New here...

[Lilah Morgan]

I was just wondering if there are any good sites with info about how to get
started making cheese, because I really wanna start making my own. I have
cheese issues, dunno why, I just love it.

[Nick Cramer]

Post by Lilah Morgan
I was just wondering if there are any good sites with info about how to
get started making cheese, because I really wanna start making my own. I
have cheese issues, dunno why, I just love it.

Besies getting help here, Google on: making [name of cheese]. Start with
something simple, like Ricotta. I got this. Makes 1 quart:

1 Gallon Whole Pasteurized Milk

1/3 Cup White Distilled Vinegar

1 Teaspoon Salt

Heat the milk in a heavy, non-reactive pot until it reaches 185 degrees F.
Remove from the heat and add the vinegar and salt. Stir gently just to mix.
The curds will begin to form immediately. Cover the pot and let sit for 2
hours to allow the curds to fully develop. Line a colander with two layers
of cheesecloth, and pour the mixture into it. Let the cheese drain for one
to two hours depending on how dry you want your ricotta cheese to be. Store
the ricotta in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Sounds OK to me. Philippe? Goat or sheep milk better than cow?

[Lilah Morgan]

Ok thank you. Non-reactive pot, like ceramic? We got a few. My mother
prefers either ceramic or plain stainless steel(no teflon/non-stick stuff),
so we got lots of those.

[Nick Cramer]

Post by Lilah Morgan
Ok thank you. Non-reactive pot, like ceramic? We got a few. My mother
prefers either ceramic or plain stainless steel(no teflon/non-stick
stuff), so we got lots of those.

Hi Lilah. We use stainless steel, like you said, no Teflon, etc., although
we use cast iron for sauteeing and hammered carbon steel woks for
stir-frying. The ceramic is used for some of Jun's Thai specialty dishes.

[Lilah Morgan]

Ok thank you again. We have cast iron stuff too(only because we have a wood
stove with a cooking surface, comes handy in the winter or when the power
goes out or both)

[Nick Cramer]

Post by Lilah Morgan
Ok thank you again. We have cast iron stuff too(only because we have a
wood stove with a cooking surface, comes handy in the winter or when the
power goes out or both)

Great for steaks and grilled cheese sandwiches, among other things. SWMABO
hasn't whacked me upside the haid with one . . . yet. ;-)

[Lilah Morgan]

Is there anything I could substitute for the cheesecloth by any chance? Like
maybe coffee filters?

[Nick Cramer]

Post by Lilah Morgan
Is there anything I could substitute for the cheesecloth by any chance?
Like maybe coffee filters?

Got me. Jun uses 2 layers of cheesecloth for all this kind of stuff. Dunno
about the paper coffee filters. Maybe cloth ones (like Thais use for making
Oliang iced tea)? If you try it, let us know.

[Lilah Morgan]

Ok I'll try it tomorrow, what the hell...we got more than enough coffee
filters anyways ;-) Expect a report, and if the first word is an expletive,
you'll know how it went :-)

[Nick Cramer]

Post by Lilah Morgan
Ok I'll try it tomorrow, what the hell...we got more than enough coffee
filters anyways ;-) Expect a report, and if the first word is an
expletive, you'll know how it went :-)

Heh heh! Remembering when I made clabber cheese with whole goat milk, maybe
30 years ago. Let it set for two days to clabber, then poured it through
two layers of cheesecloth. It all ran through! "@#$%^&*!"

[Fritz Oppliger]

I have been known to sacrifice a T-shirt (not off my back though). Works
well.

Post by Nick Cramer

Post by Lilah Morgan
Is there anything I could substitute for the cheesecloth by any chance?
Like maybe coffee filters?

Got me. Jun uses 2 layers of cheesecloth for all this kind of stuff. Dunno
about the paper coffee filters. Maybe cloth ones (like Thais use for making
Oliang iced tea)? If you try it, let us know.

[Nick Cramer]

Post by Fritz Oppliger
I have been known to sacrifice a T-shirt (not off my back though). Works
well.

Post by Lilah Morgan
Is there anything I could substitute for the cheesecloth by any
chance? Like maybe coffee filters?

[ . . . ]

Excellent idea! Thanks, Fritz.

[Lilah Morgan]

Excellent idea indeed...I have some tshirts that aren't really good for
wearing anymore, but should have enough material to work for that.

[Lilah Morgan]

Ok tshirt is in the washer now(it hasn't been used since last time it was
washed, but this is food prep so I wanna be careful), after it's gone
through the dryer, I shall make ricotta! *wonders if it's possible to burn
the house down making cheese, because with my luck...*

[Lilah Morgan]

Curd is setting right now, after that's done and I drain it and it's done, I
will let you know whether it worked or I have something to give to the
chickens or compost pile ;-)

[Nick Cramer]

Post by Lilah Morgan
Ok tshirt is in the washer now(it hasn't been used since last time it was
washed, but this is food prep so I wanna be careful), after it's gone
through the dryer, I shall make ricotta! *wonders if it's possible to
burn the house down making cheese, because with my luck...*

Mmmmm. Smoky Ricotta! ;-D

[Lilah Morgan]

hehe well I didn't burn the house down, but I burned the bottom of the
ceramic pot I heated the milk in...can be cleaned, no biggie. Still waiting
for the ricotta to finish draining(had slight technical issues), but I
tasted a couple of the bits of curd when I put it to start draining, and it
was good :-) I'm hoping for the best, since I had to fudge a little on the
recipe...with the milk that is. We didn't have whole milk, so I used a combo
of nonfat milk and half and half. That's the good thing 'bout having so many
critters(chickens/dogs/bunnies/cat/geese), I feel safer 'experimenting' with
cooking since if the results aren't fit for human consumption, there's still
those who aren't that picky :-)

[Nick Cramer]

Post by Lilah Morgan
hehe well I didn't burn the house down, but I burned the bottom of the
ceramic pot I heated the milk in...can be cleaned, no biggie. Still
waiting for the ricotta to finish draining(had slight technical issues),
but I tasted a couple of the bits of curd when I put it to start
draining, and it was good :-) I'm hoping for the best, since I had to
fudge a little on the recipe...with the milk that is. We didn't have
whole milk, so I used a combo of nonfat milk and half and half. That's
the good thing 'bout having so many
critters(chickens/dogs/bunnies/cat/geese), I feel safer 'experimenting'
with cooking since if the results aren't fit for human consumption,
there's still those who aren't that picky :-)

Whole milk is 3.7% butterfat, half and half is 10 to 12%, non-fat is ??%.
Sounds and looks like you done good. I'll see what I can do with that pic
and e-mail it to ya if I get a good result.

Next is to make Mozzarella (for your homemade pizzas), then use the whey to
make Ricotta (for stuffings and cakes).

And then, there's Mascarpone. Even easier to make and great for your
homemade Tiramisu or to spread on toast!

I also like to just eat them.

It would be nice if I were in a place where I could have chickens again. I
miss those freshly laid eggs in the morning. My dog isn't picky. She eats
spicey Thai food as treats, then drinks a lot of water! ;-D

[Lilah Morgan]

Well I'm just happy it didn't all get shot to hell. It's cheese and I made
it so I'm happy. I expect the second time I'll have things a bit smoother
when it comes to making it. No more burned bits hopefully. Not that there's
anything wrong with 'Cajun' cheese...it's more flavorful! :-)