Hi everyone
I'm Tielesse, and I live in the mountains of Northern California. I'm interested in learning more about cheese, as well as learning how to make and sell cheese. Well, I just love cheese!
I am very much a newbie, so I do have some questions . . .
My situation is this: I have Ricki Carroll's
Home Cheese Making, and I'd like to start out making fromage blanc. According to the recipe, the cheese is supposed to set up for 12 hours at 72º, and then drain for another 12 hours at 72º.
My apartment is for all intents and purposes underground, and is uninsulated so the temperature varies quite a bit throughout the day (I always thought temperatures remained more constant underground, but this doesn't seem to be true in my case; my apartment is old and was intended for use as a lake-side cabin.) The thermostat is in my parents' apartment above me. They turn the heater off at night in spite of cold mountain temperatures because the heater blasts with a noise like a foghorn right next to my window, waking me up at intervals during the night, lol.
Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that it's difficult for me to maintain a constant room temperature of 72º for 24 hours. How do you all maintain constant temperatures for cheeses that need to set up or drain for a long time? I'm specifically interested in how and what equipment you use to keep the cheeses warm or room temperature for hours, since I expect to have to use some sort of refrigeration for cheeses that need to age at low temperatures.
Thanks for any advice or suggestions!