As a beginner I’m looking for a few good basic recipes for mozzarella and cheddar, and maybe a few others I can tackle.  I’ve wandered for hours and hours online and am now a little befuddled.  Some recipes are somewhat vague and some are a little over my head.  I think I’m ready to settle down and keep some good records and make some decent cheese to eat.  Suggestions please.  Oh yeah, I may have found a dairy where I can get some fresh milk,but they sell to a larger company and there are antibiotics involved and whatever else they are required to use.  Is this a problem?

Terrie

Welcome Terrie to the home cheese maker world. It took me a year before I started because it was confusing and scary. I finally took the plunge and waited to see what happened and started with small batches. First decide what kind of cheese u like, second pick one with a short aging. if u like Bloomed cheeses (brie,blue) that is one of the simplest. If u dont have cultures and dont want to order any at first then u can use a good buttermilk and some skin from a bought brie/blue.

I need to ask if you have any reference material at all.  A basic cheese book should help clear up much of the confusion.  And most of them provide several recipes to get you going.  I agree with Neil that you should start with what you like, not just what is simple.  Some recommend you start with soft cheese and then move up to the hard cheeses.  However, the process is not that difficult, so you may just go for it.  The Farmhouse cheddar that has been discussed recently is a good starting place.  Its a simple process, but you end up with a good, hard, flavorful cheese.  Then you can move on to other recipes that include other steps such as washing the curd or cheddaring.  In any case, just set your recipe in front of you and simply go through it one step at a time.  Taking it in steps rather than contemplating the entire process really simplifies the whole thing.

In any case, have fun - that’s what its all about.