Questions tagged [cheese-making]
Questions about the ingredients, methods, and equipment used to turn milk into cheese.
86
questions
42
votes
9
answers
17k
views
Why is there cow cheese but no pig cheese?
I have always wondered what there is no cheese made from other milks other than cow, goat or sheep. Are they not suitable for humans? Do they taste bad? Is it even possible to make dairy products with ...
28
votes
4
answers
2k
views
I want to make my own cheese. How do I get started?
I've seen people do their own mozzarella and it seemed easy. Any tips on how to get started (equipment, ingredients, recipes)? What about blue cheese and other stronger cheeses?
27
votes
4
answers
268k
views
What is the rind of Brie cheese made of?
We were eating brie cheese last night, and someone asked if the rind was edible.
I was tempted to say "yes, it's not plastic". But then I realized that while it doesn't look like plastic or wax, I ...
21
votes
8
answers
41k
views
Why did my mozzarella turn out like ricotta?
I bought my wife a mozzerella kit for christmas, and we tried to make it last night. We followed the directions pretty closely. I supposed we could have removed a bit more whey at some early steps. It ...
18
votes
2
answers
11k
views
What determines how well cheese melts
I have had my fair share of eating cheese and experimenting with them. Sometimes they come out heavenly while other times, it turn out to be a huge flop. Usually when it flops, it's because I am ...
17
votes
4
answers
10k
views
How do you make paneer?
I've seen the ingredient list of a brand of paneer with an ingredient list of: Milk, Citric Acid. Ok, so what is the process from there? I have a few specific questions:
What kind of milk do you need?...
15
votes
12
answers
155k
views
Making (or substitute for) ricotta cheese?
Some of my favorite dishes call for ricotta cheese, be it anything from a lasagna to cannoli. Arguably, this is a very easy thing to find in the States (and presumably elsewhere), so I'd never thought ...
15
votes
5
answers
12k
views
Is there a difference between Brie & Camembert?
I was listening to a program on Radio NZ where the broadcaster claimed that apart from size there was no difference? It's almost like today we put a brie label on and tomorrow a camembert one. Is this ...
13
votes
4
answers
26k
views
How many times can cheesecloth be reused?
I've only needed to use cheesecloth a few times in the kitchen and was curious to know if it's reusable.
If so, how is it cleaned and how many times can it be reused?
12
votes
5
answers
5k
views
Is cheese seasoned by default?
When I buy some Gouda, can I expect that it only contains the original fermented milk?
E.g. cheese usually tastes somewhat salty and sometimes nutty. Is this because of seasoning or because of the ...
11
votes
2
answers
14k
views
Is there a substitute for cheese salt?
I've started to learn how to make cheese and all the recipes call for cheese salt. What is it about this particular salt that makes it different than others? Some of the reading I've done have a few ...
11
votes
3
answers
3k
views
Why are my cheese curds not well-knitted after pressing?
I've made several cheeses at home following a cheddar recipe. After I've aged the cheeses and cut them open, I'm usually finding that the cheese has a somewhat spongy, open texture with small visible ...
10
votes
4
answers
5k
views
Fabric to be used for cheesecloth
I want to make my own cheesecloth as to aid the make of Paneer. Is there any type of fabric I should avoid or any other pitfalls to avoid? Can I use just general cotton and will this be effective in ...
8
votes
4
answers
27k
views
Cheese from UHT Milk
I live in a town where fresh or whole milk is not readily available.
I was wondering if I could make cheese from UHT Milk.
If so, what kind of cheese and what method I should use?
Or rather, Should I?
8
votes
3
answers
3k
views
Can home-made mozzarella be made in small batches (quart of milk instead of gallon)?
I've spotted a couple of articles (http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-homemade-mozzarella-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-174355, http://www.simplebites.net/the-best-party-trick-ever-how-to-make-...
8
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Is leftover whey after making 'this' cheese useful?
I know cottage cheese as it's from warm temperature of milk and rennet, and ricotta cheese from high temperature of whey and acid.
So what is the cheese from boiling milk and acid, and does the ...
8
votes
1
answer
5k
views
Are there aged cheeses I can make which don't require a cheese fridge?
I enjoy home cheesemaking, and often make fresh cheeses at home, including ricotta, paneer, queso fresco, and microwave mozzarella. I've stayed away from hard, aged cheeses to date because they ...
7
votes
3
answers
4k
views
What determines how hard or soft a cheese will be?
My knowledge of cheese making is extremely lacking, but what determines how hard or soft the final cheese product is when making your own cheese?
7
votes
5
answers
7k
views
How can I make homemade tofu more flavorful?
Background: My wife (for some unknown reason) bought a huge bag of dried soy beans. In my efforts to dispose of it I have been experimenting with making soy milk and tofu.
Tofu has a bad reputation ...
7
votes
3
answers
5k
views
What is the effect of the fat content of milk when making cottage cheese
I made cottage cheese yesterday using 1% milk while the recipe called for 2% milk. This got me wondering...
What effect does the fat content of the milk used in the recipe have on the final cottage ...
7
votes
2
answers
9k
views
What to do with leftover whey from vinegar-based cheese preparation
Whey is a valuable protein-rich by-product of cheese preparation. There are many advises for using whey came out of cheese preparation by culture. However, the whey produced after cheese preparation ...
7
votes
5
answers
26k
views
How to obtain rennet?
I want to make some homemade mozzeralla and I know that I need rennet but I am at a loss at how to obtain it. I also don't know which type I need out of the artifical or natural. Is there a way to ...
7
votes
1
answer
460
views
What is the difference (practically) between different types of rennet?
I recently started cheesemaking and I purchased some vegetarian rennet from an online retailer. I believe it's microbial (it's a clear liquid, slightly more viscous than water).
When a recipe calls ...
6
votes
4
answers
14k
views
Using whey from yogurt to make ricotta
My girlfriend and I make a large batch of yogurt every week, and have done so for more than a year now - we just eat a ton of the stuff. THis leaves a lot of leftover whey which we used to just throw ...
6
votes
5
answers
17k
views
Making hard cheese from milk by vinegar
I tried to make hard cheese from raw milk by a common recipe: heating milk to about 190 F, then adding vinegar to curdle. However, I faced three issues:
Different recipes suggest 1/4 - 1/8 cup of ...
6
votes
3
answers
7k
views
how do I make my goat cheese creamy?
I tried to make goat cheese following the recipe below, I did not use any buttermilk although a comment indicated that could be done. I kept the milk at the desired temperature for 10-15 minutes with ...
6
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Failing to make mozzarella
So i've taken it on me to make fresh mozzarella. I've read up on the task in some articles and with multiple recipes but for some reason I never succeed. The seperated curds always stay little crumbs ...
6
votes
3
answers
3k
views
How are mozzarella cheese sticks (string cheese) formed?
I love string cheese.
I have had some success making homemade mozzarella but I am not particularly skilled yet at kneading the curd. My mozzarella balls sometimes end up with an uneven texture.
How ...
6
votes
1
answer
116
views
How does FPC compare to mammalian rennet?
How does fermentation-produced chymosin (bio-chemically engineered rennet) compare to real mammalian rennet? Does it affect the flavor of the cheese?
5
votes
3
answers
7k
views
Can you make cheese curds with pasteurized milk?
I have this recipe for cheese curds that I want to try: http://www.ehow.com/how_5106352_make-cheese-curds-poutine.html, but it specifically calls for raw milk which is near to impossible to get here. ...
5
votes
3
answers
755
views
My cheese is too mushy
This past weekend I wanted to try to make my own cheese for the first time. I gathered the typical ingredients: milk, rennet, and citric acid and went to town. Making Riccotta and Mozzarella seemed to ...
5
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Doing túró at home
Is there a way to do túró (a Hungarian quark cheese/curd with a very specific taste) at home? I miss that specific taste and I've not found a cheese in Italy that approximate it (not even local quark ...
5
votes
1
answer
200
views
Why is my home-made feta cheese bland?
I tried making feta cheese yesterday. I used a mesophilic culture from a well-known cheese supply house and it doesn’t have the “bite” I like with feta. The company I ordered my original kit from is ...
5
votes
2
answers
263
views
How to make (vegan) cheese saltier?
I have recently been making some quick vegan cheeses such as paneer and halloumi with similar methods to making the dairy version of these cheeses. The process I'm following is roughly:
Blend ...
5
votes
2
answers
29k
views
What is the storage life for whey?
I've recently begun making cheese at home. In this answer it was suggested to reserve the whey to be used in curries. I've done this, and I have about 3 cups of whey sitting in my refrigerator for two ...
5
votes
1
answer
555
views
Does method of coagulation matter when extracting ricotta from whey?
I'm wondering if it matters whether you start from acid alone (lemon, vinegar or citric) vs something like acid + rennet.
So the whey left over from making paneer, vs the whey left over from making ...
5
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Why didn't the whey separate from the curds when I tried to make Shankgleesh cheese?
I frequently make yogurt at home, and I decided to try to make Shankgleesh, a spicy Middle Eastern cheese that is difficult for me to find at local markets. Several recipes said to heat the yogurt ...
5
votes
1
answer
862
views
Is it possible to make hoop cheese out of acid-precipated milk curds?
I've never tasted or seen "hoop cheese," a product that appears to have been made on a small scale years ago, and was popular in the South.
Is it possible to make this cheese by pressing and waxing ...
5
votes
1
answer
217
views
Can you store dissolved rennet tablets?
The rennet tablets I have are for large quantities of milk, 50 litres, much larger batches than I would ever make at home. However, separating out a tenth of a tablet is finicky and inaccurate, so I ...
4
votes
2
answers
3k
views
Why does my mozzarella crumble?
I'm trying to make mozzarella at home. I'm following this recipe (without citric acid), but I also tried this one (with citric acid), without any result. I think my italian is sufficient for ...
4
votes
3
answers
3k
views
Will milk produce more curds if you add additional protein and fat content?
Cheese is basically made up of protein and fat. If I take non-fat milk and add more protein (i.e, from protein powder), and more fat (i.e, olive oil, or some other type of oil), will it produce more ...
4
votes
5
answers
2k
views
Chocolate-Flavored Cheese
Would it be feasible to make a chocolate-flavored cheese? The idea that originally occurred to me was the use of chocolate milk for this purpose, but I'm not sure that's the best solution. Does this ...
4
votes
2
answers
202
views
Homemade cream cheese
I like to make no bake cheese cake when I checked few blogs and I got to know that cream cheese is important for this but I don't have cream cheese in the nearby shops. When I further started ...
4
votes
2
answers
1k
views
How do you prepare Brie?
My son enjoys the Brie that comes with the cheese plate at Starbucks. That cheese has a mild aroma. So I picked up some Brie from the market and it has a strong smell. Is there a way to prepare ...
4
votes
1
answer
159
views
Cheesemaking and recipe scaling
I made my first attempt at cheesemaking this past weekend, this cheese specifically, and it didn't work out - I got curds separated from the whey fine, but they never became stretchy.
I'm curious ...
4
votes
1
answer
212
views
What Cheese Culture is best to use in making Camembert cheese?
I'm planning to make camembert cheese but I'm confused on what cultures to add. Any tips?
4
votes
1
answer
848
views
Can ricotta be made from powdered whey?
1. There are many recipes for making ricotta cheese from fresh whey leftover after cheese. Although I searched Google trying to find making ricotta from powdered whey, I couldn't find anything. A soft ...
4
votes
1
answer
296
views
Cheesemaking produces strange bicolored whey
I made some farmer cheese (heat milk, add vinegar, strain curds). I didn't have a strainer big enough to handle the whole batch, so I used two smaller strainers. Weirdly, the two sub-batches produced ...
4
votes
2
answers
905
views
Is it safe to drink the whey?
If you make cheese with starter culture and rennet is the whey that is a byproduct of this process safe to drink? I have heard from some that there does exist some who are fond of drinking this but I'...
4
votes
1
answer
4k
views
Conversion of liquid rennet to powdered rennet?
How much powdered rennet should you use if a recipe states 1 tsp liquid rennet (for cheese)?