Hi guys,
Up to this point I’ve only worked with two gallon batches of milk (with the exception of swiss where I used three gallons).
Well today i decided to go for broke and attempt a 5 gallon batch.
A week or so ago I bought a new cheese pot that is supposed to hold 5-1/2 gallons of milk. Even though this is what is advertised I’d be very surprised if you could get the entire 5-1/2 gallons into it.
I also got in a couple of larger cheese molds which hold 5-10 lbs. and 4-5 lbs. respectively, so I figured I was all set to attempt something larger.
Well first I went to the store and bought my 5 gallons of whole milk. Of course I got a lot of strange looks from the other customers in the store but that’s another story.
I then went home and proceeded to pour the milk into my new pot and once I was finished it was only about an inch away from the top of the pot.
Now right away I knew this was going to be a little different and I was not disappointed. Working this close to the top of the pot, I had to be really careful not to splash milk all over the place. Once I got the hang of it though, it really wasn’t that bad.
My biggest problem was that my spoon would barely reach the bottom of the cheese pot. I was literally holding the handle of the spoon with my fingertips which was a bit of a pain. Then, when it came time to cut the curd I had the same problem with my cheese knife but with enough determination I was able to get the job done.
Then the foreworking and cooking time started.
By the way, I was making a swiss cheese so the foreworking and cooking time amouts to about 1 hour and 40 minutes of near constant stirring….
Well after this 1 hour and 40 minutes was up, my arm was about to fall off. Because of the increased height of this new pot and because of the added resistance of this amount of milk,it was quite a workout to say the least. I was so happy once the cooking phase was over and I was ready to dump the curds into the strainer(s).
So, I got my oldest daughter to hold the strainer over another cheese pot (saving the whey to brine in) and I grapped ahold of the pot.
Now let me digress for a second to say that I am a weightlifter and a racquetball player. I’m not out of shape but this sucker was heavy! Also, the whey was so close to the top that it was difficult not to spill the whey all over the kitchen floor. I finally decided that the strainer/pot would have to set on the floor so that gravity could help me out a little bit.
Well I finally got the why poured off and the curds loaded into the mold. By the way, I did not use a cheesecloth on the mold on the advice of a fellow cheesemaker.
I then started pressiing and things were going beautifully….
Then it came time for the first flipping of the cheese (after only 15 minutes).
Normally this is not a big deal. I’ve done it so many times before that it’s pretty much a piece of cake but after taking a look at this 8” diameter wheel with a thickness of about 3 inches I was a bit intimidated.
Well once I removed the cheese from the mold, it really wasn’t that big of a deal at all. The cheese held together nicely and the flip went without incident. I now have it going through another 30 minute press before flipping again.
All in all, this experiment went pretty well. Every step was a learning experience and every step was different but I feel like this will pretty much be the size I am working with from now on.
I like the look of the bigger wheel and I like the fact that I have a lot more cheese with the same amount of time spent in processing.
I might cut back to a 4 gallon batch on certain cheeses and jump up to a 6 or 7 gallon batch (in two pots) for other cheeses. I’ll just have to play it by ear from here on out.
One other thing….
I did use direct heat on this particular cheese and I really am starting to think this is the way to go if you have the proper cheese pot.
I was able to control the heat really well throughout the entire process by simply making minor adjustments of the flame. Direct heat also took some getting used to, but all in all I like it. I would never attempt this with a thin bottom pot like I was using before making this latest purchase.
So, hopefully this information will help someone who is thinking about making larger batches.
Thanks to everyone who offered advice to me (I’m posting this on two different forum sites) when I had questions.
Once I get the cheese out of the brine I’ll try to snap a pic or two and upload them. Hopefully I’ll be satisfied with what I have by that time.

Dave

yup I got a few looks too when I was buying a bunch of milk in 2L containers.
Thanks for sharing the adventure you took, hope it works out well.
As to the direct heating, although my pots are thin I thingk I will try it again next time by using a ceramic tile on the burner, I have a 12"x12” tiles that are about 3/8 ” thick. This should provide a good buffer. Another idea is to go to your local private baker and see if theirs a way of buying some long knives and spoons from their suppliers.

Welcome to the big batch cheese world, Dave.  I have been doing 4 gal. batches exclusively for some time now, and am quite pleased with the gorgeous wheels from my 6” press - about 4.5 ” thick.  My pot is thin walled, 5 gal capacity and I do a water bath in my kitchen sink.  It works exceedingly well.  In fact I like it a lot better than direct heat.  Once I get to the desired temp all I have to do is monitor the water temp.  If its right, the milk is always right.  Cooking curd is easy this way as even heat is applied not only to the bottom but to the sides as well; and, like I said about cooking, once the temp reaches its desired max I just add cold water to the bath to level it off.  But, each to his/her own.

I was wondering, Dave, how you dispose of all your cheese?  Seems like you are making oodles of it.  Either your digestive system is better than mine, or you have a host of very happy friends.

Rich,
Quite honestly, you were my main inspiriation for going to the larger batches. I read several times that you had moved to four gallon batches and the larger size sounded really good to me. I’m looking forward to pulling this cheese out of the press and seeing how it turned out. Hopefully I’ll not be disappointed.
As for all of the cheese I’ve been making.
Well, I really have been going a little overboard this year. I’ve mentioned it before, but last year was a total loss (cheesemaking wise) due to illness in the family. I guess I’m sort of making up for lost time but I sure am having a blast doing it.
Also, I have a family of five and they all love cheese. Out of the five of us, I probably like cheese the least of everyone. I just get a kick out of making it and the eating part is just a bonus.
I also take my cheese into work and share it with my co-workers and the customers that come into the store. I really enjoy seeing the look of surprise on their faces when I tell them that the cheese they are eating is something I’ve made. I’m yet to see anyone who wasn’t at least somewhat intrigued by the idea of cheesemaking.
Like I said, I do enjoy cheese, but the making is the most important thing for me. After three years of making cheese, I’m still totally fascinated when milk turns into something different.

Dave