Cheesemakers In Here- Help! I Have A New Addiction

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davidt4, Aug 29, 5:36am
Yes you do.You will need the incubator and vat in particular.
seaturtle, Aug 29, 7:19pm
Just made Mozzarella cheese . yum!
I just followed the instruction video on mad millys site. using the basic start pack.
I checked the price of mozzarella at new world $17.99 for a small pack. Its not going to take long for the cheese making kit to start paying for itself
davidt4, Aug 29, 9:12pm
I did the sums after six weeks and my kit had already paid for itself in feta, haloumi, creme fraiche and mascarpone.

My first batch of mozzarella was beautiful on the day it was made but didn't store well.After two days it had gone slimy.Next time I will acidify the brine, and if that doesn't work I might freeze what we don't eat immediately.
prawn_whiskas, Sep 1, 1:57am
"Slimy Mozzarella!

Are you having problems with Slimy Mozzarella! In order to stop this, store your Mad Millie mozzarella in 500ml of whey with ¼ teaspoon of citric acid. Do not add more than a ¼ teaspoon of citric acid as you may find your mozzarella will taste metallic."
davidt4, Sep 1, 4:03am
Thanks P-W, but I'm already using the Mad Millie system and the slimy brine had been acidified a little - it didn't help.I've been looking into the issue extensively and it seems to be a very common problem, with a great number of variables.I think the short answer might be to freeze any mozzarella that doesn't get eaten within 24 hours.

I used the slimy stuff in a baked dish (Eggplant Parmigiana) and it was fine to eat, it's just thetexture that wasn't right.
whiskey13, Sep 1, 10:03am
Am thinking of getting a cheese kit for someone for xmas ( won't name them just in case they read this lol). Wasn't expecting it to cost as must as it does but by reading all these posts it sounds like it will be money well spend
prawn_whiskas, Sep 4, 11:07pm
Following on from my quest to find ideal storage for this.

"Why can't I store my Mozzarella in water like they do at the store!

With this kind of Mozzarella, there is too much calcium loss when the cheese is submerged in brine. It becomes slimy."

Solution

What is the best way to store my Mozzarella!

The best way to store your Mozzarella is to put it in a plastic container, cover it, and submerge it in cold water for 20 minutes or so. Then, place the container in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours. Take out the cheese, wrap it in Saran Wrap or some other breathable kitchen wrap and store it in the refrigerator .It will keep like this for 7-10 days with no loss of flavor. "
davidt4, Sep 4, 11:25pm
I'll try that with my next batch P-W, many thanks.Is Saran Wrap the same as Glad Wrap!
ruby19, Sep 5, 10:31pm
Yeah just got the mad millies kit for my birthday, unfortunately who ever sold it to my husband forgot to mention the fact you had to buy the "cheese making" part separately, so just off to Albany to get one!
davidt4, Sep 5, 10:39pm
Ha ha.Very badly written.The usual way to treat mozzarella is nce you have shaped the balls plunge them immediately into a bowl of iced 15 - 20% brine and leave them there for 20 minutes.This will set the shape and salt them.Then you store them: in the fridge in acidulated water (which is when mine went slimy), or freeze, or wrap in Gladwrap.

Today I'm making more feta, but I'll have another go at mozzarella later in the week.It's great t be able to swap handy hints - thanks P-W.
prawn_whiskas, Sep 5, 11:07pm
Following on from my quest to find ideal storage for this.

"Why can't I store my Mozzarella in water like they do at the store!

With this kind of Mozzarella, there is too much calcium loss when the cheese is submerged in brine. It becomes slimy."

Solution

What is the best way to store my Mozzarella!

The best way to store your Mozzarella is to put it in a plastic container, cover it, and submerge it in cold water for 20 minutes or so. Then, place the container in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours. Take out the cheese, wrap it in Saran Wrap or some other breathable kitchen wrap and store it in the refrigerator .It will keep like this for 7-10 days with no loss of flavor. "
davidt4, Sep 5, 11:25pm
I'll try that with my next batch P-W, many thanks.Is Saran Wrap the same as Glad Wrap!
navarri, Sep 6, 1:23am
I've been wanting one of these for ages but I've got a couple nagging questions:
How much are you guys paying per litre for the milk you are using! Cause the cheapest I can get my hands on is $3 for a 2 litre container.
Do you have to make all the cheese at once, or is it a small cheese at a time kinda thing because I don't fancy a sudden influx of cheese lol!
davidt4, Sep 6, 1:38am
I buy Silvertop milk at the supermarket - about $4.80 per 2 litres.

The usual batch size using the Mad Millie gear is 4 litres of milk.This makes 3 large balls of mozzarella or about 550g feta or about 450g (5 medium sized pieces) of haloumi.It's not worth reducing the quantity because the process takes several hours (or a day and a half for feta) and the fresh cheeses keep well enough for a few weeks.

I make a 4 litre batch of cheese approximately once a week and we have no trouble eating it all up!

The cost saving is significant to me - I previously bought Zany Zeus haloumi at around $52 per kg and now I can make my own for about $21 per kg.Zany Zeus feta costs about $32 per kg and I can make it for around $18 per kg.I used to buy buffalo mozzarella for about $15 per ball and I can make a very good cows' milk equivalent for $3.50.This is not taking into account the cost of my time of course!
prawn_whiskas, Sep 6, 1:49am
Yes just Gladwrap.

Are you able to decode this for my brain. where they say ".store your Mozzarella is to put it in a plastic container, cover it, and submerge it in cold water for 20 minutes or so"

Do they mean put it in a container, then put the lid on, then submerge the closed container in the water, or do they mean submerge the cheese in cold water in a sealed container. cant seem to wrap my brain around that today. TIA
prawn_whiskas, Sep 6, 2:23am
Cool thanks, thats what I figured but thought I better run it past someone else lol!

I'm having great fun making Halloumi.But trying to work out another way to store it that doesn't involve brine.I LOVE the taste when its fresh and hasn't yet been brine stored (20%) its lovely and sweet and milky etc, but struggling to eat it after that. any suggestions! the batch lasts about 5 days max before I manage to eat it all. (360g batch)
davidt4, Sep 6, 2:40am
I think a 20% brine might be too heavy for haloumi.I've been storing mine in a 10% brine made with whey and it has been good for at least three weeks (that's as long as any batch has survived before being eaten).

The more I read about mozzarella the more confused I get.Everyone has a different opinion.The Mad Millie recipe is a quick version, and many cheesemakers say that the quick way is unreliable.It works okay for me until the cheese goes slimy.The slow version involves using a starter to acidify the curds overnight, then setting with rennet, then stirring the whole mass over heat until it turns elastic.It sounds like hard work but I think I'll give it a try next time.

It's all enormously interesting.

I read one homesteading book which advised that if you are intending to make hard cheeses such as cheddar, first build a brick wall to bang your head against and next buy a pig to eat up the failures.
prawn_whiskas, Sep 6, 2:51am
Yes I have all the cheese making books out of the library, they all seem to differ which is odd. I thinkwill get some cultures and try the proper way of making Mozzarellia as I am not keen to keep making duck food!
davidt4, Sep 6, 4:50am
Yes, that is a 10% brine.I should think that freezing the haloumi would be fine.No point in making it if you don't enjoy eating it.

Are you making feta!It is what I make most often and I have evolved a system of brining it for 12 - 15 hours in a 15% whey/water brine, then draining off the brine and storing the cheese in the fridge in ev olive oil.That halts the osmosis and preserves the cheese at a very mild level of salt.Try it , and you might find that an even shorter period of brining suits your palate.It seems expensive to use all that oil, but as the cheese gets eaten up the oil can be used in a vinaigrette, particularly for a Greek salad.
prawn_whiskas, Sep 6, 5:09am
I plan to get into Feta when the weather gets a bit warmer, I like it in salads so that made sense to me. also I want to get a Feta/Halloumi frame to assist in it being the correct shape (colander is not cutting the mustard).

I have some Halloumi out for dinner and I have it soaking in some clean distilled water, will be interesting to see if some of the salt comes out.

I'll have to search a little further and try and find another way of storing the halloumi, I love the fresh taste.
davidt4, Sep 6, 5:42am
The Mad Millie square feta moulds are what I use, plus one little ricotta basket to make a sweet little round cheese to give away.The square moulds make it easier to cut a piece off without ruining the look of the remainder.

Do report on the soaked haloumi - it sounds like a good way to go.I know that some people soak oversalted feta in cold milk, so that might be worth a try with the haloumi.
prawn_whiskas, Sep 6, 7:17am
I don't think it took much of the salt out at all, but it was ok eaten with steak, tomato and basil.If I can find a way to keep the whey fresh in the fridge then I thinking that would be ideal for keeping the halloumi in. This is of course if it even needs to be submerged, it might be fine just salted and dried and wrapped like the mozzarella idea.
solo2, Sep 6, 9:24am
Silly question , as I have just bought a kit myself but do I just use plain old Blue Top milk (dark Blue) from the supermarket ! Thank you :)
buzzy110, Sep 6, 10:42am
A quote from Kathryn Mowbray's cheesemaking book:

"If you don't have access to raw or fresh farm milk then you can use shop bought milk. the best kind to buy is full cream, pasteurised, non-homogenised, milk. For example, in NZ this would be silver top breakfast milk, organic or A2.

It must be emphasised that homogenised types of milk are not really suitable, as the rennet does not coagulate sufficiently well"

This quote should be telling you not to use blue top milk, which is homogenised (and you shouldn't be drinking that anyway unless you are a baby) and why it is not the best option.
prawn_whiskas, Sep 6, 9:04pm
You need to use whole milk as buzzy has outlined above.It also states this in the MadMillie booklet in your kit.Whole milk from the supermarket is the silver tops (purple labels) and priced from $4.90-$5.20 for 2ltrs.

I find Farmhouse to be the best, Anchor I find the milk solids tend to split.