Hi Qdog,
Good points!
I was thinking that I first of all would see if there was an interest for something like this.
When I have some inputs (like yours regarding PH-markers) I would try to go a little more into detail.
My initial thought was to make a small book that really explained some of the basics for beginners and intermediate... Alot of the books out there are either too basic or too advanced. For example: I get confused when a recipe just says "A mesophil culture" - there is a lot to choose from. I also get confused when a recipe says "Press until PH is 5,2" without indicating anything about how long that usually is.
I would like recipes to have the following:
- Which culture to use and alternatives
- Amount in DCU, approximate weight (g and US), ml/tsp and so on
- Temperatures in F/C
- PH markers
- Approximate times for each step
- Pressing weights i PSI and weights for different mould diameters
Maybe we should concentrate on making the "perfect recipe" - then we have a good place to start...
I bought Gavin's book. It was a really big help when I started. The book I'm thinking of would probably have less recipes but more info on other aspects needed to make a good cheese as a beginner. Something like "welcome to this class, equipment needed, make your first feta, build your own press (or buy one) and so on"...
:-) Danbo