First Cheddar would make Great Grandma proud!

[budgood]

This was my first attempt at cheese and though it is very much like Havarti in taste and texture at 2 and a half months old. I am not quiet sure if I just need to age it longer to acquire the "cheddar" traits or if it was because of my lack of experience and control over the manufacturing process. I made this batch with powdered milk and heavy cream, I started with powdered milk and have since began using store bought whole milk and adding the heavy cream.
Although the Jack cheeses I made with powdered milk came out very dry and wouldn't melt, this one melts if I stare at it too long and it turns to goo in less than 5 seconds in the microwave.  So other than getting a completely different cheese than I was cooking this was a success.
I used a recipe I found at http://www.tillamookcheese.com/Recipes/Detail/HowtoMakeCheese.aspx

Thanks for all of the information I have found on this forum.
 I think I am going to be making my own cheese for life!!!
 

[FarmerJd]

Congratulations and welcome to the forum! That looks way better than my first cheddar. Good luck.

[padams]

Wow! that is a good looking cheese.  Thanks for the link....I am always looking for cheese recipes online, and Tillamook cheese ROCKS!

Keep at it!

[DeejayDebi]

Welcome Bud you've got a nice looking cheese there! Congrats!

[MrsKK]

Way to go!  I never would have thought that powdered milk would make great cheese.  I'm impressed.

[sominus]

Wow! that is a good looking cheese.  Thanks for the link....I am always looking for cheese recipes online, and Tillamook cheese ROCKS!

I just made their 100-day cheddar recipe (my first attempt at cheddar -- I made a 5-gallon batch) and just put it in the cave this morning.  We'll get to taste it in mid-August!

This cheese was an all-afternoon event..  Gouda was much easier. 

[DeejayDebi]

SOme cheese are quick makes and some take all day but most are worth the effort.

[Alex]

It takes me 7-8 hours continuous work to make a 10 liters batch of Cheddar.

[padams]

my problem is that I can't get that dang cheddaring process down!  I have tried a couple of one gallon batches, and they mostly end up stirred....I figured if I could make some squeaky curds for snacking and conquer the process then I'd be getting two birds with one stone....

Only it's been about 5 stones and no birds!  It does end up making a very nice fresh cheese my family snacks on...

[Sailor Con Queso]

What part of that dang cheddaring can't you "get down"?

[sominus]

My times were a little but off from the tillamook recipe -- clean break was "late" to begin with.

Cheddaring didn't seem all that difficult... Cut into "sheets", lay them on top of each other, let 'em drain... Flip.. Repeat...

The only minor problem I really had was when I went to vacuum seal this one... It wouldn't fit in the bag, so I had to cut it.  Oddly, once both halves were in the bag I was able to put it back together "face to face" for the seal...  The interior texture was perfect, though.. Some mechanical holes, but otheriwse it knit together REALLY well.  It even had a cheddar-like aroma.

We'll see how it came out in mid-August.

We get to sample the feta I made this weekend after its 2nd week in brine.

[DeejayDebi]

It's a little tricky to cheddar 2 cups of curds. Larger batches are a bit easier to grab onto but it can be done. It a little easier if you leave a tiny bit of whey in the pot. Not much just few tablespoons not much more so to make things a little slicker. Let the pile start to kind of melt together, then grab it and slice it in two pieces. Put the hotter side in the middle and let it sit for about 5 or 6 minutes for your tiny slabs. Take that and cut it into 4 pieces and make two piles so the hotter sides are facing in. Keep doing this every 5 or 6 minutes until the curds feel real springy and rubbery. That's all there is to it.  Divide and conquer!