My first attempt at any cheese

[firebirdude]

Hello all! So today was my first attempt at making any type of cheese. I'm extremely inexperienced compared to most all on this message board and, honestly, much of the stuff on here is over my head.

I first got interested in making cheese when I was gifted the "Ricki's Basic Cheese Making Kit". After reading online, it was plainly obvious this kit is a borderline joke as it doesn't include much and the instructions are sparse. I threw that tiny basket it comes with away and bought a mold and pressing plate that was a little higher quality.
http://www.culturesforhealth.com/hard-cheese-mold-pressing-plate-1800g.html
I have dumbbell weights which fit inside well. Over 50lbs worth.

Anyway, onto the cook. I went for a cheddar. I used store bought whole milk that claims to be growth hormone free. Two gallons went into my pot followed by 1/2tsp calcium chloride. I brought it up to temp while stirring, added the culture, stirred and let it sit while keeping it up to temp. After about 45mins, I used the rennet tablet that came with the kit and dissolved 1/2 tablet in a little distilled water. Sprinkled it all over the surface and used an up and down motion to mix. Covered and let it sit another 45mins. After that, it didn't seem like the cleanest break. It wasn't quite as bad as the pic in the "cheddar disaster" thread in this forum (sorry gntlknigt lol), but it was similar. I don't think I used enough rennet? Well.... I knew that after cutting it, you were allowed to stir it....and I knew that cutting it is mainly to increase surface area to allow it to drain. So I made the decision to dissolve another ~1/2 tablet of rennet and add it in while stirring up and down. This of course shredded the gel. I allowed it to stand awhile and the whey did raise to the surface. I tried moving it to a hot water bath to slowly bring it up to 100+F, but my hot water doesn't come out of the faucet hot enough. lol After 30 minutes, I couldn't get the pot to break ~91 degrees, so back onto the stove it went. I messed up here again by letting it get too hot. It's a gas stove and only can be turned down so low. Well that was enough to take it to probably ~115 degrees before too long. I know a double boiler would help here, but I don't have one and buying one of that huge size is pretty pricey right out of the gate. I strained the curds from the whey and they didn't look terrible, but were basically just crumbles. I let it sit and rotated it, which I guess it cheddaring. It did form into several larger clumps, but still fell apart pretty easily. I added cheese salt, flipped it and let it sit a few more times. Crammed it all in my cheesecloth lined mold and observed the normal pressing times and weights. Between pressings, I removed it to flip and re-wrap it. It's plainly apparent that it's not going to form into a solid block. It's just 10 million crumbles mashed together and wants to fall apart. As of now, it's sitting with 50lbs on it. I'll probably flip it again in the morning and crank the weight up to 60+ for 24hrs.

So my temp control started off decent, but once the rennet situation started, my temps were all over the friggin place. So I know that was an issue. But why didn't the curds form together? Just me butchering it too much? Or at what time do you allow the curds to cool/cut the heat? I was under the impression you kill the heat once you start salting it and breaking it up? Maybe that's when the curds started hardening up and why they won't form together?

Lastly, off 2-gallons of store bought whole milk, how much whey should I be left with? I had a solid 1.6 -1.7 gallons of whey. Seem normal? Side note, I tried making that into ricotta. It kept clogging my strainer and I still only seem to have gotten right about 1/2 cup of ricotta out of that much whey....

Not a total disaster I suppose.... but certainly wasn't the best run!

[scasnerkay]

Welcome! Keep trying - it does get less stressful and more fun. About 4 years ago I started with the same kit, and also started with the cheddar. I waxed it after a couple of days on the counter, and then stored it 6 weeks in the crisper of the house frig. It was crumbly and a bit too acidic. But it did taste vaguely of cheddar, and I was hooked!
I remember not wanting to use expensive milk, because I was just learning, but it turns out the better milk means better cheese!
Other important lessons were learning how to test flocculation with a small tupperware type bowl, and using liquid rennet instead of the tablets.
I think cheesemaking is somewhat forgiving. You may not end up with what you wanted, but it is mostly always edible, and a good learning tool.
Keep very good notes of your process so you can learn from what you do!

[Denise]

Hi firebirdude, from another (relative) noobie. Reading your post, the first thing that struck me was about the milk - it sounds like it was ultra-pasteurised? If the milk has been pasteurised at high temperatures (most store-bought milk is), the protein has been broken and it won't make good cheese. For your next batch, make sure that the milk has not been heated higher than about 75℃ (about 165°F) - it should say it somewhere on the label. Anything with a long shelf-life is probably not fit for cheese-making. The good stuff does cost a bit more, but it's well worth it.

I also have no double boiler to heat my milk in. What I do is put the milk pan in the kitchen sink, and fill the sink up with hot water from the tap. That isn't hot enough of course, so I fill saucepans with water from the sink, heat it up on the gas ring, then pour it back into the sink, repeat until the milk is the right temperature. Then when you no longer need the heat, pull the plug and let the hot water drain away. Another idea is to warm the water in the sink using the kind of immersible heater used in an aquarium to keep tropical fish warm - but keep an eye on the temperature. I have one thermometer in the sink and another in the milk.

Cheese-making produces LOTS of whey! In fact almost all the milk is water, so after you remove the bit that (hopefully) turns into cheese, you're left with almost as much whey as the milk you started out with. 1.7 gallons of whey from 2 gallons of milk doesn't sound wildly extravagant to me. And after you take out the ricotta (and yes the strainer does get clogged, you have to give the cheese time to drip - I leave it overnight), you'll still have a lot of whey left. You can use it as a substitute for water in cooking - I use it in bread, soups, stews, etc. The dog also enjoys the occasional half-bowlful as a treat. Mixed with lemon juice and honey it makes a very refreshing summer drink. Or you can dilute it and feed it to your garden.

Here's wishing you better satisfaction with your next attempt - cheese making can be very addictive!

[Gregore]

Thankfully I have raw milk available to me so I never have to suffer from soft curds.

But even raw milk curd that is handled a little rough will start to crumble into smaller pieces , what I have found to work the best is to use your hand to stir at first until the curd starts to firm up , then you can use a spoon or some such.

Also if you notice the curd is softer than you think should be give it a short stir 20 seconds or so then rest for a few minutes  then a short stir again , until they shatter less . You can heat during this time but if it is not in a water bath , then only heat while you are stirring .

If you have a turkey roaster  that your pot will fit into it will work in a pinch as a double boiler .

[firebirdude]

Thank you for the replies! I just pulled my puck of cheese from the press and set it on a cooling rack. It should stay there uncovered 2-3 days, yes? Pictures attached. This is the most cohesive it's ever been and it still feels a little crumbly.

Welcome! Keep trying - it does get less stressful and more fun. About 4 years ago I started with the same kit, and also started with the cheddar. I waxed it after a couple of days on the counter, and then stored it 6 weeks in the crisper of the house frig. It was crumbly and a bit too acidic. But it did taste vaguely of cheddar, and I was hooked!
I remember not wanting to use expensive milk, because I was just learning, but it turns out the better milk means better cheese!
Other important lessons were learning how to test flocculation with a small tupperware type bowl, and using liquid rennet instead of the tablets.
I think cheesemaking is somewhat forgiving. You may not end up with what you wanted, but it is mostly always edible, and a good learning tool.
Keep very good notes of your process so you can learn from what you do!

It's not necessarily the expense of the milk as much as not having access/not knowing what to use. Most of the online resources as well as the instructions in the Ricki's kit say you can use store bought milk as long as you use the calcium chloride also. I don't know. A picture of the milk's label is attached. I have no clue where I'd buy fresh raw milk...

Hi firebirdude, from another (relative) noobie. Reading your post, the first thing that struck me was about the milk - it sounds like it was ultra-pasteurised? If the milk has been pasteurised at high temperatures (most store-bought milk is), the protein has been broken and it won't make good cheese. For your next batch, make sure that the milk has not been heated higher than about 75℃ (about 165°F) - it should say it somewhere on the label. Anything with a long shelf-life is probably not fit for cheese-making. The good stuff does cost a bit more, but it's well worth it.

I also have no double boiler to heat my milk in. What I do is put the milk pan in the kitchen sink, and fill the sink up with hot water from the tap. That isn't hot enough of course, so I fill saucepans with water from the sink, heat it up on the gas ring, then pour it back into the sink, repeat until the milk is the right temperature. Then when you no longer need the heat, pull the plug and let the hot water drain away. Another idea is to warm the water in the sink using the kind of immersible heater used in an aquarium to keep tropical fish warm - but keep an eye on the temperature. I have one thermometer in the sink and another in the milk.

Cheese-making produces LOTS of whey! In fact almost all the milk is water, so after you remove the bit that (hopefully) turns into cheese, you're left with almost as much whey as the milk you started out with. 1.7 gallons of whey from 2 gallons of milk doesn't sound wildly extravagant to me. And after you take out the ricotta (and yes the strainer does get clogged, you have to give the cheese time to drip - I leave it overnight), you'll still have a lot of whey left. You can use it as a substitute for water in cooking - I use it in bread, soups, stews, etc. The dog also enjoys the occasional half-bowlful as a treat. Mixed with lemon juice and honey it makes a very refreshing summer drink. Or you can dilute it and feed it to your garden.

Here's wishing you better satisfaction with your next attempt - cheese making can be very addictive!

Not sure on the milk. A picture of the jug is attached below. I have no idea where I'd buy raw fresh milk. Good idea on boiling water on the stove to add to the sink. And I do have several aquarium heaters laying around, but they all have built-in thermostats that don't go above about 90 degrees F. Still, might be worth throwing one in. Also, what type of strainer do you use for the ricotta? Ultra fine metal mesh? Cheesecloth? Coffee filter? And after straining, do you just put it in a bowl with no lid? I put mine in a tupperware, but got to thinking that having no lid might help it dry out more. I will always use it up within a few days anyway. Probably lasagna tonight or tomorrow night.

Thankfully I have raw milk available to me so I never have to suffer from soft curds.

But even raw milk curd that is handled a little rough will start to crumble into smaller pieces , what I have found to work the best is to use your hand to stir at first until the curd starts to firm up , then you can use a spoon or some such.

Also if you notice the curd is softer than you think should be give it a short stir 20 seconds or so then rest for a few minutes  then a short stir again , until they shatter less . You can heat during this time but if it is not in a water bath , then only heat while you are stirring .

If you have a turkey roaster  that your pot will fit into it will work in a pinch as a double boiler .

Thanks for the tips. So when do you stop worrying about keeping the temp up? While you're salting? Or right up until you pack it into the press?

[Stinky]

The milk looks fine, albeit with a lowish fat content for whole.

[Gregore]

I use an induction heater in a room as far away from the kitchen as possible as my wife make all kinds of ferments in there and I do not need late blowing or early blowing .  Or just funky cheese of any kind.

After it comes to temp I wrap a towel around the pot and that is usually good enough to not drop more than 5 degrees before it goes into the molds ,  on. 3 gallon makes . When I do a 2 gallon I usually have to reheat for a  few minutes but I do this as it stirs . Never ever do any heating when the curd is setting .  You will not get very good thermal transfer of the heat through the whole mass.

Once in the molds I not longer worry about temp as I make mostly lightly pressed cheeses that go into the molds at around 6.2 or so ph so the curd tends to want to self adhere .

 I do know some like to keep the cheese in warm whey as it is being pressed  on hard to bind type cheeses.

[Denise]

For straining ricotta, I use cheesecloth over a colander or sieve. After heating the whey, leave it for at least a couple of hours until the curds have settled, then start to ladle off the whey carefully, making as little disturbance as possible.  If you can get most of the whey through the cheesecloth before you hit the curds, it's a lot easier. Once all the curds are in the cheesecloth, I tie up the four corners and hang the what is now a makeshift cheesecloth bag over a bowl, to catch the drips. I usually leave it overnight, and in the morning the ricotta is a nice consistency - it doesn't need any more drying. Tip it into whatever you're going to store it in, add a bit of salt if you like (for flavour and better keeping), and put it in the fridge with a lid on.