Took a cheese making class and cranked out my first batch of cheddar. Started with all the magic components carefully weighed out:
Did all the various steps with 2 gallons of milk, got the whey off and the curds broken up:
Let them drain more, did the actual cheddaring, loaded them into the press and slowly increased the pressure up to 50 pounds using "hand weights" like the directions say and let it press over night:
Out of the press.... looks like cheese:
I let it air dry for 4 days, then vac packed it in 4 pieces so I can age them 30/60/90/120 days and see what differences the aging makes. They're now resting in the "cheese cave" (aka wine fridge which is the right temp for cheese aging):
Probably won't get to try again soon if milk is in short supply, but at some point I'll get some different cultures and see what sort of trouble I can get in to.
The vac seal method is very controversial in the cheese world, I may use the hot wax method next time (vs. the warm wax, there is a difference).
We'll know starting in a month if I've created garbage or cheese.
Did all the various steps with 2 gallons of milk, got the whey off and the curds broken up:
Let them drain more, did the actual cheddaring, loaded them into the press and slowly increased the pressure up to 50 pounds using "hand weights" like the directions say and let it press over night:
Out of the press.... looks like cheese:
I let it air dry for 4 days, then vac packed it in 4 pieces so I can age them 30/60/90/120 days and see what differences the aging makes. They're now resting in the "cheese cave" (aka wine fridge which is the right temp for cheese aging):
Probably won't get to try again soon if milk is in short supply, but at some point I'll get some different cultures and see what sort of trouble I can get in to.
The vac seal method is very controversial in the cheese world, I may use the hot wax method next time (vs. the warm wax, there is a difference).
We'll know starting in a month if I've created garbage or cheese.