Single Make > Multiple 4"/10 cm Pressed Cheeses

[Kandrews]

OK- I've succeeded at Mozzarella and a couple of other soft cheeses and I think I'm ready to move on to a hard cheese!!!

But my question is this.... I would love to make a bunch of small wheels to give as gifts (like 4 inch diameter). Can I do this? How do I go about it?? Can I use disposable tupperware with holes drilled as I haven't seen small round moulds/molds for sale? Do I have to have more then one press? Are there other things I need to know about working with small wheels (assuming I can!)

Thanks so much! I can't wait to get started on my hard cheeses!! But how awesome would it be to also get my Christmas gifts out of the way!

[coffee joe]

Ì used a 3ft long 4" PVC pipe as a mold, pressed the living daylights out of it and it worked ok - Just OK. I Vacuum packed the slices so there would be no loss to rind. I must say that I probably left too much whey as the wheels tasted a bit acid when first opened after 60 days.
I think this is an art that will take some work( weird cheese)  but a great idea

[Boofer]

Welcome to the forum, Kandrews!

I and others on this forum have used PVC to fashion smaller molds to make smaller cheeses. If you can find strong, food-safe plastic bowls (such as Tupperware) then give it a try. If you search on here, you'll find that there is currently an effort underway to do a group purchase of different size molds.

Earlier this year I used small Kadova molds to create small cheeses. You can see that I used my newly-built Dutch press to handle all four of the cheeses simultaneously. It worked just fine. 

4 cheeses

Not to dampen your enthusiasm, but the window for hard cheeses for Christmas gifts is rapidly closing. Most need at least 2 months or more to develop flavor. Still, you might consider a recipe for Gouda or shift to a semisoft that could successfully complete in the time you have left.

-Boofer-

[ConnieG]

I started a while ago with the idea of making hard cheeses for Christmas as well.  I am quickly learning there is a bit of an art to this and I'm not so sure those first cheeses are going to be of excellent quality.  Also since I'm using raw milk, I think I want to experiment on myself first to be sure no one gets sick    I think next year might be a better target for hard cheese presents.

Now, with those cheese spreads being pretty good and popular, I could see making a fresh cheese spread for holiday time. 

[Kandrews]

Dahhhhh! 

I never thought about a long cylndar! That makes perfect sense! Thanks Coffee Joe! Can you explain the vacuum packing? ("I Vacuum packed the slices so there would be no loss to rind")

Boofer- I was thinking of doing a gouda, but you are right, I am probably too late for this year. And yes ConnieG, I was thinking that a soft spreadable would be a good option. I made Orange Marmelade- can anyone think of a good soft spreadable recipe that might go with that?? Or I might just alternate- some people get the marmalde, some get the cheese?? I was contemplating making an oatmeal bread to go with it. Heck... I wish I were on my Christmas giving list . I will be when I make my some hard cheese for myself!

On that note... does anyone have a recommendation for the best beginner hard cheese? How hard are mold-ripened cheeses like brie?

Thanks you guys!! I am soooooooo happy I finally found this forum!!!!!

[Kandrews]

ps- helps if I spell check first!!!! Opps!

[KosherBaker]

You can still make cheese for gifts during the holidays, just not the hard or semi-hard type. But Feta cheese is very good as is Queso Blanco two of my favorites that I make often. Mozzarella, Provolone and Caciocavallo are possibilities. Neufchatel is an option and would go well with the marmalade and bagels/muffins/biscuits. If you have access to Goat Milk then Chevre is one of my favorite cheeses also as it tastes fantastic baked or raw.

I'm thinking neither Cottage cheese nor Ricotta may be sophisticated enough to make it as gifts, but the one above might.

[coffee joe]

As to the vacuum packing for the long cylinder, after pressing I sliced 3" tall rounds. On a small cheese like this, a natural rind will consume too much of the cheese. Vacuum makes the entire cheese edible. 

[Kandrews]

Can you tell me more about vacuum packing?? 
I know nothing about how to use it with cheese- do you vacuum pack right after pressing? Right after the cheese dries? Do you treat it like a wax?
Are there limitation on which cheese to use it on?- I'm assuming it was not meant for mold cheeses.
Are there advantages and disadvantages to vacuuming vs. waxing?
Is there somewhere I should go to read more about it?

Thanks!

[Boofer]

Helen, you could use the search function at the top of the page to find more answers. I offered some detail here.

I recently wondered if I could satisfactorily vacuum-seal my washed-rind Esrom cheese to preserve it and age it a little more. The pictures taken today show the results of that decision.

-Boofer-

[DeejayDebi]

Smaller cheeses age faster so you could still make something like a colby or Jack and if you cut the tube into say 6 inch heights they will age evenly. Of course you'll have to cut more followers that way too.