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It was raining today in NorCal, so it made sense to work on my Blue skills.  I've had pretty good luck with Ricki Carroll's recipe, so I used that.  However, I couldn't resist adding a small chunk of really good store-bought blue that I ground up and combined with my P.R.  I also added some cream to the recipe in order to bump up the richness of the finished product.

Also, I totally forgot to add the CaCl, but I still got a pretty good set, considering that it's store-bought milk.

Attached (I hope) are the pictures.

Greg

Looks great, very full hoop, nice hoop, very envious!

I'm very envious as well.  My cow is down to 3 quarts a day and will be dried off in a week, so I'm freezing/canning everything up in preparation for having enough for drinking and yogurt-making.  I haven't made any cheese in ten days and am definitely having withdrawal pains!

I did not get around to trying to make blue cheese this lactation.  I am eagerly awaiting June, when the milk will be flowing and I can delve into even more cheese-making experimentation!

Your equipment looks so professional, as does most of the pics I see on this forum.  I just cobble together the stuff I need from what I already have.  You all have combined art and science, IMHO!

Nice gear!!   what is the capacity of your vat?

Hey:

Thanks for the feedback!  I use a commercial food warmer that I bought on eBay for about $110, including tax and shipping..  It holds 4+ gallons, which is perfect for my molds.  I tape a thermometer in the bottom so I can monitor the water temperature, in addition to the milk temperature.  It will work even better when I fabricate a curd cutter, like many of you have already done.

Life will be perfect when I track down some local milk!

Greg

Update--I pulled the cheese from the mold, and it's heading into the 60 degree cellar.  I built a sling with $4.00 worth of dowels, and one of my wife's cutting boards.  I should provide pretty good support while it continues to drain.

Greg

Awesome sling!

Nice looking cheese there Greg and I gotta have one of those heaters! Can you give us a few more details. It's a food warmer? Like a steam pan warmer?

Hey:

I searched for "commercial food warmers" on eBay, and chose mine for no particular reason.  I also bought a 6 inch deep full-size insert and cover for an additional $40, so the cost is higher than I originally described.  All in all, I'm very happy with it.

Greg

Thanks Greg! I ordered a water pan, steam tray, perferated pan and lid. They all seem to be only 450 watts is that enough for 4 gallons of milk?

I found the electric chafing dish thingy for only $51 here:
http://www.kitchensupplydirect.com/370-ECFRWP.html

Debbie:

It seems to work for me.  The manufacturer claims to be able to hold food at a safe serving temp, which is obviously a pretty big deal if you are selling commercial food supplies!  I had no problem raising the temp to 114 degrees for a recent Swiss cheese adventure, but  haven't tried to use the setup to make Parm yet (124 degree final cook).  I'll keep you posted.

Take care,

Greg

Thanks Greg this may be the answer to solving some of my back problems and making cheese whey more enjoyable!

thegregger, good work. Where are you located I'm in Burlingame, CA. Nice use of equipment.

What brand are you using for milk?

C:

Thanks for your feedback.  I'm up in Novato, so stop by next time you are heading to wine country.  Although I'm surrounded by dairies, I'm still using Safeway milk, something I'm hoping to change this year.

I just go my pH meter back from servicing, so I'm excited to try another batch of Swiss this weekend.

Greg

Cool, I went to SSU. So you're using Lucerne?