I think that it could be fun to make a book (PDF) containing some recipes, rind care, caves, tips and tricks, equipment and press designs and so on from this forum.
I would be very happy to layout the book and be responsible for the technical stuff but I need lots of input.
I'm thinking that the book could be a free welcome present to new forum members maybe with the option to give a small donation to the webmaster for maintaining and hosting this wonderful community.
If the book should be a reality then I suggest that it's not written purely by experts but also contain input from beginners.
Anyone interested in such a project, please PM me or reply to this post.
:-) Danbo
Like a "how to make cheese" book?
Yes! :-)
Sounds like fun however, I think you'll find that most of the recipes being shared on here were taken straight from published matter. You wold have to be careful of copy write infringement. Anything "adapted" from a publish recipe that has been added to or changed would be alright i would think.
That's a very relevant point! :-)
With the use of computers the desktop publishing part will be a lot easier. The last 7 1/2 years I was in the Air Force I served as the Wing Historian. I had to write a book every 6 months on everything that happened in the wing for the prior 6 months. Of course these "books" were official Air Force histories and, as such, were classified. Needless to say the desktop publishing part was close to a nightmare with all of the classified caveats and every paragraph being footnoted with the reference or source. You would be able to copy and paste this one and simply do a block default format once it was together. All in all a brilliant idea. Might want to check with the webmaster though. Maybe you could put it together as an e-book and get some funds to help out whoever is paying for this site.
Al: I have sent the Webmaster a PM with a link to this thread. Ofcourse he has to feel OK with a project like this...
Absolutely, as responsibility could fall upon him/her should anything arise. I'm certain you could make this happen without any problems though. Hell, you could write a book just on the cheese you have! LOL BTW I believe you would need the names of the contributors as references. Always believe in giving credit to the person that gave the information, just in case it's wrong. LOL
Al: I'm very productive when it comes to cheese but I'm not actually that experienced. But I learn so much from this fantastic forum.
Yes, I've learned just about everything I know, not sure if that's a compliment, about cheese making from the folks on here. Bought all of the books but sometimes books don't give the answers and the ones I have don't have a "trouble shooting" section.
If I had just 10% of your cheese knowledge, I'd be a wise man. :-)
Destitute would be more like it! LOL The guys with the real knowledge are the pros on here. The hard part is getting their advice down to a 4 gallon make from a 100 gallon make. LOL
I'll rephrase: If I just had 0,01% of the pro's knowledge, I would be a wise man... LOL ;-)
Now you're talking!! Me too!! ;)
This sounds fun. I'm in, if you need me.
Sounds like fun AND a lot of time and effort. I would like to add my 2 cents on presses.
Danbo----You do realize how massive this book could get, right? So right off the bat, you might want to set some parameters-----for instance there are tons of books out there---how can I make my book more useful----maybe a series of smaller books----for the beginner, up to more advanced-----or limit what type of cheese-----the most compelling for me, would be a book of recipes that include all the PH markers needed. Just food for thought---in this case cheese for thought. ;)
Have you ever checked out Gavin's e-book on his Little Green cheese site.
Qdog
Hi Qdog,
Good points!
I was thinking that I first of all would see if there was an interest for something like this.
When I have some inputs (like yours regarding PH-markers) I would try to go a little more into detail.
My initial thought was to make a small book that really explained some of the basics for beginners and intermediate... Alot of the books out there are either too basic or too advanced. For example: I get confused when a recipe just says "A mesophil culture" - there is a lot to choose from. I also get confused when a recipe says "Press until PH is 5,2" without indicating anything about how long that usually is.
I would like recipes to have the following:
- Which culture to use and alternatives
- Amount in DCU, approximate weight (g and US), ml/tsp and so on
- Temperatures in F/C
- PH markers
- Approximate times for each step
- Pressing weights i PSI and weights for different mould diameters
Maybe we should concentrate on making the "perfect recipe" - then we have a good place to start...
I bought Gavin's book. It was a really big help when I started. The book I'm thinking of would probably have less recipes but more info on other aspects needed to make a good cheese as a beginner. Something like "welcome to this class, equipment needed, make your first feta, build your own press (or buy one) and so on"...
:-) Danbo
Sounds good Danbo----I don't think it will be hard to generate the interest.
I started out with Gavin's videos and book, but out grew it pretty quick----but he certainly got my interest up.
Qdog
I recall Boofer had some sort of collection of things from the forum that he found valuable (I think he started with a search for everything Pav ever said). Perhaps he could provide a copy of that for starters.
It sounds like a reference text, where the physics are explained together with the results you can expect from slight perturbations of the basic conditions. It could become a handy go-to book and very useful.