Hello! I have some questions.

[questionful]

Hello! I think cheese is a great food. I don't know how much the animals mind when people take their milk, but they are not harmed much (unless they're forced in industrial captivity all their lives) and the milk is very nourishing for us humans, and can taste very good. Cheese is great because it is versatile, nutritious, and tastes good. I have some questions.

Is it possible to take curds made with either lemon juice or bacteria, and treat them so that they will last for weeks or months? For example, pressing the curds with salt and drying it to make a non-rennet hard or semi-hard cheese? I'm basically looking for a way to make a long shelf-life cheese that doesn't require rennet.

What is the best way of obtaining fine, "microscopic" curds with minimal whey, to make something like cream cheese that can be spread, is not grainy, and is basically concentrated milk that is semi-solid? like "yogurt cheese" or "quark". Is there some method of making yogurt that produces microscopic curds that can be drained of the whey? Or even with lemon juice?

Also, I tired making cheese about half a year ago, but it was done very poorly. The rennet didn't set the curds so I let the milk sit until the lactic acid bacteria curdled it into tiny curds. I drained the whey, added salt and little bits of blue-cheese mold, pressed it, and let it dry in a non-controlled environment. it has molds on the outside, where a little part of the peel came off you can see the inside looks yellowish and dry. Is there some way to find out if this cheese is safe to eat?

Thanks for any answers! I'll look around the forum and see what I learn.

[Tomer1]

"Is there some way to find out if this cheese is safe to eat?"
Yes,lab testing. 
"to make something like cream cheese that can be spread"
Your asking for fresh cheese which can keep for long so basically no.

"Is it possible to take curds made with either lemon juice or bacteria, and treat them so that they will last for weeks or months?"
Not sure about months but there are lactic set bloomy cheeses which can be made and keep for few weeks in your fridge, and they have a spreadable soft texture dou to mold enzymatic activity.

[questionful]

I made three questions.
1) Can a long-shelflife cheese be made without rennet
2) What is the best way to produce superfine curds that can be separated from their whey
3) Is there a safe way to eat the mysterious cheese I made

"to make something like cream cheese that can be spread"
Your asking for fresh cheese which can keep for long so basically no.

In reference to the "fresh cheese", I was not looking for one that would have a long shelf life. The "long-shelflife cheese" question and the "superfine curd" question were two separate questions.

"Is it possible to take curds made with either lemon juice or bacteria, and treat them so that they will last for weeks or months?"
Not sure about months but there are lactic set bloomy cheeses which can be made and keep for few weeks in your fridge, and they have a spreadable soft texture dou to mold enzymatic activity.

Thanks. Not quite what I was looking for, but I think that what I'm looking for doesn't exist.

[Cheese Head]

Hi Diego, welcome, OK three independent questions.

1) Can a long-shelflife cheese be made without rennet

Yes, but your cheese needs to be low moisture, which is normally more easily obtained using rennet.

2) What is the best way to produce superfine curds that can be separated from their whey

Using rennet coagulation and an Italian Spino or household whisk to stir and cut the curd into rice sized pieces as done when making hard grating cheeses like Parmesan. Member Carter made a Spino, pictures here.

3) Is there a safe way to eat the mysterious cheese I made

. As Tomer1 says, otherwise sniff and if not too offensive then small nibble and see if any significant consequences (ie diarrhea etc).

[questionful]

So if I just add bacteria to milk, let it curdle, drain the whey, add salt, press the curds until they are dry enough, then I will have a cheese that will last weeks?

I've made yogurt before, and at least once, it was not smooth but felt grainy. I think this is because instead of becoming a viscous liquid, the yogurt curdled into microscopic curds. I was wondering if there was a way to make curds that were so tiny that they didn't have that grainy feeling. For example, maybe by varying the variables in the yogurt-making process (temperature, time, bacteria type, stirring, milk pre-treatment, etc.) one can get different qualities in the resulting curds.

I think I will try ingesting a small amount of the mystery cheese I made. I accept all responsibility for this if I do it.

Sorry for the persistence of my questions, I appreciate the responses.