literary advice?

[Erenna]

Hi, I'm completely new to cheese making.  I just made a queso blanco (with lemon juice) last week and it was great just like the cheese I remembered from my travels in Guatemala.  I really want to dive in and start ordering supplies but I'm trying to hold myself back.  I have a tendency to collect hobbies and I really should finish a few of the projects I have on the go already. 

So I figured the first thing to invest in should be a good book, something simple enough for a novice but that will serve me well as I mature with my cheeses.  Any recommendations?

I'm fascinated with traditional ways of making things (I was addicted to the Little House on the Prairie books as a kid).  My other obsession is knitting which of course lead to drop-spindle spinning my own yarn.  My current dream is to have a little flock of sheep and spin the wool and make cheese out of the milk...  is it possible to milk an alpaca?  or better yet a muskox (the current cream of the fiber world

[Tobiasrer]

You can milk anything....
I mean in that movie meet the fockers he says he milked a cat! LOL,
Not ever having had an alpaca that i am not positive of (dont try the cat thing, at least dont tell anyone if you do) But I am sure that if a sheep can be milked both alpacas and muskox can be.

As for books I was told to pick up 200 Easy Homemade Cheese Recipes, by Debra Armein-Boyes. I was told the Ricki carol while the main go to is missing something, so I am new as well but thats where I have been ponted to!

[Cheese Head]

Tobiasrer, there are reviews of Books in the Library, if you click on the Board heading "Subject" the threads will sort alphabetically, which for that Board means by publication year.

Also there are a few which type threads on Books in the bottom  Discussion Board, if you sort on Subject, then you could scroll down to the threads starting with "Books" or "Cheese Making Books", or you could search just that Board for word "Books".

Hope helps.

[berrys66]

I found Practical Cheesemaking by Kathy Biss really helpful.

[zenith1]

Check out Margaret Morris's book also.

[Boofer]

Hi, Erenna! Welcome to the forum. You've come to the right place.

As well as cheesemaking books that are available, you can search and find a lot of practical, real-world advice on this forum. If someone were to capture the information in here, edit it in a clarifying manner, and publish a book about how to make cheese, it would be a best seller.

From the basic equipment, cheese cultures, techniques, molding, pressing, oil/wax/vacuum sealing, aging, and tasting...it's all in here. There are experienced folks here who know what they're talking about and can be trusted to give you straight, no-nonsense answers. There are also pictures and descriptions which show when something is done correctly and some of the same to show you when something has not gone so well.

My personal experience has shown that a lot of the book content is incorrect and may corrupt your cheese making process (stirring in rennet for 5 min or more, too light pressing, incorrect culture measurements..1 tsp Propioni shermanii for 4 gallons milk, etc.).  Take what you read as a guideline, but get another opinion on this forum, either through asking questions or searching the archives.

Good luck.

-Boofer-

[dadzcats]

Hi, Erenna,

Welcome! I second Boofer's comments about this forum.  And...don't forget to look under the Recipes tab on the wiki page.  Boofer - how does Rickki Carroll's book fare, in your opinion?  I bought that before I started coming here.

Funny, Erenna - I had the same thought about alpacas so I asked my friend who raises them.  She said that it would be (get this, Tobiasrer) like milking a cat!    And, pretty unsatisfactory because there wouldn't be much milk at any one time.  She says it's like gold; she sometimes has to do it to help feed a baby that needs extra support and she never wastes a drop because it's such a pain to get.

[Erenna]

Thanks for the advice I will certainly be following this forum and reading the reviews in the library section.

[Boofer]

Boofer - how does Rickki Carroll's book fare, in your opinion?  I bought that before I started coming here.

I began with a small booklet that came with my cheesemaking kit from Leeners. Somewhere not too long after that I found out about Ricki Carroll's book. I used it at first, found this forum, bought the 200 Easy Cheeses book, and have continued my education through this forum. Ricki's book is as good as any for a starter if you balance what you read against second opinions found here. Ricki's book calls for 1 teaspoon of Propionic shermanii in 2 gallons of milk for Swiss (page 122). That's a little over the top. I'm not sure what I called that hunk of old hard milk when I finished. I have issues with the 200 Easy Cheeses book as well.

-Boofer-

[KosherBaker]

I began with a small booklet that came with my cheesemaking kit from Leeners. Somewhere not too long after that I found out about Ricki Carroll's book. I used it at first, found this forum, bought the 200 Easy Cheeses book, and have continued my education through this forum. Ricki's book is as good as any for a starter if you balance what you read against second opinions found here. Ricki's book calls for 1 teaspoon of Propionic shermanii in 2 gallons of milk for Swiss (page 122). That's a little over the top. I'm not sure what I called that hunk of old hard milk when I finished. I have issues with the 200 Easy Cheeses book as well.

-Boofer-

Great Advice.

BTW Boofer, are you referring to the PSI questions that some have raised in the 200 Easy Cheese...? Or are there other issues as well? If there are other issues it would be great to see them in the thread for that particular book.