Author Topic: The press my hubby made for me...with a great plunger and holder for my weights!  (Read 7250 times)

padams

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This is the press that I have mentioned a couple times....it took him about 10 minutes to put together, and we spent maybe 17usd.  I love my baby!

Offline DeejayDebi

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Very nice that should work great. Congrats!

padams

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Thanks!  I've used it for queso fresco a couple of times, and it works great!  looking forward to more complex pressings....

FarmerJd

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Press looks great. My wife would never let me use a hoop with the word "sewer" on the side of it. lol :) 

Alex

  • Guest
The time it's made from HDPE it's perfectly OK. As I see and gues from the partial description, this one should be ASTM-D3034, meaning it's made from PVC. IMHO, useing it at low temps, it should be OK. I use both types.

FarmerJd

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I agree with Alex. I hope I didn't come across critical. I was really making a joke about the word still being on the pipe. I tried to sand the words off of my pipe. :)

padams

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No offense taken whatsoever, JD, infact, i was giggling.....I tried to scrub it off when I was scrubbing the heck out of it the first time, but the only thing that came off was the magic marker guide marks.....I have a good friend who has a commercial plumbing company, and he was kind enough to give this to me (where it had been sitting in the warehouse!)  I have another longer section if I want to make some more hoops.  I am not sure what I will use when I get to cantal or cheddar.  I may break down and buy a kadova...if I don't find anything else ;)

I didn't notice until I was posting the pics that "sewer" was blinking in neon on the front! ::)

umgowa

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I love your press, and I love cheddar.  My question relates to your statement about having to get a different type of  press for cheddar.  If you would, could you please tell me why would you need a different press for cheddar?  Thanks. 

Offline DeejayDebi

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I was wondering that myself. You should be able to stack bigger weights on the top of the press.

padams

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I meant possibly a different hoop....since it is pvc, not food grade plastic.  I don't know.  I'm stll kicking around the dollar stores, looking for something to turn into a hoop!

Offline DeejayDebi

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Know anyone with an empty lard bucket? They are pretty tough.

padams

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Next time I go to my local chain grocery store, I need to stop at the bakery dept. and see if they have any of their filling buckets....my dad is a tile setter, and he uses the little ones all the time for mixing grout.  They are the perfect size!

Cheesetart

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I just shared this thread with my hubby. After my fiasco last weekend with the weight plates, this is a great example of what we need to do to stabilze! Thanks for sharing!

padams

  • Guest
Dee, so glad it helped you!  I had the same problem, and he came up with this for me.  I saw your post about the weights slipping everywhere, and thought of this.  Im glad you saw it!

iratherfly

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Hey Padamas,
Beautiful work on the press. I made one a few weeks ago too and posted in another thread.
I too fear the Polyvinyl Chloride. Best thing to do is go to a restaurant supply store, get a plastic bucket (commercial quality, food-safe to A3 standards and half the price of that fancy schmensy retail Rubbermid stuff! can't do better than that). Then just cut off the bottom and drill the holes. Easy. Maybe they even have something with holes for restaurant use.

I actually never understood the purpose of these external drilled hoops. Seems to me that as they stand over a pie dish they fill up with whey and saturate the cheese you are attempting to drain back in its whey - how could this possibly be good for the cheese?

I use a Tomme style mold with a follower and place it on a $4.99 dish drain. The top ("grill" like rack portion that holds/separate plates) is perfectly flat and level but the draining platform holding it has a tilted bottom so it drains right into the sink on one side.