Wiki: Stirring Tools

French Matfer Bourgeat Brand Large (5.5 x 16.5 in) Handle Stainless Steel Skimmer - CheeseForum.org

French Matfer Bourgeat Brand Large (5.5 x 16.5 in) Handle Stainless Steel Skimmer - CheeseForum.org
French Matfer Bourgeat Brand Large (5.5 x 16.5 in) Handle Stainless Steel Skimmer - CheeseForum.org
This Wiki Article discusses Stirring Tools used in different components of cheese making, depending on cheese type. This article is divided into the following sections:

Stirring Milk

  • Use – Generally the same stirring tool is used at the beginning stages of cheese making to stir milk for several reasons:
    • To minimize hot spots while heating milk.
    • To distribute initial additives such as direct acids, starter cultures, annatto, calcium chloride, and rennet.
    • After cutting rennet coagulated curds to help curds to expel whey and to stop clumping of cut curds.
  • Material
    • Food grade plastic or stainless steel.
    • Wooden utensils are not recommend as they harbor and can introduce unwanted microorganisms into the cheese.
  • Shape
    • Preferably with holes to aid in diffusion of additives into the milk.
    • Long enough so that tool does not sink below milk when left to rest in vat at an angle (not feasible with large vats).
  • Examples – Long household holed spoon or skimmer.

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Stirring Starter Culture Into Milk In Vat On Cooker - CheeseForum.org
Stirring Starter Culture Into Milk In Vat On Cooker - CheeseForum.org

Stirring Brine

  • Use – To stir and help dissolve dry crystalline salt in water or whey when making brine.
  • Material
    • Food grade, normally suitable plastic.
    • Wooden utensils are not recommend as they harbor and can introduce unwanted microorganisms into the cheese.
    • Stainless steel is not recommended unless very high quality as it will corrode.
  • Shape – Preferably with holes to aid in diffusion of additives into the milk.
  • Examples – Long household holed spoon or skimmer.

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Wiki: Hoops & Molds

Home Made 4 in, 103 mm Drilled PVC Hoop, Wooden Follower With Cheesecloth Wrap, & Improvised Weights - CheeseForum.org

Small (Saint Marcellin etc) Cylindrical Gravity Draining Baskets, 350w x 325d inch, 90w x 82d mm - CheeseForum.org
Small (Saint Marcellin etc) Cylindrical Gravity Draining Baskets, 350w x 325d inch, 90w x 82d mm - CheeseForum.org
This Wiki Article discusses various hoops and molds used in cheese making. Hoops and molds have several uses in cheese making, depending on cheese type. They can be used to drain whey in, either by gravity or by additionally applying weight, to form the cheese’s initial shape, to hold the curds while knitting in pressed cheeses, and to hold a cheese’s shape during aging also called ripening. This article is divided into the following sections:

Description

Generally hoops have open tops and bottoms and molds are basket shaped. Hoops are often cyclindrical shaped but can be square or rectangular, they often have followers, (circles, squares, or rectangles) placed on top of the curds upon which weight can be applied to lightly or heavily press the curds into their preferred shape. Normally hoops are placed on some sort of drainage material through which the whey can drain from the bottom of the cheese. Molds are similar to hoops except they have bottoms. Molds are historically used for gravity draining whey from cheese but with the advent of strong modern food grade materials they are now also often commonly used for pressing cheeses in. Because of modern materials, hoops are generally less popular as strong baskets can now be made with bottoms that will not shear out when being used for pressed cheeses. However hoops are still used for cheeses that are turned during gravity whey drainage such as Brie & Camembert.
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Medium (Ricotta etc) Tapered Gravity Draining Baskets, 450w x 325d inch, 114w x 83d mm - CheeseForum.org
Medium (Ricotta etc) Tapered Gravity Draining Baskets, 450w x 325d inch, 114w x 83d mm - CheeseForum.org

Whey Drainage

The primary use of hoops and molds is to drain whey from the curds. To do this they need the correct shape and number of round holes or slots to drain the right amount of whey in the right amount of time for the type of cheese being made. Additionally, hoops and molds for pressed cheeses are often lined with a light thin cheesecloth or mesh material to aid whey drainage from the top and sides of the cheese to the whey escape routes normally out the bottom of the hoop or mold.
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Materials

The material used to make hoops and baskets used in cheese making needs to be food hygenic and if reused, easily cleanable. Historically materials used were woven straw, dried reeds, or woven wood for baskets and strips of wood for hoops. While these materials are still used. most modern manufactured hoops and baskets are made from food grade polypropylene or stainless steel.
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Strength

The strength of hoops and baskets used in cheese making is dependant on the forces the curds or cheese will be under while in the hoop or basket. These can range from minimal for very small gravity drained cheeses to low for large gravity drained cheese or lightly pressed cheeses to medium for large wheels with medium pressing weights to high for highly pressed cheeses such as cheddars.
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Examples

Large (Ricotta etc) Tapered Gravity Draining Baskets, 625w x 325d inch, 159w x 83d mm - CheeseForum.org
Large (Ricotta etc) Tapered Gravity Draining Baskets, 625w x 325d inch, 159w x 83d mm - CheeseForum.org

Examples of hoops:

  • Light weight thus poor strength with medium density of commonly round whey drainage holes. These are commonly plastic and used for unpressed or very lightly pressed cheeses while forming their shape such as Bries and Camemberts.
  • Medium strength with low density holes. These are commonly plastic and used for medium pressed cheeses while forming their shape such as rennet coagulated washed curd type cheeses Edam and Gouda.
  • Strong strength with low density or no holes. These are commonly stainless steel and used for very highly pressed cheeses such as cheddars.

Examples of baskets:

  • Very light strength with multiple holes or slots. These are commonly plastic with poor strength for pressing and are commonly used for gravity draining whey from curds when making soft cheeses. Some examples are lactic acid coagulated type cheeses such as Cream Cheese, Chevre, or lactic acid surface white mold ripened type cheeses such as Chaource & Saint-Marcellin, or secondary coagulated (usually recooked) type cheeses such as Ricotta.
  • Medium strength with medium number of holes or slots. These are commonly thicker plastic with medium strength for medium pressing. They are commonly used for medium pressed rennet coagulated cheeses. Some examples are rennet coagulated type cheeses Caprino & Manchego, and rennet coagulated washed curd type cheeses such as Edam, Gouda, and Colby.
  • High strength with medium number of holes or slots. These are commonly stainless steel with high strength for high pressing. They are commonly used for high pressed rennet coagulated cheddared (normally stacked and milled curds) type cheeses such as Cheddar, Derby, Red Leicester, Wensleydale, Cantal, and Monterey Jack.

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Availability

Small (Valencay etc) Pyramid Gravity Draining Baskets, 350w x 325d inch, 90w x 83d mm - CheeseForum.org
Small (Valencay etc) Pyramid Gravity Draining Baskets, 350w x 325d inch, 90w x 83d mm - CheeseForum.org

Many novice cheese makers start by improvising for their hoops and baskets, some examples are:

  • Small fruit baskets from grocery stores such as blueberry or strawberry baskets or small food grade plastic containers such as yogurt containers with holes drilled in.
  • Food grade normally white coloured PVC 4″ or 6″ diameter pipe from large hardware store with or without holes drilled in and round follower cut from polyethelene cutting board for pressing cheeses in. While this material is frequently used in house construction for cold and hot water supply, it is not recommended for use in cheese making due to the effects of low pH/highly acid cheese.
  • Given the non-ideal examples above, many hobby cheese makers upgrade to purpose built manufactured hoops and molds. These are generally purchased from Cheese Making stores. Our international listing of supply stores is here.

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Small (Camembert etc) Gravity Draining Hoops, 425w x 425d inch, 108w x 108d mm - CheeseForum.org
Small (Camembert etc) Gravity Draining Hoops, 425w x 425d inch, 108w x 108d mm - CheeseForum.org
Two Kadova Brand 1.5-2 kg Gouda Shape Pressing Molds - CheeseForum.org
Two Kadova Brand 1.5-2 kg Gouda Shape Pressing Molds - CheeseForum.org
Home Made 4 in, 103 mm Drilled PVC Hoop, Wooden Follower With Cheesecloth Wrap, & Improvised Weights - CheeseForum.org
Home Made 4 in, 103 mm Drilled PVC Hoop, Wooden Follower With Cheesecloth Wrap, & Improvised Weights - CheeseForum.org

Wiki: Gravity Draining Devices

Cream Cheese Gravity Draining Whey In Cotton Cloth Bag From Hook - CheeseForum.org
Cream Cheese Gravity Draining Whey In Cotton Cloth Bag From Hook - CheeseForum.org
Cream Cheese Gravity Draining Whey In Cotton Cloth Bag From Hook - CheeseForum.org

This Wiki Article discussed gravity draining devices used to hang curds in cloths to drain whey from. Common cheeses that are gravity drained in cloth are Quesco Blanco, Cream Cheese, Light Cream Cheese (American Neufchatel). Minimum and preferred requirements and examples are discussed below.

Requirements – Minimum

Minimum requirements are:

  • Strength
    • Strong enough to bear weight of curds to be drained. Note, the average Specific Gravity for raw-whole cow milk is 1.033.
    • Example – 3 liters weighs 3 liter x 1.0 kg/liter x 1.033 = 3.1 kg.
    • Example – 1 US gallon weighs 1 USG x 8.35 lb/USG x 1.033 = 8.6 lb.
  • Material
    • Corrosion resistant or painted.
  • Height
    • High enough to support hanging curds in cloth with whey catch device beneath.

Requirements – Preferred

Light Cream Cheese (American Neufchatel) Gravity Draining Whey From In Cotton Cloth Bag From Camera Tripod - CheeseForum.org
Light Cream Cheese (American Neufchatel) Gravity Draining Whey From In Cotton Cloth Bag From Camera Tripod - CheeseForum.org

Preferred Requirements are:

  • Cleanability
    • Easily cleanable to keep hygenic.
  • Portability
    • Ability to store away compactly.

Examples

  • For small batches:
    • Camera tripod with hook system from bent coat hanger or bungy cord.
    • Metal wall hook.
  • For medium batches:
    • Frame built from common white PVC pipe.
  • For large batches:
    • Commercial stainless steel frames with multiple hanging points.
Light Cream Cheese (American Neufchatel) Gravity Draining Whey In Polyester Cloth From Hook - CheeseForum.org
Light Cream Cheese (American Neufchatel) Gravity Draining Whey In Polyester Cloth From Hook - CheeseForum.org

Wiki: Cheese Cloth

Cheesecloth, Cotton, Bleached, Medium Weave - CheeseForum.org

This Wirk Article discusses cheesecloth and butter muslin’s which are sheets of woven material commonly used in making cheese either for gravity draining cheese or lining hoops or for wraping during aging such as on certain fashions of cheddar. This article provides a description of cheese cloth, discusses their material’s, thread count, and thread size, guidlines for uses in cheese making, and lists some common sources.

How to use cheesecloth is not covered in this article.

Cheesecloth, Cotton, Bleached, Course Weave, In Bag - CheeseForum.org
Cheesecloth, Cotton, Bleached, Course Weave, In Bag - CheeseForum.org

Description

Cheesecloth or cheese cloth is the descriptive generic name for a loosely woven gauze that was originally used to wrap cheeses, as it is descriptive it has no standards, thus the term is used generically, without specification. A term that is also often used in Cheese Making is Butter Muslin which in cheese making generally refers to a cheesecloth that has a tighter weave, again with no standard.

Cheesecloth can be quantified through five parameters: material, thread count, thread size, sheet size, sheet seaming which determine their pros and cons for use in different cheese making methods.

Cheesecloth, Cotton, Bleached, Course Weave, Closeup - CheeseForum.org
Cheesecloth, Cotton, Bleached, Course Weave, Closeup - CheeseForum.org

Common Material

  • Cotton, either bleached or unbleached (“natural” cotton) is the traditional and most common, but more difficult to get hygienically clean as in addition to the threads being woven together to make a sheet, the indivdual threads are also woven and thus can easily harbour unwanted bacteria. Lastly, requires seaming to prevent loose threads at edges of sheet.
  • Nylon can be easily cleaned as the individual threads are non-woven and as the “threads” are heat sealed together, it doesn’t need to be seamed to stop lose threads at the edge of the sheet.
  • Polyester can be easily cleaned as the individual threads are non-woven, however, as the threads are woven to make a sheet, unless seamed, it is very prone to loose threads.

Thread Count

Sometimes called grade, varies from very open to extra-fine weave and are defined by the number of threads per inch or cm in each direction, however many providers or sellers of cheesecloth do not list them.

Cheesecloth, Cotton, Bleached, Medium Weave - CheeseForum.org
Cheesecloth, Cotton, Bleached, Medium Weave - CheeseForum.org

Thread Size

Thread size is the measurement of the thickness or diameter of the individual threads. Thread size determines the cloth’s thickness and is the key determinant of the cloth’s strength. Weight per yard or square meter is often an indicator of thread size, but like thread count, many providers or sellers of cheesecloth do not list it.

Guidelines

The following are rough guidelines for cheese making cheesecloths:

  • Purchase several types and styles to see what works best for you in your application.
  • For draining whey from curds in a colander (to support the cheesecloth), use course weave.
  • For hanging curds to gravity drain whey use a medium weave to allow whey to escape, yet heavier thread size-weight as you will need a stronger cloth to hold the weight.
  • For lining hoops or molds, use a thinner material as strength is not required and it will leave less fold lines up the sides of your pressed cheese.
  • For wrapping cheeses for aging, use a very thin material.
  • Generally sheets of cheesecloth cut into squares work best, but sewn bags can be useful for gravity draining cheese and for lining cylindrical hoops and molds.
  • Initially you can make do with old sheets such as bed sheets or clothes.
Cheesecloth, Cotton, Unbleached, Fine Weave, Heavy Weight - CheeseForum.org
Cheesecloth, Cotton, Unbleached, Fine Weave, Heavy Weight - CheeseForum.org

Availability

Cheesecloth is available at fabric supply stores or departments of large stores or via web stores. It is recommended to visit a large fabric store where you can inspect the different cloths available and choose smallish amounts of several types and trial them with your cheesemaking.

Queso Fresco Making, Curds Ball Twisting To Extrude Whey, Extruding Curds As Cloth Too Course - CheeseForum.org
Queso Fresco Making, Curds Ball Twisting To Extrude Whey, Extruding Curds As Cloth Too Course - CheeseForum.org