Little Green Cheese

LGC Podcast - Episode #3 Cheese Making Basics

2013-05-17T13:43:00.000+10:00

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This week, in the absence of an interview, I talk about cheese making basics. I step you through how cheese is formed and what properties within the milk assist it into separated curds and whey. I also talk about cultures, rennet and salt.

The News of the week came from this link in the Scotsman.com; http://www.scotsman.com/news/scottish-news/top-stories/harrods-snaps-up-mum-s-home-kits-for-making-cheese-1-2924733. Well done to Ailsa and her future endeavours.

The Cheese of the episode is Colby. I describe how this unique washed curd cheese is coloured with Annatto, and how many commercial cheeses are dyed with this food colouring.

There are many listener questions which cover topics such as Lactose free soft cheese, a swollen parmesan, sour farmhouse cheddar, and a correction to the quick mozzarella recipe. Keep sending them in, as I love reading them on air.

Thanks for to the many listeners for subscribing. It would be a great favour and help raise the profile of the show if you could leave a comment/review and rate the show within the iTunes store. In this way, more home cheese makers will become aware of this free resource.

Until next episode curd nerds!

LGC Podcast - Episode #2 Interview with Liz Beavis

2013-05-11T17:28:00.001+10:00

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This week on the Little Green Cheese podcast, we have an interview with Liz Beavis, who writes at http://eight-acres.blogspot.com.au/ and lives in Nanango, Qld. Liz has two dairy cows that her and her husband milk each day. With the excess milk Liz makes raw milk cheese for her own consumption.

In Cheese News I look at this article from the Maitland Mercury; http://www.maitlandmercury.com.au/story/1474392/a-mature-approach/?cs=170

The Cheese of the episode is Caerphilly, which I made on Sunday May 5th 2013. It is now ripening in the cheese fridge, and you can find the recipe in my cheese making book "Keep Calm and Make Cheese - The Beginners Guide to Cheese Making at Home".

Thanks for listening!

Unwanted Moulds

2013-05-03T21:29:00.001+10:00

I received this email yesterday asking for urgent help from Aida. Here is the email.

Dear Gavin,

I need your advice asap! I just made Havarti cheese 10 days ago, it is in the cheese cave ( adapted freezer unit ), yesterday I noticed reddish, maybe pink or orange at the top of the cheese, it is minimal and faint, the rind is a bit oily,anyway I wiped it with vinegar salt solution, it is probably in a humid atmosphere, maybe that's what caused to color, but I am so concerned, because I saw the same discoloration again today...is this dangerous and should I throw cheese away?

Please advise asap, this problematic cheese is still in the cave with other cheeses, will it infect other cheeses? or is this faint discoloration normal, how do I know if it's a mold or bacteria ...dangerous or not?
thanks
Aida

Well Aida, I am sure this is a question that many new cheese makers need to ask, because we are taught from early on in life that moulds are bad things. Sometimes that is just not correct. Moulds are sometimes good things, especially on cheese.

The good news is that I believe that the mould your have on your Havarti is a red mould called Brevibacterium Linens which is found on Limberger, Brick, and Muenster washed rind cheeses.. However without a photograph I cannot be sure.

Caerphilly displaying green/blue and orange moulds. Totally edible, and delicious.

So before you go throwing away your cheese, lets list the types of unwanted moulds that I have experienced in my cheese making adventures;

Black moulds that look like cats hair
Red moulds on heavily salted cheeses
Orange moulds
Green/blue moulds similar to P. Roqueforti, and
Brown moulds

I wouldn't exactly say these are harmful in small doses, they just need to be treated correctly. You need to ask yourself why the moulds grew in the first place. Did you observe proper sterilisation techniques at the start of the process? Is there cross contamination between cheese types (use a ripening box for mould ripened cheeses). Did you use enough salt? Was the cheese dry before aging?

Once you determine the cause, then you can take action. For a soft cheese, you can save your cheese by carefully cutting off a slice of the offending area, rubbing salt into the wound, and hope it goes away. For hard cheeses, brine and vinegar as you have already tried, or try cutting off the affected area, re-salt, then letting air dry again before putting back into the cheese fridge/cave.

All that said and done, a small unwanted mould will not destroy your cheese, and may even add flavour. The only real bad one to avoid is the black moulds which should be treated immediately. Not because it is really harmful, but because it leaves a terrible taste in the cheese.

Moulds have not killed me, and I am still alive. I have had all sorts of unique, but friendly moulds in my cheese cave at various times! Just make sure you sanitise well, and clean out your cheese cave with a vinegar spray every few months if you want to stop the moulds from taking up house in your aging area.

Hopefully that has cleared up any misconceptions about cheese moulds.

LGC Podcast - Episode #1 - Introducing Gavin

2013-05-02T23:24:00.001+10:00

Fellow cheese makers. I have great pleasure in introducing the first episode of the Little Green Cheese Podcast, which will be a monthly feature on this site.

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You can subscribe via iTunes via the button below.

Also, I am looking for home cheesemakers who would like to be interviewed for the show, which will be conducted via skype. If you are interested please contact me via an email: gavin (at) littlegreencheese.com

Enjoy the first episode. Don't forget to leave a listener question or comment about all things cheesy via the voicemail gadget on the right hand side of the blog. All questions will feature in the monthly podcast.

Until next episode, Keep Calm and Make Cheese!

Keep Calm and Make Cheese eBook released

2013-04-21T21:41:00.003+10:00

Finally, after four months of hard work, my cheese making eBook is now available for purchase. It has been a labour of love, and great fun to produce.

Here are the book description.

Keep Calm and Make Cheese - The Beginners Guide To Cheese Making at Home

Have you ever wanted to make real cheese at home, but didn't know where or how to start? Well look no further, as this book makes it easy for the beginner to jump right in and make cheese.

Keep Calm, and Make Cheese steps you through the process of home cheese making with 24 tried and tested recipes for the budding home cheese maker to follow and create.

With over 60 pictures, and links to 12 of the author's simple to follow cheese making video tutorials, the whole process becomes much easier to achieve success than you would by reading a normal cheese making book.

After reading this book you too will be able to "Keep Calm and Make Cheese", in your very own home.

For more information about where you can buy this great beginners guide, visit my eBook page.

As retailers begin to distribute it, I will update the eBook page with fresh links. It will be available for Kindle in 24 hours.

Colby Cheese

2013-04-14T21:59:00.004+10:00

It was high time that I made a new cheese, so over the weekend I dug out all of my cheese books and selected Colby.

This cheese originates from Wisconsin, USA. Colby is a washed curd cheese which lowers the finished acidity of the cheese, so it is not as sharp as a Cheddar.

I used Jonsey's non-homogenised milk for a stronger curd, negating the requirement for calcium chloride to add back in soluble calcium that is lost after homogenisation. The milk is more expensive, but worthwhile just for the firmer curd structure.

I could tell from the very start that this is going to be a very special cheese.

The one unusual ingredient that this cheese contains is Annatto, which is made from the seeds of Bixa orellana, a shrub native to South America.

Colouring has been added to cheese as a ruse to trick the buyer into thinking that they are getting a product made with premium milk. Before Annatto was used for colouring, cheese makers would use saffron, turmeric, and marigold petals to achieve the desirable yellowish colour.

It is still used today in most commercial cheese making. The cup in the picture above contains only 5 drops, diluted with non-chlorinated water.

Anyway, all the utensils laid out, ready to go. The rennet has been diluted, and the mesophilic starter culture is in the spoon. Unfortunately for you dear reader, I will be listing the recipe today as I have not tried the final product, and made a few modifications as I progressed through the procedure. For all I know, it could turn out to be tasteless. I doubt it though!

Ben took a happy snap of me in one of my favourite poses. This was during the long stirring part of the process, with over 90 minutes of arm aching excitement. Watching curds shrink is exciting, right?

Here is the final pressed cheese, fresh out of its wrapping and mould. It certainly looks yellower than one of my normal cheeses.

It is now drying in the cheese nook for a day or two, and then will be waxed and aged for 3 months. Looking forward to the taste test!

[cross posted on The Greening of Gavin]

Cheese Podcast Coming Soon

2013-04-12T08:47:00.001+10:00

I have been busily working on a new part of this site, namely an accompanying podcast.

This is so that I can bring you verbal answers to questions, quick tips, and interviews with other amateur and professional cheese makers from around the world.

The first episode will be ready in about a week.

Also, the cheese making eBook is in its final editing phase, so should be released soon. Don't forget to sign up to the email list (in the right sidebar) if you want to be notified when it is released.

I am looking forward to this next exciting chapter of the Little Green Cheese!

Are you?

Flocculation Method For A Better Curd

2013-03-19T17:25:00.001+11:00

Yesterday, I mentioned flocculation. David over in Manitoba, Canada picked up on this, and asked me to expand. By the way, David was recently featured on the New England Cheesemaking Co. blog. You can read all about him at this link. Well done mate.

Anyway, let me explain the flocculation method which is a better method for curd set.

The times given in most cheese recipes are great for beginners and experienced home cheese makers alike. You can check for curd set by the tried and true "Clean Break" method, however there is a better whey to determine curd set for your cheese.

The flocculation method is a way to test the point of coagulation after adding the rennet to your milk. Using a factor (determined by the type of cheese you are making, you multiply the time taken for the flocculation point to help you predict the best time for curd set.

So here is the process.

Add your rennet when the recipe states. Start a timer so you know how many minutes have elapsed.
Leave the milk for five minutes, then take a sterilised small plastic bowl and place it on the surface. It should float.
Then spin the bowl gently, whereby it should rotate freely. Do this every minute or two.
You should notice that at around the 8 minute mark you may find slight resistance from the milk, test by spinning every 30 seconds.
Between 10 and 15 minutes, the bowl should become 'stuck', indicating that the curd mass has formed. This is the flocculation point. It may take longer, so don't panic. Keep testing till the curds set.
Once set, don't try to spin the bowl any more, just remove it gently and note the time elapsed.

Watch what I mean in this video.

Now you have to multiply a factor the total time it took for the curd mass to set by a figure listed in the table below. (Source: Cheese Forum Wiki)

Cheese type	Factor
Swiss & Alpine types, Parmesan, Romano	2-2.5
Cow’s milk Cheddar	2.5-3
Monterey jack, Caerphilly	3.5
Feta & Blues	4
Camembert & Brie	5-6

The factor (normally between 2 and 6) is multiplied by the time it took to reach flocculation point, giving you the time to cut the curd.

So if flocculation time is, for example, 15 minutes, then for Parmesan, total time since adding rennet to when cut is 37 and a half minutes. This is the optimum time to cut the curd for the type of cheese you are making.

The Cheese Forum states;

"The reason for the different multipliers for different cheese type recipes is because the curd at time of cutting will have different strength, young curd set will more readily release water when cut versus older curd set will release less."

So as I mentioned in my previous post;

A soft cheese usually has a higher flocculation time, and a larger curd cut, keeping more moisture in the cheese.

A hard cheese on the other hand has a lower flocculation time, and a smaller curd cut, releasing more whey for a firmer, drier cheese.

I hope this explains the flocculation method in more detail. I tried this method during the last Caerphilly that I made, and I did notice an improvement in the curd structure during stirring.

Try it out on the next batch of cheese you make. I would be interested in your results.

Cut Curd Size

2013-03-18T21:56:00.001+11:00

Ever wondered why different cheese recipes required different curd sizes?

Well, so do lot of budding curd nerds from the looks of this weeks email. It comes from Dave who lives somewhere in the U.S.

Hi Gavin,

I just wanted to thank you so much for what you're doing. A friend and I are trying to learn to make cheese and other things from home, but most sites put a high premium on the knowledge. I live in the U.S. and our economy is starting to fall apart. We decided that not only is it better to be natural but, it is also a kind of security to know how to do these things if there ever is an economic crisis - which the signs say there there is going to be one. So to repeat, most folks out there are capitalizing on the need but you're doing a lot of this stuff for free. It means a lot to me and I'm sure to many others. You're a kind of mother culture for many other aspiring cheese-makers and "greenies." Thank you.

That being said, I have a question that plagues me and my newbie cheese-making friend: Why do cheese curds need to be cut in a particular size if we are going to break them up in the first place? It seems like an arbitrary step since every batch of cheese is ultimately broken down to the same size. What are we intellectually missing here? Why do they have to be cut uniform if they're gonna be reduced and broken by stirring. The way it looks to us is like we're told to cut curds in one inch squares and then throw them into a blender. We're told that the size of the cubes will determine the moisture and the texture of the cheese. Do you see the confusion? You're advice is much appreciated and thanks so much for what your doing for us. It's strange to me how you're having a global impact from your own home!

Thanks, Dave

Thank you Dave. I have never been referred to a mother culture before, but it sounds nice and earthy. A father culture, definitely!

Caerphilly curds cut at 6 mm (1/4 inch) for a drier cheese.

So to answer your question, there is a very good reason why we cut curds different sizes or in fact in some cheeses, not at all. It all has to do with the moisture content of the finished cheese. The smaller the curd cut, the more whey that is expelled.

You will also notice that the flocculation time (time taken to set after adding rennet) is much longer in a cheese like Camembert (60 minutes), than say Parmesan (45 minutes or less). It makes a big difference to the finished product.

A soft cheese usually has a higher flocculation time, and a larger curd cut, keeping more moisture in the cheese.

A hard cheese on the other hand has a lower flocculation time, and a smaller curd cut, releasing more whey for a firmer, drier cheese.

One thing I will recommend is that once the curds are cut, let them 'heal' for 5 minutes before stirring again. You will find that the cubes will stay together better, and just shrink during stirring, expelling whey as you cook the curds. Curds should always be stirred gently, so that they are not broken apart forcefully. In fact, everything about cheese making is very Zen like. Slow and methodical makes the best cheese.

Enjoy your new curd knowledge!

Making You Own Curd Cutter

2013-02-26T22:55:00.001+11:00

My cheese pal, David, who lives in Manitoba, Canada has kindly offered to share the instructions on how to make the cheese curd cutter that he made me.

It was his way of saying thank you for all the cheese making video tutorial that I have made over the last few years. What a nice bloke!

Anyway, here are his instructions, to which I have added metric measurements.

Making a Cheese Harp (Curd Cutter)

Curd Cutter made for a 8 litre (2 gallon) pot.

David's note: I have made 3 harps, one stainless steel and two from wood. The best one is shown here I will describe how I made this one.

The height of the harp is the depth of your cheese making pot PLUS about 4 inches (100 mm). The width of the harp is half of the diameter of your cheese making pot. So, if your pot is 10 inches (254 mm) deep and 10 inches across, your harp wants to be 14 inches (355 mm) high and 5 inches (127 mm) wide.

Use a hard close-grained wood such as maple. Cut two pieces approx 5/8 inch (16 mm) wide x 3/16 (5 mm) thick x your desired total height. Mark off the max depth of your pot. Draw a centre line down the length of that part of the wood that will be in the pot. Drill a 3/16 (5 mm)hole at the end but leaving enough wood at the end so as not to be too weak and to hold a 3/16 dowel. Then mark off every ½ inch (13 mm) to about 1 inch (25.4 mm) above your curd depth. Drill 1/16 (1.5 mm) holes at every mark. Drill one hole in the middle at 3/16 (5 mm) for a second re-enforcing dowel. See photo.

Cut 2 pieces for the handles 25mm x 16mm (1 inch x 5/8 x the half the diameter of your pot MINUS 3/8 inch) 10mm. Cut two pieces of 5mm (3/16 inch) dowel x half the diameter of your pot.

Mix up some 2-part epoxy glue and glue the wooden parts together. Use a clamp or an elastic band to hold the handle end in place while the glue sets. Lay it on wax paper on a flat surface and make sure the long side pieces are parallel. When the glue has dried, some very small round-headed screws (eg ½ inch x 1/16) into the handle pieces will give added strength. Pre-drill the screw holes to avoid splitting the wood. You can just see these screws on the bottom of the photo.

Thoroughly sand everything down and while doing it round off the end and all the corners. Pay particular attention to the long pieces that will be in the curd as these will in effect be cutting as well.

Now thread nylon fishing line back and forth through the holes. Tie off at the bottom and, working from bottom to top, pull tight and finally tie off at the top. Use fisherman’s non-slip knots.

Mix a quantity of 2-part epoxy glue and thin it down with a little methyl hydrate (alcohol) and brush it all over. If you can get the glue to fill the holes where the nylon line goes through, that is good because it will prevent pieces of curd getting stuck in there. When it is dry, very lightly sand down the wood with very fine sandpaper (eg 400 grit) – be careful not to sand the nylon – and give it a second coat. The glue will seal the knots in the nylon and help to prevent them coming undone.

Note: 2-part epoxy is usually considered ‘food safe’ though no guarantees are implied here with your brand of epoxy.

Gavin's note: David does not take orders, which is why he gave me permission to post these instructions so that you can make your own curd cutter.

I have used this curd cutter many times now, and David even sent me on for my 14 litre pot, which is a little larger. To clean it before and after use, I wash it with a weak bleach solution (1 capful to 1 litre of water) then rinse again with clean water afterwards.

It is a great tool, worthy of construction and use by the home cheese maker.

Best of luck with your construction project.

Stilton Testimonial

2013-02-05T07:30:00.000+11:00

If anyone is wondering if the recipes that I post actually get results if you follow them, then this post is for you.

The other day I received two delightful email from one of my readers, Chris who writes about a Stilton cheese that was made following my recipe and video tutorial.

Here is Chris' first email;

Hello Gavin

The attached photos are of my first attempt at "Stilton", the result was superb, I took some to a dinner down in Tasmania, the host served two 'blues' after dinner, my "Stilton" and a top King Island, initially some guests were reluctant to try the home-made but at the end of the night the only cheese left was half the King Island ! I like it so much #2 is in the cave, #3 will be made this week-end.

I recently bought a cheese trier from www.thecheesemaker.com delivered in 11 days and half the price charged locally.

I have watched all your videos, they have been most helpful, so far I have made Parmesan, Camembert, Cheddar (farmhouse and normal), Wensleydale, Stilton and Ricotta, not one failure. The cheese cave is a full size ‘fridge fitted with a $50 external thermostat from Jaycar.

Chris' Stilton. Looks delicious!

Here is the second email

I had read a couple of books on cheese making before I discovered your site, the videos were really helpful, if a picture is worth a thousand words a video must be billions !

My cave really works well, I have it set for a temp. range of 12-14°C at the moment, even though it is in a shed, when the shade temp here was 45.5°C it held at 13.5°C. I am afraid my last email said I bought the external thermostat from Jaycar, my mistake, I bought it from mashmaster, see http://www.mashmaster.com.au/p/365439/fridgemate-mkii-digital-temperature-controller-kit.html
My blue cheeses all age at the above temp, I like a strong cheese, so 4 months is right for the Stilton, I tried the one in the cave last week at 3 months it is still a bit mild. One thing with making Stilton, I drain in a cheese cloth but don’t line the mould with cloth, the cheese comes out much smoother and is easier to dress before aging.

Cheers

Chris

The Stilton enjoyed with a nice glass of red wine.

Here is my reply;

Hi Chris,

Great result. I often wonder if people can replicate my results by watching my video tutorials, and you have just confirmed that you can!

That is great news about your Stilton. I really need to get my cheese cave sorted out. I am thinking of converting an old bar fridge with a similar external thermometer.

Kind regards,

Gavin

Thanks for the big vote of confidence Chris. It makes producing this cheese blog all the more worthwhile when I receive a testimonial like that! I love that you have tried to make so many different types of cheese, all from watching my video tutorials.

I didn't really know how much the videos helped, so now I do!

Italian Bag Cheese

2013-02-03T11:00:00.000+11:00

If you want to make something different, give Italian Bag Cheese a try. This cheese is made in a most unusual manner, but it tastes great all the same.

I had never heard of it until I stumbled upon it in a cheese making book titled "Homemade Cheese - Recipes for 50 Cheeses from Artisan Cheesemakers" by Janet Hurst.

Janet adapted it from a recipe by Giuseppe Licitra, Ph.D., Research Consortium dairy industry, Ragusa, Sicily! Truly Italian.

Now the only problem that I had was that some of the instructions were missing, so having a little bit of experience under my belt, I ended up with a nice firm cheese and further adapted the recipe. Here is my version of this cheese.

(Note; The original recipe called for Mesophilic MM101 culture which is also known as Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis + Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris + Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis var. diacetylactis. I know that this is a little more technical than my posts usually are however this type of Mesophilic culture is a moderate acidifier with some gas and high diacetyl production. Diacetyl, is a fermentation compound which contributes a desirable buttery aroma to a cheese; Gas production: refers to cultures which produce CO2.

If you do have Mesophilic MM100 or MM101 on hand, then use it instead for a less acidic and more buttery flavour. I chose to use Mesophilic MO 030 (or MA) starter culture which is a moderate/high acidifier with no gas or diacetyl production, because that was all I had.)

Italian Bag Cheese

Ingredients

4 litres (1 gallon) full cream cows milk
1/4 teaspoon calcium chloride mixed with 1/4 cup (60ml) nonchlorinated water if using homogenised milk.
1/8th teaspoon, (or a heaped smidgen) Mesophilic direct set culture type MM100/MM101
1/4 teaspoon liquid rennet diluted with 1/4 cup (60ml) nonchlorinated water

You will also need;

Fully Saturated Brine (500 gm non-ionised salt to 2 litres (2 quarts) lukewarm water). this is a very salty brine! Add a teaspoon of white vinegar to stabilise the brine.

Method;

Add milk to stainless steel pot.

If using homogenised milk, add calcium chloride solution.

Heat milk to 30°C (86°F).

Add the direct set culture and stir top to bottom for 30 seconds. Add the rennet solution, and stir thoroughly for one minute, with a top to bottom motion.

Cover pot, and wait for 45 minutes or until you achieve a clean break.

Using a curd cutter, or flat knife,

Cut the curds into 13 mm (1/2 inch) cubes. Do not stir or rest.

Line a colander with cheese cloth (double folded) or butter muslin,

and ladle the curds into the cloth. Ensure that you put a pot under the colander as you need to save the whey for later on.

Gather the corners of the cheese cloth and form a bag.

Hang the bag over the whey pot and drain for 30 minutes.

Once the 30 minutes is complete, untie the bag, where you will find a ball shape.

Carefully turn it over, top to bottom trying to encourage development of the round shape. I failed.

Retie the bag.

Hang and let drain for 1 hour.

After the 1 hour has elapsed, tie the bag tighter leaving no visible holes. Place the curd bag into the original pot, pour in the whey.

Bring the temperature up to 88°C (190°F), which will take about 20 minutes.

Turn off the heat and leave the curd bag in the whey until it is cool. This will take about 5 hours to get back to room temperature.

Once the whey is at room temperature, remove the curd bag from the whey and hang for two hours or until the whey has stopped dripping.

Remove the cheese from the bag. It will be very firm.

Place the cheese ball in the fully saturated brine.

Make sure that it stays submerged. Cover and leave for 2 hours.

Remove from the brine (keep the brine for other cheeses). You can eat this cheese fresh or let air dry for 4 hours and then refrigerate in an airtight container.

This cheese will keep for up to two weeks in the refigerator.

Now, I know that it doesn't look like much, but this unique fresh cheese is very salty and has a tight texture a bit like mozzarella when refrigerated. It tastes fantastic with freshly picked, home-grown, sliced tomatoes and cucumbers, with a basil leaf on top. It is a nice alternative to mozzarella made in the traditional way.

It is also delicious if it is heated up a little, and does melt when grilled. It would be a nice addition to a home made pizza.

I believe that if I had have used MM culture, I dare say it would taste a little different with less acidity and a more buttery flavour. When I next order some cultures, I will try to make this cheese again. Even so, it does taste good.

Who knows, I might even make a video tutorial!

Cream Cheese

2013-01-29T08:00:00.000+11:00

Who loves cream cheese? I like it with served with a drizzle of sweet chilli sauce or spread on crackers with some sliced heirloom tomato and a basil leaf.

Well curd nerds, you are going to love this version. It is so tasty and is easy to make, with very few ingredients unlike processed cream cheese which has a list of ingredients as long as my arm.

Like any great cheese, it just takes a little bit of time.

This is a cheese that I have been meaning to make for a few months, but it has been just too hot here in South Eastern Australia. Luckily, this weekend has been mild with temperatures in the low 20's (C).

I managed to source a non-homogenised full cream milk at a local supplier in Bacchus Marsh (Jonesy's Milk), which was just a delight to use for cheese making.

So on to the recipe and method.

Cream Cheese

Ingredients;

4 litres (1 gallon) full cream (whole) milk
1/8th teaspoon, (heaped smidgen) Mesophilic direct set culture type MA or MO30
4 drops liquid rennet in 60 ml (1/4 cup) of non-chlorinated water
2 teaspoons cheese salt
If using homogenised milk, add 1 ml of calcium chloride in 30 ml of non-chlorinate water.

Method;

Sanitise all equipment by boiling in hot water or a weak bleach (20 ml of bleach to 4 litres of cold water)

In a large pot, pour in the milk and add calcium chloride solution if necessary and stir thoroughly top to bottom for 30 seconds. Warm the milk to 30°C (86°F).

Add the culture, stir well for one minute top to bottom.

Add 3 teaspoons of the rennet solution (discard remainder), and stir for two minutes.

Cover and allow to rest at room temperature (about 21°C or 70°F) for 18 hours. After resting, it will have the appearance of a block of soft curd with whey.

Line a colander with cheesecloth (I doubled it over twice to make it four layers thick), or butter muslin.

Ladle the curds into the cheesecloth.

Note the yoghurt like consistency. It also tastes slightly sour, but not quite like a natural yoghurt.

Then form a bag and allow to drain for 12 hours. Don't forget to tie a double granny knot by gathering the opposite corners of the cloth, otherwise it may slip and fall.

After 12 hours, untie the cheesecloth, and remove the cheese from the bag.

Work in the cheese salt with a clean spoon, a little at a time until all used.

Refrigerate the cream cheese in an airtight container. When chilled, you can make small logs, roll in finely chopped fresh herbs and slice, or just spread on bread or crackers.

Delicious. Once you have tried fresh home made cream cheese, you will never eat the processed stuff again. It is delightfully creamy with a slight tang. Just perfect!

So, a show of hands please. Who is going to give this cheese a go?

Parmesan Technique

2013-01-27T11:43:00.000+11:00

Cheese making can be daunting and confusing when you first start out. I know that it was for me, but I found that by taking a basic cheese making course before I made any type of cheese really helped me learn enough to get started in this hobby.

I realise that many people do not have the opportunity to attend a class, so this is the main reason why I offer to answer readers questions as best I can.

Today's question comes from Nadim in the UK, who has lots of questions about starting out on his cheese making journey.

Hi Gavin

I am Nadim from UK, i recently seen you web blog and it is extremely help for home-made cheese maker, I am fan of cheese but when tried at home cheese making, but after looking at you blog, you have now inspired me to make it at home!, I want to try either with parmesan or cheddar, but I am stuck with few question, if you please could help me with this then I shall highly appreciate.

As this shall be my first time so i was thinking if it is possible I make cheese in small wheel, probably 300 g - 500 g..? or it has to be in minimum 1 kg wheel..?

I am currently living in share house, so i wont be able to buy wine fridge, do you think if I can store cheese in wooden box in my balcony for aging ..? or any other recommendation ..? I have read somewhere that normal kitchen fridge would not be suitable due to its lower temperature,bacteria contamination and moisture..

Also could you please tell me what would be minimum best time to try the cheese..? 9 months is bit long time, not sure if I would be patient enough to wait this long after making my first cheese!!

last but important, do I need to rotate and wipe out cheese every week even after waxing.? what if I wax it after removing from brine water and drying out..?

looking forward to hear from you soon. thanks

Nadim

Good questions Nadim. I will answer your questions in respect to making Parmesan cheese.

The wheel on the left is a 3 week old Parmesan before waxing. The other is a Caerphilly.

Recipe size - If making parmesan, I would stick to using the full 8 litres of milk that the recipe asks for. The cheese does shrink quite a bit, so you end up with about a 800 gm wheel of cheese at the end.

Maturation Temperature - It doesn't really matter how you keep your cheese at 13°C as long as you can maintain it over the long aging period of 9 months minimum. Some people use basements, some use insulated boxes, some just use a cupboard lined with greaseproof paper. It doesn't matter how, as long as you keep the cheese at the target temperature.

Aging time - For a 1 kg wheel of Parmesan, the minimum time before trying would be 9 months. The longer the better really. In the last week, I tried a two-year-old Parmesan, and it was extremely tasty, much better than one aged for only a year. If you want to make a cheese that is full of flavour and has a short maturation time, try a Caerphilly. I highly recommend this semi-hard cheese for beginners, which is very tasty.

Waxing - If you do decide to make Parmesan, then for this sized wheel I highly recommend that you wax the cheese after 3 weeks of aging. Normal wheels of Parmigiano Reggiano weigh about 38 kg when fully mature and are able to maintain their moisture content. For a much smaller wheel like the one in my recipe, you need to wax the cheese so that it does not dry out whilst aging.

During the initial 3 weeks without the wax, wipe the surface with a brine solution daily to prevent/inhibit mould growth. The cheese needs this 3 week period without wax to dry out a little, otherwise if you wax it straight after brining and air drying, it would be far too moist and whey will collect between the cheese and the wax, ruining the flavour of the Parmesan. After waxing you do not need to do this as the wax coating prevents oxygen from reaching the cheese which does not allow the mould to develop.

Summary - Hopefully this post has been informative to all beginners as they take their first steps towards milk's immortal!

For all readers, let me know via a comment if you would like more of these types of post. I would love some feedback, good or otherwise.

Camembert

2013-01-21T18:39:00.001+11:00

Camembert is one of the more trickier cheeses to attempt to make. It is not for the faint hearted, even if you have a bit of experience under your belt.

I can honestly say that I have only gotten this cheese to taste right two times out of the four times that I have made it, so you can take this post with a grain of salt if you like.

However with that said, one of the two attempts of making this cheese that I did get right, I lucked-in and recorded this session via a video tutorial of the process, and have some photos of the aging process.

Here is the video to begin with so you understand the cheese making process. It is quite different to semi-hard cheeses and does not require a press.

So that is how you make it.

Here is the recipe;

Camembert

Ingredients

7.6 litres (2 US gal) full cream milk
¼ teaspoon Calcium Chloride (if using homogenised milk), dissolved in ¼ cup (60 ml) cool unchlorinated water
¼ teaspoon mesophilic direct set starter culture
1/8th teaspoon Penicillium candidum
¼ teaspoon (2 ml) liquid rennet dissolved in ¼ cup (60 ml) cool unchlorinated water
Cheese salt

Utensils

Sterilise all equipment in the large pot with about 3 litres of boiling water for 15 minutes, except cheese hoops. Use a very weak, diluted bleach solution for the hoops and rinse thoroughly with fresh water.

Cheese hoops
4 sushi mats
Stainless steel ladle
8 litre stainless steel pot
Small saucepan to use as a double boiler (as per video)
Cafe Thermometer
Curd knife
Stirring spoon
Cheese paper/wrap

Method

(If using homogenised milk, add the Calcium Chloride.)

Heat the milk to 32°C (90°F), then stir in the starter culture, and the Penicillium candidum. Cover and allow to ripen for 90 minutes.

Whilst maintaining the target temperature (32°C), add the rennet and stir for two minutes top to bottom. Cover and let sit at target temp for 60 minutes or until you have a clean break.

Cut the curds into 1.25cm (½") cubes, and gently stir for 15 minutes at target temp.

Let curds settle for 15 minutes, maintaining temp, then drain off the whey to the level of the curds using the ladle.

Place the all four hoops on two of the sushi mats, and gently ladle the curds into the hoops until you reach the top. Cover both pairs with the remaining sushi mats.

Let drain for one hour at room temperature. As in the video, you will notice a fall in the cheese as the whey expels.

Flip over the cheese, using the mats, holding top and bottom to ensure that the curd does not come out of the hoops. Make sure the curds do not tear. Flip the cheeses every hour for 5 hours.

Gently pull off the hoops and lightly sprinkle with cheese salt and gently rub all over, and allow to rest for 10 minutes for the salt to absorb.

Place cheeses, which will still be on a mat, into your ripening box, and store at 7°C (45°F) at 85 percent humidity, and into your cheese fridge. The normal fridge will work at a pinch, but maturation will be slower and will take usually take about 8 days for the mould to form.

After 5 days mould should appear on the surface. Turn the cheese over, put back in the ripening box and back into the cheese fridge. Continue to age for another 7 to 10 days. The cheese should have a good layer of mould on the surface.

Take the cheese out of the ripening box and wrap it in cheese paper/film/wrap. Allow the cheese to continue to mature at 7°C (45°F) for another 3 weeks. Test one cheese to see if it has a mild flavour. If so, then store the remainder at 4°C until consumed. If not, wait another week, as the flavour gets stronger with age.

Camembert aging in ripening box.

Tips and Tricks

One point of difference from the video. You may have noticed that I kept filling up the hoops with curd as it drained away. I would not recommend this any more Fill it up once, and maybe top it up once more after 15 minutes, but no more, because the cheese will be too heavy and will collapse in on itself during aging. Get extra cheese hoops if necessary. I was quite lucky that these ones turned out okay.

You must keep the cheese separate from all the other cheeses in your cheese cave. So to do that, you can use something like this nifty two layer box. In the bottom layer, I put a sushi mat and a little bowl of water to increase humidity.

If you can source a fine weave food safe plastic mat, you will find that the cheese will not stick as readily to it, as it may to sushi mats. I find that the plastic stand that I use in my cheese ripening box helps to avoid sticking.

Camembert in ripening box (top view)

Drain any water that collects at the bottom of the container, making sure that the cheese does not come in contact with it. The water will inhibit mould growth, which at this stage is a bad thing.

Your cheese should look something like this before you wrap it in cheese film. A consistent white mould all over the cheese. There should be no black mould. If there is, just pick it off with a sterile knife. Don't wipe with brine or vinegar as this will destroy the white mould layer. Then make sure you use the cheese wrap. It helps to slow the mould so that it doesn't ripen too quickly. I made it once without the cheese paper, and the Camembert was far too ripe for my tastes.

If aging in a normal kitchen refrigerator, the cheese will take a little longer to form mould and age. Make sure that you check it regularly until you get an even mould all over the surface. Then use cheese wrap as mentioned above. It may take until week 4 to fully mature, but still check at the 3 week mark.

Also, if this cheese is matured above 7°C, the flavour will be overpowering and stink to high heaven! Make sure you keep it below the this temperature.

Summary

Hopefully, I have given you enough information to successfully make Camembert. This cheese is worth the perseverance if you do not get it right the first try. The taste is amazing once you master the skill of making Camembert.

Cheese Temperature During Aging

2013-01-15T20:09:00.003+11:00

Is temperature absolutely critical during the aging of your cheese?

Well that is today's question from Albert from Catalunya (Spain).

Albert asks;

Hello Gavin

I'm Albert, from Catalunya (Spain, for the moment...) and I read your cheese blog since one year ago (sorry if my English is not correct).

I'm trying to age my cheeses as correctly as I can, so I bought recently a little wine cooler http://www.carrefouronline.carrefour.es/noalimentacion/TemplateProduct.aspx?itemMarcado=catalog310010&strands=true&itemId=117701082(it works with a compressor, is not a thermoelectic with fan ) and I think there is a problem.

Example: When I put their temp. to 9º C it starts to cool until 9º C, ok, but after it doesn't starts cooling again since the temp. arrives to a 14º or 15º C. In this case I don't have a constant temperature, I only have a temperature going up and down again and again from 9º to 14ºC.

So, the question is: is it a serious problem? Do I need an exactly constant temperature? Do I need an external thermostat who gives me a more accurate range of temps?

It's a shame, the wine cooler was so cheap...

Thanks for your help and congratulations for your e-book
--
Albert Campsolinas
http://foratgatiner.blogspot.com/

Well Albert, I believe that the answer is quite a simple one. No, your minor temperature range will not matter at all for maturing semi-hard and hard cheeses.

My Cheese Fridge shut down for the Summer

Cheese has been made for many thousands of years without refrigeration, in various temperature conditions, so I don't think it will matter much. As long as it stays cool, the cheese culture will do its magic and convert the remaining lactose into lactic acid and give the cheese whatever the desired flavour is and get stronger with age. With that said, if the fridge gets above 14º C and if you do not want to buy a new one, try an external thermostat as you have suggested.

I recently had to move all of my maturing cheese into the normal refrigerator, because my thermoelectric wine fridge could not keep it cool enough due to the extreme heat we are having here in Australia at the moment. I may need to convert an old kitchen fridge with the aid of an external thermostat as well!

So, if you want a consistent result and want each cheese to taste almost exactly the same, you would have to emulate factory like precision and keep the temperature constant with very little variation +/- 1º C. But then, what would be the fun in that, as people would just buy store bought cheese and not make their own. Making cheese at home is all about the excitement, anticipation, and experimentation--within reason--so if it tastes good, then there is no problem.

The only exception regarding temperature range, that can think of and that I could be cautious about, would be mould ripened cheese like Camembert, Brie, Roquefort, Stilton, and any other type of blue. From experience, these types of cheese need very specific low temperatures (around 7ºC) or the mould gets out of control and you do not get the desired taste. I prefer to ripen these in a normal refrigerator at around 4ºC. Much lower than recommended I know, and it takes a bit longer to age this way, but it does work and I get a much better result.

Remember that this is just my opinion gained from experience, and cheese purists may answer your question differently.

Hope that helps you and other amateur cheese-makers out there trying to make cheese for the first time.

Has anyone else had a similar experience they would like to share and add to the answer? Feel free to leave a comment as your views will be more than welcome.

Storing Cheese After Aging

2013-01-07T16:41:00.004+11:00

How do you store cheese after aging? Do you need to stop the maturation process? Can you?

There are some of the questions that I was asked today by a reader, Roger in NZ. Here is his email (with permission).

"Greetings Gavin,

I hope you had a great Xmas and New Year.

I wonder if you could tell me about what to do once your cheese has matured. I have made your Stilton and Wensleydale and they are maturing nicely so when they are ready do you cut them into wedges and wrap them?

Are they then kept in the refrigerator or are they left in the cheese maturing box?

Do you remove all the cheese wax when you first cut into the Wensleydale?

Sorry to bother you about this but I envy your extensive knowledge on these things.

Thanks and best regards,
Roger, Palmerston North, New Zealand"

Well Roger and dear readers, these are some issues that you will need to deal with as your cheese matures.

Personally, semi-hard cheese like Wensleydale can be treated in two ways. The first way is to leave it to mature in your cheese fridge/cave until you want to use it, as it will grow stronger in flavour as time passes. However there will come a time when you want to stop maturation and keep that certain special flavour until the cheese is totally consumed.

When I think a cheese has matured, I removed the wax, give the cheese a clean with a clean cloth and brine solution if it has any blemishes or mould, and then taste a little bit of it.

If the cheese has not reached the desired flavour, I re-wax it as quickly as I can and pop it back in the cheese fridge with a new date attached to it for when I am going to retry it again.

Aged Pepperjack with a re-waxed quarter.

However, if the cheese is just right, then I cut it into quarters, and either vac-pack each quarter separately, or re-wax each quarter, label them and put them in a cheese box that I have in the normal refrigerator. By dropping the temperature down to around 4C (39F), it slows down the aging process dramatically. Excluding air by waxing or vac-packing each quarter ensures that there should be no further mould development.

If it is a Stilton or Blue cheese, you could vac-pack, but I find that it is just as easy and safe to wrap in cheese micro-wrap, or wrapping in grease-proof baking paper. Then store it in the normal refrigerator as per a semi-hard cheese.

Same goes for a hard cheese like Parmesan or Romano. I simply wrap these cheeses in baking paper, store them at 4C, and they tend not to dry out any further.

Besides, my finished cheese tends not to be stored too long after maturation, because our family has either eaten it, or I have given it away to friends!

I hope this post has shed some light on what to do with your cheese after maturation.

Do any of you do it differently that may be worth mentioning? Please feel free to leave a comment.

A Cheese Making eBook

2013-01-05T09:47:00.001+11:00

So, today as I was waiting for Kim to finish editing my outdoor clay oven manuscript, I started thinking about what else I was a subject matter expert on (expert status loosely applied of course).

It took me a few minutes until I came up with the idea of writing a book about Home Cheese Making. It struck me as bleeding obvious seeing that I also write a cheese making blog here at Little Green Cheese!

I know, I know. It has all been done before, and I do have own some wonderful cheese books produced by some great authors, however there is always one thing that seams to be missing after you read the recipe.

That missing part is the taste test! Authors rarely describe what the finished cheese tastes like, or provide tips on how to improve the cheese they have written about. These will be accompanied by links back to my YouTube cheese making tutorials which are very popular with beginners and seasoned home cheese makers alike. That is my angle that should make it stand out from the pack.

Of course it will have cheese making methods, all the recipes that I have modified over the years and written down, as well as some wonderful photographs, and explanation of cheese making hygiene. And of course a section on sourcing local milk.

With the book structure already formatted, and some of the pieces in place for a comprehensive manuscript, I thought about a title.

How does "Keep Calm and Make Cheese - Artisan Cheese Making At Home" strike you as a title for this book?

I even took the time to produced a book cover which I am pleased with, and which my wife Kim thinks is great.

If you would like to be notified when the eBook is released, sign up at the link below

Cheese eBook release notification list!

Anyway, this is what I have being doing all day, as well as keeping the garden and chickens alive, so it is definitely time for a break. It is 33°C here at 10:17pm, which is the tail end of a two day heat wave with more to follow during the week. Hot, damn hot.

Time for a well earned home brewed Cerveza!

[cross posted from The Greening of Gavin]

10 Tips For Successful Home Cheese Making

2012-12-03T22:36:00.001+11:00

Who loves cheese? Well I do, that is for sure, and I love making it and sharing it with family and friends.

Having produced cheese as a hobby now at least monthly if not weekly for more than 3 years, I thought it would be a great time to share with you some tips that I have learnt.

Tip #1 - Cleanliness

Firstly and most importantly is cleanliness. The area that you intend on making your cheese, and your tools that you make your cheese with, must be spotlessly clean and sterilised. I cannot stress this enough. Some people use bleach to clean their surfaces and utensils, but I prefer vinegar and bicarbonate soda, and to boil all the utensils for 15 minutes. It doesn't take long, and this is one of the first things I teach everyone in my cheese making classes.

I spray all surfaces with white vinegar including the utensils that I can't boil to sterilise and let them dry naturally. This kills any wild mould spores that can inoculate your cheese unintentionally. I even spray my hands with vinegar and give them a good rub together every time I handle the cheese during the process to alleviate this problem. I have not had a problem with bad mould to date.

Tip #2 - Preparation

Have everything all prepared and laid 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".

Tip #3 - Plan Your Time.

Although the process of cheese making is not particularly difficult, it can be time consuming. Ensure you take into account all factors involved in culturing the milk, renneting, stirring, milling, and pressing. If making a simple hard cheese, allow at least 4-5 hours to entirely finish the process. I make one cheese, Wensleydale, that take over 9 hours from start to the final pressing! Mind you the final product is well worth the effort.

Tip #4 - Start Simply

Start off with a simple cheese to build your confidence.

Try a soft cheese like yoghurt cheese (or Labneh) which is basically putting 1 kg (2 lbs) of natural yoghurt into a cheesecloth and draining for a few hours, then gather into a ball and suspend over a large pot overnight in the fridge. Simple, yet tasty and you can mix in different flavours, either savoury or sweet to liven it up as a dip.

Ricotta is another easy cheese to make. Take 4 litres of milk, bring to about 93C (200F) and add a quarter of a cup (67ml) of white vinegar or lemon juice and stir. You will see the milk separate into curds and whey. Ladle into cheesecloth lined colander to drain. When cool to touch, tie the corners of the cloth into a ball and wrap the ends around a large wooden spoon and drain over a large pot. After a few hours of draining you can add salt to taste and it will keep for about 5 days in the fridge in an airtight container. Great for lasagne and any other dish that requires a large amount of ricotta. As I said, simple successes give you the confidence to try something a little harder next time.

Tip #5 - Attend A Cheese Making Course

If you find that you enjoy making simple and basic cheeses, see if you can find a local cheese making course that is held nearby. The knowledge that you will learn will take you to the next level, and as I found, the interaction with other amateur cheese makers is priceless. Some of the courses can be expensive, but I found a relatively cheap one that was definitely worth the money. I have attended two of these courses (basic and mould) at our local community centre. Have a look around your local area. You might just get a surprise.

Tip #6 - Try Something Harder

When taking the next step and you have the urge to make an intermediate skill level cheese, like cheddar, feta, parmesan, edam or the like, try and make one like feta or Caerphilly that only take a short time to ripen so that you can taste your handy work quickly. By making these quick to ripen cheeses once a month, you will always have some type of cheese at hand at home and never be tempted to by that processed store bought rubbish that some supermarkets try and pass off as cheese!

Tip #7 - Don't Be Afraid To Experiment

Once you get the basics right fairly consistently, don't be afraid to experiment a little by adding other flavours to your cheeses during pressing or milling. I add a layer of home grown sage leaves into the middle of my Wensleydale and it imparts a fantastic flavour. I add home grown dried Birdseye chilli to my Monterey Jack to produce a variety called Pepper Jack. I have even added green peppercorns to my Farmhouse cheddar. It is all about the cheese and the final flavour.

Tip #8 - Have Patience.

A good cheese, like a good wine, needs to ripen for a specific period of time and get better with age. Try and resist temptation by eating your cheese earlier than recommended. All hard cheeses take time to mature to the right taste. You would be amazed by the difference a week or month between tastings. Depending on the cheese, if tasted early it will be very mild, but if left for longer the flavour gets stronger over time. I will give you an example. I made some Camembert, tried it at 3 weeks and it was fantastic. Left one for 4 weeks, and it was so strong it was overpowering but out of this world. Another example, my first Caerphilly cheese I sampled at 15 days, when it was supposed to ripen to 28 days. It was nice, but when we tried it at 28 days, it was fantastic. I don't dare try my Parmesan until at least 12 months!

Tip #9 - Invest In Good Equipment

If you find that cheese making is the hobby for you, invest in a few good books, a decent press, and if you don't have a cellar that maintains a constant temperature between 10-15 C, then you will need to invest in a wine fridge that has the same temperature range. After I decided that cheese making was going to be a long term hobby, then I took this step and invested in such a fridge and it has become my "cheese cave". The summers can be pretty gruesome where I live, so it was a need more than a want if I was to continue to make cheese during this hot season. I picked it up relatively cheaply, and it has served me well so far. I can now make un-waxed cheeses as well as mould type cheeses (blue vein, brie, camembert) because I can keep the temperature constant.

Tip #10 - Share Your Success.

Don't forget to have fun and share the final product. I usually make my cheese on a Friday night, with a few glasses of wine to relax after a tough week at the office. I find it very therapeutic. I also enjoy breaking out a small cheese platter when friends drop by whereby sharing all the different tastes. Most say I should sell it at a local farmers market, but I think it would spoil the fun of the hobby. Some of my friends have never heard of most of the cheese types that I make, because the main cheese consumed in Australia is cheddar or processed cheese slices. I love the variety that home make cheese making gives you.

Summary

Who would believe that you can make so many different types of cheese with plain old milk! After all it is milks immortal leap.

Cheese making is great fun, so give it a go, and remember the most important rule. Don't cry over spilt milk :-).

Cheese Fridge Tips

2012-11-27T18:41:00.000+11:00

Most semi-hard and hard cheeses need a constant temperature of between 10-14°C in which to mature correctly.

This is the subject of today's reader email. Sandra wants some information about cheese (aka wine) fridge issues.

Hi Gavin,

Could you please tell me the Brand of Wine Fridge you purchased for your Cheeses?

Have you had any problems with the thermostat in it holding a constant temperature – summer and winter?

I have been having lots of problems with the Tempo 16 Bottle Wine Fridge I bought. I am on my second Tempo Wine Fridge in two years. After 6 months the thermostats start floating all over the place – mostly too hot – hence ruining my cheeses.

I mostly make Camembert, Blues, Farmers and Swiss cheeses.

I would appreciate your help.
Sandra

Well firstly, thank you Sandra for your email. I enjoy answering each and every one of them from my readers.

The model of my cheese fridge is a 28 bottle wine fridge, similar to yours. It is made by PAVO (I have no association with this company). I have no idea if it is good, bad, or otherwise. It has worked tirelessly for the 3.5 years that I have owned it.

That said, I have discovered some interesting things about how to maintain the temperature of these devices. They are not really fridges at all, and do not employ normal refrigeration techniques. This type of fridge is a thermoelectric wine cooler and only uses 70 watts.

These type of fridges need a room temperature of below 75°F to function correctly. They also need adequate ventilation, and lots of room behind it so that it works effectively. My cheese fridge has about 30 cm (1 ft) clearance all around the sides and back. It is also located away from any heat sources like other fridges, ovens, stoves, etc.

I also keep a remote temperature and relative humidity sensor inside the fridge, just to keep an eye on it when I am at my desk.

The final tip is about humidity. These sorts of fridges normally keep the air inside at about 40-50% RH, which is far too low for cheese making. I have found that by filling a 4 litre plastic tub with water and placing on the floor of the fridge, it brings the humidity up to about 75%RH. This is still a bit low for most cheese, so I keep blue and mould cheese in a separate container to ripen which ensures a much higher humidity.

I can ripen cheese like Caerphilly and Farmhouse for the first month, then wax them before they split.

You can also repurpose an old kitchen refrigerator using an external thermometer device. A long time reader sent me through this information.

Hi Gavin

I don't know if you're familiar, but there is an item that can transform a normal fridge to a cheese cave level. I've read blogs from people here in the US who use them and they say they work well. I haven't read enough of your blog to know If you've seen them before, if so I'm sorry, but I thought if not, you might be interested. I got this off of the Cheesemaker.com website:

JC Thermostat
Turn your refrigerator or freezer into a cheese cave.

This thermostat makes it easy to convert your refridgerator or freezer into a 'cheese cave'. Just plug the thermostat into your wall socket. Then plug your freezer or refridgerator into the thermostat and adjust the thermostat anywhere from 20-80f degrees.(6.6 to 26.6c).Accuracy: +or- one degree F. 110-120V AC. UL listed. This thermostat does not work with 220v.

I've attached the picture that went with the description in the attachment. Perhaps you can locate it's Australian equivalent and share it with your readers. Thanks again. Look forward to reading more of your blog!

Sharon

Here is a picture of the thermostat.

Hopefully, I have given you and all other readers enough information to make your cheese maturation a reality with one of these fridges.

If anyone else has any other tips for maintaining the correct temperature in your repurposed wine fridge, please leave a comment.

Drunken Cow Cheese - Recipe

2012-11-19T21:57:00.000+11:00

Drunken Cow Cheese is now a favourite. I shared some with friends the other day, and they sung the praises of this delicious cheese.

So how do you make it?

Well let me share a modified recipe from Tim Smith's Making Artisan Cheese. His Spanish recipe titled Cabra Al Vino calls for goats milk and doesn't specify what type of red wine to bath the pressed cheese in, so let me be a little more specific. The fancy Italian name for this cheese would be Formaggio Ubriaco (Drunken Cheese).

Drunken Cow Cheese

Ingredients

8 litres (2 gallons) full cream cows milk
1/8th teaspoon Mesophilic direct set culture
1/8th teaspoon Calcium Chloride diluted in 1/4 cup unchlorinated water
1 teaspoon (5ml) liquid rennet diluted in 1/4 cup unchlorinated water
1 Tablespoon cheese salt
6 cups (1.5 L) water, heated to 80°C (175°F)

1.5 L (1.5 quarts) Sweet Red wine (like dark Lambrusco or a darker Crimson Cabernet), enough to cover cheese after pressing

Method

This is a washed curd cheese, which lowers final acidity.

Pour milk in 10 litre stainless steel pot.

Add diluted calcium chloride, stir well. Heat the cows milk to 32°C (90°F), and stir in diluted starter culture, cover, and ripen for 10 minutes.

Maintaining the target temp of 32°C, add diluted rennet and stir for one minute. Cover and let set for one hour at target temperature.

Check for a clean break. Once you have a clean break, cut curds into 1 cm (1/2") cubes. Stir gently for one minute, then let curds rest for five minutes at target temperature.

With a sterilized measuring cup, draw off one-third of the whey. Gradually add the heated water, and stir to bring the temperature of the curds up to 33°C (92°F). This will take around two and a half cups of heated water. Stir continuously to keep the curds from matting at the bottom of the pot.

Once you reach the new target temp, let the curds rest for ten minutes, stirring occasionally.

Drain off the whey to the level of the curds using your sterilized cup. Continue to add the 80°C (175°F) water, stirring constantly until the temperature of the curds reaches 38°C (100°F).

Maintain the target temperature for fifteen minutes, stirring to prevent matting. Let the curds sit in the pot for thirty minutes at 38°C (100°F).

Draining/Pressing

Strain off the whey using a cheesecloth. Pour the curds back into the pot, and mill into 6 mm (1/4") pieces. Blend in the salt.

Pack the curds into a 900 gm (2lbs) lined mould. Cover the curds with one corner of the cheese cloth, apply the follower, and press at 10kg (20lbs) for twenty minutes. Remove cheese from press, and gently unwrap. Turn cheese over, rewrap, and press at 10kg (20lbs) for twenty hours. Repeat by turning over again and press at 10kg (20lbs) for twelve hours.

Bathing

Remove cheese from the press and mould, skewer about 10 holes about half way through the cheese on each end, then bathe the cheese in a sterilized food grade plastic container in the red wine for 24 hours. Ensure the cheese is completely covered and flip end-over-end at the 12 hour mark. Remove the cheese, lay on cheese mat (or sushi mats) for about six hours, or until it is dry to touch. Repeat the wine bath for another 24 hours, topping up with additional wine if necessary, flip again at the 12 hour mark. Remove, and dry on mats until touch dry.

Maturation

Store the cheese in your cheese fridge at 11°C (52F) and 80-85% humidity for three months. If you cannot maintain humidity, wax the cheese before it cracks.

Turn cheese daily for the first two weeks, and wipe down with a brine solution if mould forms on the surface.

As I mentioned in the review for this cheese, it is delicious. Give it a try, you will not be disappointed!

I love this cheese!

Drunken Cow - The Verdict

2012-11-18T21:46:00.001+11:00

The Drunken Cow cheese has matured, so it is time for a taste test.

This cheese was made on the 3rd of August 2012 from 3.8% butterfat full cream milk.

De-waxing: Slight swelling of the wax. There was a little moisture under the wax, with clear sweet liquid running out after the seal was broken. It was not sour. I had to dry the outside of the cheese with paper towel. The colour of the rind had faded slightly, but still very distinct. When lightly pressed, liquid came out of the crack in the top of the round. At this stage I was a bit worried.

Texture: Easy to cut, and not flaky. Very slight marbling from the wine, with clear sweet liquid within the cheese structure. Layered lines throughout the cheese. Cheese smooth and soft and very moist.

Taste: I tried it by itself, and the flavour blew me away! You could smell the sweet wine on the rind, and the cheese was smooth on the pallet. A bit like Gouda, but finishes in the mouth with a sweet, slightly sugary after-taste. The rind was sweeter but harder, and the centre was soft and smooth.

An absolutely delightful cheese, with an exciting flavour. Unlike any other cheese I have tasted before. The washed curds technique really tempered down the final acidity and sharpness.

Given the addition of 1.5 litres of sweet red wine to marinate this cheese in, it pushes the cost of this cheese up quite a bit, compared to a normal hard cheese. However, it is well worth it as it really improves the final flavour.

I highly recommend the cheese for a moderately experienced home cheese maker. As it matures in only three months, it is a relatively quick cheese to make, and well worth the wait. This cheese will really impress your friends and family!

I will publish the recipe in the next post.

[Cross posted on The Greening of Gavin]

Cheese from Manitoba Canada

2012-11-14T19:11:00.000+11:00

A couple of days ago, I received an email from David, my cheese making buddy over in Manitoba, Canada. He writes;

A pile of David's cheese!

Hi Gavin

As one of your YouTube students I thought you might like to see the product of my efforts from yesterday.

I always make a double batch - i.e. two pots at the same time, each with 8+ litres of milk. I set the pots one in each side of my double kitchen sink which I fill with hot water from the tap to raise the temperature of the milk, both for the initial temp for adding the starter and then to raise again to cooking temp.

I made 2 presses and two moulds, the moulds being jugs with the top & bottom cut off, and drilled with lots of holes.

Each batch is usually a 50/50 mixture of 3.25% homogenised milk from the store and fresh unpasteurised farm milk, to which I add ¼ tsp of Calcium Chloride.

This time I used a starter called Kazu which contains Lactococcus Lactis, Cremoris, diacetylactis and Bulgaricus, though whether it will make any difference in the flavour time will tell.

With much appreciation for all your tutorials

David Dawson

Great email David, but there is just one thing that I am in the dark about. What type of cheese is it?

Keep up the great work.

Now if anyone else has had success with any of the recipes that I have posted, I would love to hear about them. Send them through to gavin at littlegreencheese.com

Until next time.

Whole Milk Ricotta

2012-10-27T21:55:00.000+11:00

Whole Milk Ricotta is very easy to make. However I used a recipe during my latest cheese making workshop that simply amazed me.

Normally, I find that Ricotta made with Whole milk and white vinegar is quite tasteless. So I looked for a better recipe, which I believe I have found.

The finished Ricotta is creamy, sweet and easy to make. You only need three ingredients. Whole milk (obviously), citric acid, and cheese salt.

Here is the method;

Easy Whole Milk Ricotta

Yield: 4 cups or around 700 gm
Preparation Time: about 1 hour

Ingredients:

4 litres (1 gallon) full cream milk
2 tspns Citric Acid
1 tspn Cheese Salt

Procedure:

1. Add milk to a large stainless steel pot

2. Add 2 tspn of citric acid per 4 litres of milk (dissolved in 1 cup cool water). Add 1/2 of this Citric Acid solution to the milk (save the rest of the citric acid). Stir briskly for 5-10 seconds.

3. Add 1 tspn salt

4. Heat the milk slowly on low to med stirring well to prevent scorching.

5. At 70-75°C watch for small flakes forming in the milk and the separation of small curds.
If after a few minutes you do not see the flakes forming, add more of the Citric acid until they form (do this in small 1 Tbsp increments to avoid over acid milk). You will use less for raw milk, and more for pasteurised/homogenised milk.

6. Continue heating to 90-93°C then turn the heat off. The thermal mass of the whey will hold at this temperature for quite some time.

7. As the curds rise, use a perforated ladle to gently move them from the sides to the centre of the pot. These clumps of curd will begin to consolidate floating on top of the liquid.
Let the curds rest for 10-15 min.
*** This is very important because this is the point where the final Ricotta quality is assured

8. Ladle the curds gently into draining moulds lined with muslin. Let the curds drain for 15 min up to several hours.

For a fresh light ricotta, drain it for a short while (until the free whey drainage slows) and chill to below 10°C. For a rich, dense and buttery texture allow it to drain for an extended period of time (several hours), before chilling overnight. Move to a refrigerator. Consume within 10 days

I had to use all of the Citric Acid solution for it to work, however it was fine.

I was simply amazed at the quality of this Ricotta. I chose to drain it for about an hour, and it formed a solid block of cheese in my Ricotta hoop. It could even be cut into wedges and lifted, but crumbled easily with a smooth texture.

I could eat it by the spoonful.

Mozzarella & Ricotta Workshop - October

2012-09-20T10:52:00.000+10:00

For any locals who may read this blog, I am teaching a cheese making workshop in October. Details below.

Mozzarella & Ricotta Cheese Making Workshop

In this workshop you will:

make your own Mozzarella cheese to take home.
learn the techniques about the correct cultures to use, setting the curd, draining, and curd stretching.
demonstration of Ricotta cheese being made from whole milk.
Bread sticks provided for tasting cheese after completion.

Workshop length: 3 hours

Milk, cultures and ingredients provided.

Price is around $50 (the centre takes a cut)

Day & Date: Saturday 27th October 2012

Time: 1:00 pm to 4:00pm

Place: Melton South Community Centre, 26 Exford Rd, Melton South, Victoria.

For bookings call 03 97478576 or email msccentr@bigpond.net.au