Very new to the board and to cheese making. As I have been reading my recipes, I notice where I am going to have to hold temps at a certain degree for a given time. My beginners book suggest putting my cheese pot in a water bath in the sink. Does any body have any other methods or devices they might use to control lower temps for certain periods of time.

First, welcome to the talk.  Have you done any cheese making yet, or is this your first try coming up?

You can do temps on the stove - but that’s a tough one.  It’s harder, in my opinion, to heat your milk slowly enough on the stove.  Lots of people do it, so it’s not impossible.  Also, maintaining the temps on the stove requires pretty close monitoring.

You can use a double boiler type arrangement on the stove, which makes it easier to maintain consistent temps.  Personally, I don’t have a pot big enough to contain my 5 gallon cheese pot.

The sink has been my best option.  It’s easy to add more hot or cold water when you need, and the mass of water around your pot keeps temps fairly stable.  You will need two thermometers - one for the milk and one for the water - so that you don’t have to keep sanitizing the temp probe each time you return it to the milk.

Wishing you well in your attempts.  Keep us posted on how it goes, and ask questions whenever they come up.  We’re always glad to help.

Welcome Ginger !!
Ive done both, the stove you have to have an insulator on the rings so the direct heat does not burn the milk. I large canning pot works well as well as Rich said the sink.

Thanks for all the advise. I have made a few soft cheeses so far like paneer , cream cheese monzzareallla. Again I’m just getting started in this so I will have a lot of question

Questions are terrific.  That’s how we learn.  I guess that’s why 2 year olds learn so fast, cuz they are a never ending source of questions.

So, is you sink big enough to accommodate your cheese pot?

Good question. I have not bought an actual cheese pot. I have using one of are stainless steel pots. I noticed some of the recipes will be calling for 3 gallons of milk… Any suggestions???

I prefer stainless, but it’s pricey.  I also need a 5 gallon stock pot for my 4 gallon batches.  You might check local thrift stores or yard sales for a pot.  It doesn’t have to be real heavy duty, since you’re “cooking” at such low temps.  Or, if you can’t find anything at a reasonable price, you could use an enamelware canner.

Thanks rich, I appreciate it

No problema.  Let us know how it goes.