Cheese and Cheese making

[tschmidlin]

I usually dump the whey in the garden, it's supposed to be good for the plants.  I have made bread with it in the past, but usually don't.  I suppose I could freeze it and make bread some other time.

[bluesman]

Did I say that I love cheese. 

Almost as much as I love beer. 

I was at an Italian market in Philly recently that has literally hundreds of different varieties of cheese.

It was whey too overwhelming for me, but I sampled some really tasty varieties of blue cheese.  I really like the Maytag variety.
The process begins with homogenizing the milk that will be used for the cheese. In making Maytag Blue Cheese, the cream is separated from the milk, homogenized and then added back into the now skim milk. This would typically occur between 80F and 100F and 2000 to 3500 pounds of pressure.  This would allow for proper fat hydrolysis, which affects the flavor of the cheese.

Pressing the cheese seems to be a key factor in the process.

[tubercle]

Tubercle went to lowes today and spent about $12 and 3 hours and built him a dutch style press. I will post some pictures as soon as I can get back to the store and get some $^%# fresh batteries for the camera

 It has a 1.5 mechanical advantage and I got some pulleys so I can times that by 3. Should get ~4.75 psi with 30 lbs of weight on my 6" mould.

[tubercle]

Here's my new baby along with my brew/cheese making buddies Doc and Klem.

The arm is 36" with a 12" press point which should give a 1.5:1 mechanical advantage.

Can't wait to  try it. It ain't purty, but just like a motorcycle...chrome don't get ya home.

[capozzoli]

Oh I think it is more than pretty. Very nice.

Capozzoli has to ask. Does it have its Christmas tree up already? Or is that a Halloween tree?

[beerocd]

Obviously a Halloween Tree. BeerOCD just wonders how the transition is made from Halloween, to Thanksgiving, to Christmas. And does the tree go into Valentine's day and into St.Patrick's day?

Nice Press BTW.




"it"  <<snicker>>

[tubercle]

Oh I think it is more than pretty. Very nice.

Capozzoli has to ask. Does it have its Christmas tree up already? Or is that a Halloween tree?

 Thanks

 The lovely and talented Ms. Tubercle puts up a Halloween tree every year for the grand kids.

 No Thanksgiving tree - yet

Different one for Christmas. The Halloween one is spray painted black. Ask me how that worked out

 I'm sure Valentines day and St. Pat is next

  I'm going to drag in a old dead branch for Dec 2012.

 I think I'm going to move the pressure point back to 6". That would give a 6:1..BOOYA.

[euge]

Here's my new baby along with my brew/cheese making buddies Doc and Klem.

The arm is 36" with a 12" press point which should give a 1.5:1 mechanical advantage.

Can't wait to  try it. It ain't purty, but just like a motorcycle...chrome don't get ya home.

Nice. I will be making cheese soon.

[boulderbrewer]

Very nice Tubercle.


Bluesman, I'm not a cheese expert but that sounds like a "triple hopped" story!

[MrNate]

Tell MrNate more about the plastic mold part - Does it have some sort of weep hole for the water to come out? Or does the water that gets pressed out just sort of sit there on top?

[bluesman]

Very nice Tubercle.


Bluesman, I'm not a cheese expert but that sounds like a "triple hopped" story!

Tastes great, less filling. 

I got the process from wiki. 

[boulderbrewer]

That store sounds like a good place to visit.

[boulderbrewer]

Tell MrNate more about the plastic mold part - Does it have some sort of weep hole for the water to come out? Or does the water that gets pressed out just sort of sit there on top?

I have little notches on the bottom of my molds so the whey comes out the bottom when it is being pressed. My whole press sits on a plate to catch the whey. Looks like Tubercle's mold will sit in a pan while he presses.

[tubercle]

Tell MrNate more about the plastic mold part - Does it have some sort of weep hole for the water to come out? Or does the water that gets pressed out just sort of sit there on top?

I have little notches on the bottom of my molds so the whey comes out the bottom when it is being pressed. My whole press sits on a plate to catch the whey. Looks like Tubercle's mold will sit in a pan while he presses.

 That mold is actually one of those plastic canisters like you store sugar or flour in on your kitchen counter. Its exactly 6" diameter. I drilled 1/8" holes all around the sides and several in the bottom. I sit it in a plastic rectangular tupperware thingy. I have to dump the whey a few times but you have to take the cheese out of the mold and flip it a couple of times anyway. I don't guess it would hurt the cheese to sit in the whey because the pressure on the cheese is greater and it won't seep back in. There are actually methods where the cheese is pressed entirely submerged under the whey.

  I have one similar to BoulderB's. It is nothing but a 4" piece of PVC pipe.
http://schmidling.com/press.htm
It works good but the cheese is taller than it is round like a cylinder. My bowl makes one that is shorter than round like a wheel. I don't guess it makes a bit of difference.

[morticaixavier]

I just got back from Birtchwood Dairy Farm. My daughter and I got to meet the cows and everything. Real nice people.

Got a gallon of raw milk.It was $8 per gallon.the farm I ordered from is $6 per gallon. I told them about this price difference and they explained that the other farm that is delivering to me is very good but the difference is that the other farm sells homogenized raw milk and then sells the cream separately. Their product is whole raw un-homogenized milk. So with their product you get the cream and the milk for $8. makes sense right?

The cream hasnt come to the top yet. It is obvious that this milk is better when you taste it. I just drank a glass and it is sweet and creamy. Hopefully I will survive without getting sick or going blind. Then I will give some to the offspring.

So I can expect at least seven days of shelf life?

Cant wait to see the cream, Im going to make some creme fresh.

I am pretty sure that homogenized whole milk contains all the cream of creamline milk but that cream has been so thouroughly mixed in that it will not separate again (I know there is probably more science to it that that) I think the reason that the Amish guys milk is two bucks cheaper is cause he sells it for two bucks less. Perhaps his costs are lower. it is true that you can't skim cream from homogenized milk so there is that. I would contact your amish dairy man and ask if he homogenizes. You might be able to get it cheaper and just as good.