Hello, I’m brand new to cheesemaking. In fact at this point I call myself a cheese attempter. I’m also new to communicating in any kind of forum with people I don’t know, so please bear with me. Made cottage cheese(OK) 2 tries at mozzarella, first attempt pretty bad, second time I tried using microwave and got a better texture,but not much flavor. I made two batches of cheddar that seemed to be fine considering I didn’t have a proper press(plates and pots of water stacked like The Leaning Tower of Piza) At this point I don’t have a good aging situation. They are waxed and put in the refridgerator crisper at the highest temp. My question…as I am very anxious to to see if this works, what is the shortest aging time I can allow before I can try them?
Besides the joy of creating, I’m hoping the art of cheesemaking will teach me some patience!
i would say 3 months for the first one that will tell you if your salt content is right and whether you like mature cheddar or ordinary cheddar it would be a bit sad if you left your chedar for say 6 months and found out you didnt salt it enough all early cheeses (making) are a bit hit and miss but salt is crutial to the taste of cheese too little is as bad as too much but once your hooked on making cheese you learn pretty quick what you like and what you dont like
Welcome !!!
Time is pendant on the type of cheese u are making. Bloomed cheeses generally 90 days minimum (60 if your desperate) When first starting out I dont recommend doing long aging because u wont know if u made a mistake and u may have wasted allot of time.
Yeah, it depends on the type of cheddar you made. If its a farmhouse cheddar, one month is sufficient. If its a Colby you can make due with two months. Most of the others are longer term. I have found, however, that the home made cheddars are quite a bit sharper than are the commercial cheeses. So you may not need to age quite as long as you think. Then too, if your crisper is cooler than the requisite 55 degrees, it may take a wee bit longer than otherwise. But it sounds like you are already INTO the cheese making thing - so you’ll be collecting the requisite tools and accessories along the way. Before you know it, you’ll have it all together. Be sure you’re taking extensive notes on everything you do. It will help you in the future as you attempt to either recreate a cheese, or improve on a less than satisfactory experience. And, by all means, ask a lot of questions. Be seeing you around the forum.
Terrie,
First of all welcome to the forum. I can’t begin to tell you how much good information is available from this group of people. Take advantage of this valuable resource and I can guarantee that you will see your cheese making attempts improve.
Now as for the question you asked…...
I do agree with Rich that home cheese seems to have a much sharper flavor than the commercial varieties. I honestly don’t know why this would be the case but it’s something that I’ve seen in nearly all of my attempts.
I’ve also come to the conclusion (and I’m not sure that everyone will agree with me on this) that since we work with smaller size wheels of cheese, our ripening times can be much shorter than the commercial varieties.
I’ve eaten Gouda at two weeks and it was fantastic. Likewise with Colby. As for Cheddar I’ve not eaten one at less than two months but by that time it did have a taste that was comparable to a sharp commercial cheddar.
The last Provolone I made I started eating it at the one month old point and it was probably the best Provolone I’ve tasted yet. The reason that I cracked it so early is because I got some blue mold on it and was afraid to let it age any longer.
My first attempt at Stilton was only one month old and the flavor and texture was far beyond my expectations. I could go on and on, but I’ve found that most of the cheese I make can be eaten long before the recommended aging times.
I will say that I’m not even close to being an expert on Cheddar cheese. I’ve made a few batches of it and as I said, I’ve always given this type at least two months. I’m sure that either Neil or Rich (Green Cheese Maker) can give you much better recommendations on this particular variety.
Btw….I spent my first year of cheesemaking mastering the art of balancing weights on top of various cheeses. Your description of “The leaning tower” is very apt. Although this is a feasible solution when first starting out, you will be so much happier with making some type of more stable press for your cheese.
If I remember correctly, there are a few different posts (with photos) of homemade cheese presses on this board. If you aren’t able to find them let me know and I will be more than happy to post a pic of my very crude (but functional) press.
I sincerely hope this information helps you out. The art of cheesemaking is something that is nearly a lost art form although it does seem to be gaining popularity over the last few years.
I’m always thrilled when someone new comes aboard, having discovered the joy of this hobby.
Good luck and I’ll be looking forward to hearing of your experiences.
I’m from the Bartlesville, Ok. area. So far I haven’t been able to find anyone selling fresh milk, cow or goat. So I’m having to buy it in the store. From everything I’ve read this makes things more difficult. Any tips? Also, I would like to make a basic press and need a plan.
Terrie,
Here’s an idea for a very basic but functional cheese press. I have one pretty much like this but I used galvanized pipe for the uprights.
As for the base and the “slider” you could use either food grade cutting boards or plywood. I personally use plywood but I always make sure that the cheese never makes contact with the plywood.
Hope this helps to give you some ideas for a more stable press.
Oh, and here’s the one that I have my eye on….
This is made by a guy in California that I’ve become aquanited with. It uses a pneumatic cylinder that is driven by a compressor or portable air tank. There is a large pressing plate that screws on to the cylinder rod which then presses down on the mold follower. The frame is made of heavy steel and is epoxy coated.
In my opinion, this is the perfect solution for hard cheese making and the last I knew he thought he could sell these for a little under $300.00. As I’m sure most of you have noticed, this is just about the same price as most of the wooden presses advertised online.
I don’t know if this press uses a pressure gauge or if it is gauged by measuring the travel of the cylinder rod. Either way, he has guaranteed that it will provide the exact pressure you need for a given cheese.
Once I can convince my wife that this is a necessary part of cheesemaking, I’ll be putting in my order. This will be MUCH easier on my back now that I’m doing cheeses that require close to 200 lbs. of weight.
My presses are very much like Dave’s. My husband made them from a board and wooden dowels. I use weights for a weight bench as my—well, weights. My molds are six-inch PVC caps (an idea I got from this forum), my pushers are four-inch pieces of PVC, and my followers are made out of plexiglass that I had cut at a glass shop (also credit the forum). I don’t have pictures, but will try to take some and post them soon. I keep my boards oiled with mineral oil, but like Dave, make sure the cheese doesn’t come into contact with the wood.
I have not been able to locate a good source of raw milk either. I have found goat here somewhat locally, but the place doesn’t look very clean, so I haven’t tried them. It’s amazing here in Oklahoma where there are more cows that people that we can’t find raw milk, isn’t it? I’ve found the milk from Braum’s works the best for me.
Jeanne….
Not to hijack this post, but how do you like the PVC caps as molds? I’ve since moved on to using 8” molds but I still plan on using my 6” caps for swiss and a few other cheeses.
Also, I’ve been looking at 3” PVC pressure caps for making baby gouda cheeses. These have a nice domed top that should make a very nice looking Gouda wheel. My plans are to drill holes in the dome part of the cap….rest them in a 3” PVC coupling (for stability, since they are domed) and then press 4 - 6 of them at a time.
I think this will make some very nice looking little Goudas which will be a great accent alongside my 4”, 6”, 7-1/2” & 8” wheels in the cave.
Also, I’ve started using different colored wax on my cheeses. So far I have been using red and yellow but now have some black ordered, as well. I use a clear glass door, wine fridge as a cave and it’s really neat seeing the different sizes and colors, all together.
In fact my wife has accused me of paying way more attention to the cheese in the fridge than I do to her. :-D
Again, let me know how you like the 6” caps. I used them for well over a year and found them to be very versatile and easy to use.
Yes, I love the PVC caps! Is it you who suggested that? I made a quick search back to try to find who had given me the idea so I could give proper credit, but was unable to find it in my haste.
I love the idea of the 3” pressure caps. I tried a two-inch to make a log for cracker-size slices, and the cheese cloth and curds were too much for the small diameter. It was not a success, but I didn’t put much effort into it. Anyway, the 3” cap sounds like a great idea. I love the coupling idea for stability. Would never have thought of that myself.
In my two-inch debacle, the pressing was a big part of the problem. I tried pressing two and three and four at a time. The amount of curd has to be exact per each mold, or one or more of them don’t have the proper amount of pressure. If you figure this out, please let me know.
Also the multi-colored waxes are great. I only have red, but plan to get yellow and black also. I keep mine in a crockpot, so I just need to pick up a couple of more cheap crockpots and will be set.
My Christmas gift was a wine fridge. It’s a 72-bottle, I think. It’s narrow and tall. I love it! I have suddenly found myself with three weeks with not much going on at work, so I plan to get to cheesing!
I have not been able to locate a good source of raw milk either. I have found goat here somewhat locally, but the place doesn’t look very clean, so I haven’t tried them. It’s amazing here in Oklahoma where there are more cows that people that we can’t find raw milk, isn’t it? I’ve found the milk from Braum’s works the best for me.
Just a quick thought regarding acquisition of raw milk. Try posting a notice on the bulletin board at your local feed stores. Those dairymen go there regularly, and the word will get around the farmers. Then they can contact you if they are interested. Also, ask the folks who work at the feed store, or better yet, the guys who deliver feed. They will know who’s selling milk and who is not.
Yet another idea. Here we have a local radio program called “Tradio” on which people can call in and place free ads for buying and selling. You may have something like it in your area.
I’m from the Bartlesville, Ok. area. So far I haven’t been able to find anyone selling fresh milk, cow or goat. So I’m having to buy it in the store. From everything I’ve read this makes things more difficult. Any tips? Also, I would like to make a basic press and need a plan.
Terrie
Terrie, welcome to the forum. It is a great group of people, so don’t be afraid to ask any question. You’ll probably learn more that you really want to know. The members of this forum range from beginners to very experienced cheese makers, so there are people here who can help you grow in your cheese making skills at whatever pace you choose.
My input for you is to not worry about anything too much. I’ve had to throw away 2 or 3 of the many, many cheeses I’ve made. Okay, some of the keepers were not very good But, most everything was edible—and all the better because I made it myself. You will find that cheese making, as with almost any hobby, there is always something else to learn (and something else to buy), so proceed at your own pace and enjoy the trip because you will never reach the final destination.
My advice to all new cheese makers is “chill out” and enjoy it and don’t worry too much.
I agree with Rick R in that sometimes people loose track of a fun hobby and get entangled with “science”. As I mention some time ago in another thread, the homesteaders did not have a fridge or fancy meters and cultures. Dont forget the FUN part, learn the basics and it should pan out, and we learn from our mistakes.
