CheeseForum.org ยป Forum

GENERAL CHEESE MAKING BOARDS (Specific Cheese Making in Boards above) => EQUIPMENT - Forming Cheese => Topic started by: loobyluce on December 10, 2012, 07:24:36 PM

Title: Cheap mat substitute
Post by: loobyluce on December 10, 2012, 07:24:36 PM
I'm new to cheese making and have been getting some cheap kit together while I check if it's as brilliant as I think it is and not a phase I'm going through.  ;)  I found these today. Food grade matting (can be heated to 260C 500F!) for cooking fries in. No idea what it's made of but it's flexible (maybe something impregnated with silicone?). Anyway, if I boil it to sterilize, is there any reason this wouldn't do as a cheese mat? I've never seen a proper one close up. Do they have any great depth? As you can see, they are super cheap!  ;D
Title: Re: Cheap mat substitute
Post by: Tobiasrer on December 10, 2012, 07:55:33 PM
as i cant see there thickness very well I am guessing...
They should work, You may want to double them up if they are too thin. You want some thickness so that your cheese is elevated out of the whey as it drains! and so air can circulate all the way around.
At least this is my understanding, so if they are cheap enough get a couple and give them a try.
Title: Re: Cheap mat substitute
Post by: xyztal on December 12, 2012, 12:02:15 AM
I learned this trick at a cheesemaking class.  Get one of the latch hook mat at a fabric store (or craft store).  They are 99 cents (CAD) a piece.  You can sterilize it by putting it into chlorine solution (look at javex website for the formula) and just shake off excess liquid before use...
Title: Re: Cheap mat substitute
Post by: H-K-J on December 12, 2012, 12:39:24 AM
I learned this trick at a cheesemaking class.  Get one of the latch hook mat at a fabric store (or craft store).  They are 99 cents (CAD) a piece.  You can sterilize it by putting it into chlorine solution (look at javex website for the formula) and just shake off excess liquid before use...


If you Look through the forum threads you will see that a lot of people use an egg-crate florescent light diffuser (http://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,10033.msg77415.html#msg77415) under the latch hook mat to help with air circulation and draining the whey from the bottom of the cheese
Title: Re: Cheap mat substitute
Post by: Tiarella on December 12, 2012, 04:22:26 AM
For matting it's cheaper and better I think to buy through forum member iratherfly/Yoav.  he has several kinds of matting all by the foot.  The craft cross stitch matting isn't really woven so it just traps the moisture and whey rather than letting it flow.  Yoav has some nice medium matting that is rigid.  it's my favorite of the three I've tried from various places.  You can PM iratherfly for pricing as his website is not up yet.
Title: Re: Cheap mat substitute
Post by: MrsKK on December 12, 2012, 03:19:04 PM
I do just as H-J-K mentioned and it works great for me.