Author Topic: greetings from singapore  (Read 1572 times)

cheesedoodle

  • Guest
greetings from singapore
« on: December 02, 2012, 02:10:21 PM »
hello everyone!

the subject is kinda misleading, since i'm actually from texas, but i've moved to singapore and just discovered this board.

i've made rudimentary cheeses in the past like yogurt (and yogurt cheese) or paneer, but want to graduate to aged cheeses like tallegio and camembert.

i'm curious about a ton of stuff, and want to brew my own suds here too, but am just getting set up so it's going slowly. if anyone knows where i can find rennet, citric acid, or other supplies in singapore, i'd be much obliged.

also, has anyone used superbags (http://www.modernistpantry.com/superbags.html) or other such filtering bags to strain their cheese? i'm curious what micron level you'd need, and how successful people have been with them.

cheers!

bbracken677

  • Guest
Re: greetings from singapore
« Reply #1 on: December 02, 2012, 02:36:46 PM »
Welcome to the forum!

Sorry I cannot help you with your questions, but perhaps someone can.

Lots of information available here once you have solved your supply problems!   :)

iratherfly

  • Guest
Re: greetings from singapore
« Reply #2 on: December 02, 2012, 02:43:00 PM »
Hello and welcome to the forum!
I think you will find lots of great help here with what you are looking for.  I wonder how the cheese scene is in Singapore, considering that the region have never really embraced cheese as a grocery staple. It does seem as if there is some awakening to cheese in the region but more as a luxury European item. Can you get good cheeses there?

As for your questions:
I am a supplier of cheesemaking supplies and I ship worldwide with customers in all continents so no problem getting any cheesemaking supply and fresh ingredients to you. I usually don't promote it on public messages but if you need details and prices - just send me a private message.

As for the bags; I would advise against these for cheesemaking. You want t a proper draining bag which works great, is bigger and best of all much cheaper. The bags I carry are made of nylon and polypropylene so they are food-grade and can take boiling, washing, and repeat use and abuse for long time.  The Superbags are long and narrow. You want a bag with wide opening: First off, when you want to ladle the curd it will make it difficult if the opening is narrow. It will make it more difficult if you want to pitch the curd to it from a large pot. Secondly, many people want to hang it during draining or lay it on a draining rack or table. It would be better to have a wider bag with more surface area.  Third: Most people end up using draining bags also as cheesecloth by lining up cheese moulds with it. You may also want to use it to line up pots for draining whey, or to capture or pitching curd from a pot. You would really want it to be either wide enough to be put on the rim of a pot and cheese mould.

cheesedoodle

  • Guest
Re: greetings from singapore
« Reply #3 on: December 03, 2012, 08:45:21 AM »
thanks all.

i'm rather excited, as through some browsing i found a source for raw cow's milk and some goat's milk as well.

@iratherfly: good to know about the superbags, hadn't looked at the dimensions clearly, and it makes total sense. this week is extremely busy for me, but i'll probably pm you in the near future about supplies.

as for cheese culture, i'd say the monied class in singapore has definitely embraced cheese, though more as a status symbol than anything else. i know some who've studied abroad who love cheese for all of its pleasures, but cheesemaking still seems to be an art few are interested in (i've only been here 2 months, so take that with a big tub of cheese salt). most varieties can be had, albeit for a hefty price in most cases (upwards of $50/lb at some cheese specialty shops). i guess we're at the tip of a cheese void, and i haven't seen all that much from australia besides the commercial brands.