CheeseForum.org » Forum

GENERAL BOARDS => Introductions => Topic started by: Papaclaude on December 29, 2013, 03:01:11 PM

Title: My wife (aka the Kook) and her latest creations
Post by: Papaclaude on December 29, 2013, 03:01:11 PM
Well, Santa brought my wife some nifty cheese making equipment - a steam table, various other pots and doo-hickeys. On the 27th, we hit the grocery store, where she bought 18 4l. bags of 1%, 9 4l. bags of 2% and 6 4l. bags of 3.5%, as well as 5 or 6 l. of whipping cream to adjust her fat content (sorry, the milk's fat content. If you read this, honey, I'm really, really sorry about the mistype >:D). Anyhow, she is making more parmesan, some cheddars, a Gruyère, and Lord knows what else. She also made some delicious Chèvre, some cream cheeses, and a few others over Christmas.

BTW, in November 2012, she made her first Parmesan, and we tried it over the holidays. it is fantastic. She made 3 wheels of it, to share amongst our kids and ourselves. Anyhow, here are some pics of her hard at work. Oh, yeah, and life can be soooo unfair. She was in the basement having fun making cheese, and I was doing dishes and cleaning the house.  :'(
Title: Re: My wife (aka the Kook) and her latest creations
Post by: Digitalsmgital on December 29, 2013, 03:47:58 PM
Nice set-up! I am guessing that this is a dedicated cheese kitchen, not the main food-prep kitchen that the rest of the family uses?

We have seen the kool kitchen, the awesome aging closet, where are the pictures of her pleasing press?
Title: Re: My wife (aka the Kook) and her latest creations
Post by: Papaclaude on December 29, 2013, 04:01:49 PM
Hi Dave,

Actually, this is the laundry room we set up to make cheese, so she wouldn't have to carry all of her stuff upstairs every time she wants to make cheese. She uses a small butane stove, an electric hotplate, a plastic laundry sink converted into a water bath and her steam table to heat/cook the milk and cheese.

But, it now seems as though the laundry room/cheese kitchen may become only a cheese kitchen, and my gun room is about to become a gun room/laundry room :'( I did mention that she has gone bonkers since she started making cheese, didn't I?)  >:D

BTW, "gun room" is not really an accurate term. It's more my hunting/fishing/shooting/reloading stuff room.
Title: Re: My wife (aka the Kook) and her latest creations
Post by: Spoons on December 29, 2013, 05:03:01 PM
Good god! is she making 3 cheeses at the same time?!? I have a hard time keeping up with one at a time  :o

BTW, Claude, There's some fairly affordable unhomogenized milk here in Ottawa. Harmony milk has some unhomogenized, low-pasteurized whipping cream. I mix that with Neilson 0% skim, it makes nice set curd. check out Harmony's web site for local vendors.
Title: Re: My wife (aka the Kook) and her latest creations
Post by: Papaclaude on December 29, 2013, 06:12:28 PM
I think she had 5 on the go. I don't call her the kook for nothing! :)

Thanks for tip about the unhomogenized milk. I wish there was a way to get raw milk legally around this bloody province. You kinda think that at 54, I'd be old enough to decide what I want to take chances on, but, I guess the Government knows better.
Title: Re: My wife (aka the Kook) and her latest creations
Post by: Boofer on December 30, 2013, 03:01:08 PM
Ah, dedication.... ;)

...and she has her own personal cheese photographer!

Looks like cheesemaking trumps hunting/fishing/shooting/reloading. You're so understanding.... A)  And funny too.

-Boofer-
Title: Re: My wife (aka the Kook) and her latest creations
Post by: Papaclaude on December 30, 2013, 03:11:41 PM
Hi Boofer

As far as cheesemaking trumping my stuff, it depends on who you ask, but since I don't get a vote...

I have to admit that I don't really mind, as long as my toys can stay safely locked up. I don't really need that much room. My reloading bench is on wheels, and the rest is in cabinets and lockers. I just have to find a way to store my fishing rods, but I think I can put them along the rafters.