Another new member from San Diego!

[carnevoodoo]

Hi all.  I see that Phischy has signed up over here (total coincidence!), and I know him from the brewing community here.  I have no real intentions on slowing down my brewing hobby, but cheese making actually seems to compliment beer making very well.

I've got the mozzarella kit from Austin Homebrew Supply on its way as well as the cultures to make goat cheese, and I am excited to work through that and get into the hard cheeses.  Ideally, I'd love to make blue cheese and cheddar cheese, and work on other things after that.  I have a smaller refrigerator that I can use as a cheese "cave", and I'm used to working with temperature controllers and the like. 

I've only been reading up for a few days now, but I'd ideally like to make 3-5 pound wheels of cheese, as it seems like a good amount to make for the effort.  So I'll need to know what size mold I'll need for this, and I plan on building a press myself, probably using freeweights (or maybe even 5 gallon kegs filled with water) to apply the force.  I'll also search to see if there's a definitive book on the subject, but if you read this and have a recommendation, please feel free to let me know.

I'm really excited to get started.  I made some herbed farmer's cheese the other day and it was so simple, I am pretty much hooked.  So hello, and I'll probably be around a bit as I figure all this stuff out!

[DeejayDebi]

Hello carnevoodoo and welcome! You will find your brewing skill come in handy as a cheesemaker as well. One serious advantage is you've already learned how to control temperatures.

If you plan to buy a cheese mlould they generally come in grams and kilograms. For a nice inexpensive general purpose mould I highly recommend a Tome/St-Paulin mold it will accomidate anything from 3 gallon to 7 gallon batches nicely.  Makes nice wheels with flat tops and bottoms.  They only go for around $30  http://www.dairyconnection.com/cheesemolds.htm

If you want something a bit nicer with a built in netting the kadova moulds are really great - pricey though. The Gouda molds make nice wheels with curved tops and bottoms and a 2.5 to 3 kg can be purchased here for around $115 but you have to call for it.
http://glengarrycheesemaking.on.ca/wax.htm

[kaaskop]

Or you can make one yourself from a food grade plastic bucket 
I made mine from a mayonaise bucket that I got for free.

Maybe not as good as the ones DeejayDebi mentions, but if you decide to quit the hobby after a few cheese you will save money on a mould you will not use anymore   

[carnevoodoo]

Yeah.  I've been looking at making one, too, but I think buying one seems like a reasonable cost to try something new and fun.  30 dollars in the grand scheme of things isn't that great, especially when you look at the amount of equipment I have for brewing.  And if I hate it, I'll end up selling it to someone for 10 dollars and make their day.

Is a double boiler necessary, or can I just use a stainless pot on low heat?  I have a 12 gallon pot with a ball valve which seems like it would be super useful for draining whey.

[DeejayDebi]

I have made several over the years and they work fine. They are just smaller sized. I was focusing on  the larger sizes and side strength.

[Gürkan Yeniçeri]

Welcome to the CheeseForum Carnevoodoo. It is good to see like minded people.

Oh BTW, If anybody would like to get me some xmas presents, those large sized Kadova moulds are a good choice

[DeejayDebi]

I forgot to finish answering you questions - sorry. Watching a WNCAA game.

You do not need a double boiler. You could use the sink if your tap water is hot enough. For many cheeses you don't have to go much over 90 degrees and that can easily be done in the sink in a water bath. You do need (as in brewing but even more so) a non-reactive pot or container to hold your milk/curds. I use an 8" deep chafing dish and warmer (makes it easy to cheddar) and change temperatures quickly with tap water. It's limited to 7 gallons. I also use beer line hose for draining.

Some people here have found large plastic basins to hold their water bath and added heating elements to it. I personally do not like using a pot on the stove it's much harder to control temperatures and draining is a PITA unless your sink is close to your stove.

[Cheese Head]

Hi carnevoodoo and welcome, I've only tried a double boiler style stockpot and found it too much of a hassle, I use a 40 US quart stainless stockpot with thick clad bottom on gas stove on low heat and stir milk every now and then while warming.

I bail whey out as no faucet. I suspect it will work but you'll need to keep curds from plugging it by some sort of food grade mesh screen.

Again welcome!

[DeejayDebi]

I aim the opening of the tube into the corner and it works pretty well.

[carnevoodoo]

Well, my stars are oddly aligning on this one.  I had Christmas with my family tonight, and my mom had gotten me the Ricki's mozzarella kit as well as the Home Cheese Making book, so now I have enough to make 48 more pounds of mozzarella. 

I tried my hand at it today (with the kit I ordered last week that showed up this morning!) and I was amazed how easy it was to make.  I ended up using two gallons of milk and got two balls totaling about 1 pound 14 ounces.  The cheese tastes amazing and I can't wait to make more.

[DeejayDebi]

Congratulations carnevoodoo!

Yes it is amazing how good a home made cheese can taste. I like to add basil, dill or sundried tomato to my mozzarella. Works well for pizza or salads.

[Phischy]

Whoa, hey man!

I had to set aside this new hobby for a moment as I just moved to North Park, got a garage and am expanding both brewing (need a chest freezer), wood working (needs lots of stuff) and cheese making.  Over the holiday my dad and I built this:



So even though I haven't even made my first soft cheese, I now can start looking at the hard cheeses.  Sort of.  Let me know when you want to make a cheese, I think it'd be more fun working together and of course there's tons of great beer.  I've got 5 taps at home and once I get a chest freezer I'll have a total of 10 to 11 taps.  Right now I'm focused on getting my workshop together and finishing up some grain mills for friends.  After that I'll focus on brewing again and making some chez.

[mrkrispy]

I guess we are gonna need a San Diego subforum soon   

[Phischy]

ha, the SD Brewers are becoming chezheads. 

Next time you make some sort of chez, let me know and I'll drive up the street.

[DeejayDebi]

It seem there are quite a few brewers and vinters (is that the right word?) that became cheesemakers as well. Seems a natural companion  hobby.