Author Topic: What you wish you knew...  (Read 1420 times)

dgcheese

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What you wish you knew...
« on: October 29, 2010, 12:53:32 AM »
Hello everyone. I am relatively new to making cheese and am still trying to standardize my equipment. It seems like every time I want to try a new recipe, there are multiple pieces of equipment or ingredients that I'm lacking. To help remedy this, I've recently bought a small collection of different starters/cultures to have on hand.

However, I still have a very limited equipment, mainly a ricotta mold, a chevre mold, cheesecloth, stainless pot, and a thermometer.

My question to those more experienced is:

What do you feel are the essential pieces of equipment you had (or wished you had) when starting out that gives you maximum flexibility in being able to try different recipes? (including the small things like mats to rest the cheese on, types/sizes of basic molds, etc).

Thank you so much. David

linuxboy

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Re: What you wish you knew...
« Reply #1 on: October 29, 2010, 01:03:51 AM »
What cheeses are you making? Or to be more exact, what family of cheeses? Every family needs its own collection of cultures, molds, equipment, etc. Even sometimes the basics differ. Like you don't really need a pot for making chevre - you can let the milk warm up and clabber, or add culture, and then drain, and you can do this in a food-safe plastic container.

It's really tough to post general must-haves. But the one sure one is to try and have a dedicated and sanitary place for cheesemaking. Those who have gone commercial know what I mean; it's much easier to make cheese in the make room than in the kitchen.

Offline Boofer

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Re: What you wish you knew...
« Reply #2 on: October 30, 2010, 04:14:09 AM »
Some of the things I have found useful are:
  • a good hygrometer (for measuring/monitoring humidity)
  • plastic matting (not bamboo mats - they foster unwanted mold infections) for draining/drying cheeses
  • a Rubbermaid (or similar) box with a lid for controlling humidity in cheeses (mat above goes inside)
  • a long whisk for stirring/cutting curds
  • Star-San for sanitizing everything
  • one 7-3/8 inch plastic cheese mold (permits multiple cheese styles)

The tools above have helped me in making a variety of cheeses, including:
Gouda, Edam, Manchego, Jarlsberg, Esrom, and Tomme (made today).

Some of the cheeses don't match the style as far as shape or size, but that one cheese mold does get the job done for up to 4 gallon batches.

-Boofer-
Let's ferment something!
Bread, beer, wine, cheese...it's all good.

susanky

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Re: What you wish you knew...
« Reply #3 on: October 30, 2010, 11:58:25 AM »
David,
I am in about the same spot you are  just getting started.  This forum is invaluable!  In addition to the above, several on the list make mention of a reusable nonstick cheesecloth called Plyban.  Evidently there is another from Glennary but you have to buy in large quantities (someone please correct me if I am wrong).  Plyban is available from Hoeggers Supply.  They also have a reasonably priced large whisk.  Those are two items I had trouble finding elsewhere.  Hope this helps.  Do you have somewhere to age your cheese?  Or just making fresh cheeses?
Susan

Offline DeejayDebi

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Re: What you wish you knew...
« Reply #4 on: October 30, 2010, 04:01:31 PM »
Hi David -

Starting out I say a good thermometer. Large whisk can be purchased at most dollar stores pretty cheap and a long bladed knife or cake icing knife. My knife has a bend in the top but it works and was only $1.99 at the dollar store my whisk was all of $4. My first cheese molds were orange juice containers and PVC pipes.

First and foremost get a good thermometer that can be calibrated! Everything can turn to crap if you can't track temperatures accurately. Molds can be made from various containers if need be. Cheese cloth can be used or reused.

ConnieG

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Re: What you wish you knew...
« Reply #5 on: October 30, 2010, 04:05:36 PM »
All of the above answers are very good.  I'm new to making cheese too but I have been gathering supplies for a few months now.  The experienced folks here encourage new comers like us to find a cheese (or cheese family) and get to know it and work on perfecting your cheese.  Not only does this allow you to become a better cheese maker but it limits all the have to haves.  I'm such a noob, I throw that good advice away because I want to do it all and make all kinds of cheeses.  As a result I have lots of failures and spend a lot of money on this than and another thing.  Perhaps I'll settle down and take their very good advice and learn to really be better at one kind of cheese but for now I'm having fun and learning lots by comparing how little differences make such different kinds of cheeses, and eating a wide variety of cheese when I have successes.  (I should add that I have a Guernsey cow and a lot of milk to play with)

I keep all my supplies in a rubber made like box to keep clean.  When I look at what I use the most it would be my4 gal pot, the curd cutter, a stainless cheese ladle, a stainless long handled spoon, a stainless colander, a good digital thermometer with a probe and a temp alarm (what an improvement from a hand held!),cheese mats, aging boxes, good cheese cloth (but am switching to plyban).  I also get a lot of use from my home made cheese press.  I am so glad I didn't buy an expensive one.  Because I like to play with a variety of cheeses I keep a variety of cultures (many use buttermilk and yogurt and are happy however), a hygrometer (cheap from a cigar supply place) and liquid rennet.  I have a variety of molds, such as Camembert, that I use sometimes but the one I use the most often is the food safe water pipe that we drilled holes into for my home made press.

What I will buy next is a larger pot (8 or so gal) because larger cheeses age better.  I will also get another refrigerator with an external temp controller to make an aging cave because a large part of my cheese failures have to do with it is the aging temps.  I've tried to skip on the cave but in the summer I couldn't make aged or ripened cheese without it.  I'm also working on getting a vacuum sealer because the wax just isn't working well for me.  The list goes on from here but these are the most pertinent for me.

These are just my suggestions and again I'm not the most successful cheese maker around here  ::) ??? ::) :-[ but let my failures be for  learning.