Where do you all get your recipes. I am becoming very frustrated with it. I just want a cheese "bible" that tells you all you need to know, the why, the how, ect plus recipes. But I seem to be unable to find what I desire. I do not care for Rikki Carrols books as they always want you to use her stuff. Feels to much like making a boxed meal to me. Can anyone point me to what I am looking for?
Breezy take a deep breath and relax.
Once you know your starter cultures (https://cheeseforum.org/articles/category/ingredients/lactic-acid-starter-cultures/), method of preparing mother cultures (https://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,5165.0.html), flocculation point technique (search on the forum) things get easier.
For books, look at the Book Section (https://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/board,167.0.html) of this forum or search your local library. I am sure you will find lots of books.
For recipes take a look at this entry (https://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,8302.0.html) for hard cheeses or search the forum for a specific cheese or go to the main cheeseforum.com (https://cheeseforum.org/articles/), or ask us.
Use the search function of the forum, it is very affective once you know what cheese you are going to tackle that weekend.
Good luck.
Great reply from Gurkan, also there's some info here (https://cheeseforum.org/articles/wiki-cheese-curds-when-to-cut/) on different methods including floc method of determining when to cut.
Basically there is no Cheese Bible as no book can tell you all the tricks and traps which is why we are all here :). As Gurkan says have a read of some of the book reviews in our Library, also search through the Discussion Board where there are some book recommendation threads.
Also, as Gurkan says you can find the the recipes in the forum by searching on "Tomme Cheese Making Recipe" or "Chaource Cheese Making Recipe" or by going to the board of the type of cheese you are interested and clicking on the column heading "Subject" to sort all the threads then scrolling down to your cheese. Also there is a Recommendations For New Cheese Makers (https://cheeseforum.org/articles/wiki-recommendations-for-new-cheese-makers/) article.
Above all have fun!
I agree with Gurkan and John. There no single way of cheesemaking. If you pass cheese101 the rest is journey.
http://www.foodsci.uoguelph.ca/cheese/welcom.htm (http://www.foodsci.uoguelph.ca/cheese/welcom.htm)
I've started with this site both for science and recipes, then did online search for other recipes. Another way to learn is to compare two or three recipes for the same cheese. You don`t need to make best cheese at your first attempt; by trial and error you can make your own recipe.
Tan
Remember too that cheese was a home made product. Similar idea would be to compare our grandmothers recipes for buttermilk biscuits. They would both be buttermilk biscuits, but they'd be slightly different.
In defense of Ricki . . . I've used her book from the start and apart from a little judicial reading I have found the recipies basically very sound where I think the issue is in the cultures she specifies and also that the milk quantities are typically 2 Gallons (US) where AUstralia use litres. I to found it a bit frustrating but after reading the dosage on my culture packet I just modified the amount of culture to be one dose on my locally available culture (Greenliving Australia) for 8 - 10 litres of milk. SO when she says 4 oz of culture or 1/4 teaspoon of direct set culture, I just convert that to 1 dose. For example have allok at her Manchego recipe and it lists 2 ozs of each of the Therm and Mesophilic culture, I converted that to 1/2 a dose of the two cultures I'm using for 8 litres. I have made 2 using this recipe method and both have worked exceptionally well. The rennet measurements are mostly given specifying the tablet and as they are a standardized 1 tablet = 1 teaspoon ( and parts thereof) of liquid rennet. I havn't use the floc method with her recipies and just used the timings provided and to date , (touch wood) have had every one from her book turn out. There will of course be a challenge in determining what consistutes a drop of rennet for the softer cheese but I just dissolve 1/2 a rennet tablet in 1/4 cup of water (1/2 strength by my thinking) and using the 1/64th (drop) tespoon measure give the rennet a stir and dip my 'drop' from there and add it to the culture and use 2 of my 1/2 strength = 1 drop of liquid rennet. Seems to work ok.
I hope that helps.
Also, try "The art of Artisan Cheesemaking" by Tim Smith. The quantities are a little confusing in there as well where he states 3/4 teaspoon of liquid rennet or 1/4 rennet tablet. As rennet tables are 'standardised' I use the tablet measure for the rennet as he doesn't state what strength liquid rennet he is using. Again, he uses 4 oz of Mother Culture for 2 gallons, I use again the dosage information on my culture packet for 8 - 10 litres (2 gallons) of milk. I have made the Cotswold (although he missing the milling and onion addition information in his method) and Montery Jack from his book using these estimations and both have been excellent.
Welcome to the forum OzzieCheese, which state are you in?
I guess this is going to stretch me a little. I am a great recipe follower! I do very little cooking by just winging it. I guess I just like the safety of following "rules". But I have too much invested in this to not move forward.
Another source is Peter Dixon's website. It is good at measurements, conversions etc.
http://www.dairyfoodsconsulting.com/recipes.shtml (http://www.dairyfoodsconsulting.com/recipes.shtml)
Same as beveragepeople's site.
http://www.thebeveragepeople.com/cheese.htm (http://www.thebeveragepeople.com/cheese.htm)
Or you can post a thread for a recipe you are looking for at this forum.
Tan
There are tried and true recipes with helpful hints and discussion all over this forum - In my opinion it is the best resource for recipes. At least here there are enough knowledgable people to notice your typos and let you know about it so you can fix it! I know I am the worst when it comes to typing recipes and making typos!
@ Gürkan Yeniçeri
I'm from Brisbane.
@ Breezy2
I understand the 'investment' aspect and I to lashed out from the start. But I think one needs to relax and take in all that cheese making intails, but not all at once. I too started getting worried that given all types and aal the recipes that that I needed to do it all right now. If I may be so bold as to suggest, if you are just starting, that you have a look at Ricki's or Tim Smith's book again and start at the front and make a few of the soft cheeses or 'immediate' use cheeses. I'm not saying they are as romantic (for cheesemaking is romantic) as a full cheddar or a luscious Stilton but they are a great learning tool and a great confidence booster. You also get to learn the relationship between the milk, the cultures, the rennet and what Calcium Chloride does.
Ozzie has good advice. :)
You might do well with Tim Smith's book. It has a range of recipes, but not too many. The directions and advice seem to be quite good.
Might as well throw my coins into the mix.
I started with Ricki Carroll's book, made the mistake of getting Shane Sokol's "And That's How You Make Cheese" (don't do it!), bought "200 Easy Cheeses" (which has been pretty good for techniques and recipes), bought . . . wait for it . . . "The Cheese Bible" (see the library), and most recently bought Margaret Morris's "The Cheesemaker's Manual" (which gives a good deal of information on all aspects, including techniques, milk content, cultures, recipes, and equipment).
If I was just beginning, I would want to have "200 Easy Cheeses" and "The Cheesemaker's Manual". I would also spend a good deal of time SEARCHING the forum for answers before asking questions. A lot of questions have been asked multiple times and there are very comprehensive answers. Also, books have recipes, but the recipes posted in this forum have been field-tested and polished by some of the world's finest new cheese artisans. 8) The quantities, temperatures, times, problems, hidden gotchas (like cheesecloth sticking to the cheese), and tweaks have been wrung out pretty good. Plus, quite often you can speak to the author or practitioner of the recipe if you have a question. Not so much with a book.
Just some thoughts.
-Boofer-
My first cheeses were, under instruction, Mozzarella (Ricki's 30 minute microwave method), Full milk Ricotta and Feta. And for the record if you have never tasted homemade Mozzarella then you are in for a real treat. Knead it whilst still hot and stretchy - min 3 times - make into balls (a little bigger than a good size plum) and plunge into iced brine for a few minutes. Eat it then and there with freshly sliced tomato and a little shredded basil on a plain crakker and there is nothing better ! You will be making this regularly. One recommendation - use the freshest milk you can because this cheese is very dependant on milk freshness. The older the milk is the more acidic it will be when you start and it might not come together to form a firm curd and will look a little like ricotta. This is a fun cheese and done in 4 liter (1 Gallon US) lots will be fiscially tight if that is an issue.
The same with Feta. - First hand curd setting(feeling - and I mean get your finger, clean of course, into it) cutting, cooking, experience, stirring practice with immediate (3 day) results.
This 'Journey de Fromage' has many detours but all with one goal - the immortalisation of milk and the sharing with friends.
8)
Yes, I couldn't agree more. I started out 6 months ago, and up until last week, have only made Camemberts. Whilst these were probably not the easiest cheese to start on I have worked hard to understand the process and the little tricks that are needed to get it all right. I decided I needed to concentrate on one cheese first, in order to understand the ingredients, the process and the make/maturing conditions. I tried my first alternative cheese, Fetta a week ago and actually found it quite simple compared to Camembert (none of that pesky mould to worry about ;)). And I loved tasting it so soon after making ;D
I have used the Australian book "HOME CHEESEMAKING - The secrets of how to make your own cheese and other dairy products" by Neil and Carole Willman as my base resource, then supplemented this information with data and tips gleaned from this forum. I also tweak my recipies using information from the forum and the recipies from members, and of course from my own experience.
After making a few more batches of Camembert for Christmas, I'll try my hand at a Blue Brie (Cambazola for our North American friends), before moving on to straight blues and washed rinds, but I expect these will also be long term projects. of course, I'll throw in plenty more Fetta and might try a Moz as well, based on Ozziecheese's advice.