Im really not sure where to put this post.
I made a vinegar "ricotta" that started my interest in cheese making. I then had a failed attempt at Mozz using Buttermilk and Whole milk and then a sucessful citric moz with 2%.
Im just not sure what to try next. I want something that will teach me more... but also able to use Store bought milk, 2%, whole, etc..( at the moment)
A light cream cheese seems like one... but would a farmhouse cheddar be a better learning experience... What is the order of learning cheese that you have gone through... thanks
Having not yet made the leap to making and still trying to figure out where to start...
How did your mozza fail? what did you end up with? For the citric acid mozza what recipe did you follow?
Lots of soft/fresh cheeses to choose from - Queso Blanco, Queso Fresco, Queso Mano, Nuefchatel, Mascarpose......
I find Farmhouse Cheddars unsatisfying, so moving into pressed cheeses, I strongly recommend a Lancashire. This is a quick uncomplicated make that is really good even at 45-60 days. Creamy member of the Cheddar family, but not actually "cheddared".
Thanks for the replies.
Both recipes were from Frankhausers website.
The first mozz I used Whole milk past/hom, Cultured Buttermilk that I had let sit over night, Liquid Rennet. I got a clean break but after letting sit overnight per directions. It just fell apart, From what I have read it could have been over acid, could have been the Whole milk...
Second Moz 2%milk , citric acid. I enjoyed this one because I had some sucess but more because I thought I was going to get a fail but as I kept working and heating the curds watching it come togethere then stretch was very satisfying...
Lancashire looks interest. Thanks for the suggestion, I like that It has potential to turn out well young.
My learning schedule so far has been: paneer (YUM!), mozzarella (citric acid; no really good results), Monterey Jack, and Farmhouse Cheddar. My next cheese is probably going to be Gouda, and sometime soon, I'm going to try a REAL (cultured) mozzarella. And a Manchego. The Lancashire sounds interesting to me, too- I'll have to check into that, too!
Have Fun!
I made a lot of cottage cheese before I felt confident to try something pressed.
I second Sailor here. Make young cheese first so that you practice working with curd and acidity. Queso Fresco, Queso Blanco, Paneer, Tzfatit, Feta, Haloumi, Quark, Fromage Blanc, Cottage, Chevre (simple goat's cheese), Yogurt and Labaneh (yogurt cheese).
The next step would be to go for young-aged cheese - your first intro to aged cheese should be with cheese that you can age within 14-30 days such as Brie/Camembert, Chaource, Neufchâtel and possibly aged goats cheeses like Crottin or Sainte Maure etc. Don't be tempted to go for the 90-120 day cheese such as Framhouse Cheddar. That would be too long to find out what went right and what went wrong. By that time you could have made tons of great cheese in other departments instead of once cheese that probably won't be very good because you have not experienced aging, acidifying and techniques when you first made it. By this time you will have a full cave and will be ready to approach the cheddar and other harder longer aging cheese (Colby, Jack, Havarti, Gouda, Edam, Tomme etc.) with more confidence and better success rate. This is also where you can decide to expand on blue cheese or washed rind cheese.
That's just my humble opinion... it's a good plan to keep you going into it gradually and buying equipment and cultures only when it is justified, wasting less milk on bad batches and long-anticipation/bitter-disappointment cycle.