Learn To Make Cheese

Learn how to make homemade cottage cheese using this simple step-by-step method from Savvy Housekeeping.  A perfect cheese for beginning cheesemakers, all you need to make cottage cheese is milk and vinegar as well as your basic kitchen supplies like a thermometer and cheesecloth.   Freshly made cottage cheese is extremely delicious and as this article points out, a great way to use milk that otherwise might go unused.  You can make it with whole or skim milk if calories are a concern.   Rather than the vinegar in this recipe, some cottage cheese recipes call for lemon juice which also works well.   When you’re finished, be sure to salt your cottage cheese recipe to taste.   Add fresh herbs or other flavorings as you like.   The leftover whey water from this method can also be used for making other cheeses like ricotta so don’t dump it!

Instructions and photos after the jump.

Savvy Housekeeping » How to Make Cottage Cheese.

Life is Better Barefoot grabbed cheesemaking by the horns after taking part in a cheesemaking workshop.  Since then, she’s had some great experiences making feta (start early!, a simply divine ricotta and a minted haloumi.  Here she is on ricotta cheese making:

“Whole milk ricotta is divine and oh so easy. All you need is a thermometer and some white vinegar or lemon juice. Unfortunately, the yield is not so great, so I don’t tend to bother making it. Whey based ricotta though is perfect. Creating something out of the feta leftovers is a fantastic bonus. I can’t believe that they didn’t teach us this one during the workshop! OK, so the taste is not so rich and creamy as the whole milk ricotta. Served fresh though, with cinnamon sugar, or honey and nuts, especially while still warm – yummo, what a treat!”

Let’s wish her luck in her upcoming mozzarella making efforts!

Check out the photo evidence and more details after the jump.

Life is better barefoot: Making Cheese.

In the Alchemical Kitchen, Catalyst Magazine writer discusses her first experiences with cheesemaking at home.  While initially, the idea of cheesemaking seemed daunting, Brenner now makes her own cheeses on a weekly basis.   We’re talking ricotta, mozzarella, cream cheese, kefir as well as some non-dairy cheeses.

Brenner’s cheesemaking began with the 30 minute mozzarella kit from the New England Cheese Supply Company.  In her article she provides a list of basic cheesemaking equipment as well as her recipes for ricotta, cream cheese, kefir cheese and more.

Following up on yesterday’s vegan cheese discussion, we’ll share with you her cashew cheese recipe, with more real cheese recipes and more after the link.

Cashew cheese
1¾ cup of raw cashews
2 tablespoons of tahini
5 tablespoons of olive oil
2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon of salt

2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1. Place cashews in glass bowl, cover completely with water, and allow to soak overnight.
2. Drain cashews and rinse.
3. Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend until very smooth – about 8 minutes (less in a Vita-Mix).
4. Return mixture to glass bowl, cover loosely with a towel, and let sit 12-24 hours. The texture of your cashew cheese will be very smooth and creamy. Great for spreads and dips.

Catalyst Magazine – The Alchemical Kitchen: Cheese-Making.

Cheesemaking is one pastime you simply can’t experience through books.  Part of why we enjoy it is because you use your hands and can observe science taking place in the cheesemaking process.  In this Northwest Food News article, Guy Hand walked blindly into the world of cheesemaking and found himself a satisfying hobby.

His first efforts at making ricotta and cheddar were impressive!  Here’s what he has to say about the transformational experience of cheesemaking.

“What I’ve learned on the bumpy road to cheesemaking is that a good cheese sitting quietly on its shelf is a little biological miracle, a teaming universe of microscopic processes, a dance between time and temperature, art and science.  I’m not really good at it yet, but I’ve made some fresh cheeses that easily out compete the average supermarket varieties and I’m waiting for the weather to cool down so I can start aging some specimens in my newly christened cheese closet.  I’ll keep you posted . . .”

Discovering My Inner Cheesemaker | Northwest Food News.

Experienced home cheesemaker Gavin shares some excellent tips for making cheese at home.  He addresses lots of issues such as sanitation, what cheeses to make, and what equipment to invest in.   If you’re just starting out, he suggests making a soft cheese such as ricotta.   A local cheesemaking course is also valuable in helping you build enough knowledge to experiment with other cheese recipes.

Gavin clearly having a wonderful time making cheese on a weekly basis for the last eight months and we enjoyed his many insights.

“Tip #2.  Have everything all prepared and layed out before you start.  As I am waiting for the 15-20 minutes for the pot,  stainless steel utensils and cheese cloths to sterilise, I get a clean tea towel and lay it on the kitchen bench next to the stove top, ready to place all the tools on.  I select the recipe well in advance, and get out all the necessary ingredients and put them on the side ready to go.  Cheese making requires un-chlorinated water for diluting some ingredients, so I have to pre-boil some rain water from my tank and let it cool to room temperature.  You could use bottled water, but I do not due to environmental reasons.  I pre mix the diluted calcium chloride with this water, and do the same with the rennet.  Something I learnt in the Boy Scouts that I shall never forget and that is the Scouts motto, “Be Prepared”.”

Simple, Green, Frugal Co-op: Cheese Making Tips.