Inspired by jcam222 , I made mozzarella today, but the "traditional" way. I've simplified the instructions for readability, but they are from this site: Recipes — Peter Dixon dairyfoodsconsulting.com The recipes are for huge batches, but they provide the most pH targets of any recipes I've found. Very useful for intermediate makers. Started with just shy of 2 gallons of Jersey milk. Our cow is calf sharing, so the milk isn't as rich as it can be. You can see the cream line... Read more ..read more

I popped open two six-month old cheddars last week - one was vac sealed the whole time (left), the other was clothbound for a natural rind (right). The vac sealed one is creamier (unsurprising, higher moisture) and has a very mellow flavor. The clothbound is drier, with good tyrosine crystal development, and has a much nuttier flavor. I prefer it, my wife prefers the vac sealed one ..read more

First layer of cloth. Dealing with the second layer of cloth. All cloth gone. Scraping it down to the rind with a knife. Ready to cut. Time to eat ..read more

I made a small batch of large curd cottage cheese (with culture/rennet) and it turned out surprisingly good, so I'm like WTH, let's do this! Using Gavin Webber's SIMILAR to Gorgonzola Dulce recipe (nod to the EU Cheese Police!), I made a 1 gal batch. I harvested my blue mold from a store-bought Danish blue as I didn't want to spend $30 for Penicillium roqueforti and then have this whole new thing end up being a bust and I used Aroma B instead of Flora Danica as my meso culture. Put it in... Read more ..read more

My HIGHLY-simplified Dutch-style cheese press. At 30" from the fulcrum, I tested it with 25lbs of hanging weight and I got almost 150lbs at the load arm (which what I was aiming for in the test) and it didn't bend/snap, so it appears to be accurate and that's all that matters (and it cost me less than $30 to make, so yeah ..read more

Heavy Cream on the stove coming to a simmer....185-190*F; use a thermometer and do not scorch! Lemon juice added then stir at simmer for 5 minutes. Then... Kitchen towel in a strainer over a bowl. Pour and let sit for 30-40 minutes to cool to room temp. Then in the fridge overnight. Stay tuned for what I'm gonna use it for ..read more

We liked this so much last year that I'm making a bigger wheel this year. Four gallons of raw milk plus a bottle of Warrior Porto Reserve ..read more

I loved the Asiago wheel that I opened up after a year, so made a new wheel that I'll age 18 months+. This used six gallons of raw cow's milk and ended up just a shade over seven pounds ..read more

Apparently I never did a "making of" thread for this. It is a perfect Gouda, creamy and slightly sweet. Six months in the cave ..read more

This has turned into one of our favorites, this is the third time I've made it. It's brining now ..read more