldairy22.htm
http://jordansfarm.wordpress.com/2008/09/20/homemade-mozzarella-cheese-with-photos/
If ya give it a try, let me know how it comes out.
SD
Thanks Giggles...I have wanted to try it as well...
You're welcome Q-tip ;D I gotta come up with a nickname for you like you did for me.....I'm not sure Q-tip is it......maybe Pauly Walnuts would be better ;) ;D
Check out Mother Earth News
http://www.motherearthnews.com/search.aspx?search=cheese%20making
they have had some good articles on home cheese making in some of their past issues.
Been wanting to try it myself.
Carolyn
Q-Tip ?
That's what we call them from the retirement homes around here. It's what you see sticking about the headrest when behind them in the car...
;D ;D
SD, Definitely not Q-tip. I have faith that you can come up with something better.
Smokingrookie -- Not sure whether I should thank you for this topic ;D. It's something I have wanted to do but quite sure I don't have time to do something new ;D.
I did make some ricotta a few months ago. I used skim milk and it was WAY better than non-fat ricotta from the store. I bet homemade ricotta with good quality whole milk would be fantastic. Here's the recipe that I used http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/000282.html
The one thing that I have read and it makes sense is that the better quality the milk, the better the cheese.
I may have to do some mozzarella if I can find the rennet tablets in the store.
Deb
Deb,
At our local store, they have rennet tablets where the canning stuff is located. I haven't made cheese but I have noticed the rennet when I pick up my pectin.
ps. did you get your KitchenAid tray extended for your grinder?
I canned my own V8 yesterday and ran 22 lbs of cooked tomatoes through mine and wished I had the tray extender!
Carolyn
Thanks for the links Duck. ;)
Deb, there are a few dairy farmers up here selling raw milk and it goes fast. A bit pricey but worth it for making cheese.
Hey, I like this spell check. :D :D
Quote from: deb415611 on January 18, 2009, 04:44:35 AM
SD, Definitely not Q-tip. I have faith that you can come up with something better.
See, there's a rookie mistake ;D I just gotta come up with something......I'm not feeling Q-tip either but it was all I had at the moment.
QuoteI'm not feeling Q-tip either but it was all I had at the moment.
SD...... that Q-tip nick name is not from your A game. We all know you can/will do better. However beware the tea bags. ;D
Quote from: Caribou on January 18, 2009, 05:41:48 AM
Deb,
At our local store, they have rennet tablets where the canning stuff is located. I haven't made cheese but I have noticed the rennet when I pick up my pectin.
ps. did you get your KitchenAid tray extended for your grinder?
I canned my own V8 yesterday and ran 22 lbs of cooked tomatoes through mine and wished I had the tray extender!
Carolyn
No I haven't bought the tray extender yet. I haven't looked around too much, I'll probably get it from amazon.
My local stores don't have much of a canning section. I couldn't even find pickling salt :( . I miss living in the country.....
The homemade v-8 sounds good!
OK, you got our curiosity on this one. We have made ricotta and found it to be good. Marc gave us the inspiration for the mozzarella, because he is considering making it. Then he sent those links today.
So..........we went up to the store and picked up milk, rennett and citric acid:
(http://i438.photobucket.com/albums/qq101/seemorephoto/100_0819.jpg)
We followed the instructions on one of the links that Marc sent - I believe it was the first one.
Here is the mixture after setting:
(http://i438.photobucket.com/albums/qq101/seemorephoto/100_0820.jpg)
We then strained it through cheesecloth, and stretched it with a spoon:
(http://i438.photobucket.com/albums/qq101/seemorephoto/100_0823.jpg)
We formed it into a ball and wrapped it in plastic wrap:
(http://i438.photobucket.com/albums/qq101/seemorephoto/100_0825.jpg)
It is chilling right now. We can't wait to try it!!!
Thanks for giving us the momentum to try this!
June & Scott
Well, done, June and Scott! Let us know how it tastes........make sure to save some to smoke.......adds a great twist to pizza and lasagna!
SD
Quote from: HCT on January 18, 2009, 05:44:46 AM
Deb, there are a few dairy farmers up here selling raw milk and it goes fast. A bit pricey but worth it for making cheese.
Thanks HCT -- Rogers Orchard in Southington usually has it.
Seemores -- aaaaargh, now I'm going to have to try it. It's looking good. Let us know how it is.
We just tried it, and we have to say it is BLAND. What should we do the next time? Increase the salt to 1 teaspoon instead of 1/2 as in the recipe?
Thanks for taking the plunge Mr. & Mrs. Seemore :) I'm definately going to give it a go.
I might have to try this. I have an organic milk farm that is about a mile from me, but I still have to go to the store to purchase his milk. He will only bottle his milk products in glass containers.
I have done a little dabbling in cheese, here are some of the best links I've found, also most say not to use grocery store rennet.
http://www.cheesemaking.com/ (http://www.cheesemaking.com/) Good site , I've gotten stuff there good service, You will find anything you need here
http://www.dairyconnection.com/hobbyiest.html (http://www.dairyconnection.com/hobbyiest.html) Same here
http://biology.clc.uc.edu/Fankhauser/Cheese/Cheese.html (http://biology.clc.uc.edu/Fankhauser/Cheese/Cheese.html) good info
http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/cheeserecipes.htm (http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/cheeserecipes.htm)
Hope this helps
I bought my wife the $25 kit for Christmas (it was the moz and ricotta kit). We have bought the milk twice for it and when we go to make it the kids have already opened the whole milk and drank half of it. I guess when they are use to skim they think its a treat. Hopefully we will get to do it this weekend. I would however like to find a farm to get the milk from. The biggest thing to watch out for if buying milk from the grocery store is if it is ultra pasteurized, since it will not work. If we make some this weekend I will post the results. Going to definitely smoke some before the end of winter.
Thanks for the links Carnie. What is the difference with the grocery store rennet?
Quote from: HCT on January 19, 2009, 10:40:37 AM
Thanks for the links Carnie. What is the difference with the grocery store rennet?
Beats me , I read it in quite a few places
From what I have read in "Home Cheese Making" (See above cheesemaking.com website) the Junket is about 1/4 the strength of Rennet made specifically for cheese. That said, I also got some Junket and will be giving this a try, if I like it I might invest in the cheese rennet next time.
Tom
Sorry to hear that, No need to apologize, ya got me wantin' to go make cheese
Jerry
I'm very sorry to here that. I know it doesn't matter what I say it won't replace the lost income, especially during tougher economic times. I always try to look at things with a positive spin on it. you have to because life would drive ya nuts if you didn't. It certainly isn't easy to take a cut in pay but at the same time a person has to concentrate on the fact that you are still working and earning a living. Not much consolation, I know but you certainly don't have to look very far to see others worse off than you. This applies to almost everything in life.
Again, sorry to here this Jerry, chin up!
Mike
Sorry to hear that Jerry. Mike is correct......I would give anything right now to be able to take a pay cut. Been out of work for a year now and the noose just keeps getting tighter. However, everyone has their health and I've got great family and friends. I know it isn't easy, but you need to really try and focus on the positive......the negatives will kill ya.
Keep pushing forward and doing what you can. I know it sounds really cheesy but it's true......Tough times never last; tough people do.
SD
Jerry, that SUCKS. I am so sorry to hear that.
Hang in there,
Mrs.
Ok, I sliced some cheese today, and found it to be quite crumbly, like a goat cheese or a feta cheese. I don't think I stretched it enough to make it consistent.
I will definitely try this again, and use the rennet for the cheese.
And I will add more salt!
This was a lot of fun, and I would encourage you to try it. The recipe that we followed only took about an hour from start to finish.
Keep a chin up there Jerry, I was laid off from a 30 year position with no warning whatsoever. I would have been quite satisfied with a cut in pay. I ended up taking a job for 25% less pay. I'm a firm believer that if
we can get through 2009, things will improve. I have had to refrain from Salmon and Steak, but do one heck of a lot of Pork, Chicken, Cod, Talipia ect. Also sausages do not break the bank. My friend however, just went through the 10% cut routine and informed me that it did not hurt a bit, as it put him in a lower tax bracket. We will all get through this.
Hang in there Jerry!
I know the times that we are more cash strapped are the times that we learn things that make us more self-reliant.
When my hubbie was laid off from his job of 11+years he took it as his cue to finally become a full time artist at the time.
We were so broke when he started, but we created a veggie garden and fished and hunted more.
We could eat out so I learned how to cook, too! ;)
And now it's one of my greatest passions...who knew!
Carolyn
Jerry;
Sorry to hear that you had to take a 10% pay cut.
Jerry,
Sorry to hear about the pay cut.
Hang in there.
Deb
Hey Jerry...if ya think about it a 10% pay cut isn't THAT BAD considering our unemployment rate right now....so, I know it sucks now....but ya got a job man....lots of folks who can't say that....sometimes "you gotta look on the bright side of life" as Monty Python coined.....make cheese when you can....
That SUCKS Jerry. I look at it this way what better time to keep your hobby. Compare the price of cheese in the store to the price of making it yourself. Be willing to bet making it yourself is cheaper and a whole lot more fun. Like the old saying is don't look at the glass as half empty its still half full. With all the friends around here somebody will walk by and add something to it.
5yrs ago I got a two day notice that my job was going to Mississippi and I was done. I hung my head and pouted for a couple of days, my son was due in 2 weeks. Two of my other 3 were 2 weeks late. I was worried. He was 3 days late all was good and now I have a better paying job. So my glass is 3/4 full now. Yours will be too!! Do more with less.
Jerry, bad break, sorry to hear about it.
seemore, did you use rennet in this batch? Or are you talking bout getting it from the cheesemaker.
How did it taste?
It is tough. In 2002 I lost a very lucretive job and ended up starting at 45% less. It was very hard to get by but we managed with three and a half jobs. Today, I am back up there and the economy has had no adverse effect on our industry. Looking forward to retirement soon. 401K has been shoot to hell but we will enjoy what we have. Back in 2002, somebody told me not to think of a loss of 45% of my income but instead think that I am still earning 55% of what I used to. Still sucked but what can I say. Sounds better to say you still have 90%. But I know it still sucks. :)
Jerry, sorry to hear about the tough times but glad to hear you still have some choices. Going into a meeting tomorrow myself that could end up in the loss of my job. Sometimes things get tough but if you have your priorities straight the choices are easy. Glad to see you have your priorities lined out. Hang in there Bud!
Sorry, HCT, for the delayed response. When I get home from work I usually don't get on the computer much.
I used the rennet that you get in the grocery store; I did even know that there was rennet out there specifically for making cheese.
The mozarella was very bland. Mr. is planning to smoke cheese this weekend, and I think we are going to add the mozarella to the batch to see if this might help the flavor.
Like I said, too, it is very crumbly, like Mexican queso for tacos/enchiladas (without the good flavor of that queso :( )
I did not buy a cheese-making kit. Another one of those things that I did not even know existed. I guess I need to get out more...........
Good luck if you make the mozarella. Please let me know if you do how it turns out, ok?
My suggestions are to stretch it more, and add more salt!
Mrs.
Quote from: seemore on January 23, 2009, 06:17:05 PM
Sorry, HCT, for the delayed response. When I get home from work I usually don't get on the computer much.
I used the rennet that you get in the grocery store; I did even know that there was rennet out there specifically for making cheese.
The mozarella was very bland. Mr. is planning to smoke cheese this weekend, and I think we are going to add the mozarella to the batch to see if this might help the flavor.
Like I said, too, it is very crumbly, like Mexican queso for tacos/enchiladas (without the good flavor of that queso :( )
I did not buy a cheese-making kit. Another one of those things that I did not even know existed. I guess I need to get out more...........
Good luck if you make the mozarella. Please let me know if you do how it turns out, ok?
My suggestions are to stretch it more, and add more salt!
Mrs.
Mrs,
I have been doing a little reading and using ultrapasteurized milk does not seem to give the cheese the same texture as regular pasteurized milk. When I was at the store I noticed the organic valley milk is ultrapasteurized. I wonder if that was your problem. I had a hard time finding organic milk that was not ultrapasteurized If I can get off the computer & get to work I might be able to find the time to try it tomorrow.
Deb
Here is a link on ultrapasteurized vs. pasteurized milk in cheesemaking.
http://www.cheesemaking.com/store/pg/124.html
It's from the cheesemaking.com website. There is some good info on that website. I ordered some rennet & citric acid from them and they put a smiley face sticker on their box by the address label. So I'm sure I'll be making some happy cheese ;D
Oh, Deb!!!! Thanks for confirming what the Mr had suspected all along - the organic milk! That dry crumbling mass that I compared to goat cheese was the result of using that milk, I bet! It looked EXACTLY like the pictures of the UP milk during the cheese-making process! Do you think that would have contributed to the blandness of the cheese as well?
I bought organic milk, because that is what we used when we made ricotta cheese, and it turned out so well.
Well, at least I can use the dry crumbling mass on our tacos next week for supper!!!
Thanks again! Back to the kitchen for us!
Seemore & the Mrs.
Thanks seemore, I'm going to check a few small health food stores for the rennet. Maybe I'll get lucky. :)
Quote from: HCT on January 24, 2009, 08:34:35 AM
Thanks seemore, I'm going to check a few small health food stores for the rennet. Maybe I'll get lucky. :)
HCT,
Shop-rite in Waterbury has the Junket rennet. I saw it a couple hours ago. Maybe you have one up there.
Deb
Thanks Deb, I'll look in Big y or Stop and Shop, Price Chopper, I'll come up good with one of them. I was just thinking health food store to see if the rennet was any different.
Quote from: HCT on January 24, 2009, 10:57:31 AM
Thanks Deb, I'll look in Big y or Stop and Shop, Price Chopper, I'll come up good with one of them. I was just thinking health food store to see if the rennet was any different.
That makes sense, they may have the actual cheese making rennet.
Ok my wife and I made our first ever batch of mozzarella. I used a couple of the suggestions I got on here, like adding a little extra salt and I gotta tell you we hit a home run on the very first batch. We only made one pound but it is almost gone already. We are probably going to make 2 or 3 batch of 2lbs each this weekend. I would like to try and smoke some and my wife would also like to add of few ingredients, not sure what yet to add, any suggestions??? I think this will def lead to buying / making the equipment to make hard cheese. I will post some pics this weekend if we end up making it.
Quote from: smokeitall on January 26, 2009, 09:46:34 AM
Ok my wife and I made our first ever batch of mozzarella. I used a couple of the suggestions I got on here, like adding a little extra salt and I gotta tell you we hit a home run on the very first batch. We only made one pound but it is almost gone already. We are probably going to make 2 or 3 batch of 2lbs each this weekend. I would like to try and smoke some and my wife would also like to add of few ingredients, not sure what yet to add, any suggestions??? I think this will def lead to buying / making the equipment to make hard cheese. I will post some pics this weekend if we end up making it.
When I was poking around the store the other day I saw the mozzarella that was rolled up with prosciutto. Also one that was rolled up with sun-dried tomatoes & herbs. Looks like it started as a rectangle and then was rolled up into a log. I'm planning on trying it this way for my second batch (assuming I have success with the first).
I want to try the hard cheese too, the obstacles at the moment are the lack of press & finding the constant 55 degree temparature & the time to do it. I bought the Home Cheesemaking book that is written by the woman at cheesemaking.com . So far it seems like it is a really good reference book.
I think I will have to buy that book. The rolled up prosciutto sounds good, I will try that.
Thanks
Dang, Smokeitall, I am JEALOUS! Your first batch and it turned out great! AWESOME! Send some pics, please!!!
Have you thought about adding some herbs to the mozzarella next time you make it? Just a thought.....I don't know how that would taste. Rolled up in prosciutto sounds wonderful.
You will have to send pix of whatever you and the wife come up with next weekend!
Quote from: seemore on January 26, 2009, 05:47:09 PM
Dang, Smokeitall, I am JEALOUS! Your first batch and it turned out great! AWESOME! Send some pics, please!!!
Have you thought about adding some herbs to the mozzarella next time you make it? Just a thought.....I don't know how that would taste. Rolled up in prosciutto sounds wonderful.
You will have to send pix of whatever you and the wife come up with next weekend!
I only had such a nice first batch because of this forum. Others here that were nice enough to share their mistakes really helped out. I can't wait to make some more, there was one small piece left when I got home tonight and it was even better today. I will try some herbs, I bet that would be good. I am really looking for to smoking some, or if someone had a recipe for string cheese, not this mozzarella string cheese but old fashion real string cheese like you get from upper Wisconsin, you know the kind that is a little dry and when you pull one string off there is a bunch of little strings that come with it? I wonder how its made?