Blessed be the Cheesemakers

[Ken Gargett]

Wondering how many troops on the forum have ever had a crack at making cheese or do it regularly?

I have made ricotta in the past. Worked out fine though what stunned me was so much milk for so little cheese (and it turns out that ricotta is one of the cheeses that actually gives you most yield for the milk used).

Anyway, a little while ago, I was given a spot on a cheesemaking course as a present. Wasn’t sure what to expect. The guy turns out to have been doing it for years (ex-govt Primary Industries and a good mate of an old mate of mine - good bloke, knows his stuff). He does them up and down the East Coast. A full weekend and fairly intensive.

About a dozen people front up. Made 6-7 cheeses over the weekend. Some take a lot of work. I have purchased a fair bit of gear to continue but not had a chance as yet.

Have eaten some of my feta which is terrific. Have a Brie and a Cheddar maturing (in the non-humidor wine fridge). Cheddar will take till the end of the year. Also made Quark, Mozzarella and others. Lot of fun (and work, especially stirring the cheddar and maintaining the temp). And the cheeses really turn out well. Be interested if they turn out as well at home.

Info for anyone interested at www.cheesemaking.com.au.

[Ken Gargett]

some pics. cheddar is at the top. the brie is next and the persian feta at the bottom. the feta is in olive oil.  

[El Presidente]

Looks fantastic Ken 

How long from beginning to end does it take to make cheddar?  What makes a good cheddar outcome?

[tigger]

It's been a long time, but I used to make cheddar pretty regularly. Some of them came out quite well. Tried a few cows' milk blues as well, which came out ok, but never well enough that I felt compelled to try again. Also made a gouda once, which I liked quite a bit.

It's a great hobby, and a lesson in patience. I might take it up again someday, though I eat far less dairy than I once did.

To answer Rob's question, the initial process took me around 6 or 7 hours, then a day and a half of pressing, a few days to dry and then a few minutes to wax the wheels. Then at least six months' aging, though I usually went for a year or a bit more.

? <--- Me, reading the Pythonic title.

Small side note: If you make bread, a little bit of whey can be a nice addition to your dough. I never found much else to do with it.

[Guest Nekhyludov]

Every Easter I make Sirecz, which is a traditional Slovak Easter cheese. But it's cheese in name only. It's actually more of a cold, pressed, savory custard. I wouldn't know how to begin making actual cheese 

 

[Phillys]

I have been thinking of trying to make some fresh mozzarella to use on Neapolitan pizza. Doesn't look too hard. However, the past two years have been so busy, that I never find the time to do it. When things die down a bit (actually hope they don't), I will giev it a go. Love making anything food related.

 

Thanks, for the link, interesting read.

[ayepatz]

They look great, Ken. That Brie looks particularly tempting. Well played!

[Ritch]

I have had a new driver start at work called Brian. The life of Brian is all I can think of when I speak to him. 

[Ken Gargett]

11 hours ago, El Presidente said:

Looks fantastic Ken 

How long from beginning to end does it take to make cheddar?  What makes a good cheddar outcome?

yes, so far, the cheddar was by far the most time consuming. stirring, keeping the temp consistent, pressing and so on. then stick it away for 6-9 months. 

the outcome? that will have to wait. i assume as long as it tastes good and hopefully like cheddar, then that would be a success for me. 

[MoeFOH]

Great stuff, Ken. Something I've wanted to get into also. That, and making soap. Just not at the same time. ; )

Thanks for the link and pics. 

[bpm32]

22 minutes ago, Ken Gargett said:

yes, so far, the cheddar was by far the most time consuming. stirring, keeping the temp consistent, pressing and so on. then stick it away for 6-9 months. 

the outcome? that will have to wait. i assume as long as it tastes good and hopefully like cheddar, then that would be a success for me. 

Hey Ken, what did you use for a cheese press? As I recall with cheddar if I didn't get the moisture level well down I had bitterness issues. My press was something I had cobbled together from hardware store parts so it took a lot of futzing with.

[Ken Gargett]

10 minutes ago, bpm32 said:

Hey Ken, what did you use for a cheese press? As I recall with cheddar if I didn't get the moisture level well down I had bitterness issues. My press was something I had cobbled together from hardware store parts so it took a lot of futzing with.

this was at the course so the guy had the full cheese press. i'll have to work something out if/when i do it again. 

[GrouchoMarx]

"what's so special about the cheesemakers?

"Well, obviously, this is not meant to be taken literally. It refers to any manufacturers of dairy products."

 

[BrightonCorgi]

I've made paneer a few times as well as ricotta.  Takes a lot of milk!  I do make yogurt pretty regularly in my Instant Pot.  I also make creme fraiche.

[Ken Gargett]

2 hours ago, BrightonCorgi said:

I've made paneer a few times as well as ricotta.  Takes a lot of milk!  I do make yogurt pretty regularly in my Instant Pot.  I also make creme fraiche.

that is the thing that most staggers me - the amount of milk involved. 

[BoliDan]

I've been meaning to do this, but if I get free time I always end up making beer, instead. ? Or hot sauce... mostly beer.

[Markspring1978]

No experience with this, but very interesting. Perhaps more interesting is my intrigue as to whether @Ken Gargett is really the cheese maker or if this is an imposter. All those capitalized words have me wondering... 

[7kingsguy]

"what's so special about the cheesemakers?
"Well, obviously, this is not meant to be taken literally. It refers to any manufacturers of dairy products."

 

Came for the monty python quote. Left satisfied.

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

[bozoshoes]

I think the “yield” is about 12.5 % Cheese to Milk. I use the whey for pancakes,waffles,breads, etc. I is freezable for later use. Freeze the whey in an ice cube trays for storage.