Author Topic: Curd Cutter - Carter's Build  (Read 16843 times)

Offline Cartierusm

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Re: Curd Cutter - Carter's Build
« Reply #30 on: January 03, 2009, 02:59:29 AM »
I agree it's a little expensive more than half is materials. What are you going to use to make the cross cuts, horizontal?

wharris

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Re: Curd Cutter - Carter's Build
« Reply #31 on: January 03, 2009, 03:02:11 AM »
That is an interesting question.  I would ask that guy in my picture the same question. 

I wonder how much he relies on simple stirring to break up his "columns" of curd into small squares.

Offline Cartierusm

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Re: Curd Cutter - Carter's Build
« Reply #32 on: January 03, 2009, 03:37:36 AM »
Wayne, I don't think if you ask the picture it's going to talk back and if it does then we'll have to get you a nice padded room.

chilipepper

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Re: Curd Cutter - Carter's Build
« Reply #33 on: January 03, 2009, 04:54:54 AM »
 ;D ;D ;D

Talking to the pictures again... been there, done that! ;)


Likesspace

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Re: Curd Cutter - Carter's Build
« Reply #34 on: January 03, 2009, 06:02:22 AM »
Well my opinion is this.....
I do a great job on my vertical cuts. I'm pretty much a perfectionist so I take great care in making my 1/4" or 1/2" cuts as exact as they can possibly be. The problem comes in when I have to do the horizontal cuts. I simply do not have a knife that will reach into the pot to make these. I've bent my wrist until they felt like they would fall off and have still been unable to get the columns cut.
What I am using now is almost too embarrassing to mention although it does work.
I took stainless stell pastry cutters/blenders and removed them from the handles. I then attached them to bamboo skewers. I have four of these spaced along the length of the skewers and I simply drag them through the curd. The problem is that in some places I get 1/4" cuts and in come places I get 5/8" cuts and every imaginable size in between. As I said, it does work and it's probably more exact than I can do with my spoon (my old method) but it would be so quick and easy to use one of these knives to make both the vertical and horizontal cuts with one pass.
In the past month I've spent well over $300.00 on molds, cultures, wax, cloth and salt. These are all necessary items in the cheesemaking business but what does it all mean if you get an inferior final product due to inferior methods used?
As I posted in the selling section offering, I'm in.
My plans are to buy one of the 1/2" knives and cut a little more aggressivly if I'm doing a swiss or cheddar. I'm sure it will work better than the whisk I currently use for a swiss and if it doesn't work well, I'll order one of the 1/4" knives for these cheeses.
Just my two cents.....

Dave

Offline Cartierusm

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Re: Curd Cutter - Carter's Build
« Reply #35 on: January 03, 2009, 06:09:17 AM »
Dave, I agree it's much easier to cut smaller, but to cut bigger it needs to be more exact or you'll release too much whey. You can just double cut with 1/2" one and be fine.

Using a round vat I plan on sweeping the cutter along the circumference and then starting in the center use a regular curd knife (for frosting cakes) to cut radially toward the outside of the circle. You could use one knife for both ops if your vat was square, but with round it's a little more tricky so you don't over cut and get little bits....HA I get little bits no matter what I do, on that note I might splurge and buy the DAM expensive raw milk at whole foods and try a batch and see if it coagulated like it's supposed to.

Sing_cheese

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Re: Curd Cutter - Carter's Build
« Reply #36 on: January 07, 2009, 07:49:10 AM »
I too only worry about the horizontal cuts.  Our solution was to get a food grade stainless wire mesh grill (1/2 inch squares) and cut out all of the vertical wires (actually you cut one and pull a bit and the whole wire usually comes up with it.  After a bit of working some of the mini-spot welds break off, in which case I wrap them with needle nose pliers back in place.  Seems to last about a month then its to bent up to work with so I make a new one.  Cost about S$10 for a 50cm/50cm square.

I did trie to run the whole screen through some curd and couldn't budge it without totally ruining the curds.

The vertical cuts are quite easy and as said - after a while you can do this quite easily.


Offline Cartierusm

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Re: Curd Cutter - Carter's Build
« Reply #37 on: January 08, 2009, 08:12:21 AM »
Gerrit, what was the diameter of the stainless wire, that may have somthing to do with it. I did order some 1/2" welded stainless mesh from a different supplier that the one posted by Chili. They had better stock but had a $75 minumum order. The one I ordered uses .047" wire and the other place uses .022, so a huge difference. If the piece I ordered doesn't work I'll just order some of the other stuff.

Likesspace

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Re: Curd Cutter - Carter's Build
« Reply #38 on: January 09, 2009, 01:26:11 AM »
Carter..
Does this mean you will be selling the curd knives since you ordered some of the mesh?
As I told you before, I'm definately in if that's the case.

Dave

Offline Cartierusm

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Re: Curd Cutter - Carter's Build
« Reply #39 on: January 09, 2009, 06:00:15 AM »
Depends on how many I get out of it. The probelm I realized is the mesh I ordered, I ordered from a different company and the wire size is twice as big, .047 instead of .022 so I hope it cuts instead of just pushing the curds around. I might return it, if I can and just go buy $75 worth of the other stuff. Dave, I'll let you know.