My wonderful brother-in-law made me a cheese press for Christmas. I used it for the first time two weeks ago (before the great flu hit us), using a Farmstead Cheddar recipe from Ricki Carroll's cheesemaking book. It turned out pretty good, I think -- the test will be in about four months when it has aged enough to eat. In the picture above, the cheese is covered in wax to protect it during the aging process. I had to use paraffin wax since I didn't have any cheese wax on hand.
I started with two gallons of milk and ended up with about two pounds of cheese. If I had been thinking clearly during the process (instead of thinking groggily, since I started this project late in the day and stayed up way too late at night finishing it), I would have saved the whey instead of pouring it down the sink. I could have fed it to the cats, chickens, or used it to water my herb garden. I've read that whey is pretty good for you, kinda like buttermilk. But that's hindsight for you.
Following this (anticipated) success, I am eager to try another hard cheese recipe. Maybe regular cheddar. It takes longer to make, but hopefully I'll be smart this time and start the whole process a lot earlier in the day.
4 comments:
Happy Mother's Day Jo!
Jim from Honolulu
Yahoo! The cheese press worked! Phill will be thrilled and proud!! Was it the right size? Was the weight enough? Can we sample some???!
Thanks for the well wishes Jim! Hope Simon remembered to call Alice ...
Yes, the press is a great size for a 2-lb block of cheese. I did have to add some additional weight, the recipe I used called for fifty pounds of pressure. This is my first hard cheese -- better let me taste test it first! It will be ready in a few months, after it ages a bit. Thanks again for such a great gift!
I LOVE cheese! Better save some for us to taste test too!! I"ll let you go first, of course. If it's blechy, I will respectfully pass!
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