The Cheese Thread

[Airgead]

Is it possible to make cheese without buying any of that stuff from that cheese website...

I dont think any of its available in NZ, if I was going to do it id have to make a postal order <_<

You can.. but the gear makes it easier. If you want some ultra simple cheese recipes using stuff you can find round the house look here - http://biology.clc.uc.edu/Fankhauser/Cheese/cheese.html

Cheers
Dave

 

[wabster]

Hi Folks,

As promised, here is a better photo of the second piece of Camembert from the first batch we made on 5th August, wrapped on the 16th August. The taste is just right, creamy and the mould flavour is great, noticeable but not overwhelming. I have a few more lots to make, and I might start looking seriously at doing some blue. Cheerz Wab.

​

 

[wambesi]

Hmm, they ended up going in the bin.

That smell got alot worse and it also started to have unwanted growths, I'm putting it down to temp control as we had a few hot spiked days (well more than a few) and it fluctuated between 10-25 deg, with some sweating inside the wrap.

Not to worry. I now have my bar fridge back with new fridgemate attached and it's sitting on top of the fermentation fridge.
And I just finished three more Camemberts ready to go in there in the morning.

Hopefully these one's will be better!

 

[Bribie G]

Indian curd cheese (Panir).

I'm currently on a bit of a Hare Krishna food thing. I followed a recipe for Panir on the web, heated up two litres of full cream milk, poured in about a quarter of a cup of vinegar (Philippines cane vineger) and waited for it to curdle into curds and whey.

I got a certain amount of solids breaking out, but after straining through a nylon stocking, the 'whey' was the same colour as ordinary milk and not at all transparent. Got about half a cup of curds out of the exercise which I have just had fried with spinach, garlic and curry spices toasted in the sandwich press in an olive oil brushed Lebanese bread. Yum. However still can't help thinking it was poor value for $2.40 and should have got far more solids out of it.

Anyone have a recipe for Panir that works??

 

[ibast]

Indian curd cheese (Panir).

Anyone have a recipe for Panir that works??

Haven't tried it yet, but from an Indian cook book I have:
- Bring 2l of milk gently to the boil
- Remove from heat
- Stir in 1 cup of natural yogurt and 2 tbls of lemon juice
- Leave to site for a few minutes
- Strain through muslin cloth

 

[braufrau]

So this is going to be the year for cheese now that I'm all shifted down and all ...

what do you experienced guys reckon?
Blue a la AndrewQLD or camembert? Which one's easier?

 

[wabster]

So this is going to be the year for cheese now that I'm all shifted down and all ...

what do you experienced guys reckon?
Blue a la AndrewQLD or camembert? Which one's easier?

I'm a camembert man meself, it takes about 6 weeks from stovetop to mouth, but I think it depends on which style of cheeses you prefer.

I've been enjoying my home made camembert with spanish jamon and other yummies and have enjoyed them so much I haven't yet moved to making my beloved stinkies. However given I'm in Melbourne for all of February, I'm planning on getting down to Cheeselinks at Hoppers Crossing and buying the requirements to make the hard and smelly cheeses too

Enjoy to the max whatever you decide tro make,

Cheerz Wabster

 

[braufrau]

Thanks wabster. I'm totally obsessing about Andrew's blue at the moment. I have these memories of shropshire blue, bought from fortnum and mason last year and man! there is nothing like that in australia ... so now I'm on a mission!

Been reading through the thread again (i've gotta close down this computer so I can get on with my tasks for the day!) and thought I might add some things ...

1. The blessed cheese website has disappeared ... closed down??? Didn't like that guy anyway!

2. PVC pipe, I have been told, contains lead arsenate, unless you get special arsenic free stuff.

3. I've been told (OK! I don't really know anything yet) that you can make moulds from used fish oil, powerade, whey powder etc. containers. Take the tops and bottoms off to give a smooth cylinder and put in the holes. Actaully, do the holes first so the container doesn't squish.

4. These are the brands of milk I know of in Adelaide which are un-**** ... bd farms (organic, available at some wooolies and foodlands), Murray Valley (available at our greengrocers), Fleurieu (available at the sunday farmers markte at wayville).

5. Australia wide, there's parmalat.

6. In the adelaide hills there's a secret palce that sells unpasteurised milk. Also, in Melb. you can get it at hippy stores at bath milk from time to time. I can find out the store if anyone is interested.

And here is my pickie from fortnum and mason.
Look at those rinds!

 

[braufrau]

Oh dear! Here's an idea ... beer washed cheese!

http://saxelbycheese.blogspot.com/2007/03/...-come-true.html

and of course chimay do this!

http://www.igourmet.com/shoppe/prodview.aspx?prod=109S

Stinky washed rind cheese! :icon_drool2:

 

[AndrewQLD]

Oh dear! Here's an idea ... beer washed cheese!

http://saxelbycheese.blogspot.com/2007/03/...-come-true.html

and of course chimay do this!

http://www.igourmet.com/shoppe/prodview.aspx?prod=109S

Stinky washed rind cheese! :icon_drool2:

You have been bitten by the bug without doubt Braufrau, the blue style cheeses were the first ones I started out with and I found them just as easy to make as the camembert, but I just LOVE the blues.
Plenty of good info on the sausagemakers.org website as they have a large section for cheesemaking.

The molds can be made from just about anything, even canned fruit cans.

I hope we get to see some pics of your cheese as it matures, keep us informed.

Andrew

 

[braufrau]

Ah well .. some logistical things to overcome first. Like getting a press.

I've got this idea bumbling in my head now .. my head has been full of cheese (that doesn't sound nice does it? ) all day ...
that I'd like a semi-hard cheese with a natural rind.
so what do you think it would be like if I made your stilton recipe without the blue mold?
Pretty good I reckon.
One of the cheeses we had from fortnum and masons (oh I hope I get back there this year!) was cornish yarg.
http://www.thecheeseshed.com/cornish-yarg-11-p.asp

Well I don't know where to get nettles, but that's the sort of cheese I'd like to make .. moist with a fabulous rind.

 

[braufrau]

I just found this picky of someone's compost bin full of nettles

It looks just like Cornish Yarg cheese! :lol:

 

[capretta]

hahah you so crazy! um just a side note , i use pool chlorine buckets and mature them on knife and fork trays ,upsidedown, modified to fit into the crisper. enjoy and read up big and get ready for some flavour bombs! i ate some stuff i never would have considered in the past and i think i might force my kids to make cheese at least once so they dont chuck out a kilo of cheese if it has a spot of mould! lol

 

[braufrau]

pack the curds evenly into 2x 3 1/2 inch diameter molds and press for 12 hours with 5 kilo weights turning every couple of hours.

Still obsessing about cheese here ..
By turn? Do you mean flip end to end?
And if so, how do you get the followers out of the molds?

 

[AndrewQLD]

Still obsessing about cheese here ..
By turn? Do you mean flip end to end?
And if so, how do you get the followers out of the molds?

I wrapped my followers in a bit of glad wrap (they were wood), when it came time to turn/flip I simply grabbed a bit of the loose glad wrap on top of the follower and lifted it out. Flip the mold over onto another draining mat (the cheese will slide down the mold) and put the follower back on the top and add your weight back on.

Cheers
Andrew

 

[braufrau]

I wrapped my followers in a bit of glad wrap (they were wood), when it came time to turn/flip I simply grabbed a bit of the loose glad wrap on top of the follower and lifted it out. Flip the mold over onto another draining mat (the cheese will slide down the mold) and put the follower back on the top and add your weight back on.

Cheers
Andrew

Oh! Righty-ho then.

How tall are your molds? I'm trying to figure out what volume of mold I need.

 

[AndrewQLD]

Oh! Righty-ho then.

How tall are your molds? I'm trying to figure out what volume of mold I need.

Mine are about 15 cm high, but you can go longer than that if you want it just means your cheese truckle will be taller if you fill them to the top with curds. Look at losing about 2/3rd of your height after a light pressing for 12 hrs.

Andrew

 

[JonnyAnchovy]

just discovered this thread! I've done a few batches of camembert so far (all turned out really supurb - if a little too runny).

Was wondering if anyone has managed to source/use unpasturised/unhomoginised milk? apparently it works a treat, if it doesn't kill you.....

 

[vertigo]

Hi guys, I wasn't sure if it was ok to talk about chesses on the forum until now. I've made three Camembert chesses so far. The last two chesse never ever fully ripen. Why would this be so? (they were just a bit too hard in the middle, tasted ok). The chesses that I'm ripening now, started getting some orange colour coming through. Any reasons that I could for solving this?, or is this in fact going to be better. I'm still on the waiting list at my local hospital, just in case.

 

[capretta]

i believe i asked a question on orange mould a few pages ago, there is some good info if you read the whole thread its non toxic and seems to be a bacteria off your skin. often found in washed rind cheese it imparts a stinky feet style flavour. once its on there there is not much you can do if you dont like that style. luckily i do!