Newbie Cheese Making Questions

[umgowa]

I am completely new to cheese making.  from what I've read on the internet and this forum it looks like the first thing I need to get is a cheese press.  I found one by Schmidling company that costs about $70.00.  It says it allows you to adjust the pressure.  So I guess I'll get a press then get some rennet from the same on line source.  Once I get these two things, I'll get some milk and just follow a recipe I found on line or a simple recipe from this forum.  Is there anything I'm missing? or is there any advice you more experienced cheese makers can give me?  My plan is to get on top of the basic process first and then adjust my procedure to make specific cheeses like cheddar, brie, Gouda, etc.  Am I approaching this right?   I certainly appreciate any help in this early stage of my cheese making.

[linuxboy]

Just IMHO, I know this is a little controversial, but you need a cheese press only if you are making milled curd cheddar or a similar cheese that requires a lot of pressure to fuse the curd. Most other cheeses will fuse with no issues at 50-100 lbs of weight. They may require more time in the press, but they turn out well.

If I was just starting out and wanted to build up my confidence, I would buy a basic tomme mold that is 6" or 8" in diameter and either use heavy cans for weight or bricks or weights or something similar around the house or could be bought cheap from a thrift store. The tomme mold is very versatile, inexpensive, and you can make many hard cheeses with it.

Although you can make great cheese using buttermilk and yogurt as starter cultures, it's also easier to use DVI when starting out. Consider buying a few small sachets. Oh and don't forget some cheesecloth.

If you really want a press, consider making a dutch press or other basic press with the plans on the forums or found elsewhere. The Schmidling design with two wingnuts and spring isn't terrible, but requires constant adjustment as the cheese goes down, tends to produce lopsided cheese, etc. If you're not too handy, maybe a friend is? It takes a few hours and maybe $30 in materials, but you will have a solid piece of equipment.

Other options out there, like using two cheap buckets and water as the weight, etc.  Hope that helps.

[Cheese Head]

Wrote this but linuxboy replied before I posted, basically similar advice .

Hi umgowa, welcome!

Your first non-household special cheesemaking equipment all depends on what cheese types you want to make. Brie is not pressed and Gouda is lightly pressed. There's a sticky post here for those new to cheese making. My 2 cents:

PRESSES
The problem with those types of presses is they don't apply a steady weight/pressure as the spring relaxes as the whey is expelled, so you have to constantly additionally screw it down plus they constrain you on size of hoops and thus cheeses you can make. there's lots of different press ideas in this Board. Personally I use a step ladder and paint bucket and would spend my money on hoops or molds, unless you want to make your own.

RENNET
As you mentioned Schmidling I assume you are in USA, I found my first rennet in Whole Foods grocery chain store in cheese section, but I phoned 3 stores first before finding one that had it in stock. If you go via webstore, our listing of them is here.

STARTER CULTURES
Another key first ingredient. For a mesophilic starter you can buy and use buttermilk, for thermophilic you can use yogurt, directions here.

CHEESECLOTH
Easiest to find a fabrics store (ie sadly Wal-Mart) and buy small amounts of different ones until you find what you like and works well.

Above all, have fun, just start experimenting, and keep records (I and several others keep ours here on this forum, failures and all ).

Hope helps!

[Alex]

As being new to cheese making, I would suggest you to start with some simple soft cheeses. Semi-hard and hard cheeses require more experience handling and processing the curds. I really recommend you to start making cheese with buttermilk (I use it for several years now) as mesophilic culture starter, it's much cheaper to invest in. May be you won't like this hobby although it's addictive. Same for a cheese press, wait, don't invest in a spring loaded press in any case, it can not hold constant pressure. Look for a self built press on this forum, there are several types, of course the best would be a Dutch press.
A Brie is a mold ripened cheese, not quite simple for beginners and a Cheddar even more complicated.
This forum is crowded with many members wanting to help, so, don't hesitate to ask and don't forget to tell us about your adventures.

[Tom Turophile]

I just started with 30-minute mozzarella and cream cheese -- two easy, fresh cheeses.  Start simple, then try other cheese that require more equipment.  I'll be doing feta next, and I just found an old fridge, which really opens up the possibilities.

[FarmerJd]

Welcome to the forum. Ditto on the advice given already. I wasted a lot of money on items I never use now. Good luck.

[DeejayDebi]

Agreed! Molds are less expensive (well except kadova molds) and different cheeses use different styles of molds. You can use one or twe types for most everything but a good set of mold is more necessary than a press - even if you do cheddar - IMHO.

[Tea]

Good morning and welcome to the forum.

[Cheesetart]

Welcome! There is much to be learned from this group.  Searching will lead you to the answers! 

[padams]

Welcome!  I am also a newbie, and I am just getting ready to start my first pressed cheese.  after much searching, I spent about 17$ to make the 4-post press (instructions on this site).  I am starting out using the buttermilk starter method, as I do not like having to rely on cultures shipped from across the country.  there is such a wealth of information here, and so many friendly people willing to help!

[umgowa]

I want to thank you all for your very helpful posts.  While I have your ear, I have a big picture sort of question.  What is it that you do to the milk, or curds in the cheese-making process that makes the cheese take on the characteristics of a Gouda, or a Brie, or a Cheddar?  Are there certain Gouda, Brie or Cheddar ingredients that you add?  As I said I am very new, so please excuse the naivete of this question.  Thanks.

[padams]

I really wondered that myself.....then I started paying more attention to what I was reading.  you have 2 cultures...meso (low heat) and thermo (high heat).  that acidifies your milk.  (at first, thinking of ph levels will only make your head spin, so I haven't even started that)
Then, there are different temps that you heat your milk to.  each cheese is different.
Can't forget drying and aging...some are very unique!
Lastly, there are additives.  mold infusions and lipase(gives italian cheese it's kick). 

So, from what I have been able to wrap my head around, what will mostly make a certain kind of cheese, itself, is the temps it is heated to during the cooking process. 

I have read several books so far on cheesemaking, 2 I have bought and the rest are from my local library.  They may not answer all your questions, but it will give you a reference point, and from there, the wonderful and knowledgeable people on this board can answer the rest!!

Good luck.  It is a lot to take in, at least it has been for me!

[linuxboy]

The biggest determinants of final cheese character in terms of the make ingredients and process are the milk, culture, pH and temp and whey drain, and pH and temp at salting/brining. In terms of the chemical analysis based on the choices you make for ingredients and make, it's fat percentage, solid, non-fat percentage, moisture, salt content, pH, residual lactose content, and mineral content. Given those numbers, it's possible to predict the general style of cheese.

Or put more simply, you heat the milk to different temps for gouda, brie, and cheddar, you use different cultures, you cut them to different size curds at different times after adding rennet, you drain the whey at different pH levels, and after that treat them differently after you have curds, and aging is different, too. There are many variables, from milk selection to aging length.