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3/14/2009 10:32:27 PM EDT
[Last Edit: Travis][Edited] [#1]
Tagging this since I've been thinking about trying to make some cheese.  Excellent write up.
It'd be like a jellyfish attacking a snowblower. - cmjohnson
She's so easy, even a caveman can do her. - thedoctors308
افر
3/16/2009 1:40:41 PM EDT
[#2]
Originally Posted By Travis:

Tagging this since I've been thinking about trying to make some cheese.  Excellent write up.


Yes, indeed.


Poznai Sebia ... Know Yourself
3/16/2009 2:02:58 PM EDT
[#3]
nice right up. Thanks
3/16/2009 4:46:03 PM EDT
[#4]
Originally Posted By sc_beerbarge:
any good uses for whey?


Well, since you asked... I had just read something about that in an article on Lactic-Fermentation.  Basically old school pickleing, and how they make sauerkraut.  A couple excerpts from Lacto-Fermentation by Sally Fallon
"It may seem strange to us that, in earlier times, people knew how to preserve vegetables for long periods without the use of freezers or canning machines. This was done through the process of lacto-fermentation. Lactic acid is a natural preservative that inhibits putrefying bacteria. Starches and sugars in vegetables and fruits are converted into lactic acid by the many species of lactic-acid-producing bacteria."
Mentioning Whey specifically:
"We recommend adding a small amount of homemade whey (recipe on page 87 of Nourishing Traditions) to each jar of vegetables or fruit to ensure consistently satisfactory results. Whey supplies lactobacilli and acts as an inoculant. Do not use commercial concentrated whey or dried whey. You may omit whey and use more salt in the vegetable recipes, but whey is essential in the recipes calling for fruit."

I am going to try this after I buy the book this week hopefully.  It'll be pretty cool to have homemdae cheese AND home made kruat.   I'll post a write-up hopefully when I am all done.

Jim
3/22/2009 6:44:45 PM EDT
[Last Edit: mustangracer][Edited] [#5]
When you "age" the cheese for a day or four as you put it, do you do this at room temp or in the fridge?  Also, exactly how many days is a day or 4?
3/22/2009 8:46:45 PM EDT
[#6]
Originally Posted By mustangracer:
When you "age" the cheese for a day or four as you put it, do you do this at room temp or in the fridge?  Also, exactly how many days is a day or 4?



sorry to be so imprecise - but a day, four days, don't really matter.  You'll get different flavors and results, so do you what you like. I tried room temp and the frige, liked them both!

The cheese don't care man, the cheese don't care...
"Focus on the front sight.....Smooth on the trigger..."

Armalite 20 inch - or nothing.

When they come to take your guns, give them up. One round at a time.

America is not at war.The Military is at war. America is at the mall.
3/23/2009 12:12:25 AM EDT
[#7]
sweet, thanks for the info.  BTW, I did the vinegar and lemon juice thing with no rennet.  My advice to anyone who wants to try this is to BE PATIENT!  I didn't wait long enough for it to curd up and I think I wasted a lot of potential cheese
3/23/2009 12:35:51 AM EDT
[#8]
tag for me make some next
3/31/2009 5:23:58 PM EDT
[#9]
Just made my first cheese.  My wife and I did a 30 minute mozzarella recipe which came out well.  Now I'm going to have to build a press and try to do a hard cheese.
It'd be like a jellyfish attacking a snowblower. - cmjohnson
She's so easy, even a caveman can do her. - thedoctors308
افر
4/1/2009 12:17:42 AM EDT
[#10]
The problem I have with the home made Lowe's press is that when pressure is applied to the cap, the sleeve rises up and cheese begins to squeeze out the bottom, increasing with pressure.  Any fix for that shy of bolting the sleeve down?

Also, FG, my pressed curds look to be about 3 times the size of your cheese, any clue why?  I'm using whole milk, same as you.
[NO TEXT]
4/1/2009 8:07:20 AM EDT
[#11]
Originally Posted By Paulup:
The problem I have with the home made Lowe's press is that when pressure is applied to the cap, the sleeve rises up and cheese begins to squeeze out the bottom, increasing with pressure.  Any fix for that shy of bolting the sleeve down?

Also, FG, my pressed curds look to be about 3 times the size of your cheese, any clue why?  I'm using whole milk, same as you.


The goal of the press is that the liquid does come out the bottom. if more than whey is being expressed, you might have too much initial pressure.  You are supposed to start with something light, then advance pressure.  that was a box of 7.62 gold match, if I'm not mistaken.  Notice I had it setting on top of an inverted plate, so the whey could run off the sides.  You would not want to bolt the sleeve down, since then nothing would be able to leach out the bottom.  That would defeat the purpose.

Curd size...I dunno...I could do it again and possibly have curds of a different size than either instance. I'm unsure, and it may have something to do with the type of vinegar/rennet, lemon juice.  Or temp.  

Got any pics?

Sure, you can have them all. One round at a time.
4/1/2009 8:33:14 AM EDT
[#12]
tag
hey, SHTF situations do not wait on hangovers. train accordingly................(TexRdNec)
Cartman:Hey Kenny, your gf is a slut. Kenny: WOOHOO!!!!!!!
4/1/2009 11:42:57 AM EDT
[#13]
Sorry I didn't take any pics, and we ate most of the cheese this morning, it tasted between ricotta and mozzarella, but I added too much salt.

The cheese never got the rubbery texture when I was "stretching" it, so I think I fumbled somewhere in the cooking phase, as the curds just kinda stayed in wet chunks.

I'll give it another go later in the week and see if it works better, but if I had set a case of ammo on mine, all of the cheese would have smushed out the bottom of the sleeve since it stayed soft even when we ate it.
[NO TEXT]
4/1/2009 1:12:37 PM EDT
[#14]
Did you drain it in cheesecloth before you put it in the press?  I let mine hang and drain for a while before I put it in the press.  It'll get relatively solid just hanging in the cheesecloth for a while.
4/1/2009 1:32:59 PM EDT
[#15]
Originally Posted By sjohnny:
Did you drain it in cheesecloth before you put it in the press?  I let mine hang and drain for a while before I put it in the press.  It'll get relatively solid just hanging in the cheesecloth for a while.


I drained mine for two days.  failing to drain will cause a messy mess for sure.

Sure, you can have them all. One round at a time.
4/1/2009 1:37:49 PM EDT
[#16]
It's been a while but I think I drained mine overnight at a minimum.
4/1/2009 1:58:33 PM EDT
[#17]
Originally Posted By sjohnny:
It's been a while but I think I drained mine overnight at a minimum.


That was probably my problem.  I was pressed for time, and had already made pickles and strawberry jam, and started the cheese venture around 11pm.  Cut it too short on the draining i reckon.
[NO TEXT]
4/4/2009 11:17:22 PM EDT
[#18]
When pressing the cheese, does it need to be in the fridge?
Texas -
Bigger than France.

There are no 'time outs' in a gun fight. Fix it or die.
4/5/2009 11:08:01 AM EDT
[#19]
I always did mine on the kitchen counter but I only did it in the winter and early spring when it wasn't very hot outside.  I don't think it will hurt to put it in the fridge but any cultures won't develop as well at the colder temps.
4/5/2009 1:01:21 PM EDT
[#20]
Originally Posted By Paulup:
Originally Posted By sjohnny:
It's been a while but I think I drained mine overnight at a minimum.


That was probably my problem.  I was pressed for time, and had already made pickles and strawberry jam, and started the cheese venture around 11pm.  Cut it too short on the draining i reckon.


you cannot rush the cheese, my brutha....
mine drained for at least two days in the kitchen prep area.  no refridgeration.  And we ate it before 'long term' storage could be tested.
Sure, you can have them all. One round at a time.
12/16/2009 6:44:20 PM EDT
[#21]
bump
Sure, you can have them all. One round at a time.
12/17/2009 2:41:34 PM EDT
[#22]
What's the texture of this cheese? Is it a softer cheese? Sorry if these are stupid questions, but I've never even had a thought of making my own cheese. This is definitely gonna be a project. I love being able to make my own stuff.
12/17/2009 2:49:12 PM EDT
[#23]
Don't you think you'd make better stuff if you weren't buying "great value", aka "the most watered-down" ingredients?
12/17/2009 4:22:58 PM EDT
[#24]
Nice writeup.

One of these I am going to try to make some cheese.
'Those who would sacrifice freedom for security deserve neither' -- Benjamin Franklin

When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty. -- Thomas Jefferson
12/17/2009 5:02:26 PM EDT
[Last Edit: FordGuy][Edited] [#25]
Originally Posted By GlutealCleft:
Don't you think you'd make better stuff if you weren't buying "great value", aka "the most watered-down" ingredients?


haha, that's hilarious!  

you OBVIOUSLY never shot Black Hills ammo.  It's far from generic.

Sure, you can have them all. One round at a time.
12/17/2009 5:13:22 PM EDT
[#26]
Originally Posted By manual_c0cker:
What's the texture of this cheese? Is it a softer cheese? Sorry if these are stupid questions, but I've never even had a thought of making my own cheese. This is definitely gonna be a project. I love being able to make my own stuff.


Hey, no problem!  great question - it can be soft or hard - depending on how you make it, such as draining longer can make it firmer.

as far as never having the thought of making your own cheese, if you had a milk cow and an overabundance of milk you'd find a need to store it in the form of cheese.  
Sure, you can have them all. One round at a time.
12/18/2009 2:19:39 PM EDT
[#27]
Haha true, I don't have too much left over dairy from my cows in suburban south jersey. I'll definitely have to try making my own soon though, sounds intriguing, and not a bad skill to have.
12/18/2009 3:30:15 PM EDT
[#28]
i was just thinkin the other day... man if shtf.. i am fucked.


i love cheese.


problem. solved.
7/17/2010 6:37:10 PM EDT
[#29]
I got a ton of evaporated skim milk in the tin cans this week for free. i was wondering if Evaporated milk will work in place of fresh milk to make cheese?

Does anyone have any thoughts or experience doing this?
7/17/2010 9:40:28 PM EDT
[#30]
only one way to find out.  got any black hills ammo?
Sure, you can have them all. One round at a time.
7/17/2010 10:40:13 PM EDT
[#31]
Originally Posted By FordGuy:
only one way to find out.  got any black hills ammo?


No, a bunch of surp. 7.62x54 though, If I can get some cheese cloth tomorrow I'll have an afternoon project. I'll post back as soon as I find out.
7/18/2010 11:34:09 PM EDT
[#32]
As promised I attempted this project using cans of Evaporated milk. It was an epic fail, and I will try to give a complete analysis as to why I believe it did so poorly. Since the time I started I have done a fair amount of research trying to diagnose my problem and learn how to fix it.

I will say that although this did not work for me, it did work for FordGuy, and therefore all the areas I speculate as "problem areas" were from my experiences only, and obviously looking at the success of FG, do not happen 100% or my speculations are wrong.


Here you will see the things I had to try this project. 23 total cans of Evaporated milk, although only 8 were used. Rennet, which I will talk more about later, salt, lemon juice, cheese cloth, and of course the ammo.


Here you will see the 8 empty cans of milk, and the pot, in this step the milk is heating.


Evaporated milk varies in color depending on the brand. Mine was a light brown.

I followed most the steps outlined by FG to attempt this recipe. I did omit the first step of mixing the milk with butter milk, as I do not like the a cream cheese taste. After my research I believe, Correct me if I am wrong, that this is a necessary step, or if omitted, another step must be taken. Buttermilk is a starter, and is needed to help curds form. If you omit using buttermilk you must substitute with another "starter".

I heated my milk to around 100 degrees. This is the next most likely place I messed up. All the research I have done, has showed the temperature is highly important, sometimes down to a single degree, where I let the temperature fluctuate a little, most due to my impatience.

I stirred in the rennet, but feel this is also a possible area I may have gone wrong. My research has showed that the rennet should be mixed in distilled water, and let dissolve rather than dropping a tablet into the milk, which is what I did. I also found that rennet from the company I used is not the best. The brand Junket, is used for pudding and therefore contains other things, such as corn starch. However FG used it and made some nice looking cheese.

The problem I encountered was that curds never formed. I feel this is most likely due to the first step of adding butter milk, a step that I skipped.

I would like to try my luck again using traditional milk this week to ensure that I can be successful with regular milk. Once I find I am competent enough to succeed with normal milk, I will try again with Evaporated milk.

That is my write up, hope you enjoyed!

7/19/2010 1:34:52 AM EDT
[#33]
I told my wife about this thread and she thinks it is a great idea, so we are gonna give it a try.  I have a couple of questions though.

Fordguy:  In your photos in the orginial post, I see salt, but I don't see where you added it, how to add it, or how much?
Also, when properly waxed, what is the expected storage life?
Do you have to get a rhind on it before you wax it?
Would vaccum sealing it after waxing extend the self life or have negative affects?

Thanks in advance

Hagdaddy
2/4/2012 8:12:52 PM EDT
[#34]
quirky thread, escapes archives a little longer.
Sure, you can have them all. One round at a time.
2/4/2012 8:28:46 PM EDT
[Last Edit: SigsandCider][Edited] [#35]
Looks like I have a project  for tomorrow , thanks fordguy
Tennessee Squire
Trust in God, Rely on Yourself
Virginia First!
2/4/2012 8:57:48 PM EDT
[#36]
tag so I don't loose this one...nice job and AAR FG...
Only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you.
1. Jesus Christ
2. The American GI.
"One died for your soul, the other for your freedom!"
2/4/2012 10:20:09 PM EDT
[#37]

7.62x39: Turning cover into concealment since 1943

96Ag: We're fucked. Plan accordingly.

Kyrie eleison, down the road that I must travel..
2/5/2012 7:22:45 AM EDT
[#38]
Texas sheepdog, you make me feel so special!
Sure, you can have them all. One round at a time.
2/5/2012 8:40:08 AM EDT
[#39]



Originally Posted By FordGuy:


Texas sheepdog, you make me feel so special!


LOL I've had this tagged since the first time around. Was kind of surprising to see it jump to the top of my subscription list after a year and a half.



 
7.62x39: Turning cover into concealment since 1943

96Ag: We're fucked. Plan accordingly.

Kyrie eleison, down the road that I must travel..
2/5/2012 9:59:18 AM EDT
[#40]
Thanks dude, that was good. I'm temped to find some stuff to do this with right now.
"If ever there was a holy war, it was that which saved our liberties and gave us independence." --Thomas Jefferson
10/15/2013 11:45:39 AM EDT
[#41]
Time to make some cheese


TXL
"Socialism is the tyranny of the losers over the achievers. " Russian refugee in America.
Who are you and why have you captured me? KeithJHyde. He is NOR_MAL!!
10/15/2013 11:52:25 AM EDT
[Last Edit: dfk70][Edited] [#42]
I have used the kit from these folks to make cheese.  It turned out pretty good.

http://www.cheesemaking.com/

They also have recipes for different types of cheeses.
10/30/2013 9:35:57 AM EDT
[#43]

Quote History
Originally Posted By dfk70:


I have used the kit from these folks to make cheese.  It turned out pretty good.



http://www.cheesemaking.com/



They also have recipes for different types of cheeses.
View Quote
I need to learn to do this. I've only made ricotta so far.



 
7.62x39: Turning cover into concealment since 1943

96Ag: We're fucked. Plan accordingly.

Kyrie eleison, down the road that I must travel..
10/31/2013 6:59:46 AM EDT
[#44]
“And for one I confess that if I could find in any Italian Travels a Receipt for making Parmesan Cheese, it would give me more Satisfaction than a Transcript of any Inscription from any Stone whatever.” (Benjamin Franklin to John Bartram, 1769.)

CHEF..

I need to make some cheese, I made pounds of goat cheese a dozen years ago when raising the bastards,,,,loved it..need more.
SOCIALISM COMMUNISM AND FACISM ONLY WORK WHEN BOOT HEEL OF A POLITICAL CLASS IS ON THE NECK OF THE WORKING CLASS, PICKING POCKETS FOR THE LEISURE CLASS
fighting commies since '69 2013 Nick Hollywood
10/31/2013 8:24:21 AM EDT
[#45]
so glad this thread is still going strong!  And that it includes celebrities like Douglas Morris!
Sure, you can have them all. One round at a time.

Legally wrong, ethically questionable, but tactically correct.
12/11/2013 10:00:20 AM EDT
[#46]
I'm going to try making a few recipes from the cheesemaking site above, using the DIY cheese press shown here. Any goo sites to order supplies from?
7.62x39: Turning cover into concealment since 1943

96Ag: We're fucked. Plan accordingly.

Kyrie eleison, down the road that I must travel..
12/11/2013 11:17:23 AM EDT
[#47]
I honestly don't remember havng to order anything exept the ammo.  The rest even rennet should be locally available.
Sure, you can have them all. One round at a time.

Legally wrong, ethically questionable, but tactically correct.
12/11/2013 11:02:29 PM EDT
[#48]

Quote History
Originally Posted By FordGuy:


I honestly don't remember havng to order anything exept the ammo.  The rest even rennet should be locally available.
View Quote
I have the ammo There's one place locally that carries stuff for cheesemaking, but it's probably ceaper online. I'll check it out after the Christmas madness dies down.



 
7.62x39: Turning cover into concealment since 1943

96Ag: We're fucked. Plan accordingly.

Kyrie eleison, down the road that I must travel..
12/28/2013 11:48:52 AM EDT
[#49]
Anyone use a wine cooler or mini fridge to maintain the cheese at temp while curing? The garage swings in temp from 40-100 degrees over the year, and we dont have a basement.
7.62x39: Turning cover into concealment since 1943

96Ag: We're fucked. Plan accordingly.

Kyrie eleison, down the road that I must travel..
1/1/2014 8:43:17 PM EDT
[#50]
think i will try this with rhubarb wine/vinegar and lemon juice.

might turn out horrible.    i will find out Sunday.
No police, no summons, no courts of law, No proper procedure, no rules of war
No mitigating circumstance, No lawyers fees, no second chance

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