Cheesemakers In Here- Help! I Have A New Addiction

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davidt4, Sep 6, 9:13pm
If you absolutely have to use homogenised milk then you will need to add calcium chloride to get a proper gel.But most supermarketshave unhomogenised milk and it is much better.

P-W - the milk will sometimes split if you heat it too quickly.I find that a waterbath is the easiest way - I put the milk pan into apreserving pan with water up to the milk level, heat on a low flame.
davidt4, Sep 6, 10:39pm
Ha ha.Very badly written.The usual way to treat mozzarella is once 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.
navarri, Sep 7, 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 7, 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 7, 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)

My mozzarellia failed this week, I think I over acidified it by using an inaccuratemeasuring spoon! The milk refused to Gel. the ducks loved the stuffed up curds however, they had major domestics over it!
davidt4, Sep 7, 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.
davidt4, Sep 7, 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 7, 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.
prawn_whiskas, Sep 7, 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.
buzzy110, Sep 7, 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.
jed, Sep 24, 4:57am
First batch of Mozzerella done.Looks good.Have it in a jar in the fridge.How does everyone else store their mozzerella!
davidt4, Sep 24, 5:20am
Storage is a bit of a worry.Mozzarella is best when absolutely fresh, and it shouldn't really be stored for more than a couple of days.Mine went slimy after a day in brine.Vacuum packing sounds like the best solution, or freezing.
prawn_whiskas, Sep 24, 7:01am
From a link I posted up there some where.

"e.Drop the cooled mozzarella balls in the brine, cover and refrigerate.
f.After 12-24 hours, remove from brine, place balls in zip lock bags until used. (Do not leave too long in the brine, or the surface will soften.)
g.Use within several days or a week of preparation.Fresher is better."

I've done this with Halloumi and it worked very well (not brined just salted and dried on a rack) it lasted 5 days before I ate it all and none of it smelt or went slimy, so I imagine if done as above it will be fine.The more I read about Mozzarellia in particular the more I find that most traditional recipes are dry stored (wrapped/fridge) where as all of these quick versions are brine stored.
kamitchell, Sep 24, 8:59am
I keep mozzarella in a tupperware bowl with a lid on in the fridge, and that keeps fine.I have always used in within a couple of days too
hesian, Sep 24, 8:46pm
Farmers are allowed to sell five litres of milk from the farm a day so financially it might seem worth asking one if near enough. Could co ordinate with their trips to town.Would think charge would be around one dollar a litre. Otherwise by the time you factor in you going to pick it up etc it probably isnt worth the hassle.We have a farm but live in town and people have bought from us occasionally (usually because of health reasons and raw milk need) but they always give up on the effort before us! (And we have the hassle of strict hygiene component with container but were prepared to do it as we in principle dont like the high price NZers charged in supermarket.) Sounds very interesting hobby and obviously if you like good cheese a financial saving.
greg.n.michelle, Sep 24, 9:03pm
made feta for the first time and yes another convert here. yet to taste but texture is looking good only 4 more hours in brine and I can have a taste.
As we live rural I am hunting down a dairy farmer to buyfrom. We have a honey press I am wondering if it would work as a cheese press as well! I might end up with honey flavoured sheese with out even trying.love the thread lots of good advise.
greg.n.michelle, Sep 24, 10:50pm
well we got some milk and i am in the middle of Halloumi!
allspices, Sep 27, 2:25am
Mozzarella balls if frozen, can be grated for pizzas and that works really well as it's a wonderful pizza cheese that takes on the flavour of the pizza toppings. Do try .
shop-a-holic, Jul 15, 5:52am
Three weeks ago, for a birthday gift, I received a Mad Millie Cheesemaking Equipment Package and a Hard Cheese Making Ingredient Kit.
I've made two wheels of Cheddar, Haloumi, and today, I made a Colby-style wheel of cheese adding Liquid Smoke and Wholeseed Mustard.
This is very addictive.
So I was wondering, if anyone else out there has made their own cheeses!
davidt4, Jul 15, 6:14am
It's very addictive, isn't it.I have attempted various fresh cheeses in the past with mixed results, but have just started with a Mad Millie kit and I love it.So far I've made feta, haloumi and ricotta and they are all fantastic.

Does the hard cheese kit come with a press, or do you have to buy one separately!I'm keen to advance to hard cheeses once I get confident with fresh ones.
shop-a-holic, Jul 15, 6:23am
It didn't come with a press. They are out of stock at the moment, so advised buyers to become inventive. I placed a 1.5litre of preserved lemons (tall jar) ontop of the follower in the mold, then both choppingboards (one 4 kgs, the other 1.5 kgs) to press for the first 10 and 20 mins. Then I added a 12 litre bucket on top of the boards for the overnight pressings. It works a treat. I've looked at cheese presses here. And one guy is now making them for $100 less than the ceramic ones, and includes a pressure gauge. Now that's kiwis for you! :-) My first wheels will be ready to crack open in two weeks. That's the test. I'll then probably need a cheese-press and I like the pressure gauge one.

My next endeavour will be a Blue Cheese without buying the kit. Google advised me of some Americans who discovered "cloning" the cheeses, by adding a teaspoon of their favourite blue cheese to the curds before pressing. Makes alot of sense. It's only going to multiply!
davidt4, Jul 15, 6:44am
That's very funny.I used a jar of preserved lemons to weight my haloumi today!

Once I get on to hard cheeses (I want to start with Gouda) I'll consult with the rest of the household about building some kind of press.And a friend has built a cheese safe, which sounds like a good idea.
shop-a-holic, Jul 15, 8:10am
Fabulous idea! Love you ashanti!
babytears, Jul 15, 8:23am
Is the kit very expensive! How much, or there abouts to start out! What ingredients are needed! Thanks
shop-a-holic, Jul 15, 10:16am
I got a Basic Equipmentl set;has all the tools required to make cheeses from the BLUE CHEESE KIT; SOFT CHEESE KIT (ie Brie and Camembert) and HARD CHEESE KIT (ie: Cheddar; Parmesan; Ceraphilly; Stilton; Bra (any hard cheese not from Parma). Gouda is made from the same process as COLBY but just uses a different starter culture.

Basic Equipmnt Box: I got a cheese incubator (very large chilly bin to keep everything at constant temperatures when making your cheese. Means you don't need two 12 litres pots on your cooktop). I got a Cheese Vat, for heating in the mircrowave! and a Cheese Maturing Box;a temperature gauge; recipe book.

Hard Cheese Kit: All cultures and Rennet. Enough to make 50 cheeses. All You need Is MILK (must be farmhouse not homogenised). Hard cheese mold (for shaping your cheeses); Feta and Ricotta mold (Ricotta is made from the whey of your hard cheese curds); Waxing/Melting Bowl (for coating and preservating cheeses as they mature) and instructions/recipes, muslin for straining etc etc.

So easy!

Other cheese kits are $39. Soft cheeses, or Italian cheeses.
Blue Cheese, Hard and Brie/Camembert around $72.
Very Addictive. I think each box contains enough kit for 50 cheeses.

I'm currently researching to make a "Blue" by cloning Castello/Kikorangi etc.