Author Topic: Favorite Hoops/Forms  (Read 5552 times)

Offline scasnerkay

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Favorite Hoops/Forms
« on: August 25, 2014, 04:27:13 PM »
I am thinking I need to get another form or two.... Trying to decide which and wondering what forms appeal to others making semi-hard and hard cheeses. I want something that will work for about 3# of curd.
I have 2 caciotta forms from Artisan Geek, and they are my present favorites. One of them had to have the top 2 inches cut off in order to fit it in my press as a follower for the other. I generally use it with cloth during draining and pressing, and the cloth assists with removing the cheese for flipping it. I usually remove the cloth near the end to try and remove pressing lines. I have not tried any makes without using cloth but I suppose it is possible. If a cheese make produces a mass of curd closer to 3# rather than 3.5# it seems as though that is too small a mass and the top form/follower will not reach the curd. Then I had to ransack the kitchen for something else to fit in as a follower!
I am thinking of getting the tomme mould which is 7.5 inches in diameter and wondering if others have tried it.
Susan

Offline awakephd

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Re: Favorite Hoops/Forms
« Reply #1 on: August 25, 2014, 07:20:40 PM »
Susan,

Not a recommendation for another hoop/mold, but a comment on your situation for needing a different follower for less than 3 pounds of cheese -- I have a (home-made) mold that is roughly the same shape and size as the caciotta molds from Artisan Geek. I made a set of 4 followers, each one about 1/8" smaller diameter than the previous one, by cutting circles out of some cheap plastic cutting boards bought from a discount store. Obviously, this only works if you have a way to cut them; in my case, I used a wood-cutting bandsaw. I also smoothed them up using a drum sander, but hand-held sandpaper would have worked as well. With the four followers, I can find the one that does not allow too much to squeeze by, while still allowing some room to compress further. My home-made mold will accommodate makes using 3 to 3.5 gallons of milk, but with the smaller followers I could use it for 2 gallon makes as well.

I have given thought to purchasing one of the tomme molds from Artisan Geek. The "regular" tomme mold with follower would give me just a bit more capacity, but a different shape than my home-made mold; the large tomme mold would give me lots and lots of capacity, but it might be a tight squeeze in my current press. (Shoulda made it just a wee bit wider ...) All that to say, I'll be interested in what you wind up deciding to get!

Andy
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Offline ArnaudForestier

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Re: Favorite Hoops/Forms
« Reply #2 on: August 25, 2014, 07:41:16 PM »
I am thinking I need to get another form or two.... Trying to decide which and wondering what forms appeal to others making semi-hard and hard cheeses. I want something that will work for about 3# of curd.
I have 2 caciotta forms from Artisan Geek, and they are my present favorites. One of them had to have the top 2 inches cut off in order to fit it in my press as a follower for the other. I generally use it with cloth during draining and pressing, and the cloth assists with removing the cheese for flipping it. I usually remove the cloth near the end to try and remove pressing lines. I have not tried any makes without using cloth but I suppose it is possible. If a cheese make produces a mass of curd closer to 3# rather than 3.5# it seems as though that is too small a mass and the top form/follower will not reach the curd. Then I had to ransack the kitchen for something else to fit in as a follower!
I am thinking of getting the tomme mould which is 7.5 inches in diameter and wondering if others have tried it.

Tomme mold's great, IMO, used it a lot over the last several years.  I really have two favorites, the nested basket-weave style, which I use without cloth (and just nest one on top of the other for a "follower,") and the other style, my alpine hoops.  One is from New England Cheesemaking Supply Co., an awesome wooden form (their "large"), and the other is a true Abondance hoop, concave, with adjustable diameter. 
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Re: Favorite Hoops/Forms
« Reply #3 on: August 26, 2014, 12:13:18 AM »
I personally really like the kadova moulds, but the netting that comes with them don't work really well with semi hard cheeses, so I still use plyband. I have 2 of those.

One mould that intrigues me is the manchego mould with the removable strip.

Offline Boofer

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Re: Favorite Hoops/Forms
« Reply #4 on: August 26, 2014, 01:36:57 PM »
I am thinking of getting the tomme mould which is 7.5 inches in diameter and wondering if others have tried it.
The 7.375 inch Tomme mould was my first mould. It has allowed me to craft Tomme, Manchego, Swiss, Beaufort, and others. It easily handles curds up to a 4 gallon make.

Check this out.

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Re: Favorite Hoops/Forms
« Reply #5 on: September 10, 2014, 03:45:03 PM »
I bought 10 form 320mm in diameter, 350mm tall -I think that's what they are.
With the terminology you all often use, I don't know what you call them. These are Tilsiter forms. Without a bottom and with fine holes.
These work great for making cheeses, I usually get 3 of these out of a 40 gallon batch.

But my favorite if the Järb, or slip-form. I have these 9 cm tall and 10 cm tall, to adjust to the size of my batches, etc. These are great forms for making Alpine style cheeses, very flexible.

Offline scasnerkay

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Re: Favorite Hoops/Forms
« Reply #6 on: September 10, 2014, 07:58:24 PM »
Alp, how about a picture of the hoop? Do you know of a source in USA?
Susan

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Re: Favorite Hoops/Forms
« Reply #7 on: September 10, 2014, 10:02:55 PM »
Alp, how about a picture of the hoop? Do you know of a source in USA?


Susan, New England Cheesemaking carries this style of hoop, however it's in wood.  In addition to my Abondance form, I have the large hoop from NECC. 

Some time ago, following on Jos's idea, I built my own flat-sided hoop.  Not hard, if you've got some spare time.
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Re: Favorite Hoops/Forms
« Reply #8 on: September 10, 2014, 10:50:45 PM »
I get mine from Switzerland.
www.WinklerAG.Ch

A good supplier. I have found that if I am buying much it is often more affordable to buy from them ad pay the shipping, than to buy it in the US (who are probably getting things from European suppliers anyway)

Those forms look good, Paul. I would be concerned though with the screws to hold the blocks. On mine, professionaly made in Switzerland, the blocks are fused to the plastic hoop, presumably with some sort of high quality polymer glue. The whole is then sanded and made smooth.

no close up pics right now. Here's a general shot that shows some of them


and  the cylinder forms



Offline ArnaudForestier

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Re: Favorite Hoops/Forms
« Reply #9 on: September 10, 2014, 11:04:46 PM »

Those forms look good, Paul. I would be concerned though with the screws to hold the blocks. On mine, professionaly made in Switzerland, the blocks are fused to the plastic hoop, presumably with some sort of high quality polymer glue. The whole is then sanded and made smooth.

That's a great point, Alp.  When I made mine I used s/s screws, but I hear you - not a great solution over the long haul.  The fused blocks are world's better, I'm sure.  My Abondance form has that. 

Susan, I deign to Alp's suggestion.  I've got Winkler's catalogue as well and they have several to choose from.  My Abondance form is slightly different in that it has a kerfed, concave side - and they're not easy to find in plastic.  The straight-sided ones, like Alp's, are readily available.
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Re: Favorite Hoops/Forms
« Reply #10 on: September 11, 2014, 10:26:55 PM »

Offline ArnaudForestier

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Re: Favorite Hoops/Forms
« Reply #11 on: September 11, 2014, 10:56:02 PM »
Alp, is that your drain/press table, your järb is sitting on?  Plywood?  Any issues with mold or rot, with so much water and whey everywhere?

In the process of building a simple table that can handle both my press, and an area for kneading/working the vat curds into my form, flipping, etc.  40" deep by 8' long, simple construction of 2x4's for frame and just 2 x 6's side by side as tabletop, with 1 x 2's running the perimeter for liquid barrier.  Avoided plywood out of a few concerns, this issue of rot over time being one.  Would love to hear what you have going on there. 
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Re: Favorite Hoops/Forms
« Reply #12 on: September 11, 2014, 11:20:16 PM »
The rust nail hanging out, is that for hanging your hand towel on? ;)
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Offline scasnerkay

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Re: Favorite Hoops/Forms
« Reply #13 on: September 12, 2014, 02:03:51 AM »
Alp, the tall forms are the ones I am interested in at this point. They look like they are not perforated? Just open top and bottom?
Susan

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Re: Favorite Hoops/Forms
« Reply #14 on: September 12, 2014, 03:12:14 PM »
about the table-
it's not finished yet. That's the story. The plywood is just a substrate, it will have either tile or linoleum glued to it to make the work surface. Also under my cheeses I will have a wooden plank with a groove to drain the whey into a bucket.

The tall forms are perforated, the holed are very fine and don't show up very well in pictures unless I get really close. My phone is not a professional quality camera...

Here's what I observe about forms:
For these, it is necessary to wrap the cheese in the press some how, i.e. with cheesecloth. I don't care so much about the studs on the cheese, they come off or dissolve into the rind. But the cheese does like to force its way out of the bottom, even when I have multiple plates stacked under the cheese.
If you want to press without a cloth, get a form with a bottom. If you want to press without a cloth and don't want studs, press with a form without a bottom and without holes. Things like Appenzeller, this is how they do it.

For the Järb -the slip form- you have to use a cloth. It doesn't work without one.