Book Recommendations - Small Scale Hobby Cheesemaking

[Brentsbox]

I have Ricki Carroll's Book and really am not that happy with it.  Its seems geared to her products and some of the methods/processes seem quite different from other things I have read.

That said, if you could only buy one book, what book would you buy that had some information with lots of different recipes that focused on under 5 gallon batches?

[Alex]

200 Hundred Easy Homemade Cheeses by Debra Amrein-Boyess.
May be there are recipes for more than 5 gallons batch, you can alter them to suit your needs.

[linuxboy]

I would recommend you focus on a single style or family of cheese. It's tough to make cheese, and without consistent incremental improvements for a single style, it's tough to learn and improve.

[MrsKK]

I second Alex's recommendation for 200 Easy Homemade Cheeses.  On the other hand, I also agree with Linux, in that I do focus on one type of cheese for awhile until I either am successful with it or realize I don't like making it.

I like having a book with so many different types of cheese recipes, though, because it gives me ideas on what I really do want to try next.

BTW, I love the commercial that your avatar comes from.  Most commercials around here get muted, but I always have to listen to the GEICO ones at least once.

[ConnieG]

As I begin to work my way through these books, I think of them as an introduction to cheese making - sort of a primer.  As I make different cheeses, the light bulb comes on for me how seemingly small things create entirely different kinds of cheeses.  Because of this experience I have begun to pay closer attention to the details.

Making a wide variety of cheeses also allows me to supply my family with a variety of cheeses for different household uses from the milk of our dairy cow.  I know the day will come when I will begin to focus on one particular variety so that I can begin to isolate different components and study their effects.

[Gina]

When I was looking to buy my first book, I also settled on 200 easy cheeses, and do like it. I also tried a variety of recipes and techniques. Many did not turn out as I had hoped, but each taught me some sort of lesson. And there are still so many lessons to be learned. Reading books and this forum certainly helps, but so does trial and error. I regret to admit that during this phase, some cheese did suffer. 

In the beginning there definitely was a headiness derived from making lots of different recipes, but as the months have passed, I've settled into making just a few types and getting those 'right'. I consider this another step as I refine my techniques. 

 

[KosherBaker]

The added difficulty of making only one type of cheese is that you have no idea how you did until months and moths later. :'(
So if I want to correct my errors and/or adjust my recipe then it takes a long time to figure out what to do. I guess keeping a very detailed journal and labeling these guys is that much more important. Hmmm, perhaps video logs? <rubs his chin>

[mcfly]

I found that 'Mastering Cheese: Lessons for Connoisseurship from a Maître Fromager' as it covers the science behind the cheese without going too technical. I'm only half way through it but so far its been great.

I also agree with Gina, its best to get good at just one style of cheese. I also went a bit crazy making all sorted but now I just stick to one or two cheeses and vary it slightly to see what happens. I log everything on a online goggle docs page + I take photos of every stage so I get to know roughly how the cheese will develop.

Good luck and most importantly ask questions

[iratherfly]

American Farmstead Cheese is a fantastic book!
It has the stories of cheese, history, stories of cheesemakers, how to turn cheese into a business (including financial and business plan concepts), sanitation practices, cheesemaking and aging techniques, biology of milk and cheesemaking, names of suppliers and farms. It has many contributions from some of this countries' most esteemed cheesemakers. It's fun to read the stories and extremely useful if you need to invent or troubleshoot your cheese, or turn it into a business.

It's a bit hard to get because I think it is out of print, but I think its a must-have on every cheesemaker's bookshelf. Look here:
http://www.amazon.com/American-Farmstead-Cheese-Complete-Selling/dp/1931498776/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1284172218&sr=8-1