I was hoping for some help in selecting a basic set of cultures to buy since we are just starting our cheese making journey.
I know the answer depends on many factors, and there is no right or wrong solution, but still ... some guidance would be good.
While many of you may find our cheese-tastes boring, the of styles on my list to make include; hard cheeses (cheddar, cheddar like, Italian-styles), Danish-style feta, ricotta, and some small amounts of cream cheese, sweet washed rind and white mould cheeses.
I plan to make 'mother cultures' from small portions of dried commercial culture, so small pack sizes should be fine, cheaper and last a while (and allow more variety).
It's possible we'll buy cultures from overseas so shipping will likely be a contributing factor to purchase a few at once.
We may try to re-culture and save/freeze the cultures. I read that some cultures (one of Abiasa's I think) are 'stable' in that they are able to be re-cultured with the same balance of bacteria, while others are laboratory-mixed and cannot re-cultured and maintain the same mix.
If there is a set of cultures (brand/name) that can be used for those cheese styles and with the other considerations in mind, I'd appreciate an idea of what to look for - so far I get confused about anything more specific than 'Mesophilic' and 'Thermophilic'.
Rennet and Lipase are also on the shipping-list (have Calcium Chloride and salt), so other than milk, for the cheeses above, are there other critical ingredients I missed?
(Will not be making too many white mould cheeses at first, so thought would try to culture some white mould from a shop-purchased cheese).
Thanks in advance for any/all help.