Parmesan 50 Liter batch raw milk

[Sing_cheese]

Easier to post the link than upload the pictures.  I posted this in the discussion section as well along with a question.  Will document cheese making here in the future although with a link to our page.

http://sites.google.com/site/urbanfarmsteadcheeselog/parmesan-2-281208

[wharris]

I like!


What size stockpots are those?

[Sing_cheese]

Wayne,

They are 50 Liter and 60 Liter stainless pots fitted as a double boiler with small wire racks between them.  Started doing 12 and 25 litre batched in smaller pots, but they keep on growing our ambitions grow to dol arger Cheeses.  I think this may be the limit as any bigger will not balance on my cooker.

These pots are used by street hawker in Singapore to cook large batches of whatever they sell at their hawker stand.  Hence, quite cheap to buy (50 liter was about $80).

[wharris]

Stainless steel?  or Aluminum?

[Sing_cheese]

steel. And they are really solid.  I have not tried direct heating on them for higher temp cheeses.  Too scared to screw up a large batch.  But given the heat in Singapore when doing mesphilic based cheeses we put them in big plastic tubs and adjust the temp with either boiling water or with ice from a cooler.  No real cooking required and very easy.

[wharris]

Where did you buy them?

[Cartierusm]

Definately stay away from direct heat.

[Sing_cheese]

We buy our pots from an industrial kitchen supply house that mainly supplies Singapore's hawkers with their cookware.  It is about 1/5th the price of Ikea or Giant (another everthing store kind of like a wall-mart). And at those places getting anything over 20 liters is not possilble.

[Tea]

Yes I am having those "heat" problems myself at the moment.  Tried making cream cheese yesterday, and even though I more than halved the ripening and hanging time, it was still curdled and off by the time I opened it.  Also finding that I have to cool milk in order to use it.  I an having to choose carefully what cheese I make at the moment.

[Cartierusm]

Gerrit, how are the parmesan's looking. Mine is just starting to get that hard yellow rind. I'd love to see some pics. I'll take some tomorrow.

[Sing_cheese]

Cartier,

Co,ming along well three weeks (at least no noticable defects).  Many months to go.

Gerrit

[Cheese Head]

Simply beautiful!