Intermediate Cheesemaking: Beyond chevre

[Wildsky]

No, it doesn't!! You will see soon enough that it is worth waiting, as the real flavor has yet to develop. If you want bland......make chevre!

NO I don't want bland! I'll sit on my hands!

Going to look in the book to see what else I can try, I don't get much milk from Molly - under 2 pints a day, but I have 6 or 7 saved up already.

 

[Wildsky]

Page 138 of "THE BOOK"

Roquefort cheese. Do you think I can use goats milk instead of sheeps milk?

Not 100% sure I want to make that yet, but it sounds YUM

 

[freemotion]

Not sure....I try any recipe I feel like trying, as it will always be "cheese." It might not be what you expect as far as texture, flavor, color, etc, but it will certainly be cheese. Keeping this in mind leads to a spirit of adventure and keeps disappoinment at bay.

So keep in mind that sheep's milk has a higher solids ratio over either cow's milk or goat's milk, so your yield in any recipe calling for sheep's milk will be lower if you use any other type of milk. Sometimes that might mean making a larger batch so that the size of the resulting cheese will be correct, as that can impact aging and flavor development. For example, if a cheese will be developing a thick, tough rind for long term aging, you want it to be a bigger, thicker cheese so there will be less waste. You wouldn't want to make a broad, thin disc.

I hope to make a foray into some of the blue mold ripened cheeses this summer, as well as the washed rind cheeses with the orange-y rinds (bacterium linens, or something like that ) I plan on trying to get a small, small chunk of a blue cheese at Whole Foods this week when I go so I can grow some blue mold myself. Ordering it is rather expensive and I don't like storebought blue cheeses. Didn't like storebought feta, either, so I can't wait to try some of the blues.

 

[Wildsky]

Thanks Free, I only worry that I'll spend so long making a cheese, wait so long to try it and then its not good.
(I have had some bad bleu cheese and it was seriously horrible)

I'm a bleu cheese freak, ever since my dad talked me into trying it as a teenager, I can't leave a piece in the fridge!
My son tried some a few years ago and he loves it too he was probably around 7 or 8 when he tried it.
My little daughter is a feta girl, she'll sit and eat the entire tub if I let her!

 

[Wildsky]

How do I figure out how much milk to use to fill a certain size mold?


I purchased a mold from Dairy Connection.
http://www.dairyconnection.com/commerce/catalog.jsp?catId=7

Its the Tome mold and lid 7.5 x 7 x 3.5 (top dia x base dia. x height)

I would like to try making cheddar from the book page 213 which says it makes a 3 1/4 - 3 1/2 pound cheese.

Its a HUGE recipe, with 16 quarts of milk, I don't have a pot that size, I suppose I could buy one but still will that amount fill that size mold?

 

[freemotion]

The tomme used in the book is 8" so a bit bigger than yours, but not by much. You can reduce or increase any recipe in the book by any amount. Many of the recipes that are mold ripened call for 1/8 tsp of mold powder, but that is only because that is the smallest common measuring spoon. I have started using less to make my mold powders last longer, and my results are just fine. I use a "pinch" in the smaller recipes. But you can reduce or increase any recipe by cutting it or doubling or tripling it, whatever, and procede as directed.

So go with your pot size for now.

When you are ready to make a purchase, go straight to a five gallon stock pot. Do not pass Go, do not collect $200! Then you will also need a curd-cutting knife that reaches to the bottom of your pot, and a restaurant-sized skimmer. I have a knife that is designed for cutting wedding cakes horizontally to make the tiers. It had the longest blade that would fit in my stock pot, and was longer than any of the knives in the cheesemaking catalogs. It was about $25. So when you buy a huge pot, keep in mind that you will need an extra long knife, too.

When you go into discount stores, start taking some time in the plastic food storage aisles and keep an index card with you with mold sizes written on it. Hunt for straight sided containers that would make great molds if drilled. Hunt for containers that stack so one can be used as a follower while the other is used as a mold. Start building your collection! And shopping for another goat or two!!!

 

[freemotion]

I realized that I didn't really answer your question....each recipe says which size mold to use, and there is a page in the first chapter with descriptions and measurements of the suggested molds. You can use this as a guide. But feel free to experiment if what you have is not just the right size. Your tomme mold should be pretty interchangable with the one in the book, but maybe you could try reducing the recipe to three gallons the first time and see how much room you have to play with.

 

[Wildsky]

I realized that I didn't really answer your question....each recipe says which size mold to use, and there is a page in the first chapter with descriptions and measurements of the suggested molds. You can use this as a guide. But feel free to experiment if what you have is not just the right size. Your tomme mold should be pretty interchangable with the one in the book, but maybe you could try reducing the recipe to three gallons the first time and see how much room you have to play with.

Thanks Free, I'm going to go look for a bigger pot tomorrow I hope (we have the farrier coming so I'm not sure if we'll get out or not)

I just don't want to have a flat disk of cheese, if I can find a pot big enough I will go for the recipe as it stands... sheesh I hope I can do this.!!!


I have been eyeing the fridge we have in the garage, I think it would be perfect down in the basement to use for cheese. but its a HUGE fridge, in winter I probably wouldn't need to use it, but summer is another story.

Anyhoo, my hands are going to be a little fuller in the next few weeks, my husbands grandfathers brother had a fall (on Tuesday), he's been in the hospital and might be discharged tomorrow. We're the only family he has in town, and I told his niece that I would be more than happy to make his meals and run them over to his house.

 

[Kim_NC]

I'm so excited! I found a source of raw milk. Straight from the cow, into the bulk tank - then into my container. I called, got their schedule and am going this morning to make my first purchase. A wonderful member of our CSA turned me onto them.

I've been wanting and wanting to make cheese, butter, etc, but needed the milk. Fair warning....I'll be back with lots of cheesemaking questions.

 

[Henrietta23]

I'm so excited! I found a source of raw milk. Straight from the cow, into the bulk tank - then into my container. I called, got their schedule and am going this morning to make my first purchase. A wonderful member of our CSA turned me onto them.

I've been wanting and wanting to make cheese, butter, etc, but needed the milk. Fair warning....I'll be back with lots of cheesemaking questions.

Yay!!