Anyone making their own cheese?

[BigPapaG]

I know, this might be a pretty cheesy thread but...

Looking for something to do with the grandkids (8 and 7 yrs) this weekend... Soooo...

Thought I could show them how to make some cheese...

I'm thinking a batch of Mozzarella, then use the resulting whey to make some Ricotta.

Been a bunch of years since I did this but my LHBS has the Rennet and Citric Acid, I have the Milk and some Cheescloth, strainer etc...

Might even use some yogurt to inoculate a batch of Feta...

Got any good recipes for the finished cheese? (I add ricotta to pancake batter for example, makes 'em big and fluffy!)

[BlackDuck]

I've never done it....but I've seen that Mozzarella is a fairly simple process. And I bet the kids would have a blast with it.

[Beer-lord]

I'm not a huge cheese eater but it sounds like fun.
But the big question is, who cuts up your cheese.
ha, I'm back in high school again.

[BigPapaG]

I'll be letting the kids cut the cheese Paul, but I suspect I will be able to provide a near endless supply of 'cut the cheese' jokes while they do it!

LOL!

Yeah Chris, it's pretty easy... Here's the Mozzarella process I will most likely use... ( I needed a refresher course too!)

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2012 ... ozzarella/

Except I probably won't use the citric acid so we can use the whey to make a small amount of Ricotta... (since there will be two grandkids, I wanted to end up with two cheeses... This way, one can do the first and the other the second... Both will be present for both processes though.)

Then we will take the resulting whey and use the following to make a light Ricotta...
Will probably use lemon juice instead of white vinegar as it provides a brighter flavor... Or could use both...

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2010 ... cotta.html

Note: You can use milk or milk and cream also... There are a bunch of recipes out there...

Then, we'll make a white pizza with a little olive oil, the mozz and ricotta we made, some tomato, onion and basil... A touch of fresh ground black pepper... Yum!

Should create a cool memory for all involved!

[philm00x]

Man that sounds delicious. i love a good margherita pizza w/ mozz, plum tomatoes, and basil.

[BlackDuck]

That sounds great....take some pictures along the way please!!!

[Brewbirds]

Austin HBS has a bunch of cheese making supplies and I've been curious but have yet to give it much of a look see.

I sure like a good white pie though hmmm...thanks for posting this.

[FrozenInTime]

Sounds like fun, I've always wanted to try it but been to chicken to do it.

[mashani]

I make Paneer which is the kind of cheese you get in Indian food such as Saag Paneer or Matar Paneer - aka spinach and cheese or peas and cheese.

It's very simple to make, you just need boiling milk, lemon juice or vinegar, and cheese cloth. No rennet, Indians would not use rennet, at least not the vegetarian ones, and this is considered a vegetarian cheese. After it separates and drains in the cheese cloth, you press it between cookie sheets or something similar. It's basically "pressed curds". It is simple and delicious. I prefer it with lemon juice, but if you want it more "neutral" then a white vinegar is better.

If you want a recipe PM me, but it's as simple as that sounds.

[Yankeedag]

Can't say that I "make" cheese, but the wife will attest that I "cut" it quite often. TMI?

[BigPapaG]

The process for making Paneer and Ricotta is the same... Just the last step of pressing between cookie sheets is not implemented.

The link I posted previously was for making Ricotta using the left over whey from the Mozzarella making process.

When doing that, you can't use whey that was produced using an acid based process, so the Rennet was implemented.

Most Rennet is animal based, however there are some plant based vegetarian rennets on the market now, generally made from the stinging nettle plant.

As mashani said, making Paneer or Ricotta from scratch, using milk and either vinegar or lemon juice is a simple process... I also add a little sea salt for flavor.

Basically bring 8 cups of milk or 6 cups of milk and 2 cups of heavy cream, along with the salt, to a full boil, stirring occaisionally.

Remove from heat, add 3 tablespoons of a good white vinegar or the juice of 1/2 to 1 lemon.

Stir gently.

Allow the mixture to stand for 1 minute or three (could be as long as 15-30 minutes) until it curdles. It will separate into thick parts (the curds) and milky parts (the whey).

Pour the mixture into a cheesecloth-lined sieve positioned over a bowl and allow it to drain into the bowl at room temperature for 20 to 25 minutes, occasionally discarding the liquid that collects in the bowl.

The longer you let the mixture drain, the thicker the ricotta. (I tend to like mine on the thicker side, but some prefer it moister.)

Transfer the ricotta to a bowl, discarding the cheesecloth and any remaining whey. Use immediately or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. The ricotta will keep refrigerated for 4 to 5 days.

You can use it as is, as a spread topped with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar, or in lasagna, calzones, on pizza... Sweeten it with powdered sugar and mini chocolate chips and fill cannoli shels or pastry puffs with it too!

Add it to cake batter, pancakes or pancake batter, or stuff it in cherry tomatoes and broil for a few minutes until slightly browned...

IMPORTANT: Be sure to use a non-reactive pan, spoon and bowl! No copper or aluminum...
Use enameled or stainess steel only!

[berryman]

Ok you did it BigPapa and now you all have to hear a berryman story about Cheese. Years ago every community/little town had a cheese factory, there was no cooling back then for storage of the milk the dairy farmers produced, so cheese was the best way to process the milk that couldn't be used fresh. My uncle which is 88 years old and lives in Co. now was a master cheese maker like his father and Grandfather before him. He use to tell me stories about the trade and he knew it well but it ended with shipping and refrigeration and he went on to another trade ( a power plant technician until he retired).
The old cheese factory where he grew up and not far from where I live is long gone now and there is a different house on the original foundation, but I still remember the old factory and was in there with my Dad when I was a little kid and remember I was intrigued with it.
Now on to nowadays, I think making some cheese would be a fun thing to do and I have it on my things to do list. I guess I better make another trip to Colorado and talk to my uncle and should go anyways just to see him and my aunt before they are gone. I love Cheese.

[Rayyankee]

My Wife makes cheese from a kit we bought at our not so LHBS the Mozzerella is great and we enjoy it very much.

[BigPapaG]

Nice story Don... Now get off yer duff and gear up fo some cheese makin' fer cryin' out loud!



Good to hear Ray, as I remember, it's hard to beat fresh mozz or ricotta!

This is gonna be fun!

[mashani]

If you press the cheese that BigPapaG's post describes overnight, it will remove even more moisture and become quite dense. Then it is "paneer". If pressed long enough it you can cut it into cubes and then even fry it to brown the outside a bit, or toss it into hot food and it will remain intact as cubes.