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THE 

MILKMAID 


PHOTOGRAPHS BY ERIN KUNKEL 


Copyright © 2015 by Louella Trimble Hill. 

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any 
form without written permission from the publisher. 

ISBN 978-1-4521-3048-4 (epub, mobi) 

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data : 

Hill, Louella. 

Kitchen creamery : making yogurt, butter, and cheese at home 
/ by Louella Hill; photographs by Erin Kunkel; illustrations by 
Louella Hill, 
pages cm 

Includes bibliographical references and index. 

ISBN 978-1-4521-1162-9 (he) 

1. Cheesemaking. 2. Yogurt. 3. Butter. I. Title. 

SF271.H49 2014 
637'.3—dc23 

2014005140 


Designed by Alice Chau 

Photography by Erin Kunkel 

Prop & food styling by Christine Wolheim 

Chronicle Books LLC 

680 Second Street 

San Francisco, California 94107 

www.chroniclebooks.com 


To Alan, who eats the experiments. 


CONTENTS 


INTRODUCTION 9 

A Measure of Time 9 
Before You Begin 10 
Howto Use This Book 13 


THE BASICS 19 

The Basic Steps for Making Most 
Cheeses 19 

What Makes a Cheese Distinct 20 
About Milk 20 
Beyond Milk 25 
Essential Equipment 29 
Setup and Sanitation 36 
Ready to Roll 36 


CHAPTER ONE: 

CULTURED MILK & CREAM 38 

Yogurt 42 

Icelandic Yogurt 46 
Farmer’s Cheese 48 
Kefir or Buttermilk 50 
Kefir from Grains 52 
Sour Cream 54 
Creme FraTche 55 
Cultured Butter 56 
Ghee 63 


CHAPTER TWO: 

BEGINNING CHEESES 64 

Paneer 74 
Whey Ricotta 76 
Whole Milk Ricotta 80 
Mascarpone 81 
Chevre 82 

Fromage Blanc & Quark 84 
Cream Cheese 86 
Pot Cheese 88 


Queso Fresco 91 
Bel Paese 94 
Feta 96 


CHAPTER THREE: 

WASHED CURD CHEESES 100 

Havarti 104 

Divino (Gouda Style) 106 
Rising Moon (Jarlsberg Style) 111 


CHAPTER FOUR: 

WASHED RIND CHEESES 114 

Marbler (Morbier Style) 118 
Tilsiter 122 

Zeller (Appenzeller Style) 123 


CHAPTER FIVE: 

MOLD RIPENED CHEESES 126 

Camembert 132 
Gosling (Valenqay Style) 134 
Buttercup (Coulommiers Style) 137 
Stilton 140 

Bisbee Blue (Forme d’Ambert Style) 144 
Blue Capricorn 148 


CHAPTER SIX: 

CHEDDAR STYLE CHEESES 150 

Baby Jack 152 
Traditional Cheddar 156 
Caerphilly 160 


CHAPTER SEVEN: 

STRETCHED CURD CHEESES 162 

Quick Mozz 168 
Burrata 170 

Cultured Mozzarella 174 
Provolone 176 











CHAPTER EIGHT: 

PRESSED & AGED CHEESES i 78 

Mountain Top (Gruyere Style) 180 
Asiago 183 
Pecorino 186 


RESOURCES 234 


REFERENCES 237 


INDEX 238 


CHAPTER NINE: 

ARTFUL AGING iss 

Aging Basics 189 
Cold-Smoking 193 
The Cave 193 
Rind Science 196 


ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 248 


CHAPTER TEN: 

PAMPERING YOUR PIECES 202 

Storing Cheese 203 
Freezing Cheese 203 
Shipping Cheese 204 
Cheese Evaluation 204 
Presenting Your Masterpiece 205 


IN CLOSING 209 


GLOSSARY 210 


TROUBLESHOOTING 214 


APPENDICES 218 

Cheesemaking Processes 21 8 
Forms and Presses 224 
Cultures 226 
Butterfat Chart 230 
Sanitation 231 

Sample Make Sheet for Home 
Cheesemaking 232 























INTROPUCTION 


A MEASURE OF TIME 

I am lucky I don’t have a rat problem. I think this every 
time I step into my garage and breathe in the barn¬ 
like scent that lingers there. It emanates from all the 
cheese projects stashed within. More than three 
dozen wheels sit inside my “caves” (what I like to 
call my converted refrigerators), ripening into flavors 
that maybe I—or anyone in the whole world, for that 
matter—have never tasted before. This transforma¬ 
tion of milk to fragrant wheel takes place within the 
comfort of my own home, which sits at the end of a 
quiet alley in San Francisco. 

Although many people assume so, I am not actually 
a farm girl; I just play the part well. I run a business 
called The Milk Maid, where I teach a range of cheese¬ 
making classes. I have also worked at enough dairies 
to speak knowledgeably about anything from cow 
breeds to ripening cultures. But the truth is, I 
come from the Sonoran Desert in Arizona—a place 
where even the cactuses look parched and not 
much cheese is made. 

My connection to both farming and cheesemaking 
began when I was taking a break from college to 
explore “where food comes from.” I was working at 
an agriturismo in Tuscany (which I’d found by word 
of mouth) when the neighboring farm—serendipi- 
tously a sheep dairy—needed an extra set of hands. 
The moment I walked into that milking parlor and 
saw the muddy backsides of those Sarda sheep, 

I knew it was destiny. 

While me “turning farmer” may have been a tad 
surprising to my family, the fact that I work with my 
hands every day is not. I come from a family of art¬ 
ists, and I learned early on that the fun of creating 
is in the process. My father is an artist blacksmith, 
and my grandfather is a watercolor artist. My 
grandmother was a professional welder (not the 
most common job for a female in the 1960s), 
and her mother—my great-grandmother, and 


namesake—was a fashion designer in the 1940s. 
She, like me, was a mother who needed to make a 
living but also felt driven to do so creatively. 

To add to this genetic predisposition toward making 
things, I was also exposed to a multitude of environ¬ 
mental cues. I grew up not only among forges and 
trip hammers, but surrounded, thanks to my artist 
mother, by more yarn, knitting machines, fabric, 
patterns, and craft books than you’d find in most 
full-blown crafts stores. I’m not sure it would even 
be possible for me to have an empty garage or 
a blank tabletop. Acquiring tools, dreaming big, 
sketching ideas, making messes, and reconfiguring 
is what I’ve been doing all along. I’m so inspired by 
my relatives and friends who make quilts, knives, 
doors, sweaters, pottery, and more. They know. 

I like to make the things I need instead of buying 
them—sometimes to a fault. My husband, Alan, 
will happily regale you with the story of the time 
I starting making toothpaste for our household. I 
had the bright idea to use pulverized school chalk 
for the calcium carbonate, and the even better 
idea of grinding up whole cloves to make it taste 
and smell good. One ridiculous family tooth- 
brushing later, the mirror showed us with large 
black chunks between every tooth. 

Needless to say, I’m not making toothpaste any¬ 
more. I’ve matured a bit in my do-it-myself style, 
letting go of the idea that I have to make everything, 
and instead focusing on making something I love 
to both make and consume. 



The other day, while a vat of milk was ripening on the 
stove, I scattered photos for pasting into an album 
all over the kitchen table. I grouped them into piles: 
childhood, college, after college. While sorting, I 
thought about so many transitions, endings, and 
beginnings. Then I took all those eras, those layers 
of influence, and arranged them into one book. 


INTRODUCTION 

*9 


I returned to my warm vat of milk. I cut the curd 
vertically, then horizontally. I started to stir. The 
curds were soft and large. I stirred and stirred. 

An hour later, my whole hand softened with butter- 
fat and my mind soaked with memories, it dawned 
on me how the wheel of cheese I’d just made was 
also an album: a collection of facts, captured clues 
and information about where the milk came from, 
how it was transformed into cheese, and finally, how 
the cheese would move into old age. Inside that 
wheel would one day be a season of thunderstorms, 
once-bloomed flowers, a smoky fall, and an ancient 
basement (or, in my case, a converted fridge tucked 
into an urban garage). These details combine, con¬ 
centrate, and finally break down into something both 
concentrated and complex. Cheese is a time capsule 
you can taste. 


BEFORE YOU BEGIN 

If you’re opening this book, it’s very likely because 
you’re fond of cheese—and probably also 
because you like to know how things are made. 
Excellent! These are good characteristics for a 
home cheesemaker to have. Although there are 
thousands of beautiful cheeses out there in the 
world already, there’s still plenty of room and 
reasons for you to make your own. 

REASONS TO MAKE CHEESE 

To Keep Food Simple 

By making your own cheeses and dairy products, you 
ensure the pureness of your food. No additives, no 
bleaching, and no stabilizers if you don’t want them. 

To Support Local Dairies 

By making your own cheese, you choose where the 
milk comes from. This means you can actively sup¬ 
port animals who spend time outside on grass. You 
can be part of preserving a stretch of open space 
you may drive past each day. 

To Participate in the Food System 

You’ve heard the arguments and they’re true: Our 
current food system is oversized, centralized. 


mechanized, and deeply infused with chemicals and 
petroleum. To have a future, we have to enter the 
kitchen and work the farm. Our hands have to get 
busy. Our aprons have to get soiled. 

To Generate Zero Waste 

If you haul milk home in a reusable container, turn 
the milk into cheese, and toss the whey to your 
backyard chickens, you’ll have a wheel of “zero 
waste” cheese. No Styrofoam shipping containers. 
No cardboard boxes. No plastic shrink-wrap. Just 
landfill-free goodness. 

To Save Money 

Depending on your milk source and what type of 
cheese you make, you may find your pocketbook 
fattening as your cheese cave swells. Cultured 
dairy products (such as yogurt and kefir), which 
have 100 percent yield, can be made for less than 
a quarter of the price of store-bought versions. 

To Give Unique Gifts 

Who else celebrates their twentieth wedding 
anniversary with a twenty-month-old wheel of 
homemade bandage-wrapped cheddar? Who else 
gives moldy heart-shaped presents to friends on 
Valentine’s Day? 

To Discover New Flavors 

The unique combination of your stirring arm plus 
milk from your friend’s cow, pulverized chiles from 
your mom’s garden, and blue mold spores gener¬ 
ously donated from a recent gust of wind combine 
to create a flavor like no other. Flavor contribu¬ 
tions from yeast and bacteria in the air and soil are 
what the word terroir (in the context of wine- and 
cheesemaking) is defined by. Home cheesemaking 
is a perfect way to capture these extra-local, extra¬ 
unique flavors. 

To Make Magic 

Last, and perhaps most important, the whole pro¬ 
cess of working milk from liquid to finished cheese 
is really, really fun. It’s magical to watch living, 
breathing things—in this case, billions of microbes 


KITCHEN CREAMERY 

10 


and the wheel itself—finish their journey as, say, a 
scrumptious, oozing tuna melt. 

A LEAP OF FAITH 

When I survey my students, most don’t know any¬ 
one who’s ever made cheese, nor have they ever 
milked a cow, or even been to a dairy farm. They 
didn’t grow up with someone making quark in the 
kitchen or smoking mozzarella over a wood stove. 

For these reasons, visualizing where milk comes 
from and how it gets transformed into a glowing 
globe of provolone can be difficult, and maybe 
daunting. Add to this the handsome price tag 
many artisan cheeses carry, and you can under¬ 
stand why undertaking cheesemaking on one’s 
own can seem out of reach. 

But quiet any voices in your head saying cheese¬ 
making is impossible, and remember everything 
seems complex from afar. This wonderful, once 
very common craft can, before long, be pleasantly 
woven into your weekend afternoons. It may soon 
be as old hat as kneading dough for a loaf of 
bread or coaxing eggs whites into a meringue. 

You really can make cheese. You can grab a bottle of 
milk from the store and, in a single day, turn it into 
jars of beautiful fresh yogurt. Or buy a couple of bot¬ 
tles and make a brick of salty feta. Or, take a couple 
of weeks and land yourself a velvety, truffle-specked 
Brie. Although fine handmade cheesemaking may 
have, in recent history, seemed a craft of the past, 
it is now a revitalized art and, in many places, 
a roaring trend. And not just for milk-rich farm 
wives—for everyone. Even people in tiny city apart¬ 
ments. I created this book as a tool for turning 
your kitchen—whatever size it might be—into a 
thriving creamery. 

Perhaps one way to demystify cheesemaking is to 
define it in the simplest way possible: Removing 
water from milk. Getting the water out means iso¬ 
lating the milk solids (protein, fat, sugar, vitamins, 
and minerals) to make a denser, safer food—a food 
that can be aged or easily transported. Imagine our 
ancestors: Seminomadic people hanging out under 
the noonday sun, trying to decide between hauling 


a sloppy pouch of milk or a nimble nugget of curd. 
Naturally they chose the latter. 

Of course, the proposition is more than simply 
dehydrating milk. Making cheese involves both 
the science and the art of creating flavors through 
controlled fermentation. It’s about encouraging the 
flavors you want and avoiding the ones you don’t. 
Cheese can happen accidentally—just leave a jug 
of milk on your counter for a week, then strain the 
chunks out. But the pleasant, profound flavors you 
love are more likely to occur when you follow a 
recipe (or it follows you, as you start to tinker). And 
actually, your chef duties travel with your cheeses 
beyond the vat and for a distance—to create the 
flavors you want, you’ll be shepherding your cheeses 
over the course of weeks, months, even years. 

Now that you’ve made the leap and are willing to 
give cheesemaking a try, I hope this book will set 
you on the road to success. Like anything, success¬ 
ful cheesemaking is a matter of being prepared, 
keeping organized, and being patient—in this case, 
with both the cheeses and yourself. Following 
are some guiding principles I embrace in my own 
kitchen creamery. 

START SIMPLY 

As with any new technique you attempt in the 
kitchen (or workshop or studio), your best bet 
for learning and getting satisfying results without 
getting overwhelmed or frustrated is to start with 
some simple recipes that allow you to practice 
the basics. I organized Kitchen Creamery to match 
what I think is an easy and effective way to wade 
into cheesemaking. Adding a splash of buttermilk 
to heavy cream and allowing it to ferment into 
creme fraTche, or watching milk turn into yogurt is 
a perfect introduction to the role of cultures. Next, 
some easy or basic cheese recipes familiarize you 
with using rennet, cutting the curd, and draining 
off whey. You’ll find the touch for using a thermom¬ 
eter while heating milk and cooking curds, and 
have the opportunity to test its accuracy. I also 
grouped the easy or beginning recipes together 
because they are forgiving, and because none of 
them need any special ingredients (such as lipase, 
annato or Penicitlum candidum mold spores) or 


' 11 


expensive equipment—for example, you don’t have 
to invest in a cheese press until you know you are 
interested in making pressed, aged cheeses (and 
even then, you might find that a carjack or a stack 
of gym weights will do). Starting simply, you can 
add to your skills and expertise at a pace that is 
comfortable to you, moving through the pages of 
this book and your own explorations. 

TAKE GOOD NOTES 

Right from the start, with your beginner cheeses and 
absolutely as you begin making more complicated 
varieties, establish the habit of taking good notes. 

To emphasize: Write down everything you do as you 
make a cheese. To assist you, there’s a standard¬ 
ized “make sheet” for you on page 232. Try to over¬ 
record instead of finding yourself with gaps in your 
narrative, missing details, or minimal scratchings 
you can’t decode. Seemingly benign facts, such as 
which supermarket you bought the milk from or 
what the weather was like on the day you made the 
cheese, could be that tiny secret you don’t want 
to forget when trying to re-create a success. Unlike 
other kitchen crafts that come to completion in 
just a couple of hours or a day, a cheese project can 
extend over many months, leaving you plenty of 
time to forget all the details that happened at the 
vat. A slight difference early on may manifest as a 
major characteristic months later. While you can’t 
control many aspects of the cheesemaking process 
or environment (I’m assuming you don’t have a 
home laboratory or a positive-pressure air system 
in your kitchen), you can do your best with what 
you have. Taking good notes is a must. 

SECURE YOUR LABEL 

Without labels, careful notes become meaningless. 

It is a deep, sad wail that comes from the body of a 
cheesemaker when she cracks into a wheel, finds it 
to be outstanding—and then realizes the cheese is 
anonymous. It has happened to me more than once. 
Like unlabeled baggies in the freezer, the cheese- 
maker may feel confident of a cheese’s identity on 
Day One. But as time rolls forward, there’s the shift¬ 
ing and turning of wheels, the addition of new ones, 
the deterioration of surfaces by fervent mites, the 
accidental bumping of bins, and the inexplicable 


vanishing of cheese labels, any of which may lead 
to unexpected anonymity. If this happens, a perfect 
cheese and impeccable notes will never be reunited. 

If your notes are good and your labeling is even 
better, you’re on track to make and possibly, hope¬ 
fully, repeat a winning flavor discovery. 

TRUST IN TIME 

As the months pass, your cheese confidence will 
grow and your copy of Kitchen Creamery will, hope¬ 
fully, become dog-eared. You’ll have mastered 
yogurt, kefir, queso fresco, and more. You’ll be on 
the road to finding the styles of cheese you are most 
intrigued by—your cheesemaking niche. After a 
long day of cheesemaking, when you have rinsed the 
last suds from the stockpot and the whey leaving a 
pressing cheese trickles in the background, you’ll sit 
down, tired, satisfied, and ready to wait. 

When you reach this point—the point when you 
are ready to shepherd cheeses onward to old 
age—listen to a lesson I’ve learned: Don’t judge 
a cheese too early in the game. You have no idea 
what a cheese will taste like until it’s in your mouth, 
and hopefully, it doesn’t land in your mouth too 
soon. I offer tips later for figuring out when to open 
a wheel, but know it isn’t a perfect science. Also 
know that given enough time, a cheese may mature 
into something very palatable, even if it wasn’t so 
good earlier on. Sticking to fewer recipes will help 
you discover the perfect timetable for opening 
cheeses when they are ripe. 

As a beginning cheesemaker, you let problems play 
out; that way you won’t accidentally throw out 
something that might have been okay. Trusting in 
time means letting a cheese age long enough and 
it means keeping at the craft. Keep rubbing those 
rinds, gathering that milk, taking those notes, and 
repeating it all again. However, trusting in time 
doesn’t mean every cheese you make will become 
incredible if you age it long enough. Some cheeses 
are destined for the compost pile. Giving bad eggs 
more time will make those eggs worse. 

Don’t judge a cheese by its cover, either. What looks 
like a hairy beast may be nothing more than a poorly 
dressed beauty. And that smooth-rinded Asiago 


KITCHEN CREAME 

. 12 . 


gem you have in the back of the fridge? Heads up! 

It might be harder than a rock. 

My hope is that your cheeses will end up close 
enough to what you intended to make to leave you 
feeling satisfied. It isn’t likely you’ll casually create 
a perfect imitation of Cowgirl Creamery’s Mt. Tam or 
Upland’s Pleasant Ridge Reserve. But with practice 
and patience, it is possible to craft an incredible, 
unique, melt-in-your mouth transformation of some¬ 
thing that was, just months earlier, a ray of sunshine. 

Enjoy this journey. 


HOW TO USE THIS BOOK 

In arranging the recipes of this book, I tried to start 
with simpler recipes before moving onto the more 
complex ones. The recipes in chapters one and 
two not only introduce you to core cheesemaking 
concepts (how to drain the curds or how to press a 
cheese), but they also are more forgiving in nature. 
These earlier recipes make cheeses that are eaten 
fresh or aged for just a short while. Because of this, 
some imprecision or imperfection—you heat the 
milk to 91°F/32°C and not 94°F/34°C when making Pot 
Cheese (page 88)—is fine. 

The later recipes, those in chapters three through 
eight, are a sampling of the slightly (not breath- 
takingly) more complicated cheeses you can make in 
a kitchen creamery. These are recipes that will call 
for more unique ingredients or equipment or that 
will need to be aged for several months before they 
really become what they should be—there’s no over¬ 
night Asiago like there is overnight yogurt. 

But aside from this general grouping—simpler reci¬ 
pes at the beginning and more complex afterward— 
your journey through this book will be personal. You 
may find that a cheese that takes a short amount 
of time to make has one detail that’s tricky; on the 
other hand, a fancy-sounding cheese with an intense 
rind that ages for 6 months might come together 
nearly without any effort. What feels easy or difficult 
will depend on you, your background—for example, 
people who make pie crusts, bread dough, or pasta 


will probably have an easy time stretching mozza¬ 
rella—and the specifics of your environment. One 
person may find Cheddars to be a cinch because he 
or she has a good set up for pressing firm cheeses. 
Someone else, without a press and trying to use a 
stack of heavy books, may find Cheddars disastrous. 

Note that rather than attempting to be a conclusive 
text, Kitchen Creamery seeks to be your introduction 
to cheesemaking, your gateway to a marvelous craft. 
I’ve really chosen only a handful of recipes (from the 
hundreds of possibilities that exist) to showcase 
the most essential cheesemaking processes and the 
joys that lie therein. Many of these recipes I’ve per¬ 
sonalized with a name I’ve made up (partly because 
I want to show you that home cheesemaking is 
about making something unique and partly because 
many of my recipes that started as more traditional 
cheeses evolved into cheeses of their own). 


A NOTE ON SUBTLE DIFFERENCES 

In the chapters ahead, I will guide you through 
various cheesemaking styles; but the truth is, all 
cheese styles are closely related. The difference 
between making a recipe for cottage cheese 
and one for Asiago isn’t profound. Some recipes 
might seem like near copies of one another. You 
may feel as you work through the recipes that 
you’re hearing a broken record: “Pour the milk 
into a heavy-bottomed stockpot and warm over 
medium heat to 86°F/30°C, stirring . . .” 

But no two recipes in this book are identical. 
They are each unique, with subtle differences 
in things like cultures, vat temperature, and 
aging temperature. In many of the recipe intro¬ 
ductions, I try to explain what exactly I feel sets 
the recipe apart. Thinking about the differences 
between recipes will increase your understand¬ 
ing of the cheesemaking process in general. 

If you can keep at the cheese craft, subtle 
variance between recipes will gradually become 
more significant to you. When one recipe says 
to heat the curds to 105"F/41°C and another says 
to heat to 98°F/37°C, you’ll soon recognize easily 
that that difference is A BIG DEAL! 


INTRODUCTI 

* 13 * 



HOW TO USE THE SIDE TABS 

To gather, in a glance, details like how much time 
and cheesemaking know-how each recipe requires, 
which forms you’ll need, and what types of milk will 
work, use the easy-to-read tabs on the edge of each 
recipe page. Following is the key for what each tab 
category means. 

DIFFICULTY 

MILK 

SUGGESTED CULTURES 
FINAL FORM 
CATEGORIES 
TIME TO COMPLETION 

Difficulty 

Each recipe is rated for level of difficulty. As you’d 
guess. Easy means just that—these are great cheeses 
to start with. Medium—this is something you can try 
next, or start with if you feel confident. Advanced 
indicates a more challenging cheese—I recommend 
you try these after you’ve run through some of the 
Easy and Medium recipes. 

Milk 

Because milk is a complicated topic, check the side 
tab of the recipe for which milk(s) you need or works 
best. Using the tab, you won’t end up with a hope¬ 
less pot of unset milk by purchasing a homogenized 
milk for a cheese that requires unhomogenized, for 
example. When the tab says “All types,” it means any 
milk, whole to skim, pasteurized or raw, homoge¬ 
nized or cream-line will be fine. 

Suggested Cultures 

Figuring out what cultures to use in a recipe can be 
tricky: Different culture manufacturers use differ¬ 
ent nomenclature for the same bacterial strains, 
then retailers repackage and retitle these cultures 
yet again. Plus cultures are not cheese specific— 
cultures you use to make a chevre can also be used 
to make a cheddar. Hoping to make things slightly 
simpler, I’ve given you one specific Danisco-brand 
culture (or list of cultures) to start with. With time, 
you can do more tinkering. 


Final Form 

This line tells you what form the finished cheese 
takes; a glance will cue for you whether the cheese 
is a loose variety that is packed into a tub or jar, 
a stretched curd that is twisted into a shape, or a 
wheel-style cheese that emerges from a cheese 
form. The yield line of the recipes contains the 
specifics of quantity. In some cases, which form 
or forms you use is ultimately a personal choice. 

You can make three mini Havarti cheeses when the 
recipe tab says “large wheel,” for example. Note 
that when making cooked, pressed cheeses, it’s 
always easier to make one large wheel that you can 
press well than many small wheels that you can’t 
press well, though this will depend on your specific 
equipment. 

JAR OR TUB. Refers to a standard canning jar with a 
tight-fitting lid (either regular screw top or canning 
ring and lid) or plastic container; each recipe speci¬ 
fies the size, such as 1 qt/1 L or 1 pt/480 ml. 

SMALL WHEEL. About 8 oz/225 g cheese. The 
cheese form should be roughly 3 in/7.5 cm in diam¬ 
eter and at least 3 in/7.5 cm in height. The form can 
be taller and/or slightly tapered. It can be square, 
round, even heart-shaped. With a 2-gal/7.5-L batch 
of milk, you’ll produce three to four small wheels. 
Cheeses made in this size wheel can include any¬ 
thing soft-ripened, fresh, or unpressed. 

MEDIUM WHEEL. About 24 oz/680 g cheese. 

The cheese form should be roughly 5 in/12 cm 
in diameter and roughly 5 in/12 cm in height. 

The form can be cylindrical, slightly tapered, 
open-bottomed, or any shape. With a 2-gal/7.5-L 
batch of milk, you’ll typically produce one 
medium wheel of firm-pressed cheese, and more 
than that if making a softer cheese. Cheeses 
made in this size include anything from ricotta 
to soft-ripened cheeses such as Camembert to 
medium-pressed cheeses such as Havarti. If 
pressing a cheese, you will need a follower that 
fits your form. 


KITCHEN CREA 

* 14 * 


LARGE WHEEL. About 3 lb/1.3 kg cheese. The form 
should be roughly 8 in/20 cm in diameter by 6 in/ 
15 cm in height. This form, with a follower, is 
the most important one to have if you plan to 
make larger pressed and aged cheeses—small 
and medium unpressed or lightly pressed cheeses 
are more forgiving in terms of the forms that will 
work. To fill a large wheel form, make the recipes 
that use 4 gal/15 L milk. My favorite large-wheel, 
pressable cheese form is called a Kadova (see 
page 224), and it comes with a follower and an 
easily removable mesh liner that you use in place 
of cheesecloth. 

FREE-FORM OR LOGS. Cheese of any quantity 
can be made without a true cheese form, using 
only cheesecloth (see page 220). When you see 
these terms as the Final Form side tab, it may 
mean cheese that drains first in a colander and is 
then hand-shaped (as with a mozzarella braid or 
a log of chevre, for instance). Other times, with 
cooked and pressed cheeses, free-form refers 
to the method of twisting cheesecloth to form a 
tight pouch, then setting weights on top, forming 
a slightly wrinkled, asymmetrical wheel (see 
Baby Jack on page 152). 



QUART 

CTAR 

(1L) 



COLANDER 

(1.5 LB/680 G) 



HAND FORMED 

LOGS 


(5 OZ/140G) 


_ _ _ 

©00 

OOoO 



pyramids, hearts 

ROUNDS 

(8 OZ/225 G) 

bratdsknots 

BALLS 

(10 OZ/280 G) 

larger 

WHEEL 

(3-4LB/1.3-1.8 


Categories 

To give you a broader perspective on the recipe 
you’re making, I’ve included categories associated 
with the cheese type on some of the recipes. Since 
how a cheese is defined depends very much on who’s 
defining it, I’ve written down the main categories 
that apply, even if they are somewhat redundant. 


Time to Completion 

Some cheeses will be ready to eat in less than an 
hour. Others will take months. Use this estimated 
time frame to gauge which recipe you want to make. 
Note that I’ve listed units of time in terms of hours, 
days, weeks, and months. 


15 


KG) 






HOW TO USE THE APPENDICES 

To reduce repetition from recipe to recipe, I’ve 
gathered explanations for specific processes in the 
Appendices at the back of the book. In some cases 
(for example “Forms and Presses,” page 224), I use 
the Appendix less to tell you how to do something 
and more to spell out your options for what to buy 
or build. Here’s a preview of some things to look for 
in the back of the book: 

Cheesemaking Processes: Get the step by step on 
how to cut according to flocculation point, how to 
flip a very soft cheese, how to apply cheese ash, and 
much more. 

Forms and Presses: Stop here for more info on 
cheese forms, boards, and presses. 

Cultures: When you want your head to spin, check 
out this section. I go over the differences between 
mesophillic and thermophillic, primary and second¬ 
ary, mixes, and more. 

Butterfat Chart: Just so you know the technical 
difference between half-and-half, light cream, 
and heavy cream, I’ve included a butterfat chart 
showing percentages. 

Sanitation: Learn several simple ways to keep your 
cheesemaking environment in shipshape. 

Sample Make Sheet for Home Cheesemaking: 

You can use the included make sheet or make your 
own but whatever you do, take good notes of 
your cheesemaking process. 

THE REAL YIELD 

Fresh cheeses, because they have more water, yield 
between 12 and 20 percent for cow’s milk. Aged 
cheeses, because they have less water, yield as little 
as 7 percent. That means, if you have 1 gal/3.8 L milk 
and you make the hardest, most-aged cheese you 
can, you’ll come up with a mere 8 oz/225 g cheese. 
That’s roughly the size of a lemon. I get an occasional 
chuckle in my classes, because I know some of my 
students see my “enormous” vat of milk (about 
6 gal/23 L) and think we are going to end up with 
that same volume of cheese. Not true. We get just 


a fraction of that amount. Plan to make the largest 
batch of cheese possible when making aged varieties 
cheese (which is to say: go buy a large stockpot). 
Fresher cheeses are easily made in smaller batches. 


approximate 

yield (y.) 

1 CHEESE 

M ILK fresh soft hard 

<+ o&t 

23 13 11 

eow 

21 13 11 

/ificep 

45 27 19 


SCALING UP, SCALING DOWN 

Students often ask if they can halve cheesemaking 
recipes, no doubt nervous about squandering a lot 
of milk while practicing. The simple answer is yes— 
but I don’t advise it for the scales used in this book. 
Most of the beginning recipes are based on 1- or 
2-gal/3.8- or 7.5-L batches. If you cut these down 
too many times, you’ll end up with only a thimbleful 
of cheese. Many of the recipes in the later chapters 
are based on 4-gal/15-L batches; for these, I recom¬ 
mend sticking to the original quantities so the fin¬ 
ished wheels are large enough to age. In the case of 
the stretched-curd cheeses (2-gal/7.5-L batches), 
again, I recommend making the whole amount. 
Several hours of effort and a dime-size mozzarella 
ball is going to make you cry. 

As for scaling up, all the power to you! Your limiting 
factor will likely be your vat. Though you might be 
tempted to make one large recipe in several pots— 
in hopes of having an Asiago wheel the size of a 
manhole cover, don’t. Curds from each pot will have 
slightly different levels of acidity which will lead to 
trouble. And remember to stay within your comfort 
level (slinging more than one vat in your home 
kitchen could be hot and tiring and frustrating). 


KITCHEN CREAE 

16 








Note that for cheese recipes using cultures and 
rennet, the quantities should adjust proportionally, 
whether you are enlarging or reducing the size of 
a recipe—although really the quantities listed are 
gross measurements, possibly rounded up or down 
for an easy measurement that fits the yield. To 
determine a perfectly accurate culture amount for 
any batch size, see “Correct Culture Dosages” on 
page 228. For these perfect measurements, you will 
need a gram scale. 

HOLDING THE HEAT 

In nearly every recipe, you’ll be asked to maintain 
the vat within a specific temperature range. If it’s 
summertime and your kitchen is sweltering, this 
shouldn’t be a problem. But if the surroundings are 
anything cooler, you may need to take action. Here 
are several ways to hold the heat: 

• Always cover the pot when ripening or renneting 
the milk. 

• Nest your main pot inside a larger one filled with 
water to form a water jacket. 

• Drape a towel or sweater over the pot. 

• Place the pot in a box set over a heating pad. 

Remember that turning on the heat when the rennet 
is setting the milk is not an option. The milk is no 
longer fluid and will scorch near the heat source. 

THINGS I JUST HAVE TO TELL YOU 

• If it looks funny, cut the funny part off. 

• If it doesn’t smell right, give it more air and lower 
the aging temperature. 

• Don’t get hung up on making every cheese in this 
book. Stick to a few and make them your own. 

• Find open-minded friends who are willing to taste 
anything. 

• Host cheese parties often. 

• Always send house guests home with experiments. 

• Sooner than later, buy a second fridge or wine 
cooler. 

• Don’t be afraid to throw cheese away. Or feed it to 
the chickens. 

• Keep crackers and jam on hand. You never know 
when the wheel is going to crack. 


INTRODUC 

17 



<Xhe BASICS 


As you set up your creamery, you’ll want to figure 
out what kind of cheeses you want to make first, the 
initial equipment to buy, and the type (or types) of 
milk to source. To help you with these decisions, I’ve 
sorted out the basic cheese styles, cheesemaking 
steps, milk types, and ingredients and equipment 
in the following section. Though this is a lot of infor¬ 
mation, don’t be intimidated. Cheesemaking is 
incredibly doable, and you really don’t need much 
to get going. 


THE BASIC STEPS FOR 
MAKING MOST CHEESES 


For the first few steps, the process of cheesemaking 
is identical for most cheeses—especially those 
made using cultures and rennet versus direct acid. 
That means, at the vat, 30 minutes into a recipe, it 
still is yet to be determined if the cheese is going to 
be a cheddar, a Brie, or a Stilton. Nearly ail cheeses 
are identical, initially. Every cheese starts with the 
same first step of heating the milk—I like to think of 
it like the trunk of a tree. Each unique step that the 
cheesemaker makes thereafter is akin to a branch 
leading to unique end results. 

Every cheese starts with heating the milk (unless 
you happen to be in close proximity to the milking 
parlor and catch the milk moments after it leaves 
the animal). Then, when the milk is lukewarm, 
cultures are added (except with direct-acid cheeses). 
These cultures are bacteria, which ferment, or 
break down, components of the milk. As they do, 
they create lactic acid, a component in the linking 
together of the milk proteins. Next, if (as we com¬ 
monly are) working with pasteurized milk, we add 
calcium chloride (CaCl 2 ), and then rennet (the coag¬ 
ulant), an enzyme that causes milk proteins to link 
together and form a gel. The gel gets cut into pieces 
and cooked and stirred for a prescribed amount of 


time. (With some cheeses, you don’t even cut and 
stir, but simply scoop the gel directly into forms.) 
Finally, allow the cheese to drain, then press, salt, 
and age. Easy peasy cheesy! 

At the vat, the cheesemaker defines the direction 
of the cheese through type of milk, type of cultures 
(if using cultures at all), stirring time, and tempera¬ 
ture—but really what the cheesemaker is doing 
is controlling acid production and water retention 
in the curd. Initially, you will use time and tempera¬ 
ture guidelines to reach ballpark goals for acid or 
moisture. Down the road, when you are ready, you 
can start reaching these benchmarks more precisely 
using a pH meter to read the acidity (see page 33). 
Don’t worry about that yet, though. Now your task is 
to start putting mileage on your vat. 




THE BASICS 

19 





Browsing any cheese counter wilt remind you there 
are a near infinite number of cheeses in the world. 
This fact leads to the most common question I’m ever 
asked: “Why are cheeses different from one another?” 
Here’s a short list of some of the reasons why. 


WHAT MAKES A CHEESE 
DISTINCT 


On the Farm 

• Type of animal milk 

• Breed of animal 

• Phase in lactation cycle 

• Diet and health of the animal 

• Time of year 

• Microbial ecosystem on the farm 

At the Creamery 

• Amount of protein and fat in the starting milk 

• Type of cultures and rennet used 

• Use of additives (flavorings, colorants, growth 
inhibitors) 

• Acidity levels throughout the cheesemaking 
process 

• Degree of cooking and heating of curds 

• Length and strength of pressing 

• Shape and design of cheese form 

• Amount of salt 

In the Cave 

• Sealed (wax, vacuum bag) or breathing rind 

• Temperature and humidity of cave environment 

• Presence of ambient microorganisms or neighbor¬ 
ing cheeses 

• Length of time in cave 

• Frequency and nature of care 

• Wrapping and handling of finished cheese 

As you can see, there are many, many variables 
that are going to affect your finished cheese. This is 
another reason I lobby that for a long time you stick 
to fewer recipes and make them repeatedly. Inevita¬ 
ble and subtle changes from one batch to the next 
will naturally lead to a diverse lineup of flavors, even 
if the recipe stays the same. 


ABOUT MILK 


Although it resonates in some contexts as the original 
energy drink and in others as the very definition of 
bland, milk is extremely complex. And its role in 
cheesemaking makes it more so by the multitude of 
factors affecting the milk on its path from teat to table. 

This complexity explains why a huge factor in how 
your cheese turns out lies within the milk you use. 
Even today, scientists are still trying to perfectly 
understand the intricate chemistry of this first food. 
But we do know some things, such as milk’s compo¬ 
nents; the differences in milk from different animals; 
and how health, stage in lactation, and environment 
play a role in the quantity and the quality of the milk 
an animal gives. 


COMPONENTS 

pf'Milk 



vitaminA' & 

MINERALS 

(< 1*0 

PROTEIN (3$ 

FAT (4*4 

LACTOSE (5$ 

YV'VTER 

(87x) 


^PERCENTAGES ARE APPROXIMATE 
based w Holstein c® w miilm 


TYPE OF ANIMAL 

The type of animal you collect or select milk from 
for cheesemaking is a huge factor in determining 
what cheese you’ll end up with. In the United States, 
the “alpha” milker is, hands down, the cow. This is 
the same for most of Europe. (In parts of the Middle 
East, the Mediterranean, India, and Northern Africa, 
goats and sheep take the lead.) Aside from cows, 
goats, and sheep, other animals’ milks are used 


KITCHEN CREAh 

20 


for cheese and cultured dairy. In Northern Africa, 
the Bedouin people turn camel’s milk into yogurt. 
Grass-fed yaks in the mountains of Nepal produce 
rich milk for cheesemaking. Entrepreneurs in Serbia 
craft cheeses from Balkan donkey’s milk (called 
pule), and cheesemakers in Sweden are successfully 
extracting enough milk from moose to make small 
amounts of moose cheese. 



Of course, the breed of animal is in turn equally 
as important as the species. For example, the 
floppy-eared Anglo-Nubian goat produces milk with 
higher butterfat than other goat breeds; the Boer 
goat, on the other hand, is chosen less for her 
milk and more for her hardiness. There are upward 
of seventy different goat breeds in existence and 
many dozens of dairy cow breeds. Nonetheless, 
as beginning cheesemakers, just like milk drinkers 
shopping for the home fridge, while you may be able 
to choose between animals—you can often find 
goat’s milk in supermarkets and almost surely in 
natural-foods stores—you usually won’t be able to 
choose between breeds. Unless you deliberately 
choose otherwise at the market or your local farm 


(or raise milk-givers yourself), you’ll likely be work¬ 
ing with Holstein cow’s milk. 

ENVIRONMENT AND ANIMAL HEALTH 

In addition to species and breed, environmental 
factors affect the milk and ultimately the cheese. If 
we took two sister Jersey cows and placed one in a 
field of Timothy grass in Vermont and set the other 
amid blue grama grass in Texas, the milk would taste 
different. Not only would the cows be surrounded 
by different soils, different plant species, and differ¬ 
ent microbes, the interaction of all of these ele¬ 
ments would create a unique effect on the milk and 
the animal. Other factors such as the presence of 
other animals, the layout of the fields, and the ani¬ 
mal’s shelter, as well as weather conditions, create 
layers of effects. 

There is also the animal’s health and emotional state 
to consider. Each animal within a herd is unique, 
therefore producing different amounts and qualities 
of milk. The milk from an animal that calved three 
weeks earlier is different from the milk of an animal 
that gave birth five months ago. A healthy animal, as 
you would guess, produces better milk than a less- 
healthy one; for example, if a cow has mastitis—an 
infection of the udder—that will affect the way the 
milk turns to curd at the creamery. By a similar 
logic, if the herd from which you are gathering milk 
is small—for example, just six animals—the indi¬ 
viduality of each cow’s constitution will be far more 
pronounced than if the milk comes from a herd of 
several thousand. 

STORE-BOUGHT VS. FARM FRESH 
If buying milk from the supermarket, you won’t 
need to worry about (or that is, get to embrace) 
most of the milk variations touched on previously. 
Store-bought milk, especially from major brands, 
comes from multiple and larger-scale dairies. Milk 
is comingled so much that a single carton, in theory, 
may contain drops of milk from thousands of differ¬ 
ent animals. While milk from larger-scale operations 
has the disadvantage of being more anonymous, it 
also will be standardized. You will know what you 
are working with, and this will help you create con¬ 
sistent cheeses. 


THE BASICS 

21 




HEAT TREATMENTS FOR MILK 
Pasteurization. French chemist Louis Pasteur 
developed a process of heat-treating wine and beer 
to prevent it from souring, and called it, of course, 
pasteurization. (It was actually his graduate student, 
Franz Von Soxhlet, who applied the idea to milk; 
maybe “soxhletting” didn’t roll off the tongue as 
easily as “pasteurization.”) 

CaClj: JUST A DROP 

You will see this ingredient in many recipes in 
this book. It is the elemental name for calcium 
chloride, and we use it in cheesemaking with 
store-bought milk because when proteins are 
denatured through pasteurization they no longer 
form a gel as readily when you add rennet. To 
correct for this, add CaCl 2 to the milk anytime 
you use pasteurized milk. (See page 26 and the 
chart on page 23 for more on calcium chloride, 
and Cheesemaking Supply Companies on 
page 234 for where to buy it.) 

Thermization. Thermization is the coolest method 
of heat treatment, common in Europe. The milk is 
heated to 145° to 150°F/63° to 65°C. The exact tem¬ 
perature and time vary, but do not meet the legal 
requirement for pasteurization. Thermized milk 
cheeses in the United States must be labeled as 
“raw” even though they are not considered raw 
in Europe. 

Low-Temperature, Long Time (TLT). Also known as 
“batch pasteurization,” this treatment is often used 
by home-scale and small-scale cheesemakers. Milk 
is heated to a specific temperature and held for an 
exact amount of time (specific to the temperature). 
An example: 145°F/63°C for 30 minutes. This method 
is accomplished vat by vat (as opposed to continu¬ 
ously, as we see in HTST method, following). 

High-Temperature, Short-Time (HTST). Also called 
“continuous method,” in HTST, the milk is heated to 
161°F/72°C for 15 seconds. This is the most common 
method for medium- to large-scale cheesemaking 
because large amounts of milk can be processed 
very quickly. 


Ultra-High Temperature (UTHT). The milk treated 
by the UTHT method is often labeled as “ultra- 
pasteurized.” The milk is heated to 275°F/135°C for 
a minimum of 1 second. Milk treated by UTHT is 
not suitable for most cheesemaking (see chart, 
facing page). 

Extended Shelf Life. This is the same basic pro¬ 
cess as UTHT, but the milk is heated to higher 
temperatures or with an additional filtration step 
to reduce bacteria counts. Heat treatment may 
also be at a higher temperature than 275°F/135°C. 
This is the treatment used to make those boxes of 
unrefrigerated milk found in many parts of Europe. 
Milk treated for extended shelf life is not suitable 
for most cheesemaking. 

RAW MILK 

The term “raw milk” invites extreme emotion wher¬ 
ever I turn—either someone is adamantly against it 
or zealously in favor. As a cheesemaker, I walk the 
middle road. I think both raw and pasteurized milk 
have merits in the make room and in affecting the 
final product. 

Today, nearly any milk you reach for in a super¬ 
market will be pasteurized. Some states allow for 
the sale of raw milk while others do not. In the end, 

I feel that, beyond what temperature the milk has 
been heated to (though that is meaningful), the 
more important questions are, “Does the milk come 
from healthy, well-managed animals?” and “Is this 
the very freshest milk I can possibly source?” If you 
answer yes to both, you are on the right road. 

MILKING IT 

I framed the recipes in this book, with a few 
noted exceptions, around pasteurized, store- 
bought cow’s milk. I assume most readers will 
have easy access to this ingredient, whereas 
fewer will have access to goat’s, sheep’s, or even 
raw cow’s milk. If using raw milk, complete the 
recipes as directed with two caveats: 1) leave 
out the CaCl 2 (if applicable) and 2) reduce the 
amount of cultures added (again, if applicable) 
by half. 


KITCHEN CREAh 

22 




HOMOGENIZATION 

Almost all store-bought milk today is homogenized, 
a qualification that is not even necessary to label 
because it is so ubiquitous. Homogenization is the 
process of breaking down milk fat globules into 
smaller particles, so they stay in suspension through¬ 
out the milk instead of collecting at the top as 
cream. Often milk is filtered at the same time as it is 
homogenized, allowing producers to remove the fat 
and then add it back in at a specific percentage 
(1 percent, 2 percent, etc.). 

There are benefits to homogenization: It allows 
the producer to sell a uniform product; it slows the 
breakdown of the milk because it prevents fat from 
rising to the surface, where it is exposed to air; and 
it mixes the fat evenly throughout the milk, distrib¬ 
uting full flavor and avoiding the plug of cream 
at the top of the bottle or carton that flummoxes 
some people. 

For the home cheesemaker, homogenization has 
both benefits and drawbacks. Generally, smaller fat 


particles interrupt the formation of a gel (the curd 
we need to make cheese), which means a weaker 
gel, which means a lower yield. On the plus side 
of homogenization, some cheese styles, including 
lactic-set cheeses and some styles of blue, benefit 
from smaller fat particles. The smaller particles 
allow the fat to break down quickly, leading to more 
flavor sooner—a great thing for a commercial enter¬ 
prise. While all types of milk can work for many of 
the recipes in this book, for simplicity, I recommend 
mainly sticking to unhomogenized (also called cream 
line) milk unless noted otherwise on the side tab. 

GOLDEN RULES FOR USING STORE-BOUGHT MILK 

When selecting milk for cheesemaking, here are 
good rules of thumb: 

• For rennet-set cheeses, never use ultra-pasteurized 
milk. 

• If using pasteurized milk, add CaCl 2 before you add 
the rennet, and in roughly the same proportion. 

• For yogurt, buttermilk, kefir, chevre, fromage blanc, 
and cream cheese, homogenized milk is okay. 


Which Milk for Which Cheese 


MILK CATEGORIES BASED ON HEAT TREATMENT 

HEAT TREATMENT 

USED IN CHEESEMAKING 

NOTES 

Raw Milk (none) 

For any recipe. 

You cannot legally sell nonaged raw-milk cheeses in the 
United States. 

Pasteurized Milk 

For any recipe; before renneting, 
add CaCl 2 . 

Pasteurized-milk cheeses require longer aging than 
raw-milk versions to achieve the same amount of flavor. 

Ultra-Pasteurized Milk 

Only okay when making yogurt, 
buttermilk, kefir, ricotta, or 

paneer. 

In the same way that you heat milk to make yogurt, the 
heat treatment of UTHT works in your favor to create a 
thicker body in yogurt and lactic-set cheeses. 

MILK CATEGORIES BASED ON BUTTERFAT PROCESSING 

BUTTERFAT PROCESSING 

USED IN CHEESEMAKING 

NOTES 

Homogenized Milk 

For direct-acid and lactic acid-set 
cheeses and all cultured dairy 
(yogurt, buttermilk, kefir, chevre, 
fromage blanc, cream cheese, 
paneer, ricotta, mascarpone) and 
some blue cheese styles (Stilton, 
Bisbee Blue, Blue Capricorn). 

Homogenized milk is also always pasteurized. 

Unhomogenized Milk 

For any recipe. 

A “cream line” may form at the top of the vat on slower 
setting (i.e., lactic acid-set) cheeses. Enjoy—it’s like 
accidental creme fraTche. 


THE BASICS 

23 

























BEYOND MILK 

We have covered the most important ingredient 
you’ll need: milk. Now let’s look at everything and 
anything else that might go into your vat. 

CULTURES 

You can make cheese without adding cultures— 
letting whatever is naturally present in the milk play 
out—but I don’t recommend it. Cultures, the term 
for microorganisms used to ferment the milk and 
develop flavors, are abundant all around us—in 
the air, on our skin, on the countertop. While some 
of these are the ones you want in the vat, trusting 
that only those will get in is risky to hopeless. 

Think about that skunky milk in the back of your 
fridge. It was cultured naturally and, though it 
likely is safe to consume, it probably doesn’t taste 
very good. The same goes for cheesemaking—you 
could make cheese without adding cultures but 
you might not want to eat it. By purchasing selected, 
laboratory-grown cultures with distinct flavor 
outcomes, or by adding cultured buttermilk (rich 
with the “right” cultures), you’ll more confidently 
guide the milk in the direction you want. 

Start with Buttermilk 

In the beginning, make as many cheeses as you can 
before purchasing equipment and fancy ingredients; 
the same goes for cultures. Before you get dizzy 
staring at the culture websites, dreaming of all the 
incredible cheeses you will one day make, go to the 
grocery store and grab a carton of buttermilk—it 
is alive with plenty of cultures to get you going. 
Buttermilk will work for any of the recipes in chap¬ 
ters one and two. By chapter three, it’ll be time to 
branch out. Note: When buying buttermilk, choose 
a container labeled as “cultured” buttermilk. Some 
versions of buttermilk are made by adding acid—but 
not cultures—to milk, and you want to make sure 
not to pick up this version on accident. 

Using and Storing Cultures 

There are tricks to keeping your cultures as active 
as possible. You’ll likely have to order freeze-dried 
cultures online (see page 234). When they arrive, 
immediately open the box and move the foil packets 


to the freezer. Keep the packets in an airtight con¬ 
tainer. Once you’ve opened a packet, make sure to 
close it tightly after each use. If possible, store the 
cultures in a freezer that is not self-defrosting—the 
less moisture these cultures come into contact with 
(while being stored), the more effective they’ll be. 

When you are ready to use your cultures, insert 
a clean, dry knife tip into the foil packet and 
remove what you need. Do not stand over the 
warm vat while doing this, because the steam 
can moisten the insides of the packet, “waking 
up” the cultures prematurely. Once they get wet, 
they tend to clump and are difficult to measure. 

I suggest pre-hydrating these cultures to get them 
up to speed before adding them to the vat (see 
page 101). 

A MOLD BY ANY OTHER NAME 

Although the words “cheese form” and “cheese 
mold” mean the same thing—something you use 
for draining your cheese—“cheese mold” can 
also refer to the fungi used to ripen cheese, such 
as Penicillum roqueforti. For clarity, throughout 
this book I use the term “form” for the contain¬ 
ers and “mold” for the fungi. 

RENNET (COAGULANT) 

Rennet is a generic term for the ingredient used to 
coagulate milk. Traditional rennet is a mixture of 
enzymes that come from a mammalian stomach 
and include the specific enzyme rennin, also called 
chymosin. The story of the beginning of cheese¬ 
making dovetails with the discovery of rennet. It is 
told that seminomadic people used animal stomachs 
to carry water and milk. Because the stomach con¬ 
tained these coagulating enzymes, people noticed 
the pleasing change in the milk carried within and 
started working with it to separate out the solids 
from the whey intentionally. 

Today, because it is an animal product, adding ren¬ 
net to a food makes it inappropriate to some diets. 
Luckily, bacterial, fungal, and plant-based coagu¬ 
lants also exist. Traditional cheeses used in Jewish 
ceremonial dinners (such as during Shabbat) used 


THE BASICS 

25 



Rennet Options 


TYPE 

SOURCE 

BENEFITS 

DRAWBACKS 

Animal rennet 

Stomach lining of veal 
calf, lamb, or goat kid 

Traditional rennet, a by-product of the 
meat industry, has the potential for 
the most-authentic flavor profile 

Nonvegetarian 

Stomach paste 

Macerated stomach 

Includes other enzymes present in the 
stomach wall and pregastric glands, 
creating diverse flavor potential 

Strong lipase presence, short 
shelf life, hard to source 

Microbial 

rennet 

Derived from the fungi 
Rhizomucor miehie and/or 
Rhizomucor pusillus 

Acceptable for all dietary restrictions 

Stronger potential for breaking 
down proteins and may lead to 

bitter tastes 

Fermentation- 

produced 
chymosin 
(“vegetable 
rennet,” or 

FPC) 

Animal genes are inserted 
into bacterial host, which 
produces the enzyme 

Highly efficient rennet-producing 
product with few to no flavor or 
dietary drawbacks 

Genetically modified food 
additives remain controversial. 

FPC is used in 60 percent or 
more of cheeses produced in 
the United States 

Plant extracts 

Fig sap, dried capers, 
nettles, thistles, mallow, 
and ground ivy 

Widespread availability, historical legacy 

Less effective coagulation and 
flavor potential. Harder to 

source 


sap from fig leaves to transform milk into curd, and 
Portuguese cheesemakers use extracts of thistle 
plants to make the cheese called cardo. 

Plant-based coagulants are harder to find and con¬ 
sidered less effective than animal rennet in causing 
the proteins to link up. To cheesemakers, this may 
mean a softer curd and a potentially lower yield. 
There are few commercial sources for these plant- 
based coagulants. 

The most widespread non-animal coagulant used in 
the United States comes from fermentation-produced 
chymosin (FPC), which is sometimes labeled on the 
cheese package as “vegetarian” or “vegetable ren¬ 
net.” Arguably a misnomer, fermentation-produced 
chymosin (which is one of the enzymes found in the 
animal stomach) is 100 percent pure (meaning there 
are no other enzymes, such as pepsin or lipase, pres¬ 
ent). FPC is created by injecting host bacteria with 
DNA extracted from calf cells. The host bacteria then 
produce the desired chymosin. This makes the prod¬ 
uct a bacterial one and also the product of genetic 
modification, another controversial dietary item. 

Finally, there is microbial rennet, a product extracted 
from the fungi Rhizomucor miehei. This mimic of 
animal rennet performs beautifully, and I’ve used it 


personally for many years. However, because of its 
newness (relative to the fifteen-thousand-year-old 
animal rennet), there is still some uncertainty—or 
maybe it’s a lack of familiarity—with this product. 

• Note: Rennet is available in both single and 
double strengths. All of the rennet amounts listed 
in Kitchen Creamery assume you are using the 
single-strength variety. If using a double-strength 
variety, use half of the amount listed. 

CALCIUM CHLORIDE 

You will use calcium chloride (CaCl 2 ) whenever 
you make cheese with store-bought, pasteurized 
milk—even if it is unhomogenized (see the chart 
on page 23). CaCl 2 is a salt found in limestone. It is 
helpful to the cheesemaker because during pasteur¬ 
ization, heat damages milk proteins. Adding CaCl 2 
helps to increase the attraction between proteins to 
form a stronger gel. In other words, CaCl 2 restores 
the natural calcium balance in the milk. Additionally, 
CaCl 2 is sometimes used to help goat’s milk and 
late-lactation milk form a stronger curd. 

CaCl 2 has many food applications beyond cheese. It 
firms up tofu and helps canned fruits and vegetables 
stay crisp. It is used in sports drinks because it has 


KITCHEN CREAh 

26 











electrolytic properties. It is even used to de-ice roads. 
That said, when purchasing a bottle of CaCl 2 , do so 
from a cheesemaking supply company to ensure you 
have an appropriate strength for food consumption. 
You will add CaCl 2 in the same quantity as the rennet 
and always before the milk is renneted. Store your 
bottle of CaCl 2 in a dark and cool place. 

When to Use Calcium Chloride 

USE CACL 2 : For any rennet-set cheese (pot cheese, 
feta, Bel Paese, all the recipes in chapter five); any 
lactic acid-set cheese (chevre,/romage blanc) made 
with pasteurized milk; and cultured mozzarella. 

DO NOT USE CACL 2 : For any cultured dairy product 
(yogurt, kefir, buttermilk); any direct-acid cheese 
(ricotta, mascarpone, paneer); quick mozzarella; 
anytime you are using raw milk. 

VARIABLE: When using goat’s milk from a small herd, 
you may or may not need CaCl 2 , depending on how the 
milk varies over the lactation season. 

LIPASE 

When I taste a cheese with a distinctly picante or 
spicy character, I know the enzyme lipase is at work. 

I often associate the flavor with cheese styles that 
originated in Italy, such as Provolone. Lipase, like 
animal rennet, comes from a mammalian stomach. 

It breaks down fat molecules into smaller molecules 
and creates this signature flavor. Plan on using 
it when you make Provolone (page 176), Asiago 
(page 183), or optionally for Cultured Mozzarella 
(page 174). 

COLORANTS AND WHITENERS 

Ever wondered why some cheeses are such a bright 
orange? It’s most likely due to annatto, a traditional 
colorant found in foods throughout the world. Think 
of the pinkish-red chicken tikka masala at your favor¬ 
ite Indian restaurant, or the bright red (though not 
spicy) mole of Oaxaca. Annatto can even be found as 
an ingredient in mustards, bottled spice mixes, and 
many processed foods. 

Annatto comes from the achiote tree (Bixa orellana), 
which grows in the subtropics; I saw it once while 
traveling in southern Mexico. The trees reach about 


15 ft/4.5 m in height. In the yard where I saw my first 
achiote, family members were busy gathering the 
tree’s pompom-like seed clusters and drying them 
on sheets in the sun. Later, they broke the pompoms 
open, shook out the seeds, and pounded them into a 
paste using a mortar and pestle. 

Modern-day annatto is chemically extracted and 
sold in liquid form. When using annatto for some of 
my cheeses, I add it after I’ve let the milk ripen but 
before I add the CaCl 2 and rennet. You can try making 
a homemade annatto paste using achiote seeds, 
found in most Latin grocery stores, or in many Indian 
markets under the name sindoor. It isn’t as easy as 
buying the premade liquid extract but it might be 
fun anyway. 

In addition to annatto, other coloring and bleaching 
agents are used in cheeses. Historically, carrots 
were grated and added to the milk, then strained out 
prior to adding the rennet. I’ve eaten a Sage Derby 
made with green coloring extracted from spinach. 
And many commercial fresh cheeses—such as qaeso 
fresco or fresh mozzarella—use titanium dioxide to 
create a brighter white. It’s an area open to exper¬ 
imentation as you delve into cheesemaking—and 
also to serendipity—I once accidentally colored a 
cheese using saffron threads. It was a surprise, and 
quite pretty. 

SALT 

For cheesemaking, always use salt that does not 
contain iodine or anticaking agents. The best type 
to use is a flake or pickling salt. Coarser salts are 
better than very fine salts. Kosher salt is also gener¬ 
ally a good bet, but check the ingredient list. Avoid 
very coarse rock salts, as the crystals are so large 
that salt uptake will be slow (with dry salting) or the 
crystals will be slow to dissolve (if making brine). 

Salt may be applied dry to the finished wheel, by 
brining, or by a mixture of both methods. The salt is 
almost always applied after pressing and, generally, 
after draining. Sometimes, as with the Flavarti on 
page 104, a small amount of salt is added to the vat 
before the curds are drained. This “early salt” often 
leaves you with a sweeter, milder cheese. 


THE BASICS 

27 


ASH 

The signature black line of a Morbier (and of the 
kindred Marbler and Gosling cheeses on pages 118 
and 134) comes from vegetable ash. These are not 
fireplace ashes, but a refined ash suited for cheese¬ 
making. (It is, in fact, the same as the “activated 
charcoal” found at nearly any pharmacy.) You only 
need a small amount (less than V 2 tsp for a recipe 
that uses 2 gal/7.5 L milk), and make sure to apply in 
a draft-free area. Use gloves, and tape down sheets 
of newspaper to the table beforehand for easier 
cleanup. You can also make the ash into a paste 
with water to brush it on the cheese. 

FLAVORINGS 

A world of possibility awaits you when you consider 
adding spices, aromatics, and other flavorful ingre¬ 
dients to your cheese. Maybe it’s shaved truffles. Or 
dried cranberries. Perhaps you love caraway seeds, 
or have decided on a mix of ground fennel and cumin. 
The most important thing to remember is to start 
simply, making sure the recipe works for you before 
complicating it with spice. After you’ve run through 
a non-spiced version (perhaps a few times), try the 
recipe with any seasoning embellishments calling 
out to you. 

Spices used in cheesemaking should be dried (or 
freeze-dried), unless you plan to consume the cheese 
within a couple of days. Items such as chopped fresh 
basil leaves or grilled peppers have too much water 
in them and will introduce unwanted yeasts and 
molds. In addition, many fresh herbs won’t look 
appealing after exposure to a cheese’s warmth, oxy¬ 
gen, and salt. If using fresh herbs, mix them into a 
spreadable cheese immediately before serving for 
best results. 

Before adding flavorings to cheese curds, decide 
whether they need to be cleaned. If so, clean by 
simmering in boiling water for 1 to 3 minutes before¬ 
hand. A short boil will both rehydrate the ingredient 
(for example, sun-dried tomatoes) and, more impor¬ 
tant, help clean away molds and yeasts. Boiling is 
not appropriate for ground dried spices, but works 
for seeds and woody spices like peppercorns. Add 
the flavorings as you are hooping—that is, filling the 
cheese form(s) with the curds. 


Just to share (and spare you) travails from my own 
cheese journeys, I’ve found the following flavorings 
mildly to completely unsuccessful: dried dill (too 
weak), dried cilantro (too weak), deseeded jalapeno 
chiles (not hot enough—I should have kept in some 
of the seeds), sage (too floral), and whole black 
peppercorns (I added too many to a cheese that 
was too soft, so when I cut it, the peppercorns tore 
the cheese). My most successful seasonings have 
been fenugreek or cumin seeds (a classic addition 
to Gouda), red pepper flakes (pulverized in the 
food processor beforehand), dehydrated onion or 
garlic flakes (excellent), dehydrated shiitake and 
porcini mushrooms (also chopped beforehand), and 
chopped sun-dried tomatoes (dry, not oil-packed). 

When flavoring cultured dairy products like yogurt, 
buttermilk, and kefir, add the flavorings and any 
accompanying sweeteners just before consuming 
for the freshest flavor. Once I mixed peach jam into 
a batch of kefir, then bottled it up for the farmers’ 
market. The next morning, before I even got to mar¬ 
ket, the bottles were swollen. The yeast in the kefir 
was still active, and I had fed it with the sugar in 
the jam. Oops! 

WATER 

Water is often overlooked as an ingredient in the 
cheesemaking process. Technically it is, oh, let’s 
say a “processing aid,” but since you are pouring 
it into the pot, it is worthwhile to mention. In most 
recipes using rennet and calcium chloride, you 
use water to dilute them. You’ll also use it to wash 
curds when making cheeses in that style, such as 
the Gouda-style Divino (page 106) or Rising Moon 
(page 111), a version of Jarlsberg. Find water that is 
free of chlorine (which most municipal water is; you 
can test it easily with a home kit). If you aren’t sure, 
prepare the water by boiling and cooling it before¬ 
hand, or purchase purified or distilled water. 

CREAM 

In some recipes, you will increase the amount 
of butterfat by adding cream to the milk. When 
you add cream to a cultured dairy product such 
as yogurt, you make it richer. When you do this 
in a cheese recipe, you are creating a double- or 


KITCHEN CREAN 

28 


triple-cream cheese. Read the ingredients label on 
the cream and choose a brand that is free of stabi¬ 
lizers such as polysorbate 80 or carrageenan gum. 
Ideally, find one that is not ultra-pasteurized, a good 
sign that the cream comes from a more local source. 
Buy organic if possible. 


ESSENTIAL EQUIPMENT 

When it comes to equipment, special or otherwise, 
for beginning your cheesemaking adventure, start 
simply. The only two things I could not make cheese 
without are a proper stockpot and a good thermom¬ 
eter; if you don’t have them, these two things are 
a must purchase right away. After that, try to buy 
as little as possible at first and then slowly acquire 
more as you understand the cheesemaking process 
and grow clearer on which styles you like to make. 

If you find you are fond of making bloomy-rinds, 
for example, a fancy press—actually, any press at 
all—is unnecessary. 

For recommendations on the order in which to 
acquire things for your cheesemaking arsenal, I 
created the chart on page 34, with a rating for each 
item of one or two stars, one being “buy now” and 
two meaning “it can wait”—things that are not 
essential but make cheesemaking easier, more accu¬ 
rate, or more aesthetically pleasing. 

Following are brief explanations of all the “buy now” 
items on the chart. 

AGING BINS 

Short (about 4-in-/10-cm-tall) plastic containers, 
available at any home-goods store, make great 
humidity controls for your aging cheese. Choose one 
with dimensions that suit the dimensions of your 
cheese. I can store one large or two medium wheels 
in each of my bins, if I choose my forms right. When 
using these familiar “snap-on lid” storage containers 
for ripening and aging cheeses, be sure to rest the 
lids on top without actually buckling them down. If 
the container becomes airtight, the cheese may 
suffocate. And if the containers emit a strong plastic 
odor when first purchased, air them out for several 
weeks before placing cheeses inside. 


AGING MATS 

The main function of an aging mat is to allow airflow 
on the underside of the cheese. The fineness ofthe 
pores in the mat should correlate to the nature of 
the cheese—for example, a firm-pressed cheddar 
can age atop a wide-weave mat, whereas a delicate 
double-creme bloomy-rind such as Buttercup 
(page 137) will need a finer weave, otherwise the 
cheese will seemingly melt through. There are pro¬ 
fessional cheese mats with varied pore sizes avail¬ 
able at all cheesemaking supply companies, but I 
find plastic embroidery boards from the crafts store 
do the trick perfectly—and at a fraction ofthe price. 
Additionally, you can try resting your aging cheeses 
on sushi mats, plastic sink mats, or other wide 
washable plastic mesh. The most important feature 
of aging mats is that they should be easy to clean. 

CHEESECLOTH 

Cheesecloth, as its name suggests, is designed 
specifically for cheesemaking, and is an invaluable 
and inexpensive tool for making efficient work of 
separating the curds from the whey, as well as 
other functions. It comes in different thread counts 
to indicate the tightness of each weave. Choose a 
looser cheesecloth (#50 or less) for lining forms 
for pressed cheeses or if you are making a pressed 
cheese without a form, such as Baby Jack (page 152). 
Here, the cloth serves as a wick, allowing the cheese 
to drain more evenly, and/or helps get the cheese in 
and out ofthe form when flipping. 

Choose a tight-weave, or #90, cheesecloth (a 
gauge identical to butter muslin, which you can 
always substitute) when draining cheeses with fine 
curds such as mascarpone or chevre. If you use 
the wider weave for finer curds, the cheese will 
drain through the pores and be lost; likewise, if 
you use a super-tight weave for cooked, pressed 
cheeses, the whey won’t be able to leave the cheese 
as rapidly as it should. See page 37 for a chart of 
cheesecloth weaves to guide you in your selection, 
and stock up on a few different gauges for your 
cheesemaking feats. 


THE BASICS 

29 





V 




\ 


\ 



X 









CHEESE FORMS 

Perhaps surprisingly, I hesitated over adding cheese 
forms to the essentials list—partly because you 
can make many cheeses without a form and partly 
because you can easily repurpose a number of 
common household items. But expense notwith¬ 
standing, I do recommend purchasing at least one 
true, professional pressable cheese form sooner 
than later. Though many lovely shapes come from 
working without a professional form, cheese forms 
may prevent inappropriately asymmetrical cheeses 
and various mishaps, such as the cheese continuing 
to slip out of the press. I have two really nice, press- 
able forms (one medium, one large) and I use them 
all the time—for nearly any recipe—and I love them 
for their ease and reliability. 

CREAM WAX, CHEESE WAX, AND 
VACUUM-SEALING BAGS 

Although cream wax is not absolutely essential, I 
suggest it as an earlier purchase if you plan to make 
anything aged. It is very similar to cheese wax in 


that it coats the rind of the cheese and moderates 
or prevents mold growth, but different in that it 
is liquid at room temperature and applied using 
nothing more than an ordinary paint brush. It allows 
for some air and moisture to leave the cheese, 
whereas cheese wax forms a tighter seal. Although 
I like cheese wax, too (it’s so pretty), you can’t 
beat cream wax’s ease of use. It’s really a friend 
to the beginning cheesemaker. Note: Because it is 
synthetic, cream wax should be pulled or cut off 
the rind prior to eating the cheese. 

Vacuum-sealing bags complete the list of inorganic 
ways to seal the cheese rind, and are an alternative 
to cream or cheese waxes. Eventually you should 
experiment with them all to see which you like 
working with and to understand the advantages of 
each. Having cream wax, cheese wax, or a vacuum 
sealer will make cheese aging infinitely easier, espe¬ 
cially as you start out and, in particular, before you 
get your cheese cave in order. 


REPURPOSED FORMS 

F®R DRAINING (SHERIS 



STYROFOAM 

CVp 


(P 0 KEB m«-„. 

INSIDE TO OVTj 




PLASTTE© 

BERRY BASKET 


™ T ,S fFV® PIPE 
CYt.1 Sv tux 5 AEt ? E> drx&xed) 


THE BASICS 

31 




CURD KNIFE 

To make the initial cuts into just-renneted milk, you 
can use a true curd knife, available anywhere you 
find cheesemaking supplies, any long knife such as 
a carving or cake knife, or even a sauce (flat) whisk. 
The sharpness of the knife is not important, but the 
length, of course, is. Test the knife against your pot 
to make sure your hand and the handle will be above 
the surface of the milk when it’s time to cut. If the 
knife is too short, your hand will smash, instead of 
cut, the curds at the top, or you won’t be cutting 
all the way to the bottom—leaving an unfortunate 
blob of uncut curd. 

In a commercial creamery, cheesemakers use cheese 
harps, large, stainless-steel frames strung either 
vertically or horizontally with fine metal wires, to 
achieve identical cubes. If you are a tinkerer, you can 
fashion yourself a homemade harp to fit the size of 
your vat by cutting down a metal wire grid or plastic 
light diffuser. A professional harp is overkill for the 
home operation, since the home cheesemaker’s vat 
is small (in proportion to the professional’s) and he 
or she can cut the whole vat of set milk into curd 
quite quickly. 

MEDICINE DROPPER 

Because you’re working with very small amounts of 
rennet and CaCl 2 , a medicine dropper will be the 
best way to measure out doses. You don’t want a 
V 2 tsp rennet to casually become 3 A tsp . . . much 
will change. Medicine droppers are available at the 
drugstore. Classic teaspoons work in a pinch but 
give a less precise amount. 


SKIMMER OR STIRRING ROD 

To stir the curds, you can use a long-handled skim¬ 
mer or slotted spoon. Sometimes I use a long metal 
spatula. My big secret for cheese I won’t be selling 
is that my favorite “stirrer” is actually my hand—or 
rather, my arm! Submerging it into the vat allows me 
to keep a finger on things, noting if curds are starting 
to mat (stirring too slowly) or if they’re sticking on 
the bottom (heat is too high). Some people like to 
stir with a long-handled whisk. 

STOCKPOTS 

The recipes in this book are designed for 1, 2, or 
4 gal/3.8, 7.5, or 15 L of milk. The smaller amounts 
work well when making fresh and soft-ripened 
cheeses. Working with a larger volume makes more 
sense when making pressed cheeses such as 
Mountain Top (page 180). Since not everyone has 
a 4-gal/15-L stockpot on hand, this may be some¬ 
thing to buy. To convince you of its worth, just 
consider the modest return on any of the pressed 
and aged cheeses (8 to 11 percent). After a long day 
of making cheese plus many long months of aging it, 
cracking open a 5-lb/2.3-kg wheel will be so much 
more encouraging than opening a 2-lb/910-g one. 

Don’t use aluminum or copper pots (curds and whey 
are acidic and may draw elements into the cheese). 

THERMOMETER 

A good thermometer is an essential tool—perhaps 
the single most important one for the home cheese- 
maker. I prefer digital kitchen thermometers over 
analog versions because they give me a quick and 
accurate reading. I recommend keeping a backup 





KITCHEN CREAN 

32* 
























thermometer in case that unfortunate day comes 
when, just after you gather 20 gal/75 L of milk, your 
thermometer goes kaput! Be sure your thermometer 
is calibrated for accuracy; a few degrees can make 
a difference when making cheese. To calibrate, stick 
your thermometer in a cup of ice water for 3 min¬ 
utes. The temperature should read 32°F/0°C. If it’s 
off, pencil in the new mark and adjust the tempera¬ 
tures for the recipe accordingly. 

VACUUM SEALER 

I’m putting a vacuum sealer on the essential equip¬ 
ment list because nothing else will relieve you of 
“affinage headaches” as well as this tool. A vacuum 
sealer allows you to seal any fresh, semifirm, or 
hard-pressed cheese, preventing the surface from 
growing molds or preventing further rind develop¬ 
ment on an already finished cheese. Vacuum sealers 
allow you to reseal pieces from a cut wheel (letting 
you taste test your cheese creation over time). If 
you aren’t ready to eat through a 4-lb/1.8-kg wheel 
of Havarti by yourself, a vacuum sealer will save 
the day. 

There are many more items you can buy—but none 
are absolutely essential. Like I said, you really need 
only a good thermometer and a stockpot to make 
cheese. The nonessential items, such as more 
real cheese forms, a press, a pH meter, a smoker, 
a gram scale, and so on, ramp up the fun of home 
cheesemaking. They make the process more efficient 
and help your cheeses turn out more consistently. 


PH STRIPS OR PH METER 

None of the recipes in this book, except (option¬ 
ally) the Cultured Mozzarella (page 174), call for 
a specific pH or acidity level in order to make an 
edible cheese. You will learn to judge whether it 
is time to take the next step according to time, 
temperature, and feel. However, as you move 
forward in your cheese craft and want to gain 
better control of the cheesemaking process, 
you’ll want first to buy some pH strips, then a 
pH meter. 

Standard pH strips come in packs of 100 strips, 
which will last you quite a while, and are avail¬ 
able from most cheesemaking supply compa¬ 
nies. Note that these strips are safe for culinary 
use and are geared specifically to the pH range 
of cheese (4.0 to 7.0). Do not use the litmus 
paper made for testing swimming pools or 
fish tanks! 

A range of pH meters are available, priced 
depending on quality and function. The meter 
needs to be maintained and calibrated with 
each use. Use per the manufacturer’s directions; 
there are also helpful videos online. Once you 
get used to your pH meter, it will become one of 
your favorite tools in the creamery. 


THE BASICS 

33 



A Guide to Acquiring Your Cheesemaking Equipment (* = buy right away ** = buy eventually) 


ITEM 


ATTRIBUTES 

POSSIBLE SUBSTITUTES 

Aging bins 


Maintains humidity around cheese while 
keeping contaminants out, separates 
varieties of cheeses 

Cheese or cream wax, vacuum bags, a true 
cave with controlled humidity 

Aging boards 


Supports weight of cheese, imparts 
flavor, stabilizes moisture, allows for 
oxygen flow on cheese underside 

Plastic boards or trays covered with aging 
mats, waxing or vacuum-sealing negates need 
for aging boards 

Aging mats 


Props up cheese to allow air to circulate 

underneath 

Aging directly on wooden boards, or 
vacuum-sealing or cheese- or cream-waxing 

Analog 

thermostat 


Adjusts temperature of regular fridge, 
making it run warmer 

Age in wine fridge, regular fridge (slower 
ripening), or true cave 

Cheesecloth 


Fine mesh fabric used to strain curds 
from whey 

Flour-sack dish towels, lace curtain material, 

or other cotton fabric 

Cheese press 


Presses curds together to form a sealed 
rind with properly expelled moisture 

Many alternatives to purchased presses though 
most have drawbacks; presses are only needed 
for milled-curd and semifirm to firm cheeses 

Cheese trier 


Allows you to monitor development 
of cheese wheel without halting aging 
process 

Vegetable peeler 

Cheese wax or 

Cream wax 


Pliable coating that is easy to apply 

Paraffin is too brittle; beeswax is brittle and 
expensive—note that used cheese wax can be 
melted, strained, and used again 

Cold smoker 


Imparts flavor, dries cheese, inhibits 
mold growth, and seals rind 

Liquid smoke is available, but the flavor is 
inferior to real wood smoke 

Curd knife 


A long blade that reaches to the bottom 
of the pot 

Cake spatula, bread knife, meat knife, or 
cheese harp 

Form with 

follower for 
pressed cheese 


A pressable cheese form with follower 
enables you to make heavily pressed 
cheeses such as cheddar; be sure to 
select a form with a capacity that corre¬ 
sponds to the size of your cheese vat 

Cheese can be pressed using only cheesecloth 
(see example on page 222); this style will make 
an asymmetrical wheel 


KITCHEN CREAMERY 

34 


















ITEM 


ATTRIBUTES 

POSSIBLE SUBSTITUTES 

Forms for 
unpressed 

cheeses 


These delicate cups and baskets allow 
curds to be separated from the whey and 
come in a variety of shapes and volumes; 
line with cheesecloth or select one with 
appropriate number and size of pores 

Plastic berry basket, plastic milk jug with 
punctures, restaurant silverware cups, or 
cheesecloth and a colander 

Gram scale 


Precise measurement of powdered 
rennet, cultures, lipase, and acids 

Consistent volume measurements using 
medicine dropper or teaspoons 

Humidifier 


Increases humidity in aging environment 

Not necessary if using aging bins 

Large stock- 
pot, or two 
large nesting 
stockpots 


Holds enough milk for a nice, large, work¬ 
able cheese batch; nesting creates tem¬ 
perature buffer and prevents scorching 

Bain marie, single pot with heavy bottom, or 
single pot set into sink of warm water 

Medicine 

dropper 


Precise measurement of liquid rennet 
and CaCl 2 

Measuring spoons or rennet in tablet form 

pH meter 


Measures acidity as a gauge of when to 
move to next stage in cheesemaking 
process 

pH strips are less expensive but less accurate; 
monitoring pH is not critical for beginning 
cheesemaking, though it will be a helpful tool 
eventually 

Salometer 


Measures brine strength 

Follow brine recipe exactly; making a new 
batch for each recipe creates consistent brine 
strength 

Skimmer or 
stirring rod 


Keeps curds in motion; slots in the 
skimmer slow the velocity of liquid’s 
movement, making for less curd 
fracturing 

Metal spatula, whisk, or your own (clean) arm 

Thermometer 


Digital thermometers offer accurate 
measurement and are quick and easy 
to read 

Analogue thermometer is a possible substitute 

Vacuum sealer 


Allows you to reseal cut cheeses for 
extended holding (up to several months) 

Semifirm and firm cheese varieties may be 
resealed using cheese wax; fresh and soft 
cheeses cannot be waxed 


THE BASICS 

35 














SETUP AND SANITATION 

The more careful you are about cleanliness while 
making cheese, the happier you’ll be in the long run. 
There are thousands of opportunities for unwanted 
organisms to enter the mix. Do your best to keep 
them out by taking these steps. 

RINSE EVERYTHING BEFORE USE. 

Dust collects everywhere. Before filling the pot with 
milk, give it and your tools a rinse with a sanitizer 
or steam (see page 231). Keep a stack of white hand 
towels that can be routinely bleached or boiled. Use 
these to cover the surfaces on which you’ll set out 
your tools; to dry off equipment; or to cover pressing 
cheeses in the sink. 

KEEP EQUIPMENT IN A CLEAN, DESIGNATED 
LOCATION. 

Instead of hunting for your teaspoons every time you 
want to make Quark, have your supplies separated 
and stored in a clean, ideally see-through, plastic 
bin. Store your largest milk pot upside down and off 
the floor. Make sure your supplies are in a rodent- 
proof, scent-free, mold-free location (which means 
not a damp basement). 

RINSE AWAY SOAP RESIDUE. 

Remember the point of cheesemaking is to grow 
bacteria. If you’re too careful on the cleanliness 
front, you might end up doing more harm than good. 
When bleaching or soaping a surface or tool that 
the cheese will come into contact with, be sure to 
rinse extra thoroughly. 

USE COMMON SENSE. 

When making cheese, use common sense. You’ll be 
spending a lot of time hovering over the pot, so tie 
back your hair or wear a hat. Even put away that cell 
phone (if you can). Try and avoid strong soaps or 
lotions on a cheesemaking day. Lastly, kick out the 
cat (or the blue jay). 


READY TO ROLL 

Before you get going on any recipe, follow these 
four steps. 

1. Read through the entire recipe first. Some cheeses 
and cultured dairy products will need your attention 
for 24 hours. Others will get wrapped up in a few 
hours. Read through and plan ahead. 

2 . Gather and sanitize your tools and equipment 
beforehand (see page 231). After they’re clean, lay 
everything out on a clean (I like to use white so I can 
see the clean) towel, near the vat. 

3 . Inspect the expiration dates of rennet, cultures, 
and ingredients. 

4 . Calibrate your thermometer by sticking it in a cup 
of ice water for 3 minutes. The temperature should 
read 32°F/0°C. If it’s off, pencil in the new mark as 
32°F/0°C and read the rest of the temperature with 
that adjustment accordingly. 


KITCHEN CREAh 

36 


ABOUT CHEESECLOTH 


The term cheesecloth is a bit of a murky one. It can mean something gauzy that you would 
see in a Halloween display; loose-weaved stuff you might use to wrap a roast; or the 
exceedingly versatile and useful, tightly woven, barely transparent material, closer to a 
flour sack or dishcloth, that has dozens of uses in the kitchen. One reason for the sprawling 
definition is because cheesecloth comes in a variety of grades, or numbers of threads 
per square inch. The grades range from very open weave (#10) to extra-fine weave (#90). 
The higher grades are interchangeable with a product called “butter muslin.” In general, 
for cheesemaking purposes (draining cheeses and lining cheese forms), use #60 to 
#90 gauge. The following chart shows thread counts of the different gauges and poten¬ 
tial money-saving alternatives. 


GRADE 

THREAD 

COUNT 

ALTERNATIVE 

#10 

20 by 12 

None: Not appropriate for cheesemaking. 

#40 (Loose) 

24 by 20 

Try a medium-weave lace-curtain material. 

#60 (Medium) 

32 by 28 

Look in fabric stores for a loose-weave linen. Choose one 
that is white or lightly colored. 

#90 (Tight) 

44 by 36 

Butter muslin, if available, or try flour-sack kitchen towels. 












f.l’TEft 



CULTURED 


MILK 

& 

CREAM 






















A chef once told me, “We make creme fraiche 
every night before we close up the restaurant. We 
just pour leftover buttermilk into leftover cream 
and leave it on the counter until morning.” Making 
cultured dairy products—which aren’t “technically” 
cheese because they haven’t been drained—is as 
simple as a splash of buttermilk in a bowl of cream. 
You’ll soon see for yourself as we turn milk and 
cream from a liquid into a solid. 


MILK CHEMISTRY 


To understand what’s happening when you add 
cultured buttermilk to cream, let’s break down what 
milk is made of: 

• Lactose—The fuel for cheese cultures. Lactose is 
the primary sugar found in milk. 

• Protein—The main protein in cheesemaking is 
called casein, which coagulates in an acid envi¬ 
ronment or under the influence of rennet. Also 
present in milk are whey proteins, which we’ll 
gather when we make whey ricotta. 

• Fat—Butterfat provides flavor, aroma, and 
texture. 

• Salts and Minerals—Minerals such as calcium 
and phosphorus help the casein coagulate. 

• Enzymes—Lipase and plasmin enzymes aid in 
the ripening of a cheese. 

The elements above are, logically enough, the parts 
of milk that are not water. Nearly 90 percent of 
cow’s milk is water, to give you a sense of propor¬ 
tions. To make yogurt, buttermilk, kefir, or creme 
fraiche, you’ll keep that water together with those 
solids, but just change the way that the proteins 
line up. With yogurt, you have 100 percent yield. With 
cheese, you will have closer to 10 percent yield. 

FROM LIQUID TO GEL 

Once added to milk, if the temperature is right and 
there aren’t obstacles in the way (a too-hot flame 
under the vat, competitor bacteria already present, 
some sanitizer lingering), cultures get right to work, 
leaving the “lag phase” and starting to produce 
at exponential rates, known as the “exponential 


growth” or “log phase.” During log phase, the 
cultures produce enough lactic acid that milk trans¬ 
forms from liquid to gel (as is the case with yogurt). 
Under ideal conditions, this occurs within hours of 
inoculation. 

As the cultures create acid, the milk changes from 
being nearly neutral (a pH of about 6.7) to being 
mildly acidic. In response to this acidity, the casein 
proteins, which normally repel each other, become 
attracted to one another. As milk approaches a 
pH level of 4.6 (known as the “isoelectric point” of 
casein protein), the casein proteins link together and 
precipitate—or fall out of solution—and the milk 
turns semisolid. This process can be catalyzed by 
either a change in the milk’s acidity or the introduc¬ 
tion of the enzyme “rennet” (which we’ll talk about 
shortly). Water, butterfat, additional proteins, and 
lactose are all trapped inside this protein web. 

Creating acidity in milk also, incidentally, makes 
milk—which is at this point yogurt or cheese—a 
safer food. Acidification is a process commonly 
used in food processing. Acidity makes foods safer 
but also affects texture and flavor. Think of canned 




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CULTURED 


& CREAM 











foods, salad dressings, sauces, and juices. All of 
these have a pH of 4.6 or lower. Pathogenic and 
contamination bacteria have a narrow range in 
which they can survive, let alone reproduce. That 
range is generally “sweeter” or less acidic than 
pH 4.6. 

LEARNING TO CULTURE 

You will start your journey into “the milky way” 
by making “milk gels.” Milk gels, which you can 
visualize as yogurt, take only a few steps. Warm the 
milk or cream, add cultures, incubate, refrigerate, 
and then enjoy. Through these simple steps, you’ll 
witness the transformation of milk or cream from a 
liquid to a solid state. This transformation occurs 
because of the acidity created by the cultures you’ve 
added. Once you’ve gotten a grip on this step, 
you’re just one step away from making cheese. 

As you make these recipes, you may notice how 
similar many of the recipes are to each other. Kefir is 
basically a variant of yogurt and yogurt is basically 
a variant of buttermilk. Greek-style yogurt is essen¬ 
tially creme fraTche, only with different amounts of 
protein and butterfat in the same volume. The dif¬ 
ference is the richness of the milk or cream you start 
with, the cultures you use and the temperatures at 
which you incubate. A walk down the supermarket 
dairy aisle will never be the same! 

When making these recipes, you may also wonder 
why there is such a difference in the thicknesses of 
the end products (if they really are so similar). This 
is a good question. The thickness depends on the 
cultures you use, the nature of the milk (is it super¬ 
rich like sheep’s milk or is it thinner like cow’s milk?), 
the temperature and length of time you incubate for, 
and the presence of thickeners or sweeteners. So 
while yogurt is essentially buttermilk, it also isn’t 
buttermilk because the cultures you’ll use and temper¬ 
atures you’ll heat the milk to are just a bit different. 

TEXTURE AND MOUTHFEEL 

After you’ve tried a few recipes, you’ll probably 
find that the results you get are different from what 
you’re used to in products you buy. Your butter¬ 
milk might be chunkier or entirely thickened. Your 
goat’s-milk yogurt may be as thin as a smoothie. 


Your cream cheese almost certainly will be tangier 
and less, how shall I say it—plastic-y—than store- 
bought versions. These are the “old-fashioned” 
textures that many of us have forgotten or never 
even knew. 

If you really want a more store-bought-like result, 
you have a few options. In industrial production, 
fodder plant- and seaweed-based additives such as 
guar gum, agar, or carrageenan gum are a standard. 
To keep your cheese creations as simple as possible 
and to avoid unwanted flavors, try one of the options 
in the chart on the facing page if you wish to tinker 
with density and texture. 


INCUBATION METHODS 

When making the following recipes for yogurt, 
buttermilk, and more, you will be incubating milk for 
between 4 and 48 hours. Choose any of the following 
incubation methods—or devise your own! Set or 
clip a thermometer inside the incubator so you can 
monitor the temperature and decide if adjustments 
are needed. 

PICNIC AND BEVERAGE COOLERS 
An ordinary insulated portable cooler partially filled 
with hot (120°F/48°C) water is my favorite method 
for incubating. Choose a cooler with a tight-fitting 
lid and one sized proportionally to the yield of your 
recipe—for example, a single jar of yogurt sitting in 
a very large cooler will get chilly and not set prop¬ 
erly. Bump up the temperature, if needed, by adding 
more hot water partway through. 

YOGURT INCUBATOR 

There are a number of specialty yogurt makers— 
electric units that produce consistent, insulated 
heat—to choose from. Some have single-serving 
cups while others are one larger container. 

LIGHTBULB BOX 

Just like a pet bunny, your yogurt can feel warm and 
cozy in a box warmed with a lightbulb. Fit a 60-watt 
non-LED bulb into an insulated shipping box, making 
sure the bulb is not touching the Styrofoam or other 


KITCHEN CREAN 

40 


Thickeners for Yogurt, Kefir, Sour Cream, and Cream Cheese 


THICKENER 

AMOUNT TO ADD PER 

1 GAL/3.8 L MILK 

METHOD 

Gelatin 

V 2 packet (Vs oz/3.5 g) 

Sprinkle the gelatin into a small bowl and add 3 tbsp warm (120°F/48°C) 
milk from the pot of milk in your recipe. Let stand for 3 minutes, then stir 
thoroughly to dissolve the gelatin before stirring it back into the pot. (The 
effects of the gelatin will not be noticeable until after the yogurt has set and 
chilled in the refrigerator.) 

Powdered Milk 

V4 cup/50 g 

Make a slurry of the powdered milk before adding to the main pot: Put 

V4 cup/50 g powdered milk in a bowl and slowly whisk in 1 cup/240 ml 
warm (120°F/48°C) milk from the pot you are using for your recipe. When 
the slurry is smooth, pour through a sieve back into the pot, catching any 
remaining clumps. 

Rennet 

1 drop 

Just before incubating your yogurt or buttermilk, whisk the rennet directly 
into the cultured milk or cream, mixing thoroughly before proceeding. The 
best thing about this thickener is you might already have it on hand. 


insulation, and is at least 3 in/7.5 cm away from the 
incubating yogurt. Also make sure the box is small 
enough that one bulb offers sufficient heat. 

HEATING PAD 

Heating pads, available at any pharmacy for medical 
purposes, make great incubating units. Place a towel 
in the bottom of a box. Put the heating pad on top, 
then cover with two or three more towels. Rest the 
yogurt container(s) on top of the towels and close 
the box. Set the thermostat of the heating pad to 
maintain the desired temperature. 

PILOT LIGHT 

If your oven has a pilot light, you may be in luck and 
have a super-convenient incubator. Before trying to 
make yogurt in your oven, do a test run by leaving a 
pot of water inside overnight. In the morning, stick a 
thermometer into the water. The temperature should 
be between 98° and 105°F/37° and 41°C. If it’s outside 
this range, look elsewhere for your incubator. 


MICROSCOPIC FRIENDS 

There are two main cultures we find in yogurt: L. del- 
brueckii ssp. bulgaricus and S. thermophilus. (Many 
yogurts have additional strains.) Cultured butter¬ 
milk, which, as I’ve said elsewhere, is very similar 


to yogurt, often contains L. lactis subsp. cremoris 
and Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp. cremoris. 
Icelandic yogurt will use the strain Bifidobacterium 
longum. And Bulgarian-style yogurt implies a spe¬ 
cific ratio of L. bulgaricus to S. thermophilus. 

That’s a lot of Latin! But don’t worry about the long 
names. The point is, there is an overlap in the types 
of cultures you’ll use for different dairy products and 
which cultures you use is only one factor determin¬ 
ing the end product. Differences in how the product 
comes out, therefore, depend in part on the type 
of cultures used as well as other factors. When you 
purchase a culture packet online, it will come with 
the correct strain mixes and proportions. On the 
websites of supply companies, you can browse var¬ 
ious qualities of yogurt, for example, and purchase 
which one you want. It’s a bit like shopping for the 
right breed of dog. (I want a thick body, very sweet, 
mild flavor. . .) 

But before you race to the Internet to buy cul¬ 
tures, remember to start simple. For the first few 
recipes ahead, instead of using freeze-dried “DVI” 
cultures, you will simply need to gather some 
buttermilk, some Bulgarian-style yogurt, and some 
Icelandic-style yogurt from the local grocery store. 


CULTURED MILK 8, CREAM 

*41 * 











EASY 



MAKES 4 QT/3.8 L 


MILK 





ALL TYPES 


FINAL FORM 



JAR OR TUB 



This basic recipe for delicious homemade yogurt can be tinkered with to produce an array 
of styles. Experiment and find your favorite—see the variations listed opposite. 


Note: If culturing with store-bought yogurt, choose a brand with a texture and taste you 
like, and ideally one without flavorings and stabilizers for the greatest chances of repro¬ 
ducing a similar yogurt. Do not open the container until you are ready to use it. When 
making future batches, use your homemade yogurt for up to four generations. After that, 
start with a new store-bought “mother.” 


INGREDIENTS 
T gal/3.8 L milk 

Y 4 cup/60 ml store-bought or homemade 
plain yogurt 

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT 
Digital kitchen thermometer; four 1-qt/l-L 
jars or clear plastic tubs with lids; 
incubation setup (see page 40) 

1. Clean all surfaces and equipment before 
beginning. 

2 . Pour the miik into a heavy-bottomed 
stockpot and warm over medium-high 
heat to 180°F/82°C. Using an up-and-down 
motion, stir every 2 to 3 minutes. 

3 . Once at temperature, remove from the 
heat, cover, and hold at 180°F/82°C for 

5 minutes. It’s okay if the temperature rises 
slightly (up to 195T/91°C), but it should 
not dip below. For a thicker yogurt, hold 
at 180°F/82°C for up to 25 minutes. 

4 . After 5 minutes, transfer the pot to a sink 
filled with cold water, making sure the water 
doesn’t spill into the hot milk. Bring the 


temperature of the milk down to 115°F/45°C 
as quickly as possible, stirring to speed it 
along, then remove the pot from the sink. 

5 . In a small bowl, stir together the yogurt 
and 1 cup/240 ml of the warm milk. Pour the 
thinned yogurt mixture back into the pot. 
Stir for 20 seconds. 

6 . Moving quickly to conserve the heat, 
pour the milk mixture into the jars or tubs, 
dividing it evenly. Screw or snap the lids on 
tightly. Nest the jars in your incubator. 

7 . Keep the incubator in a warm, vibration- 
free location for 8 to 10 hours, or longer 

if needed. The yogurt should be slightly 
firmed and show very subtle indentations 
in the side. (It will not be completely thick¬ 
ened until it has been refrigerated, but it 
should no longer be liquid.) 

8. Move the jars to the refrigerator imme¬ 
diately and hold for 6 to 8 hours before 
serving. 


KITCHEN CREAMERY 

42 





VARIATIONS 

EXTRA RICH: Increase the decadence of your 
yogurt by adding 2 cups/480 ml heavy cream 
per 1 gal/4 L milk to the pot when beginning 
to heat the milk. The cream will sour along 
with the milk, leaving you with an amazingly 
rich yogurt that’s perfect for spooning over 
desserts like berry cobbler. 

EXTRA THICK: Stir together V 2 cup/100 g 
powdered milk and 1 cup/240 ml of the just 
heated (180°F/82°C) milk to make a smooth 
slurry. Pour the slurry through a fine-mesh 
sieve back into the pot. Stir well and proceed 
as directed to cool the milk mixture to warm 
(115°F/45°C), then culture. Play with the 
amount of milk powder you use for a thicker 
or thinner texture. 

EXTRA TANGY: Start with a store-bought 
variety that is very sour in flavor (not a mellow, 
pudding-like yogurt brand). Let it incubate for 
10 to 20 hours longer than the suggested time. 
(Ifyou are using the picnic-cooler incubator 
setup, add hot water water several times 
during the incubation time to keep tempera¬ 
ture up.) For lactose-sensitive eaters, tangier 
yogurt means less lactose though it is not 
entirely lactose-free. 

GREEK: There are two ways to make Greek- 
style yogurt. The first method is the same 
as the Extra Thick variation: Increase the 
amount of milk solids relative to the amount 
of water before culturing to yield a denser 
gel. The second method is to remove water 


by straining after culturing (identical to what 
you’ll do when you make the Fromage Blanc & 
Quark on page 84): Line a colander with clean 
fine (#90) cheesecloth. Set the colander in a 
sink, or over a large pot if you want to collect 
the whey. Scoop the freshly cultured, not yet 
cooled yogurt into the prepared colander. 
Drain for 4 to 10 hours at room temperature, 
or until it reaches the thickness and tanginess 
you like. Transfer to a bowl and mix to redis¬ 
tribute the moisture (the yogurt will be drier 
in the sections nearer to the cloth and wetter 
toward the center). You can also combine 
these two methods: adding powdered milk 
and straining afterward to make something 
thick enough to mortar walls. 

BULGARIAN: Bulgarian yogurt is not that 
different from American yogurt—the only 
difference being it contains only the Lac¬ 
tobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus 
thermophiles cultures, and a specific ratio of 
the two. American yogurts contain a handful 
of other cultures—some that survive in the 
human digestive tract (considered “probiotic”) 
and some that cause parts of the milk to hold 
water molecules tightly, forming a heavy gel. 
Purchase a container of Bulgarian yogurt 
(it will say so right on the container) to use 
for your starter. Check to make sure that the 
ingredients list only Lactobacillus bulgaricus 
and Streptococcus thermophilus cultures. 

CONTINUED 


CULTURED MILK & CREAM 

43 


GOAT’S-MILK: Making goat’s-milk yogurt is 
nearly identical to making cow’s-milk yogurt, 
except that you’ll need to add a small amount 
of rennet. Add 2 drops of rennet, undiluted, 
per 7 gal/3.8 L of goat’s milk as you are stirring 
in the yogurt cultures. Moving quickly, pour 
the cultured milk into the container(s) in 
which your yogurt will set and then place in 
the incubator. (Note, for goat’s-milk yogurt, 
it’s okay to use either cow’s- or goat’s-milk 
yogurt as the inoculant.) For extra-thick 
goat’s-milk yogurt, find powdered goat’s milk 
and follow the directions for the Extra Thick 
cow’s-milk variation. 

SWEET VANILLA: At one of my creamery 
jobs, we rolled out a plain yogurt, which sold 
quite well. Then, after several more months, 
we rolled out a honey-vanilla version. When it 
hit the shelves, people went gangbusters —a 
testament to how a little sweetness can go 
a long way. Halve one (or more for stronger 
flavor) vanilla bean lengthwise. Scrape out the 
seeds, then place the seeds and pod into the 
milk as you are heating it initially to 180°F/ 
82°C. While heating, also add % cup/85 g 
honey and stir until the honey is dissolved (see 
Note). Remove the vanilla pod while the milk is 
cooling to V5°F/45°C. Proceed with the recipe 
as directed. The seeds from the pod will leave 
attractive specs in your finished yogurt. 


stirred-in flavorings: To make flavored 
yogurt, after the yogurt has cultured and 
cooled, mix in about 3 tbsp sugar or honey 
per 2 cups/480 ml plain yogurt along with 
your flavoring of choice, such as an extract 
or syrup. If sweetening with jam or jelly, add 
3 V 2 to 5 tbsp per 2 cups/480 ml plain yogurt. 
The cultures you choose and the amount of 
time you let the yogurt ferment will deter¬ 
mine how sour the yogurt is, in turn affecting 
how much sweetener you may want to add 
(see Note). 

NOTE: 

• When sweetening yogurt, do not add any 
more honey or sugar than the recipe calls 
for prior to incubating the yogurt. Addi¬ 
tional sweetener will interrupt the formation 
of the gel, leading to loose or unset yogurt. 
Instead, if you want a sweeter yogurt than 
the finished product you get, stir in more 
honey after the yogurt has set and cooled. 
Commerical yogurts get over this obstacle 
by adding thickeners and gels. 


KITCHEN CREAMERY 


44 







MAKES 1 QT/0.9 L 


MILK 





PART SKIM OR ALL 
SKIM 

FINAL FORM 



JAR OR TUB 



Icelandic yogurt is similar to Greek-style yogurt, but it is tangier and has a bit more 
sheen to its appearance. The crucial thing for making Icelandic yogurt is to use a store- 
bought container of Icelandic yogurt as the starter. You can find it in well-stocked 
supermarkets and natural-foods stores. Also, this yogurt, unlike the previous recipe, 
uses rennet forthickening. 


INGREDIENTS 

1 gal/3.8 L part skim or all skim milk 

V 4 cup/60 ml store-bought Icelandic yogurt 

2 drops rennet 

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT 
Digital kitchen thermometer; incubation 
setup (see page 40); 20-in/50-cm square 
medium or fine (#60 or #90) cheesecloth; 
two 1-qt/l-L jars or plastic tubs with lids 

1. Clean all surfaces and equipment before 
beginning. 

2 . Pour the milk into a heavy-bottomed 
stockpot and warm over medium-high 
heat to 180°F/82°C. Using an up-and-down 
motion, stir every 2 to 3 minutes. 

3 . Once at temperature, cover and hold at 
180°F/82°C for 5 minutes. It’s okay if the tem¬ 
perature rises slightly (up to 195"F/91°C), but 
it should not dip below. 

4 . After 5 minutes, transfer the pot to a sink 
filled with cold water, making sure the water 
doesn’t spill into the hot milk. Bring the 
temperature of the milk down to 115°F/46°C 
as quickly as possible, stirring to speed it 
along, then remove the pot from the sink. 


5 . In a small bowl, stir together cup/60 ml 
of the warm milk and the yogurt. Pour the 
thinned yogurt mixture back into the pot. 

Stir well. 

6 . Add the rennet to the pot, one drop at a 
time, then stir well. 

7 . Stop the motion of the milk, cover the pot, 
place it in an incubator, and leave for 6 to 

8 hours. Be sure the pot stays warm during 
the incubation period; the temperature 
should not fall below 95"F/35°C. 

8. The yogurt is ready for cutting when it has 
firmed into a block of curd surrounded by 
almost-greenish whey. Using a long knife and 
skimmer or a whisk, cut the curd vertically 
and then horizontally into 1-in/2.5-cm pieces 
(see page 219). Stir the curds very gently for 

1 minute to release more whey. 

9 . Rinse the cheesecloth with hot water and 
wring out. Line a colander with the cheese¬ 
cloth and place the colander in the sink. 
Ladle the curds into the colander. Allow 

it to drain until the level of the curds has 
dropped sufficiently. 




10 . Make a pouch by tying the corners of 
the cheesecloth together. Run a dowel or 
long-handled wooden spoon under the 
top knot and set over a pot so the pouch 
is suspended freely inside. Place the pot 
with the draining pouch in the refrigerator 
for 4 to 6 hours. During this time, you 
can expedite the draining by occasionally 
shaking the pouch gently, pushing the 
curds near the edges of the fabric inward 
and shifting the interior curds toward the 
outer edges of the pouch. 

11 . When the yogurt has reached the desired 
consistency (drain longer if you’d like a drier 
curd), transfer to a clean bowl and beat with 
a wooden spoon until the curds have homog¬ 
enized. Alternatively, especially if the curds 
are very thick, use a food processor and 
pulse for 10 to 20 seconds. 

12 . Spoon the yogurt into clean jars or tubs. 
Cover and refrigerate. 

NOTE 

• If you thinkyou have let the curds drain 
for too long, you can rehydrate them by 
adding some of the whey collected in the 
pot during draining, using a whisk or a 
food processor. You can also whisk or pulse 
in 1 cup/250 ml half-and-half or heavy 
cream to create a richer treat. 


CULTURED MILK & CREAM 

47 


CMCdCJ 


MAKES ABOUT 2 CUPS/480 ML 


Your yogurt batches are going to turn out beautifully. But sometimes, by mistake or by 
mystery, a batch just doesn’t work. Happily, there’s a way to make the miss into a real hit! 
Here is a recipe for a simple white cheese similar to cottage cheese. Snack on it, top a 
lunch salad with it, or use it to stuff your next batch of pierogi or ravioli. 


INGREDIENTS 

1 gal/3.8 L unset yogurt milk, from any 
recipe 

¥z tsp salt, or to taste 

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT 
Incubation setup (see page 40); digital 
kitchen thermometer; 20-in/50-cm square 
fine (#90) cheesecloth 

1. Check to see if there is any perceivable 
sour taste to your yogurt milk. If there is, 
that’s good; proceed to step 2. If not, leave 
the culturing milk in the incubator until a 
sour taste develops. This should happen in 
less than 2 days. If not, give it more warmth 
and more time (you might have a very cold 
kitchen). 

2 . Move the pot of yogurt milk to the stove 
(or gently pour into a clean stockpot if it’s in 
jars or tubs) and begin to heat without stir¬ 
ring. Around 95°F/35°C, you should start to 
notice the curds separating from the whey. 
For a softer cheese, stop heating here. For a 
drier cheese, continue to heat to 115°F/46°C, 


with gentle and occasional stirring. Once at 
temperature, turn off the heat and hold for 
20 minutes. 

3 . Rinse the cheesecloth with hot water and 
wring out. Line a colander with the cheese¬ 
cloth and place it in the sink. Ladle the curds 
into the lined colander and let drain to the 
desired consistency, 3 to 4 hours. Transfer 
to a bowl and stir in the salt, then pack into 
an airtight container. Refrigerate until ready 
to enjoy. 

NOTE 

• You can also make this cheese “on purpose ” 
by making the recipe for Yogurt (page 42), 
but substituting buttermilk for the yogurt 
inoculant. 


KITCHEN CREAMER 

■48‘ 


BUTTERMILK: WHAT’S REAL? WHAT’S FAKE? 

Because the word “buttermilk” seems to perennially conjure multiple meanings—which 
part is butter? which part is milk?—it begs some clarification. 

There are three different types of buttermilk: Quick acid, traditional, and modern. The 
quick-acid version is really a fake, essentially we add vinegar directly to milk to make it 
curdle slightly and gain tanginess. You have probably done this in a pinch when your crowd 
was hungry for pancakes and you had no buttermilk on hand. But while it may suffice for 
pancakes, buttermilk created by these means (you can tell a container from the store is the 
quick-acid type if it doesn’t advertise the words “cultures” or “cultured” but does list thick¬ 
eners and emulsifiers as well as citric acid) are not good in home cheesemaking because 
they lack essential bacteria. 

Then there’s traditional buttermilk—a liquid by-product of buttermaking that’s fragrant, 
semiopaque, and garnished with small flecks of butter. This stuff looks thinner than what 
you imagine buttermilk should look like (if you are accustomed to the store-bought stuff). 
Like it or not, you’ll make this kind when you make the Cultured Butter on page 56. 

Then there’s a modern, store-bought version of traditional buttermilk, which is what I am 
referring to in the recipes calling for “cultured buttermilk.” This stuff come from low-fat 
milk that has been fermented with active cultures (identical to the recipe on page 50), and 
this fermentation causes it to thicken slightly. There may be additional thickeners such as 
extra powdered milk or whey solids and sometimes even butterspecs (which are added so 
that it appears more like the traditional stuff). 

For cheeemaking, either choose the modern cultured buttermilk from the store or gather 
some traditional stuff from your own buttermaking. But don’t make or buy quick-acid 
buttermilk—there are no living cultures in it to serve your cheesemaking purposes. 


CULTURED MILK & CREAM 

49 



EASY 



1 


FjCe+i^ 





MAKES 2 QT/2 L 


MILK 




Next up is an extra-simple cheesemaking recipe that lands you two wonderful foods: 
buttermilk and kefir. The buttermilk you’ll make is not the traditional buttermilk (a 
by-product of butter making) but rather a modern buttermilk—similar to the one you 
can buy in the supermarket (see page 49). Kefir is similar to buttermilk but with an 
entirely different flavor. It’s drinkable and the slightest bit effervescent (because it’s 
partially fermented by yeasts as well as by bacteria). People love kefir and consider 
it very probiotic and healthful. 


This recipe for “modern” buttermilk and kefir differs from the previous one for yogurt 
because the milk isn’t heated to 180°F/82°C beforehand. Furthermore, you won’t need to 
incubate the culturing milk to anything warmer than room temperature (as long as your 
house isn’t too chilly!). 


FINAL FORM 



JAR 



INGREDIENTS 
2 qt/2 L milk 

For Kefir: V4 cup store-bought plain kefir 
For Buttermilk: V4 cup store-bought 
cultured buttermilk 

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT 
Digital kitchen thermometer; two I-qt/l-L 
jars with lids or plastic tubs; incubation 
setup (page 40) 

1. Clean all surfaces and equipment before 
beginning. 

2 . Pour the milk into a heavy-bottomed 
stockpot and warm over medium-high heat 
to 75°F/24°C, stirring occasionally. Remove 
from the heat. 

3 . To make the kefir: Pour the plain kefir into 
the warm milk. 

To make the buttermilk: Pour the cultured 
buttermilk into the warm milk. 


4 . Stir the contents of the pot, using an 
up-and-down motion, for 20 seconds. 

5 . Moving quickly to conserve the heat, pour 
the cultured milk into the prepared jars. 
Screw the lids on tightly. 

6 . If the room temperature is cool (below 
60°F/15°C), place the jars in the incubator. 
Otherwise, leave the jars in an undisturbed, 
vibration-free place for 12 to 36 hours, or 
until the cultured milk smells slightly tangy 
and coats the back of a spoon. 

7 . Store in the fridge, covered, until ready to 
enjoy or for up to 2 weeks. 


KITCHEN CREAMERY 

' 50' 








EASY 



(Kef i *t f\om 

GRAINS 


MAKES ABOUT 2 CUPS/480 ML 


MILK 




FINAL FORM 


JAR 



Some people feel that kefir cultured with kefir grains—which are these strange little 
objects called SCOBYs—is superior to kefir made commercially from freeze-dried cultures 
(see page 226). To play by the kefir SCOBY rules, don’t let the grains touch anything that 
might contaminate them, such as your hands or an unclean utensil. To buy live kefir 
grains, see page 234). 


INGREDIENTS 

2 cups/480 ml milk 

V 2 to 1 tsp live kefir grains (or more) 

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT 
Digital kitchen thermometer; l-pt/480-ml 
jar; wooden chopstick or wooden spoon; 
plastic colander 

1. Clean all surfaces and equipment before 
beginning. 

2 . Pour the milk into a small pan and warm 
over medium heat to 75°F/24°C, stirring occa¬ 
sionally. Remove from the heat. 

3 . Transfer the milk to the jar, then add the 
kefir grains using the chopstick or the handle 
of the wooden spoon. 

4 . Cover the mouth of the jar with a clean 
cotton dishtowel or napkin and fix in place 
with a rubber band. (This allows the release 
of the fermentation gases that the kefir 
produces.) Leave the jar on the countertop 
until the milk has a sour, pleasing smell and 
has thickened to the consistency of thin 
yogurt, anywhere from 8 to 72 hours. 



5 . Set a plastic colander over a glass bowl. 
Pour the thickened milk into the colander 
and use the chopstick to move the grains 
around, helping the kefir to drain. The thick¬ 
ened milk you collect in the bowl below is 
the kefir for you to enjoy; you should have 
about 2 cups/480 ml. Transfer to a container, 
cover, and store in the fridge until ready to 
enjoy or for up to 1 week. 

Meanwhile, the grains left in the colander 
are the cultures for your next batch. Transfer 
the grains to a clean jar and add enough 
milk to cover. Place the lid loosely (not 
airtight) on top of the jar and store in the 
fridge for up to 3 weeks. 

6 . Repeat the kefir cycle. With time, you 
will start to see more and more of the 
grains—they are growing and reproducing. 
The more grains used in relation to the 
quantity of milk, the faster the fermentation 
will happen; use at least V 2 tsp but no more 
than V 4 cup/55 g grains per 2 cups/480 ml 
milk. At some point—perhaps six or seven 
generations later, when you may have too 
many grains—divide your stash and share 
the wealth with friends. 


KITCHEN CREAMERY 

52 








TIPS FOR MAINTAINING KEFIR 

GRAINS 

• Do not leave the grains in the milk at 
room temperature for more than 4 days 
at a stretch. The acid being produced 
will start to kill away the weaker species 
of the microbial mix inside the SCOBY, 
changing the nature of the kefir. 

• If the grains are not readily forming tasty, 
bubbly kefir, revitalize the grains by going 
through several recipe cycles quickly, incu¬ 
bating for only 8 hours and discarding 
the “ start-up ” milk until it tastes delicious 
and bubbly. 

• The grains should eventually start to swell 
and duplicate. If your grains are not multi¬ 
plying after six or seven generations and 
proper conditions, discard and start with 
newly purchased grains. 


THE SCOBY SCOOP 

Kefir grains are part of a family of com¬ 
pounds popularly known as SCOBYs, 
which stands for “symbiotic colonies 
of bacteria and yeast.” You’ve seen a 
SCOBY before if you’ve tried kombucha 
and wondered about the particles 
floating around inside; or if you’ve 
purchased a bottle of natural vinegar 
and let it sit on the shelf for several 
months. In vinegars as in kombuchas, 
the SCOBY looks like a strange jellyfish. 
In kefir, I think the SCOBY looks like a 
mini, semitranslucent cauliflower. 


CULTURED MILK & CREAM 

53 



EASY 



MAKES ABOUT 1 QT/1 L 



MILK 




HALF-AND-HALF OR 
LIGHT CREAM 


FINAL FORM 

V_- 


JAR OR TUB 



This easy homemade sour cream is lighter than creme fraTche but richer than Greek-style 
yogurt or quark. Add the powdered milk if you want a denser product. 


INGREDIENTS 

1 qt/1 L half-and-half or light cream 

V 2 cup/100 g powdered milk, dissolved in 
V 2 cup/120 ml warmed half-and-half 
(optional) 

2 tbsp cultured buttermilk 
V 4 tsp salt, or to taste 

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT 
Digital kitchen thermometer; 1-qt/l-L 
jar or plastic tub; incubation setup (see 
page 40) 

1. Clean all surfaces and equipment before 
beginning. 

2 . Pour the half-and-half into a small 
stockpot and warm over medium heat to 
75°F/24°C, stirring occasionally. Remove from 
the heat. 

3 . Stir the powdered milk slurry (if using) 
into the warmed half-and-half, then add 
the buttermilk directly to the warm half- 
and-half. Stir the pot for 20 seconds, then 
pour the mixture into the jar. Screw on the 
lid tightly. 

4 . If the room temperature is cool 
(below 60°F/15°C), place the jar in the 
incubator. Otherwise, leave the jar in 
an undisturbed, vibration-free place for 
15 to 24 hours, depending on the room 
temperature. 


5 . When the mixture is no longer fluid, smells 
aromatic, and tastes tangy, stir in the salt. 
Salt increases the shelf life of the sour cream 
as well as brings out flavor. Refrigerate for 
3 hours before enjoying or store in an airtight 
container in the fridge for up to 3 weeks. 

VARIATION 

MEXICAN CREMA: If you’re familiar with 
the cream dolloped on top of tacos, you 
know crema. It’s similar to sour cream but 
less acidic, looser, and made with more salt. 
Follow the recipe for sour cream, but incu¬ 
bate until you just start to detect the aromatic, 
yogurty smell (check at 6 hours and again 
at 10). Mix in V 2 tsp salt and 2 drops of rennet, 
then store in the fridge for several more hours 
or until ready to use. Stir well before serving. 


KITCHEN CREAMERY 

' 54 ' 






MAKES ABOUT 1 QT/1 L 


This decadent soured cream is similar to the sour cream on the facing page, but denser 
and not salted. The beauty of creme fraTche shines when paired with bold foods such as 
an extra-sweet fruit tart or salty pork carnitas. If you have a source for raw cream, this 
is a great recipe to try it out with, because the natural milk flavors carry through well. 
Make sure the cream is very fresh if using raw. 


INGREDIENTS 

1 qt/1 L heavy cream, preferably 40% milk 

fat or at least 35% 

2 tbsp cultured buttermilk 
Pinch of salt (optional) 

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT 
Digital kitchen thermometer; 1-qt/1-L 
jar or plastic tubs; incubation setup (see 
page 40) 

1. Clean all surfaces and equipment before 
beginning. 

2. Pour the cream into a small stockpot and 
warm over medium heat to 72"F/22°C, stirring 
occasionally. Remove from heat. 

3. Pour the buttermilk into the warm cream. 
Stir well for 20 seconds, then pour the mix¬ 
ture into the jar. Screw the lid on tightly. 


4. If the room temperature is cool 
(below 60°F/15°C), place the jar in the 
incubator. Otherwise, leave the jar in 
an undisturbed, vibration-free place for 
15 to 24 hours, depending on the room 
temperature. During this time, the cream 
will first thicken to the consistency of 
buttermilk, then yogurt, and finally to that 
of very thick Greek-style yogurt. Stir in 
the salt, if desired. 

5. Store, tightly covered, in the refrigerator, 
for up to 2 weeks. 


MILK 






FINAL FORM 



JAR OR TUB 



CULTURED MILK & CREAM 

55 


EASY 





EASY 


MILK 






HEAVY CREAM 


FINAL FORM 





LOOSELY PACKED 
TUB OR LOGS, OR 
MOLDED 



1/ T T 


MAKES 1 LB/450 G BUTTER, PLUS 
2 CUPS/480 ML BUTTERMILK 


Traditionally, to make the process worth their while, farmers would accumulate cream for 
several days before churning it into butter. While the cream waited, yeasts and bacteria 
in the air and on surfaces generated a natural fermentation that produced a flavorful 
butter. Nowadays, nearly all butter in the supermarket comes from fermented cream, 
though none of it accidentally. 

Whether they arrive via a gust of wind or a hermetically sealed foil packet from the culture 
lab, when microorganisms enter cream, they grow and multiply, creating flavor by-products 
in the process. The benefit of the laboratory-produced cultures we use nowadays is that we 
can guarantee that the ideal flavor-producing microorganisms we want are present. One 
of these special microscopic friends, Leuconostoc mesenteroides ssp cremoris, is actually 
responsible for producing what our brain thinks of as “butter flavor.” Leuconostoc mesen¬ 
teroides ssp cremoris turns a form of citric acid (a tiny bit of which is naturally present in 
milk) into a flavor compound called diacetyl. This Leuconostoc mesenteroides ssp cremoris 
gets into the mix when you add buttermilk to cream when making creme fraTche. This creme 
fraTche you’ll then churn into butter—butter-flavored butter. 

Cream is an emulsion of butterfat and the watery portion of milk, the whey. (If you zoomed 
in to a microscopic level, you’d see tiny droplets of fat suspended in a milky broth.) A special 
membrane called the phospholipid bilayer surrounds each droplet of fat. This membrane 
attracts fats on the inside and repels fats on the outside. The repulsion prevents the fats from 
joining together and keeps the cream emulsified. To make butter, you agitate this cream, 
which disrupts those membranes and causes the fat to start to stick together. 

Next, you separate the sticky fat globules from the whey (which is also called buttermilk) 
by using a colander. You’ll wash the fat globules with cold water, and knead out as much 
residual moisture as possible. (Understand, though, as you are developing your signature 
butter-making skills, that you’ll never get out all the water and milk solids—commercial 
butters are about 80 percent butterfat, while European-style butters are closer to 85 per¬ 
cent. Homemade butters tend to be from 65 to 75 percent butterfat.) 

Experiment with the churning methods to see which you prefer. Note that washing and 
drying your butter as thoroughly as possible results in better cooking qualities (you want 
butter that won’t hiss when it hits the frying pan) and longer shelf life (water makes foods 
go bad more quickly). Then have fun playing with shaping and seasoning your butter— 
the possibilities are deliciously endless. 

CONTINUED 

KITCHEN CREAMERY 

56 * 















INGREDIENTS 


1 recipe Creme Frafche (page 55), prepared 
through step 4, prior to salting 
Salt 

1. After ripening, place the creme fraTche 
in the refrigerator for 1 hour to bring the 
temperature down to 50°F/10°C before 
proceeding. If your butter gets warmer than 
60°F/16°C at any point during the following 
process, refrigerate to return to 50°F/10°C. 

2 . Once you have chilled cultured cream, 
proceed with churning it by one of the 
following methods. 

FOOD PROCESSOR OR BLENDER: Pourthe 
cultured cream into a food processor or 
blender, making sure the work bowl or jar is 
no more than halfway full. Cover and pulse 
or process on low speed for 5 seconds. Stop 
the machine and pour in 2 cups/480 ml 
ice water. Pulse again until you see butter 
particles rising to the surface of the liquid, 
usually 10 to 20 seconds longer. The down¬ 
side of this method is it leaves you with 
watered-down buttermilk. The upside is 
that it takes very little time. 

HAND-SHAKEN: If you want to make butter 
the really old-fashioned way—before the 
advent of even the classic wooden churn 
with a plunger—simply shake it by hand. 
(Arguably the only upside to this method: 
you’ll burn as many calories churning the 
butter as you’ll take in eating it.) Cut the 
recipe in half for your first run, because 
shaking is a bit of work. Pour the cultured 
cream into a 1-qt/l-L jar, making sure it is 
no more than halfway full. Screw the lid on 
tightly and start to shake—in any manner. 

(I sometimes roll the jar back and forth with 
my foot while I work at the computer.) Within 
20 minutes, if the temperature stays in range 
(see step 1), the cream will separate into a 
grainy mush. If not, check the temperature 
and continue agitating. Stop agitating as 


soon as the butterfat clumps are the size 
of rice grains. 

STAND MIXER: This is my favorite method 
because I can see and hear the butter as 
it hits the perfect spot in development, 
before it gets over-churned. Pour the cul¬ 
tured cream into the bowl of a stand mixer 
fitted with the paddle attachment to about 
one-third full. (Do not overfill the work bowl; 
a too-full mixer will fling butter around your 
kitchen. Work in batches as needed.) Beat 
at medium speed. Watch as the cream turns 
fluffy, then waxy, then starts to collapse into 
a grainy mush. Now listen carefully for a 
sloshing sound. Once you hear it, turn off the 
mixer. Depending on the weather, the source 
of the cream, and the speed of the mixer, 
churning by mixer can take anywhere from 
several minutes to over half an hour! Do not 
raise the mixer speed to shorten the time; 
instead keep checking the temperature 
to make sure you are in the correct range 
(see step 1). 

3. When the cream makes a sloshing sound 
and starts to look like grainy porridge, it is 
ready to be drained and washed. Pour the 
contents of your churner into a fine-mesh 
sieve or fine-holed colander placed over a 
bowl to catch the buttermilk. (If you use 
a colander, make sure the perforations are 
smaller than the clumps of butter, or you will 
lose bits of the butter into the buttermilk— 
which isn’t the worst thing, especially if 
you’re making biscuits afterward). Move 
the butter clumps around in the sieve to 
release more buttermilk, then transfer the 
buttermilk to ajar and store in the fridge 
for up to 1 week. Move the sieve to the sink, 
place under a stream of cold (50°F/10°C) 
water, and start to swish the butter particles 
around. Using your fingers, gently toss the 
particles until they begin to clump. Push 
them into a ball. If the grains are not sticking 
together, knead them until they get warmer, 


CULTURED MILKS. CREAM 

59 


CONTINUED 


TIPS FOR BETTER BUTTER 


or raise the temperature of the wash water 
by several degrees. Continue washing and 
kneading until the water runs almost clear. 

4. Take the butter ball and press into it to 
release the remaining whey. Remember, the 
drier the butter, the better the butter. Keep 
kneading until no more water is released, 
then fold in salt to taste, if desired. If adding 
salt, fold and press it in versus whipping it 
in. Coarser-grained salt crystals look and 
taste special, if you have some on hand. 
Finally, pack the butter into a tub, mold, or 
butter bell or shape into logs. Eat soon 
or freeze. 

VARIATIONS 

Here are a few ideas for making seasoned 
butters. The flavors will really wake up once 
you apply heat. These flavor mixes are scaled 
for 1 lb/455 g unsalted butter. Fold them in 
gently in when you are adding the salt. 

HONEY BUTTER: Mix in V* cup/85 g honey 
and V 2 tsp salt. You might also like % tsp 
ground cinnamon or cardamom. I use this 
butter on toast and roasted sweet potatoes. 

GOLDEN GARLIC: Roast 2 heads of garlic 
in the oven for 1 hour at 350°F/180°C. When 
cooled, squeeze the garlic pulp out of the 
skins. Mash the garlic with a fork, then add it 
to the butter along with % tsp onion powder, 
V 2 tsp salt, and a pinch of saffron threads. 

SNAPPY CAPER: Mix in % cup/55 g chopped 
capers, 2 tsp chopped fresh chives, % tsp 
salt, V 2 tsp red pepper flakes, and the zest of 
1 lemon. Try this flavor with grilled fish. 

FRENCH HERB: Mix in 7 tsp each of dried 
savory, thyme, marjoram, crushed fennel 
seed, and lavender, plus V 2 tsp salt. 

Melt a pat of this butter in the pan when 
making scrambled eggs for something 
surprisingly fragrant. 


• Use the highest-quality cream possible, 
such as an organic product from a small 
farm, and select the carton furthest from 
expiration. 

• Choose brands that contain only cream and 
no stabilizers. 

• Keep the cream between 50° and 60°F/ 

10° and 16°C throughout the process. 

• Do not churn butter beyond the “ porridge ” 
consistency or your butter will be greasy. 

• For fun, try specialty salts such as smoked 
sea salt or Himalayan pink salt, in addition 
to the variations. 

BETTER BUTTER STORAGE 

To preserve the angelic flavor of home¬ 
made butter, you have two options: 

1 ) eat promptly, or 2) wrap well and 
freeze immediately. If neither of these 
work for you, a third option for storing 
butter at room temperature is a device 
called a French butter bell (or butter 
dish). This ceramic cup is packed full 
of butter, then inverted and set over 
a pool of water to form an air lock, 
which limits the butter’s exposure to 
air. Adding salt to your butter will also 
help preserve its flavor and extend its 
shelf life. Finally, I advise placing butter 
far away from stinky neighbors such 
as onions, curry, smoked ham, blue 
cheese, and so on when in the fridge. 


KITCHEN CREAMERY 

60 




QVJTTtR ^ 


G-RoovfeQ 

PAOOtt 


BAUER 


CV/RlER 


Better paddiis 


Butter churn 


Buite* 


0 UTVf^ 


Butter /vvolo^ 


(^K/tte't 

GADGETS 


1 * 

■k 

■&J 

cC= 

























SHAPING BUTTER 

If you think of butter as sunlight that was 
transformed into grass, then into milk, then 
into cream, then into butter, you’ll remem¬ 
ber what a precious food you’re working 
with. It’s the fat of the land, the toast of the 
town. It’s metamorphosed sunlight! Honor 
this magical food by molding it into some¬ 
thing even more beautiful. 

WOODEN MOLDS AND STAMPS: Antique 
butter molds, if in decent shape, can still 
be used to mold butter per their original 
intention. Find them in flea markets, 
antique stores, and through online auction 
sites. (I admit, though they are charming, 

I find antique butter equipment can often 
carry the flavor of old basements. Be care¬ 
ful.) Alternatively, you can purchase new 
wooden molds (see Hoegger’s, page 234). 
You can even carve your own. 

To prepare a wooden mold, place it in cool 
water for 30 minutes prior to packing in the 
butter. When the butter is washed and dry 
but still malleable, take the mold from the 


water and pack it with the butter. Place the 
mold in the refrigerator for 1 hour. After an 
hour, remove from the fridge and unmold 
by gently tapping the mold upside down on 
a clean surface. (It may take a few runs to 
get your mold working properly.) 

CANDY MOLDS: Silicone candy molds 
make easy butter molds. Pack the butter 
into the molds while malleable. Chill for 
30 minutes before unmolding. 

BUTTER CURLER: Butter curlers are tools 
with toothed or ribbed metal tips. To use, 
shape the butter into a bar about the size of 
an index card. Refrigerate until thoroughly 
firm, at least 1 hour. When you’re ready to 
curl the butter, dip the butter curler into 
hot water, then draw it across the surface of 
the bar. The resulting flake will curl up and 
around, forming a beautiful spiral. Carefully 
place the butter flake on a parchment 
paper-lined baking sheet. Chill until ready 
to serve. Do not store butter curls for more 
than 1 day, as they lose their butter flavor. 


KITCHEN CREAMERY 

62 





MAKES 1V4 CUPS/360 ML 


Ghee looks like liquid gold and keeps for months without refrigeration, unlike butter, 
which goes rancid or changes flavors because moisture trapped inside allows the butter 
to continue to ferment. Because of this quality, places in warm parts of the globe, includ¬ 
ing India, the Middle East, and northern Africa, make much use of ghee in their cuisines. 


The process for making ghee is nearly identical to making clarified butter, except it gets 
cooked longer and so gathers a wonderful toasted flavor. I love drizzling ghee over warm 
basmati rice or using it on the frying pan when I’m making crepes. Because it doesn’t 
have the milk solids, which are what burn, it can be heated hotter than butter. 


INGREDIENTS 
1 lb/455 g unsalted butter 

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT 
Fine (#90) cheesecloth 

1. Put the butter in a saucepan over low 
heat. Let the butter melt without stirring. 
The melted butter should never come to 
a boil. If it starts to, lower the heat. 

2 . Cook for 1 to 3 hours, depending on the 
intensity of your burner. Keep it very low and 
still do not stir. You will notice foam gather¬ 
ing on top; then, with more time, most of 
the foam will sink and the liquid will appear 
perfectly clear. You will also notice a distinct 
aroma—that of butter browning—rising 
from the pan. 

3. To test the ghee’s doneness, use a tea¬ 
spoon to carefully scoop a small amount of 
sediment up from the bottom of the pan. 

The sediment should be light brown—the 
color of milky coffee. These are the toasted 
milk solids that flavor the ghee. Take care 


that you don’t overcook them; if they are 
dark brown or black, the ghee will have the 
wrong flavor. 

4. When the ghee is done, remove it from 
the heat. Line a colander with the cheese¬ 
cloth and set the colander over a bowl. 
Pour the ghee carefully into the colander 
to strain it. Discard the toasted milk solids 
left behind. Transfer the strained ghee to 
an airtight container—I like to keep mine 
in half-pint jars. 

5. Store, tightly covered, at room tempera¬ 
ture for up to 2 months, or in the fridge for 
up to 4 months. 


MILK 



BUTTER 


FINAL FORM 



JAR OR TUB 



CULTURED MILK& CREAM 

63 


EASY 




o^ rTE X 

BEGINNING 

c kce4e4 





















To me, cheesemaking means standing in the kitchen, 
next to the stove, stirring. I’ve stood in one spot 
in my kitchen for so many hours, I’m surprised the 
floorboards haven’t worn away. I don’t detest the 
stationary nature of the work. Standing and stirring 
is the only moment during the day when I’m not in 
fierce motion. The cheese vat, like a polenta pot, 
calligraphy, or a garden, requires me to slow down 
and to watch, to commit to a place. 

Vat time is neither lonely nor boring. I have stirred 
the vat and rocked the baby to sleep (he lay in a 
rocker on the floor and I used my foot). I’ve stirred 
and read a magazine or made soup on the next 
burner. I’ve stirred and hung out with neighbors, 
posed for a picture, even caught a robber in the 
midst of a break-in! While stirring, I’ve waited for 
plumbers, scratched “history” off the stovetop, 
even stirred and hosted a dinner party (bad timing). 
In this chapter, we move from making cultured 
dairy products to true cheeses, which means 
starting to remove water. To do this, for most of 
the recipes ahead, you are going to start to stir! 

Before we really stir things up, though, I’d like 
to talk about the three main ways milk turns into 
cheese. Cheese, in all its complexity and variety, 
can be imagined as milk with a portion of the water 
removed. To get the water out, we tinker with the 
chemistry of the milk to cause it to form a gel, which 
we then break into curds and whey. We can form 
that gel—or cause milk to coagulate—through three 
main methods: 

1. Direct Acid Coagulation 

2 . Lactic-Acid Coagulation 

3. Rennet Coagulation 

I’ll outline these three methods now then run- 
through the basic steps of cheesemaking. You’ll 
soon see that, while every cheese does start with 
a coagulation (be it direct acid, lactic acid, or 
rennet), not every cheese passes through each of 
the basic steps (some cheeses don’t get stirred, 
others don’t get heated, many don’t get washed). 

My goal is to give you the big picture of cheese¬ 
making so you can start to put cheesemaking pro¬ 
cesses into chronological order. 


DIRECT-ACID CHEESES 

Of the paths to get from milk to cheese, this is by 
far the simplest. Direct-acid coagulation, which 
produces cheeses such as Paneer (page 74), Whole 
Milk Ricotta (page 80), and Mascarpone (page 81), is 
really an outlier process. This is because you won’t 
even use cultures (so in turn, the cheese is not actu¬ 
ally fermented). Instead, you’ll combine heat with a 
splash of acid to cause the milk to “break” into 
curds and whey. If you can imagine a cream sauce 
you’ve accidentally “broken” through heating and 
adding lemon juice, you can imagine how direct-acid 
cheeses come about. These cheese recipes are a 
great place to start if you don’t have rennet on hand 
(and want to start making cheese right away) or if 
you want a cheese that is ready almost instantly. 
Direct-acid cheeses are always eaten fresh and 
always taste of simple milky goodness. They are 
never stinky. 

LACTIC-ACID CHEESES 

If you’ve played around with any of the recipes 
in chapter one, you’ve practically already made 
lactic-acid cheeses. This path from milk to cheese 
is the next simplest one after direct acid. The 
process entails making a gel (basically a yogurt), 
moving slivers of this gel into a cheese form, then 
allowing the cheese to drain with gravity and time. 
The finished product is a cheese with tangy flavor 
and often a creamy, crumbly, brittle, smooth tex¬ 
ture. Think of Chevre (page 82). While versions of 
lactic-acid cheeses can be aged, the ones you’ll 
make in this chapter are best when fresh. Later, 
you’ll make more ageable versions when you make 
the semi-lactic-acid-set Gosling (page 134) and 
Stilton (page 140). 

BASIC RENNETED CHEESES 

And now, the final and main road cheesemakers 
take to get from milk to cheese: using cultures and 
rennet to get the milk to coagulate. This method is 
the most common and likely because it leads to the 
greatest variety in flavors, textures, and shapes. 

While you do use a few drops of rennet to make 
goat’s-milk and Icelandic yogurts, chevre, fromage 
blanc, and cream cheese, these are not considered 


BEGINNING C 

65 


HEESES 













CHEESEMAKING BASICS 


“rennet-coagulated” cheeses because their long 
ripening period (often a couple of hours to as long as 
a day) allows the cultures lots of time to create lots 
of lactic acid. It is this acid, more than that drop of 
rennet, that causes the coagulation and subsequent 
transformation into curd. 

Just to recap: You can take any of these paths to 
move from milk to cheese. While I’ve broken the 
coagulation process out into three distinct paths or 
methods, it isn’t quite that simple. Many cheeses 
really fall somewhere in between lactic-acid and 
rennet coagulation (I’ll categorize them as “semi- 
lactic”). As you move through the recipes of this 
book and grow more familiar with the processes of 
cheesemaking, you’ll be able to see what it means to 
use a little more rennet or a little more time to form 
a little more lactic acid. Or vice versa. 


Here’s an outline of the basic steps of cheesemaking. 
Remember that we’re thinking about lactic-acid and 
rennet-coagulated cheeses here, and not so much 
the direct-acid cheeses. 

COAGULATE THE MILK 

The first step of cheesemaking is to cause the milk to 
turn from a liquid to a solid state—to form that milk 
gel. If you are making yogurt, you stop here. But if 
you’re making cheese, you take further steps to draw 
some of the water out. After coagulating the milk, 
the next step is to draw the water out by scooping, 
slicing, or cutting the curd. 

CUT THE CURD 

Coagulation transforms milk into a solid yogurt-like 
or panna cota-like gel. In some recipes, you will 
scoop this gel directly into forms to drain—the cuts 
formed by the scooping spoon being parallel to what 
you will do with a curd knife in other recipes. You’ll 
practice this direct scooping when you make Quark, 
chevre, and fromage blanc. 

Often, when the gel is scooped directly into forms 
(that is, not cut first into cubes and stirred and 
cooked), it is because the curd was made by lactic- 
acid coagulation, or more a lactic-acid than a rennet 
coagulation. Curds (and so cheeses) resulting from 
mainly lactic-acid coagulation are more brittle— 
they couldn’t stand up to the aggressive cooking and 
stirring action used when making, say, a Havarti. 


Ways to Turn Milk into Cheese 

CHEESEMAKING 

STYLE 

METHOD 

EXAMPLES 

Direct-Ac id 

Coagulation 

Add acid directly to hot milk to create dense curds that separate 
from the whey. 

ricotta, paneer 

Lactic-Acid 

Coagulation 

Add cultures to milk to make a yogurt-like gel, then drain slowly 
over many hours. Binding of proteins happens because of the 
effects of the lactic acid and less the effects of the rennet. 

chevre, traditional cottage 
cheese 

Cultured-Rennet (also 

called Standard- 
Rennet) Coagulation 

Add rennet and cultures to milk to form a gel, then cut and stir 
to release whey. Binding of the proteins is due to the combined 
effects of both the lactic acid generated by the cultures and the 

rennet. 

most cheeses, including 
semifirm, firm, molded, 
and rinded styles like 
cheddar, Jack, Brie, Gouda, 

and blues 


BEGINNING CHEESES 

67 








Alternatively, if you take a cheese knife or harp and 
cut the gel into cubes or chunks, you are probably 
working with a more rennet-driven coagulation. 
Renneted milk creates a curd that is firmer, more 
malleable, and shinier than a lactic-acid curd, and, 
at times, nearly rubbery, depending on the type of 
milk, the amount of rennet, and how long the rennet 
has set. 

Curds formed from rennet have a wider range 
of ways in which they are manipulated, which is 
why the majority of cheeses we eat are made 
through the rennet-coagulation method. While 
direct- and lactic-acid curds are scooped and 
drained, rennet-coagulated curds can be cut, 
stirred, cooked, washed, stretched, cheddared, 
and pressed. As assortment of these additional 
steps is partially what leads to the great variety 
of cheeses found throughout the world. Using a 
rennet coagulation lets us drive out moisture in 
more thorough and complex ways. 

START TO STIR 

For many recipes (and specifically those using a 
rennet coagulation), after cutting the curd, you will 
stir. Stirring the curds reminds me of putting wet 
clothes on the spin cycle in the washing machine. 

As the machine spins, water droplets are flung out. 
The same happens as you stir the vat: Motion tosses 
out whey. As the curds lose moisture, they shrink 
and tighten. 

ADD HEAT 

With many cheese styles, you will use heat to 
shrink the curds further and to create cheeses that 
can be aged longer. Think of a Swiss or an Asiago, 
cheesemakers cook these styles at heats as high 
as 120°F/49°C—and that’s hot, for cheesemaking. 
Other cheeses are cooked but more minimally— 
maybe to 95°F/35°C. When cooking curds, know 
that heating more slowly at first (for example 
creeping up 10”F/5°C over 45 minutes) will flush 
more of the water out than heating quickly (for 
example, jumping 10 degrees in 10 minutes). 


Sometimes a cheesemaker adds heat not by putting 
the pot over a flame but through a washing step 
(you’ll get to practice when you make the Divino on 
page 106). Here, you’ll remove a portion of the whey 
from the vat and replace it with warmer water to 
increase overall vat temperature. 

DRAIN THE WHEY 

Finally, separating the curds from the whey, or drain¬ 
ing the cheese, feels, in most recipes, like draining 
a pot of pasta. When the curds are “done,” remove 
the pot from the heat and dump its contents through 
a colander. Initially, you will rely on the guidance 
the recipe offers for determining the right moment 
to drain; but eventually, you’ll become familiar 
with how your vat is progressing, and you will start 
to drain based on how the curd is feeling in your 
hand—a rough estimation of moisture content and 
acidity development. 

In some recipes—and especially if you are working 
with a very large volume of milk—you’ll want to 
wait a moment between realizing the curd is “done” 
and actually dumping the vat. This brief pause of a 
minute or two is known as “pitching.” It allows the 
curds to sink to the bottom where they start to knit 
together into larger clumps. At this point, in recipes 
such as Mountain Top (page 180), you will “pre-press” 
the curds while they are still in the whey, settling 
at the bottom of the vat. Pre-pressing tightens the 
curds into large, dense chunks. These you can move 
out of the whey and right into the forms. 

Separating the curds from the whey is the final 
major step of the vat phase of cheesemaking. It is 
significant because after the curds pack together 
into one wheel (or many smaller wheels or even just 
a draining pouch of cheesecloth), you can no longer 
wring more moisture out of the curds through heat 
and stirring. The moisture and chemistry trapped 
inside each tiny curd is set and will only be moder¬ 
ately affected by the upcoming processes of press¬ 
ing, salting, even aging. Because ofthis, in spite of 
all that transpires in the brine or on the rinds or in 
the caves, many cheesemakers say, “The cheese is 
made in the vat.” 


KITCHEN CREAMER 

68 


APPLY PRESSURE 

Once the curds are out of the pot and collected in 
a lined cheese form, you can begin to press (if the 
recipe calls for it). Not all cheeses are meant to be 
pressed, but those that are pressed turn out drier 
and firmer (the pressing pushes out more whey and 
compacts the curds into a tighter arrangement. 
Pressed cheeses are almost always aged for a length 
of time. The purpose of pressing is to push the curds 
together into one complete shape, usually a wheel, 
with a nicely sealed rind. 

The shape and style of your cheese form determines 
how your cheese will drain and how effectively you 
can press it. If you put curds in a form with large and 
numerous pores, the cheese will drain more quickly 
and be drier. If you put the cheese in a form with 
very few holes, it will have more moisture. Cheeses 
that are meant to be pressed must be “dried” suffi¬ 
ciently in the vat and then coupled with the right 
cheese form. You could never press a cheese that 
has the texture of soft yogurt—the curds would 
simply squirt out the pores of the form! Luckily, 
matching up a recipe with the right form is a more 
forgiving task than you think. I make Brie all the 
time in my ricotta basket, and just about everything 
else in my Kadova (Gouda-shaped) form. (See 
page 224 for more information on cheese forms.) 

When you press, apply weight by degrees, depend¬ 
ing on the cheese you are making. For the lightest 
pressing, start with just your fingertips or a small 
book. Progress until you are pressing moderately or 
heavily, as you’ll do with cheeses in chapter eight. 
When you get to heavy pressing, you will need a 
form that has a follower as well as a way to apply up 
to 50 lb/25 kg of weight. Milled cheeses, such as a 
Traditional Cheddar (page 156), can use even more 
weight than that! During pressing, be sure to take 
the cheese out of the press to flip regularly, making 
sure the cheese is pressing symmetrically and that 
folds of cheesecloth are not getting lost inside 
the wheel. 


And remember, some cheeses are not pressed at all. 
These are the ones you should start with if you feel 
uncertain about having the right form, follower, or 
weights on hand. (See page 224 for ideas on how 
to press.) 

ADD SALT 

Finally, you’ll drive more of that water out through 
salting. Salting is accomplished either by dry salting 
or by brining. The salting phase can start either after 
the cheese has been pressed or before, in the vat, 
after draining (as you’ll practice when you make the 
Queso Fresco, page 91). Salting can take anywhere 
from a few seconds (throwing 1 tsp of salt into a pot 
of ricotta) to half an hour (think small, high-moisture 
cheeses such as Camembert) to even months (this is 
the extreme and takes place with very large format, 
professionally made cheeses). You will brine or dry- 
salt most of the cooked and pressed cheeses in this 
book for about half a day. 

From this point forward, the only way that more 
moisture leaves the cheese is through aging. Initially, 
during the drying period, a cheese loses moisture to 
the atmosphere through ordinary evaporation. The 
drying period. Days 0 through 3, is when the cheese 
forms its rind. Interestingly, once this rind forms, 
your focus will start to shift from thinking about 
“getting the water out” to “keeping the water in.” 

This is not something that you’ll have to worry about 
with the upcoming recipes for fresh cheese, but 
something that will become very interesting later, in 
chapter eight, as you make aging cheeses and strug¬ 
gle to keep the humidity high in your aging cave. 


BEGINNING CHEESES 

69 * 













GRAFE HAZELNUT PUVTO LENTIL 



CURD SIZES 


CLARIFYING SOME CHEESE SLANG 
The following three recipes are excellent beginner 
cheeses. They are delicious almost right out of the 
vat—or aged for a few weeks. As you work your way 
through them, you’ll see several procedures that 
may have come up in earlier recipes but here are 
used regularly. 

Stir in an up-and-down motion. 

Though it may seem like cheesemaker lore, stirring 
your vat in one particular fashion has scientific rea¬ 
soning behind it. Instead of stirring in a circular or 
whisking motion, move your skimmer up and down 
as though it is riding a Ferris wheel. In this way, you 
slow down the velocity of the moving liquid (which 
prevents tender curds from breaking) and you also 
lift curds up from the bottom where the heat is most 
intense (preventing them from sticking or scorching). 

Stop the motion of the milk. 

After adding the rennet and mixing it in, it is critical 
to stop the movement of the milk. If the milk is slowly 
swirling as the rennet starts to set, it will not form a 
solid gel but a broken, feathered gel that is marked 
by the pattern of the turning fluid. I add the rennet, 
stir for 20 seconds, counter-stir for 5 seconds, then 
remove the skimmer from the vat and cover the pot. 


Allow the milk to ripen. 

Allowing milk (or curds) to “ripen” is an easy step; it 
simply means leaving the vat alone. Mainly you’ll ripen 
the milk once the cultures have been added but you’ll 
also practice ripening on the stretched-curd recipes 
of chapter seven. If the temperature is correct, the 
microorganisms go to work, producing lactic acid and 
getting you just where you want to be. 

Check for a clean break. 

Using the “clean break” test is one way to determine 
when to cut the curd. Insert your clean fingers or a 

( spoon at a 45-degree angle into the milk. Pull gently 
upward and note how the curd splits. If it breaks 
open into a clean fissure, it is ready to cut. (See 
page 218 for more on the Clean Break Method.) 

I Cut the curds into hazelnut-size cubes. 

The goal when cutting the curd is to form same-size 
pieces. The size of these pieces helps determine how 
much moisture will be in the finished cheese. The 
smaller the cut, the drier the cheese. I will use com¬ 
mon household foods such as lentils and hazelnuts 
for size reference. 

Allow the curds to heal. 

Once you’ve made the initial cuts in the curd, pause 
for 2 minutes for what is known as the “healing 
period.” Before your very eyes, you will see the vat 
change as yellow whey weeps out from the places 
where your knife made cuts. Within the course 
of this brief period, a once flat white surface will 
become a sea of white squares floating in whey. 


KITCHEN CREAN 

72 * 






Pitch the curds. 

When your curds have reached a target texture and 
pH (which you’ll estimate initially using just time 
and temperature), it is time to pitch them. This funny 
term refers to the last leg of the (vat) journey when 
you stop stirring and allow the curds to settle to the 
bottom. At this point, you may be pressing them 
into tighter blocks under the whey (pre-pressing), 
or you may start pouring the whey off the top and 
transfer the curds to form(s) immediately. 


BEGINNING CHEESES 

73 * 


MAKES ABOUT % LB/340 G 


MILK 




ALL TYPES 

FINAL FORM 



SMALL WHEEL 

CATEGORIES 

DIRECT-ACID 



This direct-acid cheese from India is the most basic cheese you can make. It is bland, 
firm, and waiting to absorb delicious flavors from the dish it gets cooked into, such as 
the very popular saag paneer. 


INGREDIENTS 
1 gal/3.8 L milk 

¥2 cup/120 ml fresh lemon juice, strained, 
plus 2 tbsp or 2 V 2 tsp citric acid 
powder dissolved in l¥t cups/300 ml 
warm water 

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT 

Cheesecloth; digital kitchen thermometer 

1. Clean all surfaces and equipment before 
beginning. Rinse the cheesecloth in hot 
water and wring out. Line a colander with 
the cheesecloth and place in the sink. 

2 . Pour the milk into a heavy-bottomed 
stockpot and warm over medium-high heat 
to 195°F/91°C, while stirring. The milk will 
become frothy on top and look like it is 
getting close to boiling when it is near the 
correct temperature. 

3. Once at temperature, remove the pot 
from the heat and add the V 2 cup/120 ml 
lemon juice orl cup/240 ml of the citric- 
acid solution all at once. Stir very slowly for 
1 minute. White chunks of cheese should 
appear immediately in the milk. These are 
the curds separating from the whey. 


4. If the milk does not start separating into 
white clumps and greenish whey right away, 
add the remaining 2 tbsp lemon juice or 

¥» cup/60 ml citric-acid solution. 

5. Now bring the pot to the sink. Add cold 
tap water to the curds and whey, being care¬ 
ful to not lose curds if the liquid in the pot 
spills over. The goal is to bring the tempera¬ 
ture of the pot down to 115°F/45°C. (If the 
cheese is placed in the cheesecloth while 
still very warm, it will stick.) 

6 . Pour the curds and whey into the colander 
and drain for 1 minute, then gather the cor¬ 
ners of the cloth and knot them together to 
form a pouch (see page 220). 

7. Twist the pouch to wring out more whey, 
then open up the cheesecloth, flip the 
cheese so the top becomes the bottom, 
and close to make a pouch again (this 
ensures that the cheese is gathered into 
one ball instead of an obscure shape 
with lots of folds). 


KITCHEN CREAMERY 

74 





8 . Slide the pouch onto the faucet neck of 
the sink, or run a dowel or iong-handied 
spoon under the knots and set over a pot 
so the pouch is suspended freely inside. Let 
drain for 1 hour. (For a firmer cheese, after 
draining, place the cheese pouch between 
two dinner plates. Place a 10-lb/4.5-kg 
weight on top of the upper plate; see 
page 220. Press for 2 hours more.) 

9. Remove the cheese from the cloth and 
place in a bowl of cool water for 2 hours. 

This washing period draws out additional 
lemon juice and will give the cheese a 
sweeter taste. It is best to use paneer the 
day you make it, but it wiii keep, tightly 
wrapped, in the freezer for up to 1 month. 

NOTE 

• Paneer will not melt because It doesn’t have 
the right level of acidity. Don’t plan to use 

it in a quesadilla or grilled cheese. Also, 
because this cheese doesn’t use rennet, it is 
vegetarian friendly and a source of protein 
for vegetarians in the Indian subcontinent. 

• Because paneer contains neither salt nor 
cultures, it will go bad quickly if left in 
the fridge. 


ACID SUBSTITUTION IN 
DIRECT ACID CHEESES 

Students often ask me about substi¬ 
tuting acids—vinegar can have gluten; 
someone has a lemon tree they’d love to 
utilize; tartaric acid seems foreign. Sub¬ 
stituting one form of acid for another is 
possible, but it will take some fiddling. 
Acids come in different strengths and 
forms (dry crystals versus liquid), and 
the amount of casein protein—what’s 
absorbing that acid—in a given milk 
will vary, meaning the amount of acid 
you’ll need will also vary. The following 
chart gives you a ballpark sense of 
how acids compare to one another. If 
you plan on substituting, I suggest first 
making the recipe with the acid called 
for in the recipe then altering. 


Lemon Juice 

6 to 8 tbsp/ 

90 to 120 ml 


Citric-Acid 

Powder 

1 tsp 


Tartaric-Acid 

Powder 

1V4 tsp 


White Vinegar 
(5%) 

8 to 10 tbsp/ 
120 to 150 ml 



BEGINNING CHEESES 

75 








MEDIUM 



MAKES ABOUT % LB/340 G 



MILK 

NONE-FRESH 

WHEY 

FINAL FORM 

Q 

MEDIUM WHEEL 

CATEGORIES 

DIRECT-ACID 


As the title suggests, rather than starting with milk, this ricotta is made with just the 
whey leftover from another cheese recipe. In addition to providing a delicious use for 
something that would otherwise go to waste, it has a special delicate texture and taste. 

Two important things to note: This recipe will work best with whey from any of the 
cheeses in Chapters 3, 4, 6, 7, and 8. It will not work with whey from a lactic acid-set 
cheese such as chevre or Quark. Also, no more than 3 hours can pass between the drain¬ 
ing of the cheese recipe and the start of the ricotta recipe. The whey is active, and the 
longer it sits the more the cultures within break it down. After a certain point, the whey 
proteins will no longer link up to form clusters of cheese. 

Because the yield on whey ricotta is low (sometimes less than 5 percent), you’ll want to 
start this recipe with as much whey as you possibly can. This is the recipe to go to after 
you make a 4-gal/15-L batch of Asiago (page 183) or Traditional Cheddar (page 156), for 
example; if you have more than 2 gal/7.5 L of whey, bump up the amounts below accord¬ 
ingly and use it all! 




INGREDIENTS 
2 gal/7.5 L fresh whey 

1 cup/240 ml milk (any type) 

2 tbsp salt 

V4 tsp citric-acid powder dissolved in 
1 cup/240 ml water (see Note) 

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT 

Fine (#90) cheesecloth, medium cheese 

form, or ricotta basket; digital kitchen 

thermometer 

1. Clean all surfaces and equipment before 
beginning. Line a colander with the cheese¬ 
cloth and place in the sink. 

2 . Pour the whey into a heavy-bottomed 
stockpot, cover, and warm over high heat to 
160°F/71°C, stirring occasionally. 


3 . At 160°F/71 o C, add the milk and salt. 
Continue stirring and heating. As foam 
gathers, skim it from the top of the vat. 
Important: Do not add the milk until the 
whey reaches 160°F/71°C, or it will react 
with residual rennet. 

4 . Fleat to 190T/88°C, then quickly mix in 
the citric-acid solution. Stir rapidly for 5 sec¬ 
onds, then stop stirring while continuing to 
heat. Look for tiny white grains or clumps 
forming in the liquid. These clumps should 
come together quickly and form a cover 
over the top of the vat. 

CONTINUED 


KITCHEN CREAMER 

76 * 







5 . When the cheese layer that has formed 
at the top of the vat looks thick and dense 
and then suddenly the surface of it breaks 
open from built-up steam underneath, turn 
off the heat. 

6 . Let the curds rest in the pot for 10 min¬ 
utes, then ladle into the prepared colander 
or cheese form. Drain for at least 15 minutes 
and up to 1 hour, depending on the desired 
dryness. 

7 . Transfer to a well-sealed container and 
store in the fridge for up to 1 week. Ricotta 
goes bad quickly, so enjoy it sooner than later. 


NOTE: 

• When making whey ricotta, the amount 
of acid you need varies more than when 
making Whole Milk Ricotta (page 80). If you 
think your whey is more acidic (because of 
the nature of the cheese it came from, for 
example, or because it sat for a long time 
before you started the ricotta recipe), start 
with less citric acid and then slowly add 
more until you see the protein clumps form¬ 
ing. When you have hit the correct amount 
of acid, the whey left behind should look 
semiclear, not overly milky but not trans¬ 
lucent either. The resulting cheese ideally is 
tender and sweet and not tough and tangy. 


KITCHEN CREAMERY 

78 


TWO TYPES OF RICOTTA 

Whey ricotta, also called ricatone, is perhaps the truest form of ricotta because, per 
its name, it is “re-cooked”—an ingenious way to get two cheeses out of one batch of 
milk. The first cooking happens when a batch of cheese is made; the second when the 
resulting whey is made into ricotta. The magic works because the average cheese recipe, 
while it does gather a percentage of the solids from the milk used, also leaves a lot of 
solids behind. The frugal farmer or thrifty cheesemaker wouldn’t dump these extras 
away—especially when the milk has been hard-earned, as most farmstead milk was and 
is. Whey ricotta has a caramelized flavor (because it’s cooked twice), a delicate texture, 
and is leaner, because much of the fat gets caught in the first round of cheese. 

But there are more types of ricotta than just whey ricotta and whole milk ricotta. There is 
also true whole milk ricotta—ricotta made only with milk and not with whey. You might 
find it sold in old-fashioned tins at Italian delis. Or it might have to be something you 
have to make for yourself (using the recipe on page 80) as it isn’t always easy to find. True 
whole milk ricotta is a fuller, richer cheese that reminds me of soft mozzarella almost as 
much as it makes me think of ricotta. It is made through a method similar to paneer; mixing 
acid directly into hot milk. 

Interestingly, if you increase the amount of milk fat in your whole milk ricotta recipe, you 
nearly end up with mascarpone. This cheese, best known as an ingredient in tiramisu, is 
essentially whole milk ricotta made entirely from cream. Hopefully you are starting to 
see how the direct-acid cheeses are all quite similar: paneer is nearly whole milk ricotta 
but with different temperatures and different amounts of acid. Whole milk ricotta is nearly 
mascarpone but with different milk fats. Whey ricotta is the same process as whole milk 
ricotta but with a different base ingredient. 


BEGINNING CHEESES 

79 



EASY 


vWholeI 

MILK | 

(Ricotta 



MAKES ABOUT 1V4 LB/570 G 


MILK 






ALL TYPES 

FINAL FORM 


£3 

MEDIUM WHEEL 


CATEGORIES 

DIRECT-ACID 



Whole milk ricotta is a great standby recipe, one to “take on the road” as a little bit of 
citric acid is easy to pack and the recipe works with any milk you can find (whole, skim, 
ultra-pasteurized, raw, etc.). Whole milk ricotta is more curd-like and milky than whey 
ricotta but equally delicious. 


INGREDIENTS 

I tsp citric-acid powder, dissolved in 

Va cup/75 ml warm water 

II gal/3.8 L whole milk 
3 tsp salt 

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT 

Fine (#90) cheesecloth; digital kitchen 

thermometer 

1. Clean all surfaces and equipment before 
beginning. Rinse the cheesecloth in hot 
water and wring out. Line a large colander 
with the cheesecloth and place in the sink. 

2 . Divide the citric-acid solution between 
two bowis. Set aside. 

3. Pour the milk and IV 2 tsp of the salt into a 
heavy-bottomed stockpot or the top pan of 
a double boiler and warm over medium heat 
to 190°F/88°C, stirring gently and constantly. 
It is very important to use a heavy pot for 
this recipe. Do not walk away from the pot; 
if you stop stirring the milk, it will easily 
start to stick and burn and the damage is 
irreparable. If the milk starts to scorch on 
the bottom of the pot, your only option is to 
immediately transfer the milk into a new pot 
and then continue heating. 


4. At 190°F/88°C, pour one bowi of citric- 
acid solution into the center of the pot. Stir 
for 5 seconds, then remove from the heat. 
Cover and let rest for 20 minutes. During this 
period, curds will form and rise to top of the 
liquid. Do not stir or agitate. Make sure the 
heat is off. 

5. Using a perforated iadie or skimmer, 
transfer the curds to the prepared colan¬ 
der. Drain for at least 15 minutes and up 
to 30 minutes, depending on the desired 
dryness. 

6 . After removing the curds, return the pot 
to medium heat. Stir in the remaining IV 2 tsp 
salt, proceeding from step 4 forward; let 
rest and then drain the curds as before. The 
second yield of ricotta wiii be larger than 
the first. After draining, transfer to a well- 
sealed container and store in the fridge for 
up to 1 week. Ricotta goes bad quickly, so 
enjoy it sooner than later. 


KITCHEN CREAMERY 

80 










MAKES ABOUT 4 OZ/115 G 


While making mascarpone is very similar to making ricotta, it is also more subtle. When 
the curds break out of the liquid, you have to get your nose right down next to the vat and 
squint your eyes. The curd particles are so fine (unlike the larger, more obvious chunks 
you see when making ricotta), you’ll need to use a double layer of fine (#90) cheesecloth 
when draining. Otherwise, your decadent cheese will slip through the weave and down 
the drain. 



INGREDIENTS 

4 cups/960 ml heavy cream, preferably 
40% milk fat and at least 35% 

V» tsp tartaric-acid powder or % tsp citric- 
acid powder, dissolved in cup/60 ml 
warm water 

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT 

Fine (#90) cheesecloth; digital kitchen 

thermometer 

1. Clean all surfaces and equipment before 
beginning. Rinse three 20-in/50-cm squares 
of cheesecloth in hot water and wring out. 
Line a colander with the cheesecloth, making 
a triple layer. Nest the colander over a bowl. 

2. Pour the cream into the top pan of a 
double boiler and warm over simmering 
water to 195°F/91°C, stirring occasionally. 

3. When the cream reaches 195°F/91°C, 
remove from the heat and remove the top 
pan from the bottom pan of the double 
boiler to make sure the temperature of the 
cream stops rising. 


4. Add the acid solution to the cream and 
slowly stir for 3 minutes, or until you see 
it begin to break or curdle very slightly. It 
should have the consistency of Cream of 
Wheat. Stop stirring. 

5. Carefully ladle the cream into the pre¬ 
pared colander. Wrap the whole draining 
setup inside a plastic bag and transfer to 
the refrigerator. Let drain for 10 to 12 hours, 
depending on the desired thickness of the 
mascarpone. (Covering the whole con¬ 
traption with the plastic bag will prevent 
unwanted flavors from getting into the 
cheese while it drains.) 

6 . Spoon the mascarpone into an airtight 
container, cover tightly, and store in the 
fridge for up to 3 days. This cheese is very, 
very perishable, so plan to use it quickly. 


MILK 



FINAL FORM 



JAR OR TUB 


CATEGORIES 

DIRECT-ACID 



BEGINNING CHEESES 

' 81 * 


EASY 







MAKES ABOUT 1 LB/455 G 


MILK 



GOAT'S MILK 


Although the word chevre (“goat” in French) is about as specific a term as queso fresco 
(“fresh cheese” in Spanish), it has come to mean the spreadable or crumbly fresh white 
cheese made from goat’s milk we all know so well. I adore this cheese and remember 
eating it every morning for breakfast on toast with olive oil and ripe tomatoes when I 
lived on a goat farm. 


FINAL FORM 




LOOSE-PACKED 
TUBS OR LOGS, OR 
SMALL WHEELS 


CATEGORIES 

LACTIC-ACID 



INGREDIENTS 

1 gal/3.8 L goat’s milk 

2 tbsp cultured buttermilk 
1 drop CaCl 2 

1 drop rennet 
Salt 

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT 

Digital kitchen thermometer; medium 

or fine (#60 or #90) cheesecloth or 

3 small cheese forms, about 3 in/7.5 cm 
in diameter and 4 in/TO cm in height 

1. Clean all surfaces and equipment before 
beginning. 

2 . Pour the milk into a heavy-bottomed 
stockpot and warm over medium heat to 
76°F/24°C, stirring occasionally (it should 
only take a minute or so to reach tempera¬ 
ture). Remove from the heat. 

3. Pour the buttermilk directly into the 
warm milk. Stir gently for 1 minute, using 
an up-and-down motion. 


4. While stirring, add the CaCl 2 , then the 
rennet. Stir for 30 seconds, then stop 
the motion of the liquid. Cover the pot 
and set in a warm, agitation-free place 
for 12 to 18 hours. 

5. When the curd is set, you should see 
yellowish whey collecting at the sides of 
the pot. Also look for an aromatic smell 
when you lift the lid. When pressed softly 
with a fingertip, the curd should be a tiny 
bit springy but break under slightly more 
pressure. Proceed with draining according 
to whether you’d like shapes or loosely 
packed tubs of cheese. 


KITCHEN CREAMERY 

82 







FOR LOOSE-PACKED TUBS OR LOGS: Rinse 
the cheesecloth in hot water and place 
over a colander set over a bowl or in the 
sink. Scoop the curds from the pot into 
the cloth. When all curds are in the colander, 
make a pouch by tying the corners of the 
cheesecloth together. Run a dowel or a 
long-handled wooden spoon under the 
knots and set over a pot so the pouch is 
suspended freely inside. Allow to drain at 
room temperature for 10 to 12 hours. For 
more rapid draining, gently shake the pouch 
to open up new channels for the whey to 
drain out about halfway through the draining 
time. Next, transfer the curds to a large 
bowl. Using your hands or a potato masher, 
mix the cheese to redistribute the moisture 
and homogenize the curd. Add salt slowly to 
taste, stirring well as you do. Finally, pack 
the finished cheese into tubs or handrail into 
logs. Cover tightly and store in the fridge for 
up to 2 weeks. 


FOR FORMED CHEESES: Instead of scoop¬ 
ing the curds into a cheesecloth pouch, set 
cleaned cheese forms on a draining rack 
set in the sink. (Remember that the volume 
of the form must accommodate the bulki¬ 
ness of the initial curd. Your final cheese 
will be smaller as whey drains off.) Scoop 
the curds into the forms, making sure to fill 
each up to the top before starting to fill the 
next. When all the forms have been filled, 
let drain for about 1 hour. Gently flip so 
the top becomes the bottom, then continue 
draining. Drain at room temperature for 
10 to 12 hours. 

After draining, sprinkle the top of each 
cheese with V4 tsp salt. Let the salt soak 
in for 2 hours, then flip the cheeses and 
salt the other side, again about Vt tsp each. 
If desired, roll in herbs or apply vegetable 
ash for an interesting rind aesthetic. 


BEGINNING CHEESES 

83 


EASY 


U\6iM,aq.i 

BLANC 



MAKES ABOUT 1 LB/455 G 


MILK 





ALL TYPES 
(NOT ULTRA- 
PASTEURIZED) 


FINAL FORM 





TUBS OR LOGS 


CATEGORIES 

LACTIC-ACID 



This recipe will lead you to either fromage blanc or Quark. The cheeses are very similar, 
differing only in the type of cultures you might use, as well as the fat content of the starting 
milk. If you don’t love the goatiness of chevre, these are great alternatives for you to make 
(and eat). Quark, in particular, also works nicely as a lower-fat substitute for cream cheese. 


INGREDIENTS 

1 gal/3.8 L milk (Quark tends to be made 

from lower-fat milks; fromage blanc 
can be made with full-fat milk or a 
partially skimmed one) 

2 tbsp cultured buttermilk 
2 drops CaCl 2 

2 drops rennet 
Salt 

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT 

Fine (#90) cheesecloth; digital kitchen 

thermometer 

1. Clean all surfaces and equipment before 
beginning. Rinse the cheesecloth in hot 
water and wring out. Line a colander with 
the cheesecloth and place it in the sink. 

2. Pour the milk into a heavy-bottomed 
stockpot and warm over medium-high 
heat to 86°F/30°C, stirring occasionally. 
Remove from the heat. 

3. Pour the buttermilk directly into the warm 
milk. Stir gently for 20 seconds. 

4. While stirring, add the CaCl 2 , then the 
rennet. Stir thoroughly for several sec¬ 
onds longer, then stop the motion of the 
liquid. Cover the pot and set in a warm, 
agitation-free place for 10 to 12 hours. 


5. When the curd is set, you should start to 
see it pulling away from the sides of the pot. 
You may notice whey gathering a bit on the 
top and sides. 

6 . Gently scoop the curds from the pot into 
the prepared colander. When the colander is 
full, make a pouch by tying the corners of the 
cloth together. Run a dowel or a long-handled 
wooden spoon under the knots and set over a 
pot so the pouch is suspended freely inside. 

7. Let the cheese drain at room temperature 
for 8 to 10 hours. For a less acidic cheese, 
you can drain in the fridge instead. For best 
draining results, shake the pouch to open 
up new channels for the whey to drain out 
about halfway through the draining time. 
(You’ll notice when you empty the pouch 
that the curds closer to the cloth are much 
drier than the curds in the middle.) 

8. When the curds have drained sufficiently 
(longer if you want a drier cheese and for 
less time if you want it more moist), trans¬ 
fer to a large bowl. Using your hands or a 
potato masher, work the cheese to redistrib¬ 
ute the moisture and homogenize the curd. 
Add the salt slowly to taste. Store in airtight 
containers in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. 


KITCHEN CREAMERY 

■ 84 ' 









I 




EASY 


MAKES Vi LB/225 G 
(MORE CHEESE IF LIGHTLY 
DRAINED, LESS CHEESE IF 
WELL-DRAINED) 



MILK 



HALF-AND-HALF 


SUGGESTED 

CULTURE 

AROMA B OR 
BUTTERMILK 


FINAL FORM 



CATEGORIES 

LACTIC-ACID 



Store-bought cream cheese is very different from this rendition—because the store-bought 
one is stabilized with gums. The gum gives it a super-smooth, almost chewy texture. This 
cheese will be grainier, but wonderful. It is slightly richer than fromage blanc (see page 84). 


INGREDIENTS 

2 qt/4 L half-and-half 
Vs tsp prehydrated mesophilic cultures 
or 2 tbsp buttermilk 
2 drops CaCl 2 
2 drops rennet 
Salt 

Vi cup/60 ml heavy cream (optional) 

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT 

Medium or fine (#60 or #90) cheesecloth; 

digital kitchen thermometer 

1. Clean all surfaces and equipment before 
beginning. Rinse the cheesecloth in hot 
water and wring it out. Line a large colander 
with the cheesecloth and place it in the sink. 

2. Pour the half-and-half into a heavy- 
bottomed stockpot and warm over medium 
heat to 82°F/28°C, stirring occasionally. 
Remove from the heat. 

3. Pour the prehydrated cultures directly 
into the warm half-and-half. Stir gently for 
20 seconds. 

4. Still stirring, add the CaCl 2 , then the ren¬ 
net. Stir for 10 seconds longer, then stop the 
motion of the liquid. Remove from the heat. 
Cover the pot and set in a warm, agitation- 
free place for 12 to 14 hours. When the cream 
has set, it will look like solid cream cheese. 


5. In a saucepan, heat 1 qt/1 L water to 170°F/ 
77°C. Meanwhile, with a long, clean knife, 
roughly chop the curd into l-in/2.5-cm pieces. 

6 . When the water is hot, while gently 
stirring, pour it over the curd pieces. Stir 
very gently for 1 minute, then check that the 
final temperature of the mixture is at least 
130°F/54°C. Remove from the heat. This wash¬ 
ing step removes some of the acid and stops 
the bacteria from further acid production. 

7. Gently scoop the curds from the pot into 
the prepared colander. If needed, form a 
pouch (see page 220) and suspend it over 
a pot or bowl. Drain at room temperature 
for 8 to 12 hours, depending on the desired 
thickness (more time makes drier curds). 

You can expedite the draining process by 
shaking the bag to move the curds around 
slightly midway through the draining time. 

8. Unwrap the cheese from the cheesecloth 
and place in a bowl. Using a whisk or wooden 
spoon, whip the curds to smooth the texture, 
then beat in the salt to taste. If desired, you 
can also beat in the heavy cream for an even 
smoother, richer texture. 

9. Store in an airtight container in the fridge 
for up to 10 days. 


KITCHEN CREAMERY 

■ 86 * 



BAKER’S VS. COTTAGE VS. FARMER’S VS. POT 

From a cheesemaker’s perspective, baker’s, cottage, farmer’s, and pot cheeses are nearly 
identical; theyjust use varying amounts of acid, moisture, butterfat, and pressure. More¬ 
over, these titles refer, really, to a broad range of styles, many of which overlap. I’ve done 
my best to sort out what each cheese is best known for as well as to give ideas for how to 
vary the pot cheese recipe (page 88) to make each. 

BAKER’S CHEESE. Arguably identical to finely milled pot cheese, baker’s cheese is very 
fine grained and used to make cheesecakes. Your best bet for a baker’s cheese mimic is 
Cream Cheese (facing page). 

COTTAGE CHEESE. Freshly made cheese curds that, after being rinsed with cold water 
to maintain distinction between curds, can be mixed with cream or a thickened low-fat 
milk base. 

CALIFORNIA-STYLE COTTAGE CHEESE. After draining and cooling the curds, transfer 
to a large bowl. Add 2 cups/480 ml light cream. Use a whisk or an electric mixer to 
beat together the curds and cream at low speed until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. 
Season with salt. Using less cream will make a drier cheese. 

FLAVORED COTTAGE CHEESE: Try mixingthe master recipe for pot cheese with fresh 
fruit such as strawberries or pineapple chunks. Mix in lemon juice, lemon zest, powdered 
sugar, and vanilla for something even more delicious. After flavoring your cheese, serve 
immediately. 

FARMER’S CHEESE. Nearly identical to pot or cottage cheese, but made using more 
of a lactic-acid than a rennet set. When made entirely from a lactic-acid set (little to no 
rennet), farmer’s cheese becomes Neufchatel. Farmer’s cheese can mean very different 
things depending on what part of the country you’re in. Midwesterners have a firm farmer’s 
cheese, more like a Jack (see page 152). Easterners know farmer’s cheese as something 
closer to cottage cheese. 

POT CHEESE. A cheese midway between cottage cheese and farmer’s cheese, with 
curds that are often less distinct than cottage cheese curds. You can achieve this by hand¬ 
milling some of the curds when adding the salt. Pot cheese isn’t remixed with cream, so 
it stays drier. 


BEGINNING CHEESES 

87 



MEDIUM 





(Po-fc 

CHEESI 


MAKES IV 2 TO 2 LB/680 TO 910 G 


MILK 




UNHOMOGENIZED 


FINAL FORM 

/■L 


LOOSE-PACKED TUB 
OR LOGS 



When I think of pot cheese, I think of Borough Park in Brooklyn where Gita, my best 
friend’s ancient Jewish grandmother, lived. Gita always had fresh pot cheese in her fridge, 
which she ate on toast with raspberry jam. Sometimes she put it on her mashed potatoes. 
Traditionally, before the advent of non-animal rennet, pot cheese and other traditional 
Jewish cheeses were made using only cultures (a purely lactic-acid coagulation). Today, 
pot cheese and other kosher cheeses are usually made using non-animal rennets. 


INGREDIENTS 

2 gal/7.5 L unhomogenized milk 
4 tbsp cultured buttermilk 

¥2 tsp CaCl 2 diluted in ¥4 cup/60 ml water 
¥2 tsp rennet diluted in ¥1 cup/60 ml water 

3 to 4 tsp salt 

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT 

Medium or fine (#60 or #90) cheesecloth; 

digital kitchen thermometer 

1. Clean all surfaces and equipment before 
beginning. Rinse the cheesecloth in hot 
water. Line a large colander with the cheese¬ 
cloth and place it in the sink. 

2 . Pour the milk into a heavy-bottomed 
stockpot and warm over medium heat to 
94°F/34°C, stirring occasionally. Remove 
from the heat. 

3. Pour the buttermilk directly into the warm 
milk. Stir in gently. 

4. Cover the pot and let the milk ripen for 
1 hour. 


5. Uncover the pot and stir in the CaCl 2 solu¬ 
tion and then the rennet solution, stirring 
for about 20 seconds each. When both have 
been added, stop the motion of the milk. 

6 . Cover the pot and let rest for 40 minutes. 
After 40 minutes, check for a clean break (see 
page 218). if there isn’t one, let the milk sit 
for 10 to 15 minutes more. 

7. Cut the curd into hazelnut-size pieces, 
about 1 2 3 4 A in/2 cm (see page 219). Let the 
curds heal (or rest) for 2 minutes, then begin 
stirring gently. Start at the top of the pot 
and move downward. When all curds are in 
motion, turn on the heat to low. 

8. Stir and cook the curds for 30 minutes as 
you bring the temperature of the pot up to 
110°F/43°C. Do not let the temperature rise 
too quickly. The curds will shrink significantly 
during this time. When the pot reaches tem¬ 
perature and time, remove from the heat. 
Pitch the curds (see page 73) for 5 minutes. 


KITCHEN CREAMERY 

88 







9. Pour the contents of the pot into the 
prepared colander, then quickly run cold 
tap water over all the curds, tossing so 
the cold water reaches everywhere (like 
running cold water over hot pasta to stop 
it from sticking together). Continue to 
cool with running water until the curds 
are cool to the touch, 1 to 2 minutes. Let 
drain for about 20 minutes longer, stirring 
midway through the draining time. 

10 . Gather the ends of the cheesecloth 
together to form a pouch (see page 220). 
Twist to squeeze out a bit more whey, then 
transfer the curds to a large bowl. 

11 . Add salt to the curds V 2 tsp at a time, 
until you reach the saltiness you like. (The 
more salt you add, the longer the cheese 
will last.) 

12. Pack the curds loosely into containers 
or continue to mash the curds until you 
can press them into loose logs. Store in 
the fridge for up to 5 days. 


BEGINNING CHEESES 

89 








Quc^o 

[FRESCO 


MAKES 114 TO 2 LB/680 TO 910 G 


There are hundreds of versions of queso fresco made throughout Latin America. This 
one, which I learned from my Guatemalan friend Arturo, is sweet and crumbly. Arturo 
is a quiet cheesemaker, and he explained his recipe to me while leaning over at the 
waist into a large vat of curds, his hands gripping and fiercely milling all of them into 
delicate paste. I always felt that the care with which Arturo milled the curds was why 
the cheese tasted so good. 


This cheese, though in many ways a version of Pot Cheese (page 88), is sweeter due to a 
short ripening time (just 10 minutes) and less cultures. In villages where this cheese is 
made, often no cultures are added because the milk is raw and therefore already cultured 
from native bacteria from the air, the milk room, and other local surfaces. 


INGREDIENTS 

2 gal/7.5 L unhomogenized milk 
2 tbsp buttermilk 

¥2 tsp CaCl 2 diluted in ¥4 cup/60 ml water 
¥2 tsp rennet diluted in ¥1 cup/60 ml water 
2 to 3 tbsp salt 

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT 

Medium or fine (#60 or #90) cheesecloth 

or medium cheese form; digital kitchen 

thermometer 

1. Clean all surfaces and equipment before 
beginning. Rinse the cheesecloth with hot 
water and wring it out. Line a large colander 
with the cheesecloth and place it in the sink. 

2. Pour the milk into a heavy-bottomed 
stockpot and warm over medium heat 

to 90"F/32°C, stirring occasionally with 
an up-and-down motion. Remove from 
the heat. 


3. Stir in the buttermilk. Cover and let the 
milk ripen for 10 minutes. 

4. Now stir in the CaCl 2 solution and then 
the rennet solution, stirring for 20 seconds 
after each. 

5. Cover the pot and let the rennet set for 
30 minutes. After 30 minutes, check for a 
clean break (see page 218). If there isn’t one, 
let the milk sit for 10 to 15 minutes more. 

6 . Cut the curd into hazelnut-size pieces, 
about 1 2 3 A in/2 cm (see page 219). Let the 
curds heal for 2 minutes, then begin stirring 
gently. Start at the top of the pot and move 
downward. When all the curds are in motion, 
turn on the heat to low. Stir and cook the 
curds for 20 minutes as you bring the tem¬ 
perature of the pot up to 95°F/35°C. 


BEGINNING CHEESES 

91 


MILK 






UNHOMOGENIZED 


FINAL FORM 

o 

FREE-FORM WHEEL 

CATEGORIES 

LACTIC-ACID 



CONTINUED 


MEDIUM 







7. Once at 95°F/35°C, remove from the heat. 
Pitch the curds (see page 73). Pour off the 
whey from the top of the pot, then pourthe 
curds into the prepared colander (save 
the whey to make Whey Ricotta, page 76, if 
desired). Let curds drain in the colander for 
1 minute, then return the curds to the pot. 

8. Add the salt to the curds, 1 tbsp at a time. 
After each addition, with clean hands, toss 
the curds in the pot to mix in the salt and 
also squeeze the curds through tightened 
fists—“hand-milling.” Continue adding salt 
and hand-milling until the curds are salted 
to your taste and perfectly fluffy. 

9. Cover the pot to try and maintain the heat 
for 20 minutes more. This ripening period 
lets the salt soak in and allows more whey to 
be released. 

10 . Finally, transfer the curds back to the 
colander lined with cheesecloth (or a cheese 
form with a follower). Gather the ends of 
the cloth and twist to wring out more whey. 
Knot the ends of the cloth to form a pouch 
(see page 220) or pack into prepared cheese 
forms. If using a cheese form, use your finger¬ 
tips to pack into place. Flip the cheese 
within the first 5 minutes, then return to the 
form. Wrap the wheel tightly and store in 
the fridge for up to 1 week. 


FIRMER CHEESE: For a slightly firmer 
cheese, press the pouch lightly (about 10 lb/ 
4.5 kg of weight) for 10 minutes, then open 
up the cheesecloth and flip the cheese over 
so the top becomes the bottom. Return the 
cheese to the cheesecloth and press for an 
additional 30 minutes at medium pressure 
(about 20 lb/9 kg). The longer you press, the 
drier and firmer the cheese becomes. Press¬ 
ing is not necessary, however. 


KITCHEN CREAMERY 

92 



MEDIUM 





(8e€ 

(PaeAe 


MAKES IV 2 TO 2 LB/680 TO 910 G 


MILK 




UNHOMOGENIZED 


SUGGESTED 

CULTURE 

BUTTERMILK OR 
TA60 


FINAL FORM 

Q 

MEDIUM WHEEL 

CATEGORIES 

LACTIC-ACID 



Bel Paese, meaning “beautiful country” in Italian, is similar to a soft “pizza mozzarella” 
(meaning the Cultured Mozzarella on page 174, not the Quick Mozz on page 168). When 
you cut it, a sticky, creamy residue remains on the knife. It is best enjoyed at 2 to 3 weeks, 
although you can age it for up to a month, if you’d like. 

If you’d like to age it, the best way to do so, especially if you add jalapefio flakes, is to 
seal it in a vacuum bag and store it in the fridge. You can also let the cheese dry for a 
day at room temperature, then dip it in cheese wax. If you don’t have the equipment 
for these two options, be adamant about keeping the rind rubbed down and clean. Store 
the cheese on an aging mat in an aging bin. Turn daily and wash, regularly, with a light 
brine. Scrape away spots of undesired molds as needed. 

This recipe is different from Pot Cheese (page 88) and Queso Fresco (page 91), because you 
add the rennet when the milk is particularly warm. You also salt the cheese in a brine after 
it has been pressed instead of before, in the vat. Though this is a fresh cheese, it is best if 
ripened for a week or two. That said, it is right on the border between a fresh cheese and 
a ripened one. It is wonderful and highly likely to jog a memory for someone who eats it. 



INGREDIENTS 

2 gal/7.5 L unhomogenized milk 
2 tbsp buttermilk or V* tsp prehydrated 
thermophilic culture 

¥2 tsp CaCl 2 diluted in Vi cup/60 ml water 
¥2 tsp rennet diluted in ¥1 cup/60 ml water 
¥1 cup/35 g jalapefio chile flakes (optional) 
Saturated brine (see page 221) 

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT 
Medium cheese form, with follower; loose 
or medium (#40 or #60) cheesecloth to 
fit the form; digital kitchen thermometer; 
aging mat and bin 

1. Clean all surfaces and equipment before 
beginning. Set up a draining station by lining 
a clean form with cheesecloth and placing it 


on a draining rack in the sink. Place a colan¬ 
der in the sink as well. 

2 . Pour the milk into a heavy-bottomed 
stockpot and warm over medium heat to 
106°F/41°C, while stirring. Remove from 
the heat. 

3. Add the buttermilk and stir in gently. 
Cover the pot and let the milk ripen for 
10 minutes. 

4. Add the CaCl 2 solution and stir in. Add the 
rennet solution, stirring for 20 seconds. 

5. Cover the pot and let the rennet set for 
30 minutes. After 30 minutes, check for a 
clean break (see page 218). If there isn’t one, 
let the milk sit for 10 minutes more. 


KITCHEN CREAMERY 

94 






6 . Cut the curd into grape-size pieces, about 
1 in/2.5 cm (see page 219). Let the curds 
heal for 2 minutes, then begin stirring gently, 
gradually gaining speed and cutting large 
pieces as they rise to the top. Stir the pot 
for 30 minutes. The curds will shrink signifi¬ 
cantly during this time, even though the 
temperature will stay the same. 

7. Pitch the curds (see page 73) for 5 minutes. 

8. Drain off the whey from the top of the pot 
(save it for the Whey Ricotta on page 76, if 
desired), then pour the curds into the colan¬ 
der. Let drain for 1 minute, then transfer to 
the prepared cheese form. If using the chile 
flakes, sprinkle these in while filling the form 
with curds. Distribute the flakes as evenly 
as possible. 

9. When all the curds are in the form, cover 
with the cheesecloth, then the follower. 

Using your hands and body weight, press 
down on the cheese for 2 minutes, then open 
up the form and flip the cheese so the top 
becomes the bottom. 

10. Redress the cheese (see page 220) and 
press with very light weight (about 5 lb/ 

2.3 kg) for 5 hours. Flip and redress the 
cheese at least once during this time period. 

11. Remove the cheese from its form and 
place in the brine for 3 hours. Make sure the 
temperature of the brine is near 65°F/18°C, 
and cover any exposed part of the cheese— 
the part floating above the brine surface— 
with salt. 


12. Afterward, remove the cheese from the 
brine and let it dry at room temperature 
on the aging mat for 1 to 2 days, covered 
with cheesecloth. Flip regularly to encour¬ 
age even drying. Later, vacuum-seal (see 
page 33) or wax dip (see pages 222 to 223). 
Age for 2 to 3 weeks, ideally at 55°F/13°C or 
at regular fridge temperature for longer. 

Enjoy the cheese by 6 weeks of age. 

VARIATION 

BEER-RIPENED BEL PAESE: To create a dif¬ 
ferent version of Bel Paese, omit the jalapeho 
flakes. After brining and drying the cheese, 
move it to a clean aging bin with an aging 
mat inside. Place the aging bin in a 55°F/13°C 
cave or aging area. Wash the cheese daily for 
the first week using a clean cloth dipped in 
pale ale-style beer, blotting up any built-up 
moisture from beneath the aging mat and 
from around the corners of the bin each day. 

After 1 week, start to wash every third day. 
Prevent the cheese from becoming too wet by 
removing built-up moisture from the bin and 
by washing only the top and side parts of the 
cheese (not the bottom where the moisture will 
be trapped). If the cheese seems too dry, wash 
more often. After 2 weeks, the rind should begin 
to have a fragrant yeasty smell and feel sticky 
when touched—this is what you are looking 
for. Age for up to 2 weeks longer. Then enjoy! 


BEGINNING CHEESES 

95 


MEDIUM 


o o o o O O o 

^et a 

° ° ° ° _ ° ° ° j 

MAKES Vh TO 2 LB/680 TO 910 G 


MILK 

KF 



SUGGESTED 

CULTURE 

FETA MIX MT1 

FINAL FORM 
SQUARES, STORED 
IN BRINE 

CATEGORIES 
BRINED, SEMI- 
LACTIC ACID SET 



This cheese is a good one to make early in your cheesemaking adventures. It requires 
little time at the vat, doesn’t need an aging cave, doesn’t need a press, doesn’t need a 
special cheese form, and is ready to eat after several weeks, although you can continue 
aging it for months, even years more, if you want. 

This cheese is the only one in Kitchen Creamery that ripens in a brine (all the others 
are dry-ripened). The secret to a successful feta brining is making sure the acidity of the 
brine and the amount of calcium ions is balanced. You do this simply by adding white 
vinegar to the brine solution for the former and CaCl 2 for the latter. In this way, a feta 
brine is different then the brine used to salt cheeses later in this book. 



INGREDIENTS 

2 gal/7.5 L unhomogenized milk (goat’s or 
sheep’s milk, or a combination, is ideal 
but not required) 

¥4 cup/60 ml cultured buttermilk or Vs tsp 
prehydrated mesophilic culture 
Pinch of lipase powder (optional; see Note) 
¥2 tsp CaCl 2 diluted in ¥4 cup/60 ml water 
¥2 tsp rennet diluted in ¥1 cup/60 ml water 
¥2 cup/115 g salt 
Feta Brine (page 99), chilled 

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT 
Medium or large cheese form (preferably 
square, no follower); digital kitchen ther¬ 
mometer; medium (#60) cheesecloth; 
large jar with lid or other airtight container 

1. Clean all surfaces and equipment before 
beginning. Set up a draining station by 
placing the clean form on a draining rack 
in the sink. (It is not necessary to line the 
cheese form with cheesecloth.) 

2 . Pour the milk into a heavy-bottomed 
stockpot over medium heat and warm to 


84°F/29°C, stirring occasionally. Remove 
from the heat. 

3. Add the buttermilk and stir using an 
up-and-down motion. If you want a more 
pungent flavor to your feta, sprinkle in 
the lipase. Cover the pot and let the milk 
ripen for 30 minutes. 

4. Stir in the CaCl 2 solution and then the 
rennet solution, stirring for 20 seconds 
after each. 

5. Cover the pot and let the rennet set for 
40 minutes. Check for a clean break (see 
page 218). If there isn’t one, let the milk sit 
for 10 minutes more. 

6 . Cut the curd into grape-size pieces, about 
1 in/2.5 cm (see page 219). Let the curds heal 
for 2 minutes, then begin stirring gently, 
starting near the top of the vat and moving 
downward. 

CONTINUED 


KITCHEN CREAMERY 

96 











7. Stir for 5 minutes, then place the pot over 
medium-low heat and bring the temperature 
up to 88T/31°C over the course of 20 min¬ 
utes, while stirring constantly. Remove from 
the heat. 

8. Pitch the curds (see page 73) for 5 minutes. 

9. Drain off the whey from the top of the pot 
and pour the curds into the prepared form or 
a colander. After the first 5 minutes of drain¬ 
ing, flip the cheese block so that the top 
becomes the bottom. Cover the cheese with 
a piece of cheesecloth, then let the cheese 
rest, in the sink, draining freely, for the next 
10 to 15 hours (more time if the ambient 
temperature is cool, less time if it is warm). 
You do not need to flip or refrigerate the 
cheese during this period. By the end of this 
ripening period, the cheese should smell 
cheesy (especially if you added the lipase) 
and be semifirm to the touch. 

10 . Take the cheese out of its form and cut 
into 2-in/5-cm chunks (this is why a square 
draining form works best). Set the chunks 
back in the form or colander and sprinkle 
heavily with the salt. Cover again with the 
cheesecloth and allow to drain, at room 
temperature, for another 24 hours. In total, 
your cheese will drain at room temperature 
for nearly 40 hours. 

11. Finally, arrange the feta cubes neatly 
in the large jar with a tight-fitting lid. Add 
enough of the chilled brine to cover thor¬ 
oughly. Push down on the cheese to make 
sure it is submerged below the surface of 


the brine, using a weight if needed. If the 
cheese pokes above the surface of the brine, 
it will become moldy and off-flavored. 



12. Place the jar in a 60°F/15°C or cooler 
location for up to 5 months. You can also 
store the jar in the fridge for up to 1 year. 
Keep checking to confirm that the cheese 
stays submerged. Remove any molds 
that develop on the brine surface. 

NOTE 

• Lipase is often used to get cow’s-milk 
cheese to taste closer to the flavor of 
goat’s or sheep’s milks. Lipase is always 
an animal product, something to note 
if you are vegetarian. 


KITCHEN CREAMERY 

98 




FETA BRINE 


MAKES 1 GAL/3.8 L 


This simple brine has a couple of secret ingredients to make it the perfect bath for your 
feta. I reuse my brine over the course of months and many batches of feta, filtering the 
brine between each use. You can also boil it before setting up a new cheese, if you want 
to be certain not to cross-contaminate. I store my brine, when it’s not in use, in a closed 
jar in the fridge. When I’m ready to make a fresh brine batch. I’ll finish off the old stuff 
by using it to brine a chicken. 


INGREDIENTS 
1 gal/3.8 L water 
1 lb/455 g kosher or pickling salt 
1 tbsp CaCl 2 
1 tsp white vinegar 

1. In a saucepan over high heat, bring the 
water to a boil. Remove from the heat and 
let cool to 100°F/38°C. 

2. Pour the salt into a clean container with 
about a 1-gal/3.8-L capacity. (I use an old 
glass pickle jar.) 

3. Add the boiled water to the container and 
stir for several minutes to dissolve the salt. 
Stir in the CaCl 2 and vinegar. Chill the brine 
in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour (ideally 
to 60°F/15°C ) before using as directed. 


NOTES 

• If you are planning on aging your feta for 
more than a month, use pH strips (see 
page 33) to confirm the brine acidity. 

The pH should be between 4.8 and 5.2. If 
it isn't, you will need to lower the pH by 
adding more vinegar or raise the pH with 
baking soda. 

• If you intend to age your cheese for a longer 
period, a safe bet is to use a saturated 
brine (see page 221), which is stronger 
than this brine recipe. The saturated 
brine will make the cheese saltier than is 
pleasant to eat. When you are ready to 

eat the feta, draw some of the salt out of 
it by placing the cheese in cool water for 
1 to 2 hours beforehand. Change the water 
during this time as much as you can to 
encourage the extraction. Pat the cheese 
dry before serving. 


BEGINNING CHEESES 

99 

























By “washing the curds” in the vat—or rather remov¬ 
ing a portion of the whey and replacing it with 
water—you produce a softer cheese with an often 
glistening, elastic paste. Think of young Gouda and 
its chewy texture. Sometimes the replacement water 
is the same temperature as the whey you removed. 
Other times, it is warmer; in which case you’ll be 
cooking as well as washing the cheese. The cooler 
the wash water, the more moisture retained in the 
final curd. The more moisture in the final curd, the 
softer the cheese will be. 

On a microscopic level, washing lowers the amount 
of lactose, or milk sugar, in the vat. Lactose becomes 
more concentrated inside the curd and less in the 
surrounding whey once you add the water. This 
creates a concentration gradient. As you stir, the 
lactose moves out of the curd and into the whey, 
equalizing the concentration difference. Since 
the cultures in the vat feed on the lactose, and 
because they are trapped in the curds, they now 
have less to eat and so will produce less acid. 

This process produces a sweeter, less tangy or 
sharp cheese. 


WITH AND WITHOUT 
EYES 

The washed-curd cheese style includes a number 
of cheeses, some with classic “Swiss eyes” and 
some with eyes that aren’t considered Swiss. Those 
cheeses that use Propionic bacteria, a specific 
gas-producing bacteria, will have the signature 
large, round eyeholes and classic “Swissy” taste. 
Other openings or eyes in the Dutch-style cheeses 
that aren’t accompanied by that distinct Swiss 
flavor are small, more irregularly shaped, and 
caused by other bacteria or the mechanics of how 
the curds settled into their final form. You can 
have several different types of eyes or openings in 
one cheese. 


In this chapter, you’ll be using Propionic bacteria 
to make the Rising Moon (page 111). You’ll use 
Propionic bacteria, later, when making the Gruyere- 
style cheese, Mountain Top (page 180). With both 
of these recipes, the initial aging temperature is 
a key to success. For the first three weeks, age at 
50°F/10°C or cooler. Next, move the cheese to a 
warmer location of at least 70°F/2rc for three weeks 
more. Finally, finish ripening at 55°F/13°C for another 
two to five months. Giving the cheese a cool period 
followed by a warm period allows the Propionic 
bacteria to prosper. If you leave the cheese in an 
area too warm initially, there’ll be an overproduction 
of gas. If you leave the cheese in an area too cold 
for too long, you’ll have no eyes at all. 

PREHYDRATING FREEZE DRIED 
CULTURES 

Prehydrating your freeze-dried cultures is 
identical to waking up bread yeast—with some 
heat, some food, and some moisture, the 
organisms come alive. It is extremely helpful to 
prehydrate any DVI (“Direct Vat Inoculant”)— 
also known as freeze-dried—cultures. Two 
hours before beginning your batch of cheese, 
take 1 cup/240 ml of warm (about 86°F/30°) 
milk (just grab it from the milk you’ll be using) 
and sprinkle the freeze-dried cultures over the 
surface. Wait 2 minutes for them to hydrate, 
then stir in. Hold this cup in a warm location for 
up to 2 hours, and ideally no less than 1 hour 
before adding it to the vat when called for in the 
recipe. When using store-bought or homemade 
kefir, buttermilk, or yogurt as the inoculant, no 
prehydration is necessary. 


WASHED-CURD CHEESES 

101 






MEDIUM 



MAKES ONE 1-LB/455-G WHEEL 


MILK 




SUGGESTED 

CULTURES 

MAll OR MM 100 


FINAL FORM 



MEDIUM WHEEL 

CATEGORIES 

WASHED-CURD 



This Havarti is a pleasant, easy cheese. What’s special about the recipe is you’ll be adding 
a small amount of salt right to the vat, before draining off any whey—something you’ll do 
only in this recipe. This early salt makes the cheese mild. To spice things up, you can wash 
the rind of your Havarti to turn it into a Tilsiter (see page 122). This is also the first recipe 
where you’ll start to determine when to cut the curd based on a flocculation point. 


INGREDIENTS 

2 gal/7.5 L unhomogenized milk 

V4 tsp prehydrated mesophilic cultures 

¥2 tsp CaCl 2 diluted in ¥4 cup/60 ml water 

¥2 tsp rennet diluted in ¥1 cup/60 ml water 

¥2 cup/115 g salt 

Heavy brine (see page 221) 

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT 
Medium cheese form, with follower; loose 
or medium (#40 or #60) cheesecloth; 
digital kitchen thermometer 

1. Clean all surfaces and equipment before 
beginning. Set up a draining station by lining 
the cheese form with wet cheesecloth and 
placing it on a draining rack in the sink. 

2 . Pour the milk into a heavy-bottomed 
stockpot and warm over medium heat to 
91°F/33°C. Remove from the heat. 

3 . Pour the prehydrated cultures into the 
milk and stir gently. Cover the pot and let 
the milk ripen for 40 minutes. 


4 . Add the CaCl 2 solution and stir. Add the 
rennet solution. Stir for 20 seconds. As you 
add the rennet, start a timer and watch for 
the flocculation point (see page 218). When 
reached, stop the timer. Multiply the number 
of minutes elapsed by 3.5. This is how long 
you need to wait before you cut the curd. 
Goal time is 35 to 40 minutes. 

5 . At the timed moment, cut the curd into 
hazelnut-size pieces, about 3 A in/2 cm (see 
page 219). After cutting, let the curds heal 
for 2 minutes. 

6 . Begin to stir slowly, starting at the top 
of the pot and gradually working the curds 
into motion. Cut up any large chunks that 
float up from below using the side of the 
skimmer or spoon. Gradually increasing in 
speed, stir the curds for 10 minutes, then 
stop stirring and let the curds settle. 

7 . To begin the washing process, remove 
2 qt/2 L whey from the pot and replace it 
gradually (2 to 3 minutes) with an equal 
amount of 165°F/74°C water, stirring con¬ 
stantly to avoid scorching. The final tempera¬ 
ture in the pot should be 100°F/38°C and the 


KITCHEN CREAMERY 

104 







end volume should be the same as the 
amount you started with. (The temperature 
of the pot is more important than the exact 
volume of liquid, though both affect the 
final product.) 

8. Stir constantly for 5 minutes, then add 
the salt directly to the pot. Stir to dissolve the 
salt, and then stir every 3 minutes or so over 
the next 30 minutes. The curds should feel 
spongy and springy to the touch. 

9 . Pitch the curds (see page 73) briefly, then 
drain off the whey, collecting the curds in a 
warmed colander. Quickly transfer the warm 
curds to the prepared form and cover with 
the cheesecloth and follower. 

10 . Press the cheese with your fingertips for 
5 minutes. Unwrap the cheese, flip, redress, 
and then press under medium weight (10 to 
15 lb/4.5 to 6.8 kg) for 30 minutes. Flip the 
cheese one last time, then leave in the press 
under medium weight for 4 to 5 hours. 

11 . Remove the cheese from the form and 
place in the brine to cover for 2 hours. (Brine 
for less time if using smaller forms.) 

12. Remove the cheese from the brine and 
air-dry on a clean aging mat at room temper¬ 
ature for 2 days, turning regularly to encour¬ 
age even drying. While drying, cover with the 
cheesecloth to protect the surface from dust 
and airborne contaminants. 


13 . When the cheese has dried, proceed 
with cheese- or cream-waxing, or choose 
another rind treatment (see pages 222 
to 223). Store on an aging mat in an aging 
bin at 55°F/13°C for 6 to 8 weeks. 

INTRODUCING THE 
FLOCCULATION POINT 

One big difference between the begin¬ 
ning recipes and the advanced ones 
is that in the advanced ones, you will 
be cutting the curd based on a floccu¬ 
lation point—a measure of how long 
it takes for the milk to turn from a liquid 
to a solid—instead of cutting based 
on a prescribed number of minutes or 
a “clean break” test. The Flocculation 
Method is a more accurate way of 
determining when to cut because it 
accommodates the variables of milk, 
cultures, and the environment better 
than a simple timetable. A few of the 
following recipes still gauge when to 
cut by a distinct number of minutes 
but most use the Flocculation Method. 
For how to judge the Flocculation 
point, see page 218. 


WASHED-CURD CHEESES 

105 



MEDIUM 


MILK 






UNHOMOGENIZED 


SUGGESTED 

CULTURES 

FLORA DANICA 
PLUS LM57 


FINAL FORM 



LARGE WHEEL 


CATEGORIES 

WASHED-CURD, 

WAXED 




(GOUDA STYLE) 


MAKES ONE 3- TO 4-LB/1.4- TO 
1.8-KG WHEEL 


I named this cheese after the cheese Divine Providence made by Narragansett Creamery, 
a family-run creamery that I helped to establish in 2007. For the launch party, we invited 
everyone we knew to a small wine shop in the city’s downtown. It was December and 
brutally cold. Wind whipped through the street, but inside, people were warm, standing 
shoulder to shoulder. Wine flowed and lights twinkled. Finally, after a few speeches, 
the mayor took the podium with a double-handled cheese knife. On a cutting board 
in front of him sat a wheel of what was to be the state’s first cheese (since all earlier 
creameries had become extinct). 


There was perfect silence as the mayor held the knife and began to cut. The wheel opened 
and inside several eyeholes garnished a creamy, dense paste—stars in the night sky. He 
took one bite, smiled widely, and the crowd burst into applause. 


INGREDIENTS 

4 gal/15 L unhomogenized milk 
Vitsp prehydrated mesophilic cultures 
Vs tsp prehydrated LM 57 cultures 
3 A tsp CaCl 2 diluted in V* cup/60 ml water 
3 A tsp rennet diluted in y« cup/60 ml water 
Saturated brine (see page 221) 

Salt 

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT 
Large cheese form, with follower; loose 
or medium (#40 or #60) cheesecloth 
to fit the form; digital kitchen thermom¬ 
eter; cheese press or other pressing setup; 
cheese wax 

1. Clean all surfaces and equipment before 
beginning. Set up a draining station by lining 
the cheese form with wet cheesecloth and 
placing it on a draining rack in the sink. 


2 . Pour the milk into a heavy-bottomed 
stockpot and warm over medium heat to 
86T/29X, stirring occasionally. 

3 . When at temperature, pour the pre¬ 
hydrated cultures into the milk and stir, 
using an up-and-down motion. Cover the 
pot and let the milk ripen for 20 minutes. 

4 . Add the CaCl 2 solution and stir. Add the 
rennet solution. Stir for 20 seconds, then 
stop the motion of the milk. As you add the 
rennet, start a timer and watch for the floc¬ 
culation point (see page 218). When reached, 
stop the timer. Multiply the number of min¬ 
utes elapsed by 3. This is how long you need 
to wait before you cut the curd. 

5 . At the timed moment, cut the curd into 
hazelnut-size pieces, about 3 A in/2 cm 
(see page 219). After cutting, let the curds 
heal for 2 minutes. 


KITCHEN CREAMERY 

106 


CONTINUED 











6. Begin to stir slowly, starting at the top of 
the pot and gradually working the curds into 
motion. Cut up any large chunks that float 
up from below (especially important when 
working with a larger volume of milk). Stir 
for about 20 minutes; during this time, you’ll 
notice the curds shrinking significantly. After 
20 minutes, stop stirring and allow the curds 
to settle. 

7. To begin the washing process, remove 
about 20 percent of the total volume of 
whey in the pot, taking care to not remove 
any curds (and making sure you don’t 
remove more than 20 percent). Replace the 
whey with an equal amount of 140°F/60°C 
water, adding it slowly and stirring the entire 
time to give each curd a similar exposure 

to the heat. The goal is to raise the temper¬ 
ature of the pot to 100°F/38°C. If you get to 
this temperature before you’ve finished 
adding water to replace the whey, finish 
off with 100°F/38°C water. If you’ve added 
all the water and the temperature is below 
100°F/38°C, place over low heat and bring up 
the temperature while stirring. 

8. When the vat is at the right volume and 
temperature, stir for another 40 minutes. 
When finished, check to see if the curds 
are ready by grabbing a fistful. They should 
clump into one mass but fall back apart 
easily if you try and crumble them with your 
fingertips. If they aren’t crumbling appro¬ 
priately, stir for another 15 minutes and 

try again. 


9. Pitch the curds (see page 73) for 5 min¬ 
utes. With clean hands, reach into the vat 
and press downward into the curd mass. 
Press well with your hands for 3 to 5 minutes, 
helping the curds to start to fuse together. 
Afterward, pour off the whey from the vat 
(save it to make Whey Ricotta, page 76, 

if desired) until you see the curd block at 
the bottom. 

10 . Grab chunks of the curd block with 
both hands and move them to the prepared 
cheese form set up in the sink. Fill the form 
with all the curds, then tug on the cheese¬ 
cloth to tighten. Fold the loose ends over 
the top and apply the follower. 

11. Immediately apply medium weight (15 lb/ 
7 kg) for 10 minutes, then remove the weight. 
Take the cheese out of its form, unwrap, 
and flip the cheese so the top becomes the 
bottom. Rewrap and continue pressing at 
medium weight. 

12. After 1 hour, increase the pressure to 
heavy weight (25 to 30 lb/11 to 14 kg). Leave 
the cheese under the heavy weight for 

2 to 3 hours if making a young cheese (up 
to 3 months), or 8 to 10 hours if making an 
aged cheese (up to 10 months). While press¬ 
ing, make sure the cheese doesn’t slide out 
of place. Also make sure folds of cheesecloth 
are not lost inside the pressing wheel. 


KITCHEN CREAMERY 

108 


13. After pressing, unwrap the cheese, 
transfer to a pot, and add the brine to cover. 
Brine for 6 to 8 hours, sprinkling dry salt over 
parts that float above the surface. Flip the 
wheel once midway through. 

14. Afterward, air-dry the cheese on a drying 
rack, covered with a piece of cheesecloth, at 
room temperature for 2 days. Flip regularly. 
Make sure the drying temperature stays near 
65T/18°C. 

15. When the rind feels dry but still barely 
moist, the cheese is ready to be coated with 
cheese wax or cream wax, or vacuum sealed. 

16. Age at 55°F/13°C for at least 3 months and 
up to 1 year. 


VARIATION 

CUMIN GOUDA: Follow the recipe through 
step 8. Before you start to drain the whey, in 
a small saucepan combine % cup/35 g cumin 
seeds and water to cover and bring to a boil. 
Cook for 2 minutes. Strain, discarding the 
boiling water, and set the seeds aside. Pour 
the whey out of the pot until only the curd 
block remains. Using your hands, crumble the 
curds into walnut-size chunks, then quickly 
mix in the cumin seeds. Transfer to the pre¬ 
pared form and proceed as directed. 

CLASSIC YELLOW-COLORED GOUDA: Add 

Vs tsp liquid annatto to the milk prior to adding 
the rennet (step 4). The curds will be a light 
yellow while in the vat but become a progres¬ 
sively deeper yellow as the wheel ages. 


WASHED-CURD CHEESES 

109 






RISING - 
.MOON. 


(JARLSBERG STYLE) 

MAKES ONE 3- TO 4-LB/1.4- TO 
1.8-KG WHEEL 


This cheese contains eyes that form from the gas-producing bacteria Propionibacterium 
freudenreichii subsp. shermanii. These special microorganisms also create that distinct 
flavor I think of as “Swissy.” I love to cut open a wheel of Rising Moon because the inside 
always surprises me (even though I know what’s going to be there). It’s also a good 
cheese to make with lower-fat milk, if desired. Exchange 1 gal/3.8 L skim milk for an equal 
amount of the whole milk. Make this cheese in the largest batch size possible (4 gal/15 L 
being the minimum). For a successful eye formation, your wheel should be a minumim 
of 4 in/10 cm tall (and no more than 7 in/18 cm) with a minimim diameter of 6 to 8 in/ 

15 to 20 cm. With this style of cheese in particular; the bigger the batch, the better. Don’t 
halve this recipe. 


INGREDIENTS 

4 gal/15 L unhomogenized whole or part- 
skim milk 

V 2 tsp prehydrated thermophilic cultures 
Vs tsp prehydrated Propionic bacteria 
powder 

V4 tsp CaCl 2 diluted in Vi cup/60 ml water 
3 A tsp rennet diluted in X U cup/60 ml water 
Saturated brine (see page 221) 

Salt 

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT 
Medium cheese form, with follower; loose 
or medium (#40 or #60) cheesecloth to 
fit the form; digital kitchen thermometer; 
cheese press or other pressing setup 

1. Clean all surfaces and equipment before 
beginning. Set up a draining station by lining 
the cheese form with wet cheesecloth and 
placing it on a draining rack in the sink. 

2. Pour the milk into a heavy-bottomed 
stockpot and warm over medium heat to 
91T/33°C, stirring occasionally. 


3. When at temperature, turn off the heat 
and add the prehydrated thermophilic and 
propionic cultures to the milk. Stir in, then 
cover the pot and ripen for 45 hours. 

4. Add the CaCl 2 solution to the milk and 
stir. Add the rennet solution. Stir for 20 sec¬ 
onds, then stop the motion of the milk. As 
you add the rennet, start a timer and watch 
for the flocculation point (see page 218). 
When reached, stop the timer. Multiply the 
number of minutes elapsed by 3. This is how 
long you need to wait before you cut the 
curd. Goal time is 25 to 30 minutes. 

5. At the timed moment, cut the curd into 
lentil-size pieces, about X A in/6 mm. After 
cutting, let the curds heal for 2 minutes. 

CONTINUED 


WASHED-CURD CHEESES 

' 111 * 


MILK 



UNHOMOGENIZED; 
WHOLE MILK OR 
PART SKIM 


SUGGESTED 

CULTURES 

TA60 OR 61 PLUS 
PROPIONIC 
BACTERIA 


FINAL FORM 




LARGE WHEEL 


CATEGORIES 
WASHED-CURD 
WITH EYES, 
SWISS-STYLE 








6 . Starting gently but slowly increasing in 
speed, stir the curds for 20 minutes, cutting 
up large chunks that float up from below. 
After 20 minutes, let the curds settle for 

5 minutes. 

7. To begin the washing process, remove 

1 gal/15 L whey from the top of the pot and 
replace it gradually (over the course of 

2 to 3 minutes), with an equal amount 

of 145°F/63°C water, stirring continuously 
to give all curds equal exposure. The final 
temperature in the pot should be 100"F/ 

38°C and the end volume should be the 
same amount you started with. (The temp¬ 
erature of the pot is more important than 
the exact volume of liquid, though both 
affect the final product.) 

8. Turn the heat to low and raise the tem¬ 
perature to 108°F/42°C over the course of 
30 minutes, stirring gently and continuously. 
Do not heat too quickly. Stir briskly enough 
that the curds don’t mat on the bottom 

of the vat. After 30 minutes and when at 
temperature, turn off the heat and pitch the 
curds (see page 73) for 5 minutes. 

9. With clean hands, reach into the vat and 
gently move the curds together into a block. 
Press on the block for 2 to 3 minutes, then 
pour off the whey until you see the surface 
of the curds. With both hands, transfer the 
curds quickly to the prepared cheese form. 
Pull the ends of the cheesecloth to tighten, 
then cover the cheese with the follower. 


10 . Press at medium weight (15 lb/7 kg) 
for 30 minutes, flipping once after 5 min¬ 
utes to make sure the cheese is pressing 
symmetrically. 

11. After 30 minutes, take the cheese out 
of the press, remove the cheesecloth, flip, 
rewrap, and press again but now more heav¬ 
ily (25 to 30 lb/11 to 14 kg) for 10 to 12 hours. 

12. Remove the cheese from the press. Place 
in the brine for 6 to 8 hours. Sprinkle dry salt 
on exposed surfaces. Flip half way through 
the brining. 

13. Remove the cheese from the brine and 
dry on an aging mat at room temperature, 
covered with cheesecloth, for 2 to 3 days, 
turning regularly. When the rind feels dry but 
still the slightest bit moist, coat with cheese 
wax or cream wax or vacuum-seal. 

Alternatively, after the cheese has air-dried, 
rub with oil (vegetable or olive) and place 
on an aging mat inside an aging bin. Flip and 
oil daily for the first 2 weeks, then biweekly 
for the next 3 to 4 months. Remove molds 
using a piece of coarse cheesecloth dipped 
in salt brine or a stiff bristled brush. Make 
sure there is plenty of air and that the cheese 
does not get too moist. 

14. Regardless of the rind treatment, for 
the first 3 weeks, age at 50°F/10°C or cooler. 
Next, move the cheese to a warmer loca¬ 
tion of at least 70°F/21°C for 3 weeks more. 
Finally, finish ripening at 55°F/13°C for 2 to 

5 months more. 


KITCHEN CREAMERY 

112 



REGULAR EYE 5 

'"J PAES-S THE CUR Di" wetu 
Itt E ^ AG ' E AT COP ^tCT TENtPCRATURK 

wc vCr noitMO, asot/LA& eyes 



IRREGULAREYES 

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OURIN£ HOOfINfi THEN VUE PACES 
ONLY Lt&WriY, Wf FORM A N\OAE 
OPEM TEyTUAE with JpaaiLFa 
tdAE 6 ULAR EVEj. 








TOO £5l<V*f 

TOO FEW fVFf MAY 

signify ove« salting 

OR SLOW CULTURES. 


IF CM EES E Puffs OR EXPLORES 
IN THE FIRST SB HOURS, Ir’fiiten'f 
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PlfCARO THE CHEESE. 


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too many eyes cam ©e 
pftcviNTce evciwfAiMe 

THE AGING TEMPERATURE. 


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VERY SMALL EYES maY 
mean the bacterial 
cultures were 
weak 0 A t WE aging 

TfA*P£R ATI/RES 
WERE too COLO. 


LATH SLOWING 

Ip CHEESE PUFFSOX EX PLOOES AFTER 
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cloj rmiii/M Bacteria- 


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T© ?HS RIW 0 f^AY 

MEAN TME CHEESE 

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WHIN EYSS ?AIL TO FOR** 
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TME CHEESE* BUM O'. 


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r ANOOMIY OR | 

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MOLE* HU CHEESE, €ALL6b EYES, TBLL il$ ABOUT A CHEESE'S 
RECIPE, FLAVOR AMO SAFETY. TW£ BYES FORM WHEN 
STARTER CULTURES FERMENT PARTS OF THE MILK To produce 
CO* GAS. THE GAS DISSOLVES INTO THE CWRP FIRST THEN STARTS 
To COLLECT AT TINY OPENINGS CALLED NUCLEI SITES, BUILDING 
PRESSURE PUSHES TWFSITES OPEN INTO LARGER CYES, 

CULTURES. TEMPERATURES A NO SALT AFFEtT NUM 8 ER, SHAPE AMD DISTRIBUTION. 















ftER k 


WASHED 

RIND 

C Ixee^e^ 






















Washed-rind cheeses—what I’m thinking of when 
I say “stinky”—are cheeses with red to pinkish 
rinds resulting from a mixture of surface-ripening 
bacteria, molds, and yeasts. These cheeses, due 
in large part to what’s on their rinds, mature into 
soft to semifirm cheeses. The inner paste will range 
from firm and grainy (younger) to smooth and 
chewy (middle-aged) to gooey and silky (well-aged) 
depending both on the recipe and the length of the 
aging. In the chapter ahead, I’ll be covering washed 
rinds with a semisoft inner paste. Think of a Taleggio 
or a traditional Muenster. 


THE STINKY CHEESES 

The lead characters helping to create these stinky 
cheeses are a type of bacteria called Coryneform. 
Specifically, it’s the genuses Brevibacterium and 
Arthrobacter that are at work along with many others. 
Interestingly, similar strains to these bacteria are 
found on our skin, which is why a washed-rind 
cheese’s “bouquet” sometimes reminds people of 
stinky feet. For simplicity, I’ll refer to these red-rind 
cultures as Coryneform from this point forward. 

In addition to Coryneform bacteria, another fungal 
microbe called Geotrichum candidum also likes to 
colonize washed rinds. It’s a group you’ll meet later 
when you make a wheel of Camembert. Like Coryne¬ 
form, Geotrichum candidum is abundant in the natu¬ 
ral environment and can come in numerous different 
wild and cultivated strains. One reason why one 
washed-rind cheese may look and taste so different 
from the next is that we may be sensing the effects 
of different Geotrichum candidum or other microbial 
strains, even though, broadly speaking, washed-rind 
cheeses are colonized by roughly the same types of 
microorganisms. 

Finally, in addition to the category of washed-rind 
cheeses, there are also smear-rinded cheeses. The 
two categories overlap and should more appro¬ 
priately be thought of as a spectrum. By some 
people’s categorizations, smear rinds have firmer 
pastes and are aged longer, such as Mountain Top 


on page 180 or a 12-month-old Beaufort. Washed 
rinds, on the other hand, have softer pastes 
(because the cheesemaker let the rennet set longer, 
cut the curd into larger pieces, then cooked and 
stirred less to create a more moist paste) and are 
aged for shorter periods. The amount of moisture 
inside of any cheese and on the rind dictates 
the nature of the microbial communities—and 
the successions of microbial communities—that 
will prosper there. Again, it’s that blurry world 
of cheese categorization—but you get the idea. 

MAKE UP YOUR RIND 

There are several ways to “catch” a cocktail of 
flavor-making microorganisms: 

Into the Milk 

You’ll use this method in the recipe for making 
Marbler (page 118) by adding a pinch of freeze-dried 
Coryneform cultures to the warm milk. It’s the same 
method used to inoculate the bloomy-rinds and 
blues in chapter five, just different microorganisms. 
Adding cultures directly to the vat ensures that the 
organisms have plenty of time to “wake up”—that is, 
rehydrate—as well as plenty of time to disperse. 

Red-Rind Wash 

Another way to grow a red rind is to make a tea 
using the appropriate freeze-dried cultures, then use 
the tea to wash the cheese. My recipe for Red-Rind 
Wash is on page 121. Use this solution to regularly 
rub the rind; it’s similar to adding the cultures to the 
milk in that you have a reasonable idea of what will 
be growing. 

Instead of making up a specific wash, you can also 
wash the rind with beer, which is thick with sugars 
and yeasts. I’ve had a lot of success with this method. 
It’s what you may have practiced when you made 
the Beer-Ripened Bel Paese variation on page 95. 
Here’s how to do it: At the end of a long day, open a 
bottle of beer. Pour a bit onto your cheese and while 
you lovingly tend the rind, wash down the rest of the 
bottle yourself. 


WASHED-RIND CHEESES 

115 



From a Friend 

It happens to me sometimes that I “catch a red 
rind” without intending to. This tells you that you 
don’t even need to purchase Coryneform cultures in 
order to have a red stinker. Sometimes, the cultures 
that live in the air and naturally land on the cheese 
are a strain of Coryneform. Other times, it may be 
mixtures of airborne yeasts or other molds that also 
may form a delicious, stinky rind. Whatever the 
case, given the correct growing conditions, micro¬ 
organisms will go to town. 

SUCCESS WITH SUCCESSIONS 

Observing the successions of molds, yeasts, and 
bacteria growing on a washed-rind, bloomy-rind, or 
natural-rind cheese reminds me of forest succession 
and how one rapidly growing tree species is inevita¬ 
bly overtaken by another, often slower-growing one. 
Initial species often prep the environment for the 
later species by changing the pH or nutrient avail¬ 
ability or even just by holding the space and keeping 
back other populations from crowding in. 



Remember this as you work on your washed rind. 
Your cheese will not turn the color of a peachy sun¬ 
set the day you make it. Plan to see changes in the 
rind over the first several weeks. There will be molds 
and yeasts that stop in, uninvited. They come from 
the air around you. Keep moving these temporary 
visitors along by continuing to gently wash or brush 
the rind. It’s okay if other microorganisms pop up— 
just don’t let them move in permanently. 

Tending your rind through rubbing and washing 
(making sure you don’t leave the rind too wet) as 
well as rotating the cheese regularly (flipping top 
to bottom and checking under the mats for accu¬ 
mulated moisture) allows your cheeses to breathe. 
It will also keep other populations in check. With 
patience and diligence, a balance of organisms, 
including, hopefully, what you’ve inoculated for, 
will settle in and call your cheese “home.” 


KITCHEN CREA 

116 





AGING ADVICE 

Pay the most attention to your washed-rind cheese 
during the first several weeks of aging. Check on 
it daily. After you notice the colors and textures of 
the rind stabilizing—which should be within 3 to 
4 weeks—start to flip and wash the cheese just 
once per week. Here are some other tips. 

• Flip your cheese once per day (but not more) to 
ensure the cheese gets air on all sides. Air will 
allow the right molds and bacteria to grow. Lack 
of air will cause the cheese to rot or develop 
off-flavors. 

• Remove accumulated moisture from the aging bin 
with a clean rag or paper towel. 

• Don’t open the lid of the aging bin too often (no 
more than once a day) or all the ambient moisture 
collected inside the box will be lost and the 
cheese will dry out. 

• Set the lid of the aging bin on lightly, do not snap 
it down. This allows for moderate airflow. Your 
cheese will neither suffocate nor dry out if you 
do this. 

• Choose an aging bin that is five times the volume 
of the cheese. Too small a bin means too little 
air, and the obvious corollary—too big means too 
much air. 

• Set up ripening cheeses so that they do not touch 
one another in an aging bin. 

• Keep your hands very clean while handling aging 
cheeses. Think about which surfaces you touch 
between the sink and the cheese itself. For ease, I 
keep a box of disposable gloves near “the caves.” 

• As a general rule, factors that increase the rate 
of ripening also increase the risk of off-flavor 
development. This means if you are thinking about 
speeding up the aging process by increasing the 
aging temperature, beware. Slow and steady wins 
the race! 


JUDGING RIPENESS 

After the proper aging period passes, it is time 
to decide when to cut your washed-rind wheel. 
Remember that if you’ve held your cheese in the 
fridge or an area colder than the suggested aging 
temperature, it will need more time. When ripe, 
this style of cheese should look evenly coated, 
colorful, and bright. There may be small nicks and 
spots where other molds tried to grow but on the 
whole, the rind should be relatively uniform in color. 
There may be a light white frosting on top of the 
reddish rind. 

You can also get a sense of ripeness by smelling 
the cheese. If the cheese is too stinky and you’re 
not sure it’s okay, find that cheesemonger friend 
and let him or her take a whiff to make sure things 
are on track. 


WASHED-RIND CHEESES 

117 



(MORBIER STYLE) 


MILK 




UNHOMOGENIZED 


SUGGESTED 

CULTURES 

MM100, 
CORYNEFORM, 
AND GEO 13 


FINAL FORM 

LARGE WHEEL 


CATEGORIES 

WASHED-CURD, 

WASHED-RIND, 

ASHED 



MAKES ONE 3- TO 4-LB/ 
1.4- TO 1.8-KG WHEEL 


This cheese has a moist, chewy paste with a gorgeous thin black line through the 
middle. This line of ash makes me think of veins in marble. Marbler was the first of 
my homemade cheeses that stopped me in my tracks. It looks that fancy. 


INGREDIENTS 

4 gal/15 L unhomogenized milk 
Vitsp prehydrated mesophilic cultures 
Vie tsp prehydrated Coryneform cultures 
Vie tsp prehydrated Geotrichum mold 
spores 

3 A tsp CaCl 2 diluted in V* cup/60 ml water 
3 A tsp rennet diluted in y« cup/60 ml water 
V 2 tsp vegetable ash (see page 28) 
Saturated brine (see page 221) 

Red-Rind Wash (page 121; you can 
substitute beer or mead) 

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT 
Large cheese form, with follower; medium 
or fine (#60 or #90) cheesecloth to fit the 
form; digital kitchen thermometer; cheese 
press or other pressing setup 

1. Clean all surfaces and equipment before 
beginning. Set up a draining station by lining 
the cheese form with wet cheesecloth and 
placing it on a draining rack in the sink. Rinse 
a colander and place in the sink as well. 

2 . Pour the milk into a heavy-bottomed 
stockpot and warm over medium heat to 
86°F/30°C, stirring occasionally. When at 
temperature, turn off the heat and pour in 
the prehydrated cultures. Stir gently, then 
cover the pot and let the milk ripen for 
50 minutes. 


3. Add the CaCl 2 solution and stir. Add the 
rennet solution. Stir for 20 seconds, then 
stop the motion of the milk. As you add the 
rennet, start a timer and watch for the floc¬ 
culation point (see page 218). When reached, 
stop the timer. Multiply the number of min¬ 
utes elapsed by 3.5. This is how long you 
need to wait before you cut the curd. Goal 
time is 35 to 40 minutes. 

4. At the timed moment, cut the curd into 
pinto bean-size pieces, about V 2 in/12 mm 
(see page 219). After cutting, let the curds 
heal for 2 minutes, then begin to stir, starting 
at the top of the pot and moving downward, 
gently bringing all of the curds into motion. 

5. Place the pot over low heat and slowly 
raise the temperature to 100°F/38°C over the 
course of 25 minutes. Stir constantly and 
gently the entire time, making sure the tem¬ 
perature doesn’t rise too quickly. If it is rising 
too quickly, turn off the heat intermittently. 

At 100°F/38°C, remove from the heat and let 
the curds rest for 5 minutes. 

CONTINUED 


KITCHEN CREAMERY 

' 118 









6. To begin the washing process, remove 
2 qt/2 L of whey from the pot and replace 
it gradually (2 to 3 minutes) with an equal 
amount of 100°F/38°C water, stirring gently. 
When the volume has returned to where you 
started, stir the curds gently for 5 minutes 
more, then pitch the curds (see page 73). 

7. Reach into the vat and gently move the 
curds together into a block. Press on the 
block with your fingertips for 2 to 3 min¬ 
utes, then pour off the whey until you see 
the surface of the curds. Drain off the rest 
of the whey and dump the curds into the 
colander in the sink. Let drain for 5 minutes. 

8. For this next step, work quickly to get the 
wheel assembled while the curds are still 
warm. Move half of the drained curds from 
the colander into the prepared cheese form. 
Press them down gently with your fingertips. 
Sprinkle the vegetable ash over the curds, 
doing your best to distribute the ash evenly. 
Cover the ash layer with the second half of 
the curds. 

9. Tug on the ends of the cheesecloth to 
tighten, then cover the cheese with the fol¬ 
lower and press immediately with your hands 
for 2 minutes. After 2 minutes, remove the 
wheel from the cheese form, flip, redress, 
and return the cheese to its form. Apply 
light pressure (10 lb/4.5 kg) to the top of the 
cheese for the next 12 to 14 hours, making 
sure the whey continues to drain freely away. 
Flip every 2 to 3 hours during pressing. 


10 . Remove the cheese from the press, 
place in a pot with enough of the brine to 
cover, and brine in a cool place for 5 hours, 
flipping the cheese once halfway through. 
The temperature of the brine should be 
near 55”F/13°C. 

11 . Remove the cheese from the brine and 
let air-dry, covered with a piece of cheese¬ 
cloth, on an aging mat at room temperature 
for 2 days or until the rind feels only faintly 
moist. Flip regularly. 

12. Finally, set the cheese on the aging mat 
inside an aging bin. Place the bin at 55°F/ 
13°C. Let ripen for 8 to 10 weeks, turning the 
cheese daily for the first week, then twice 
per week for the ensuing time. 

13. Each time you flip the cheese, rub the 
sides and top with the wash. Do not rub 
the bottom side; the freshly washed side 
should always be on top. Make sure the 
cheese has air on all sides and that the bin 
is not too moist. Remove unwanted molds 
by rubbing them away. 

14. After 3 to 4 weeks, you should notice a 
reddish coat establishing on the surface. If 
not, make a fresh batch of wash or confirm 
that the cheese has enough humidity and 
that the temperature is not too cold. After 
8 weeks, the cheese will be ready to enjoy, 
though it can be aged for another 4 to 

10 weeks for even more flavor and an even 
softer inner paste. 


KITCHEN CREAMERY 

120 


RED-RIND WASH 


MAKES 1 CUP/240 ML, OR ENOUGH FOR 3 TO 4 RIND WASHINGS 


The effects of this wash are similar to what happens when you follow the steps for 
making a Tilsiter (page 122). 


1 cup/240 ml water 
1 tsp salt 

Pinch of freeze-dried Coryneform cultures 

1. In a saucepan over high heat, bring the 
water to a boil. Pour into a clean glass jar. 
Let cool to room temperature, then add 
the salt and the cultures. Cover and shake 
gently to mix. Let stand on the countertop 
overnight. 


2. When flipping and cleaning any cheese 
when using the wash, create a barrier of 
cheesecloth between the cheese and the jar. 
Pour the wash through the cheesecloth and 
onto the cheese. Do not let the cheesecloth 
touch the mouth of the jar or the cloth will 
contaminate the jar’s contents with unwanted 
molds and bacteria. Store unused wash in 
a labeled jar in the refrigerator for up to 
3 weeks. 


WASHED-RIND CHEESES 

* 121 * 



r-1 

TILSITER 

- A 

MAKES ONE 1-LB/455-G WHEEL 


SUGGESTED 

CULTURE 

CORYNEFORM 
BACTERIA 
CAPTURED FROM 
STORE-BOUGHT 
CHEESE 


To make this cheese, you start with a batch of Havarti. Once the cheese has brined and 
dried, it is ready to grab some character from any delicious and stinky washed-rind 
cheese you can get ahold of. I offer some suggestions, but it will be best to find some¬ 
thing made locally. 


FINAL FORM 



MEDIUM WHEEL 


INGREDIENTS 
1 recipe Havarti (page 104) 

4 oz/115 g store-bought red-rinded cheese 
such as Cowgirl Creamery’s Red Hawk, 
Meadow Creek Dairy’s Grayson, or 
Consider Bardwell’s Dorset 


CATEGORIES 

WASHED-CURD, 

WASHED-RIND 



SPECIAL EQUIPMENT 

Aging mat; cheesecloth; aging bin 

1. Remove the cheese from the brine and 
allow it to air dry on an aging mat at room 
temperature for 2 days, covered with a piece 
of cheesecloth. 

2 . Smear the rind of the purchased washed- 
rind cheese, as best as possible, evenly 
over the Havarti’s surface. Sprinkle on a 

bit of water to help with the smearing if 
the surface is too dry. Alternatively, use 
a blender to make a paste of the store- 
bought rind and water. Smear this paste 
over the cheese surface. 

3. Store the cheese on an aging mat inside 
an aging bin at 55°F/13°C, turning and 
smearing or washing every 2 to 3 days, 
for 6 to 8 weeks. As molds grow on the 
cheese’s surface, rub or brush them down. 
Re-smear with the rind of an established, 
stinky red-rinded cheese, if needed. Age 
for 6 to 8 weeks. 


KITCHEN CREAMERY 

122 








© 



MAKES ONE 3- TO 4-LB/1.4- TO 1.8-KG WHEEL 


Zeller is my version of an Appenzeller, a cooked, pressed cheese from Switzerland. I love 
this recipe because it takes little time—just 3 hours from pot to press. If you have lots of 
milk but little time, make this recipe. 


What makes Zeller unique is personalizing the wash you use to develop the rind. Try and 
gather herbs that grow near you to give the cheese a special terroir. Also unique to this 
recipe is how you’ll cut the curds using a long-handled whisk to get extra-small (lentil- 
size) curd pieces. The finished cheese has a smooth, dense but creamy paste and few to 
no “eyes.” 


INGREDIENTS 

4 gal/15 L unhomogenized milk 
¥2 tsp prehydrated thermophilic cultures 
3 A tsp CaCl 2 diluted in ¥1 cup/60 ml water 
¥4 tsp rennet diluted in ¥4 cup/60 ml water 
Saturated brine (see page 221) 

Herb Wash (page 125) 

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT 
Large cheese form with follower; cheese¬ 
cloth to fit the form; digital kitchen 
thermometer; cheese press or other 
pressing setup 

1. Clean all surfaces and equipment before 
beginning. Set up a draining station by lining 
the cheese form with wet cheesecloth and 
placing it on a draining rack in the sink. 

Rinse a colander, line with cheesecloth, and 
place it in the sink as well. 

2. Pour the milk into a heavy-bottomed 
stockpot and warm over medium heat to 
90°F/32°C. Remove from the heat. 


3. Add the prehydrated cultures to the milk 
and stir in gently. Cover the pot and allow 
the milk to ripen for 1 hour. 

4. Add the CaCl 2 solution and stir. Add the 
rennet solution. Stir for 20 seconds, then 
stop the motion of the milk. As you add the 
rennet, start a timer and watch for the 
flocculation point (see page 218). When 
reached, stop the timer. Multiply the number 
of minutes elapsed by 2.5. This is how long 
you need to wait before you cut the curd. 
Goal time is 20 to 25 minutes. 

5. At the timed moment, using a long- 
handled whisk or curd knife, cut the curd 
into lentil-size pieces, about ¥4 in /6 mm 
(see page 219). After cutting, let the curds 
heal for 2 minutes. 

6 . Starting gently and slowly increasing in 
speed, stir the curds for 5 minutes, then 
place the pot over low heat. Begin to raise 
the temperature to 115°F/46°C; adjust so 

it takes about 25 minutes to get there. 

CONTINUED 


WASHED-RIND CHEESES 

123 


MILK 





UNHOMOGENIZED 


SUGGESTED 

CULTURES 

TA 60 OR 61, 
CORYNEFORM 
BACTERIA FOR 
WASH 


FINAL FORM 



LARGE WHEEL 


CATEGORIES 

WASHED-CURD, 

WASHED-RIND 


^O cOMP ^ ; 

MONTHS 






7. Once at temperature, remove from the 
heat. Let the curds settle to the bottom of 
the pot for 3 minutes, then ladle off about 
10 percent of the whey. (This should be 
about IV 2 qt/1.5 L.) 

8 . Replace the removed whey with an equal 
amount of 115°F/45°C water. Stir for 10 min¬ 
utes more, then let the curds settle again to 
the bottom of the pot. 

9. Ladle the whey off the top of the vat, 
pouring through the prepared colander. 
Remove the whey until you see the top of 
the curd block. 

10. Press down onto the curd block using 
your fingertips, encouraging all the curds to 
gather into one mass. Press with your finger¬ 
tips for 2 minutes, then quickly move chunks 
of curd into a prepared cheese form. Cover 
with the follower. 

11. Press with medium weight (15 lb/7 kg) for 
25 minutes, then open, flip, and redress. 

12. Next, increase the weight to heavy (25 to 
30 lb/11 to 13 kg) and press for 8 hours. 

13. Afterward, remove the cheese from the 
press. Unwrap and place in a large pot and 
cover with the brine. Brine for 6 to 8 hours. 
The temperature of the brine should be near 
55°F/13°C. 

14. Afterward, air-dry the cheese on a 
drying rack, covered with cheesecloth, at 
room temperature for 2 days. Flip daily. 


15. When the skin feels almost dry, set the 
cheese on top of an aging mat, inside an 
aging box. Place the aging box in a 55°F/13°C 
location. Check and turn the cheese daily for 
the first week, removing built-up moisture 
and wiping the skin lightly with a dry piece 
of cheesecloth. 

16. After 1 week, start to rub the cheese 
every other day with cheesecloth dipped in 
the Plerb Wash. 

17. Continue turning and rubbing the cheese. 
If too much moisture builds up in the box, 
place several paper towels underneath the 
aging mat, underneath the cheese. Leave 
the lid slightly ajar for several hours each 
day until the rind feels damp but not dry. 

18. Age at 55°F/13°C for at least 3 and up to 
6 months. 


KITCHEN CREAMERY 

124 


HERB WASH 


MAKES 1 CUP/240 ML, OR ENOUGH FOR 3 TO 4 RIND WASHINGS. 
This wash is a variation of Red-Rind Wash (page 121). 



1 cup/240 ml water 
1 tsp each dried marjoram, thyme, 
chamomile flowers, and rosemary, 
or any combination of your choice 
V 2 cup/120 ml dry white wine 
1 tsp salt 

Pinch of Coryneform cultures 


1. In a saucepan over high heat, bring the 
water to a boii. Remove from the heat, add 
the herbs, and let steep for 10 minutes. 

2. Strain out the herbs. Cool to room 
temperature, then add the wine, salt, and 
coryneform cultures. Cover and let stand 
on the countertop overnight. 

3. Store the wash in the fridge. Each time 
you wash a cheese, wet a clean towel with 
the wash then rub onto cheese rind. 


WASHED-RIND CHEE 

125 ‘ 




mold- 

RIPENED 

CKce4«-4 























Most of the cheesemaking process is quite subtle. 
You can’t see what’s happening so you just trust 
that it is. Except with mold-ripened cheeses. Here, 
you can confidently see that change is taking place. 
Beautiful change. When the surface of a bloomy- 
rind bursts into a blanket of white or you wake one 
morning to find a wheel covered in fresh, baby-blue 
velvet, you will feel confident about what’s going on 
You will see that magic is at your fingertips. 

Mold-ripened cheeses come in two varieties: 
interior ripened and exterior mold ripened. While 
bloomy-rinds have a telltale white coat, blues 
reveal themselves once cut. The insides of both can 
range from crumbly and creamy to shiny and gooey. 
The paste of both is a consequence of how long the 
cheese has aged and the amount of milk fat within 
as well as how the milk was worked in the vat. 


BLOOMY RIND CHEESES: 
CAMEMBERT, GOSLING, 
BUTTERCUP 

SURFACE RIPENED: FROM THE OUTSIDE IN 

The molds at work on the surface of a bloomy-rind 
are primarily PenciUum candidum and Geotrichum 
candidum. On some bloomy-rinded cheeses, the 
rinds are composed entirely of Geotrichum candidum 
without any PenciUum candidum, such as the Red¬ 
wood Hill’s Crottin or Vermont Creamery’s Cremont. 
In this book, you’ll make the Buttercup on page 137 
using only Geotrichum candidum. 

You can add mold spores directly to the vat (as you 
will do in the recipes ahead) or spray them onto 
the cheese during the ripening period (which is 
more often done in a commercial setting). The molds 
will then form a velvety covering, which can range 
from white to pale grey to light pink. Commercial 
cheeses are available only in the white variety— 
another reason to make your own. 

What the skin of a bloomy-rind is doing is digesting 
the cheese from the outside inward, the way mush¬ 
rooms in the forest break down a tree stump. In 
order to flourish, the rind of the cheese needs just 


three essential elements: food (the fats and proteins 
in the cheese), moisture (in the cheese and sur¬ 
rounding air), and oxygen (in the surrounding air). 
Given these, the cheese will ripen rapidly, far more 
quickly than a vacuum-sealed cheddar for instance. 

SURFACE AREA TO VOLUME 

Though it might have been an accident originally, 
there is a reason why bloomy-rind cheeses are small 
in size and especially short in height. It’s the surface 
area to volume ratio! This means that from any point 
inside the cheese, the distance to the exterior is 
no greater than 2 to 3 in/5 to 8 cm. This guarantees 
that as nutrients travel from inside the cheese to 
feed the surface mold, they don’t have to travel far. 
The molds grow evenly and their enzymes penetrate 
the cheese, digesting the insides all the way to the 
cheese’s center. 

Here is a good place to comment on the close 
relationship between Camembert and Brie cheeses, 
well-known members of the bloomy-rind category. 
Their relationship is so close that sometimes I use 
the titles interchangeably. The only true difference 
between the two cheeses is the size of the draining 
form: A Camembert is roughly 5 in/13 cm in diameter 
whereas the Brie is closer to 10 in/25 cm. This dif¬ 
ference, though subtle, means a different surface to 
volume ratio that translates into how much oxygen 
is available to the surface molds, busy digesting 
the cheese. 

AGING ADVICE 

Pay attention to your bloomy-rind during the first 
two weeks while it establishes an initial coat. After 
that, check on the cheeses every several days. Addi¬ 
tionally, some more tips for successful bloomy-rinds. 

• Flip regularly to ensure the cheese gets oxygen on 
all sides for the molds to grow. Also, by touching 
and flipping the cheeses regularly, you keep the 
mold coat from growing too big. You can also wrap 
your bloomy-rind in cheese paper to help keep 
those surface molds in check. 

• Remove accumulated moisture from the aging box 
regularly using a clean rag or paper towel. 


MOLD-RIPENED CHEESES 

* 127 ' 



• Don’t open the lid of the aging box too often (as in 
multiple times a day, depending on your climate) 
or all ambient moisture inside the box will be lost. 

• Set the lid of the aging box on lightly, do not snap 
it down. This allows for the right amount of oxygen 
flow without sufficating your cheese project. 

• Choose an aging box that is five to ten times the 
volume of your cheese. Too small of a box means 
not enough oxygen. Too big of a box means too 
much air in relation to the cheese, which causes 
the cheese to dry out. 

• Position ripening cheeses so that they do not 
touch each other in the aging box. If cheeses 
are too close, the mold of their coats will grow 
together. When you try to separate or flip them, 
the skins will tear open and the cheeses can 

no longer be aged. 

• Keep your hands clean when handling the 
aging box or the cheeses. Think about which 
surfaces you might touch between the sink 


and the cheese itself. For ease, keep a box of 
disposable gloves nearby and put on a fresh 
pair right before flipping. 

JUDGING RIPENESS 

To tell if the cheese is ready, look for a change in 
shape or a “relaxing” of the edges. Sniff the cheese 
and see if you sense a light ammoniac odor. Finally, 
with your finger, press down on the center of the 
wheel and see if you sense a softening (check early 
on when the cheese is young so you have something 
to compare it to). The center should feel more like 
a soft peach than a firm eraser. 

Bloomy-rinds are fun to make because they are 
ready to eat after a relatively short amount of time— 
perhaps as little as 3 weeks. But don’t jump the 
gun! If a cheese is eaten too soon, your microscopic 
friends won’t have had enough time to transform the 
curd. On the other hand, these cheeses can become 
overripe easily as well. Whereas you can stockpile 
wheels of Gouda or bricks of cheddar, you cannot 


KITCHEN CRE£ 

128 








stockpile bloomy-rinds. The whole fleet wiii ripen 
at once, like a box of avocados. Having friends in 
position, ready to eat as the ripening date nears is 
always a good idea. 

An interesting side note: The rapid ripening of 
bloomy-rinds makes them a nearly impossible 
cheese to make commercially with raw milk. 
Because a traditional Camembert—a raw-milk 
bloomy-rind—ripens quickly, and because the 
USDA mandates a 60-day aging period for all 
raw-milk cheeses, Camembert and other raw-milk 
bloomy-rinds would ripen before the cheesemaker 
is allowed to sell them. This, to me, is one more 
reason to make your own cheese. You can make 
“illegal cheeses”—raw-milk cheeses aged for less 
than 60 days—to enjoy whenever you want. 


BLUE CHEESES: STILTON, 
BISBEE BLUE, BLUE 
CAPRICORN 

Now that we’ve thought about cheeses that 
ripen with surface molds, let’s explore those 
with interior molds. 

GROWING BLUE 

Blue, or bleu, cheese means any cheese ripened 
internally with the help of blue mold spores (mainly 
Penicillium roquerforti but also PencilHum glaucum). 

I had a cheddar once accidentally get some blue 
mold invasions. When I brought it to the farmers’ 
market, I overheard customers referring to “that 
blue cheese.” For this reason, the descriptor “blue” 
must trump whatever else the cheese might be. If it 
looks blue, it’s blue. If it tastes blue, it’s blue. 

Characteristically, many blues have a shorter- 
grained paste (as opposed to a longer, more elastic 
texture you’ll find in a Gouda, for example). This 
is because blues are made using a lactic-acid set 
or slow rennet set. Think of lactic-set cheeses as 
spaghetti strands that have been chopped up—a 
fork can’t twist these short strands the same as if 
they were longer. Similarly, a piece of blue cheese 


THE CHEESE THAT RAN AWAY 
FROM THE SPOON 

It was the Fourth of July and we were on our way 
to a potluck. We didn’t know the hosts well but 
were excited to get to know them better. I luckily 
had two medium-size Camembert cheeses that 
I knew needed to be eaten. They were soft when 
pressed gently in the middle, and when I opened 
the aging box to flip them, the scent of ammonia 
was getting stronger and stronger. This party 
would be a perfect occasion to open them up. 

I set the two cheeses up on a wooden board, 
nested nectarines and toasted almonds around 
them, then garnished everything with edible 
flowers. As we arrived at the party, I proudly 
watched as the eyes followed me—or rather my 
cheese—in through the door. The cheese was 
eye-catching. I rested the board on the food 
table and, feeling a titch modest, backed away 
as the crowd tightened in. I was tickled to bring 
such an impressive food to a party. 

A half hour later, hungry for food myself, I 
returned to the table, grabbed a plate, and 
surveyed the offerings. Suddenly, I spied a 
problem. My wooden board and the wheels of 
cheese were there, but so was a strange line 
reaching all the way down to the floor. A glis¬ 
tening puddle appeared near my foot. 

Then I noticed the cheeses were in fact empty 
white shells, like vacant amphitheaters. I blinked 
in disbelief as I put together what had happened. 
The insides of the cheese had been so ripe that 
the poor partygoer who opened them must have 
found him- or herself in the path of a sudden 
cheese torrent. The insides of the cheese had 
run off the board, over the table, and onto the 
floor. I paused in disbelief for only a second 
longer, then hurriedly scraped the mess off the 
floor and left the area as quickly as those guts 
had probably left the cheese. 

will not bend the same as a piece of Swiss-style 
cheese, where the protein chains are longer and, 
therefore, more pliable. 


MOLD-RIPENED CHEESES 

129 




As far as aging, blues need at least 6 weeks but usu¬ 
ally not more than 6 months to ripen. The amount 
of time needed depends on the size of the wheel, 
the aging conditions, the strains of cultures used, 
and the moisture level in the cheese. Personally, I’m 
careful to not overage my blue cheeses because I 
don’t like them when they get spicey and pungent. 

I prefer my blues on the sweeter side. Blues also 
tend to be salty cheeses (the blue mold spores 
thrive in a saltier environment). Don’t skimp on the 
salt. A decent amount of flavor can also come from 
our old friends—those who form stinky red rinds— 
coryneform bacteria. 

I find blues to be both easy and tricky. The aging 
environment as well as the acidity of the rind plays 
a huge role, and though I do my best to manage 
these factors, I can’t ever perfectly control them. 

I’m embarrassed to admit that the number of 
times I’ve accidentally made a great blue almost 
outnumber the times I’ve intended to make one 
and failed. That’s okay. The more cheese I make, 
the more I learn. 



NUTRIENT FLOW 

The color in blue cheese is the fruiting body of a 
fungus. This fungus is larger than just the colorful 
parts you can see as there are also the mycelia, 
or rootlike structures, which are invisible to the 
naked eye. The mycelia penetrate the cheese 
around the fruiting body and digest it. So while 
exterior mold-ripened cheeses (e.g., Brie) break 
down at the rind, blues cheeses break down on 
the inside. 

To digest the cheese, the fungus transforms fats 
and proteins—complex molecules in the milk— 
into simpler ones (amino acids, monosaccharides, 
fatty acids). We perceive these smaller molecules 
as flavor. That’s why an older, more broken-down 
cheese is more interesting in many ways than a 
queso fresco, for instance. In addition to creating 
flavor, the fungus also changes the cheese’s tex¬ 
ture, usually turning it from firm and brittle to soft 
and creamy. 


KITCHEN CREAK 

130 









I love to think about how this flavor-creating fungal 
process is also a mandatory turn in the wheel of life. 
When a fungus breaks down organic matter, it frees 
the nutrients within. Eventually this allows the nutri¬ 
ents to cycle into other life forms. Think of all the 
decomposers working on a fallen log in the forest. 

As they feed, they release nutrients (and perhaps 
flavor too, though I’ve never eaten a fallen log). Our 
goal as blue-cheese makers is to hold the reins on 
that decomposition, to keep things precise enough 
that unwanted invaders don’t join in, and then, to 
catch the transformation at just the right moment. 

GATHER YOUR OWN BLUE 

Purchasing freeze-dried Pencillium roqueforti 
cultures can be expensive. You could pay as much 
as $20 for spores for culturing only 8 gal/30.2 L of 
milk. If you are purchasing milk from the store and 
spending at least half a day converting that milk 
into cheese, this extra expense might bump blues 
to the realm of unrealistic. 

So let’s dash to the past. Before there were culture 
companies, such as the ones listed on page 234, there 
were ways to perpetuate desired microorganisms for 
fermentation processes. The most common method 
was simply using a porous (wooden) instrument each 
day or aging the cheeses in a distinctly colonized 
environment, such as the caves at Roquefort. 

More recently and more locally, I know of a cheese- 
maker who simply mixes one well-veined chunk of 
inexpensive store-bought blue cheese with milk 
until the chunks have dissolved. Next, she adds this 
to her vat in place of Pencillium roqueforti spores. 
Likely, she spent time finding a brand of cheese 
that worked. One way to tell if the spores in a store- 
bought blue are active is by opening and cutting the 
store-bought cheese, then rewrapping it and storing 
it in the fridge for several weeks longer. Afterward, 
reopen the cheese and look to see if new mold has 
grown where the cut was made. 


A BLUE INVASION 

Keep your blue cheeses isolated or else the 
mold spores they contain will contaminate other 
cheese projects in the house. Isolating these 
cheeses should start at the vat. Don’t make a 
blue on the same day as a non-blue. Use sepa¬ 
rate aging bins or even fridges if possible. Never 
tend to an aging blue cheese then a non-blue 
cheese without first changing gloves or washing 
hands (and maybe even changing clothes). Blue 
molds are fierce and love to jump into things. 

Even if you do everything within your power to 
separate the blue cheeses from the non-blues, 
you might still get invasions. That’s because blue 
mold spores are naturally present everywhere. 
Even if you’ve never made blue cheese in your 
kitchen, you may see blue molds popping up at 
some point. By propagating purchased spores in 
your kitchen creamery, you increase the likeli¬ 
hood of a blue invasion. If you are having trouble 
controlling your blues, decide to either special¬ 
ize in this style or avoid it all together. 


MOLD-RIPENED CHEESES 

131 



MEDIUM 



MILK 



UNHOMOGENIZED 


SUGGESTED 

CULTURES 

MM100 OR 
FLORA DANICA; 

PENICILLIUM 
CANDIDUM AND 
GEOTRICHUM 
CANDIDIUM MOLD 
POWDERS 


FINAL FORM 



MEDIUM WHEELS 


CATEGORIES 

BLOOMY-RIND, 

SOFT-RIPENED 



Camembert may become your favorite cheese to make for several reasons: 1) You don’t 
need any special forms or presses; 2) the size of the cheese is small and manageable, 
allowing you to easily gather enough milk; 3) the ripening time is short so even impatient 
cheesemakers are soon satisfied; 4) you get to see a tangible change in the cheese when 
the coat blooms; and 5) the result tastes so good. 


INGREDIENTS 

2 gal/7.5 L unhomogenized milk 

1 cup/240 ml heavy cream 

Vs tsp prehydrated mesophilic cultures 
Pinch of prehydrated Penicillium 
candidum mold powder 
Pinch of prehydrated Geotrichum 
candidium mold powder 
Vi tsp CaCl 2 diluted in Vi cup/60 ml water 
Vi tsp rennet diluted in cup/60 ml water 

2 to 3 tsp salt 

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT 
2 medium-size cheese forms (may be 
Camembert or similar forms, approxi¬ 
mately 4 in/10 cm round base by 4 in/ 

10 cm height, open bottom, untapered); 
digital kitchen thermometer; cheese paper 

1. Clean all surfaces and equipment before 
beginning. Set up a draining station by 
placing the cheese forms on a draining 
rack in the sink. 

2 . Pour the milk and cream into a heavy- 
bottomed stockpot and warm over medium 
heat to 86°F/30°C, stirring gently. Remove 
from the heat. 


3 . Add the prehydrated cultures and mold 
powders to the milk, then stir using an 
up-and-down motion. 

4 . Add the CaCl 2 solution and stir. Add the 
rennet solution. Stir for 20 seconds, then 
stop the motion of the milk. As you add 
the rennet, start a timer and watch for the 
flocculation point (see page 218). When 
reached, stop the timer. Multiply the number 
of minutes elapsed by 5. This is how long you 
need to wait before you cut the curd. Goal 
time is 60 to 90 minutes. 

5 . At the timed moment, cut the curd into 
lV2-in/4-cm pieces. Then, without stirring, 
let the curd sit for 45 minutes. During this 
time, the curd will sink below the surface 
of the whey. 

6 . Remove the whey from the top of the pot 
until you see the surface of the curd again, 
then begin to stir (working from the top of 
the pot and moving downward) for 3 min¬ 
utes. This action is more one of lifting and 
moving the curds than actually stirring. 
Allow the curds to rest in the pot for another 
5 minutes. 


KITCHEN CREAMERY 

132 








7 . Finally, scoop the curds out of the pot and 
fill each form. Fill the forms all the way to 
the top before moving on to the next form. 
Depending on the height of your form, you 
may need to fill it, then wait 10 to 20 min¬ 
utes for the curd level to drop sufficiently, 
then fill again. If you are absolutely certain 
you can’t fit all your curds into the prepared 
forms, add another. 

8. Let the curds drain for 8 to 12 hours, flip¬ 
ping regularly, covered at room temperature. 

9 . Sprinkle Vo, to V 2 tsp salt on the top of 
each cheese while it is still in the form. Let 
the salt soak in for half an hour, then flip the 
cheese and repeat the salting on the oppo¬ 
site side. Let the salt soak in for 10 hours 
more at room temperature. During this time, 
make sure the whey can flow freely away, so 
that the cheese does not sit in a puddle. 

10 . Remove the cheeses from their forms 
and set on a clean aging mat, cover with 
cheesecloth, and allow the cheese to air-dry 
at room temperature for 1 day more. Finally, 
blot the cheese extra-dry with a clean paper 
towel. Place the cheese on the aging mat 

in the aging bin and place in a 45°F/7°C loca¬ 
tion. If unavailable, store in the refrigerator. 

11 . For the first 2 weeks, with clean hands or 
wearing gloves, flip the cheeses every day, 
and remove any accumulated moisture with 
a clean cloth or paper towel. You should 
start to see Geotrichum candidium mold 


growing on the rind after about 1 week. It 
looks like shimmery velvet. Next, you should 
see a heavier white mold grow in—the Peni- 
cillium candidum. 

12. When the cheeses are fully covered in 
mold, wrap in cheese paper (see page 203) 
to prevent the mold coat from growing too 
thick, or skip the paper and simply continue 
to flip and pat down the cheese rind on a 
weekly basis. 

13 . After 4 weeks, check the cheese for ripe¬ 
ness by looking for a softness at the center 
(see page 128). When ripe, enjoy. Store, 
uncut, in the fridge for up to 2 weeks more, 
and no longer. 

VARIATION 

TRUFFLE BRIE: Make a Camembert into a 
Brie by changing the shape of the form 
you drain the curds in and raising the vat 
temperature slightly (from 86°F/30°C to 92°F/ 
33°C). For the form, instead of two rounds, 
drain everything in one large round. If you 
have an open-bottomed cylinder, it will 
make the first flip easier. 

To add a special touch to your wheel of Brie, 
add V 2 cup/15 g chopped dried truffle pieces 
(or any dried mushrooms). Add the truffle 
as you are hooping the cheese into its form. 
Age the Brie 2 to 3 weeks longer than you 
would a Camembert. 


MOLD-RIPENED CHEESES 

133 


Q ^f'iV lCy 


(VALEN^AY STYLE) 


MAKES FOUR 8-OZ/240-G 
PYRAMID-SHAPED CHEESES 


MILK 



GOAT OR COW 


SUGGESTED 

CULTURES 

BUTTERMILK; 
PENICILLIUM 
CANDIDUM AND 
GEOTRICHUM 
CANDIDIUM MOLD 
POWDERS 


FINAL FORM 
PYRAMIDS 


CATEGORIES 

LACTIC-ACID, 

BLOOMY-RIND, 

SOFT-RIPENED, 

ASHED 



These pyramid-shaped cheeses are pure entertainment. At first, they’re firm, geometric, 
and black with ash: brand new. A week later, they’re fuzzy and gray: adolescent. With 
time, they become white with softened edges: middle-aged. Finally, they slump as the 
insides become soft: mature. This recipe can be made with cow’s milk if goat’s milk is 
not available and, traditionally, Valengay is an raw-milk cheese. 


INGREDIENTS 

2 gal/7.5 L goat’s milk or cow’s milk 
2 tbsp buttermilk 
Pinch of prehydrated Penicillium 
candidum mold powder 
Pinch of prehydrated Geotrichum 
candidum mold powder 
4 drops CaCl 2 
4 drops rennet 
Salt 

2 tsp vegetable ash (see page 28) 

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT 
4 pyramid-shaped 8-oz/240-g cheese 
forms, or other shape of your choice; 
digital kitchen thermometer 

1. Clean all surfaces and equipment before 
beginning. Set up a draining station by 
placing the cheese forms on a draining 
rack in the sink. 

2 . Pour the milk into a heavy-bottomed 
stockpot and warm over medium heat to 
72°F/22°C. Remove from the heat. 


3 . Add buttermilk and mold powders to 
the milk, then stir using an up-and-down 
motion. 

4 . Add the CaCl 2 , stirring with an up-and- 
down motion. Repeat this process with the 
rennet. Cover the pot and place in a warm, 
undisturbed, vibration-free place for 15 to 

17 hours. (If needed, incubate the pot to keep 
the temperature from fluctuating.) When the 
curd has firmed up, you will notice a smaii 
amount of clearish (almost greenish-yellow) 
whey collecting on the top and sides of the 
curd block. 

5 . Using a skimmer, gently scoop the curds 
into the prepared forms. It will seem that 
there is too much curd for too few forms. 
Wait 10 to 15 minutes for the level of the 
curds to drop, and then fill them to the top 
again. Continue doing this until ali ofthe 
curd has been used. If it is clear that 

the curd amount is disproportionate, 
add another form. 


KITCHEN CREAMERY 

134 


CONTINUED 






6 . Set the filled pyramids inside a tall, clean 
aging bin, with an aging mat on the bottom. 
Place the lid on the tub and allow the pyra¬ 
mids to drain for 4 hours, removing the whey 
as frequently as needed. Alternatively, let 
the pyramids drain in the sink over a rack, 
making sure they are supported and won’t 
tip over. After 4 hours, invert the pyramids 
onto the aging mat (the cheese will have 
firmed enough to allow you to do so). 

7 . After another 8 hours of draining at room 
temperature (12 hours in total), remove the 
forms so the cheeses stand independently. 
Carefully dry the inside of the tub using a 
clean cloth, then sprinkle each pyramid with 
V 2 to % tsp salt over all surfaces as evenly 
as possible. 

8. Allow the salt to soak in while the pyra¬ 
mids continue draining in the covered bin at 
room temperature. (Remove built-up whey 
as needed). Drain for 25 to 30 hours more. 

9 . Once the cheeses have stopped releasing 
whey, cover them with the vegetable ash. 

10 . Place the salted, ashed cheeses in a 
clean bin on top of clean aging mats. Cover 
with the lid and place in a 48°F/9°C location. 
Rotate the cheeses two times each week for 
the next 3 to 4 weeks. If aging the cheeses 
in the refrigerator, age for 3 to 4 weeks 
longer. When the cheeses have a softness 
when gently squeezed and when the sharp 
lines of the pyramids start to bulge and 
curve, the cheeses are done. 


11 . Wrap in breathable cheese paper and 

store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. 

NOTES 

• If you're thinking this recipe is similar to the 
Chevre on page 82, you are right! By taking 
a base recipe and adding a few more steps, 
you build your knowledge of cheesemaking. 
All recipes overlap. Small variations—in 
this case, the form the cheese drains in as 
well as the use of secondary ripening cul¬ 
tures—change afresh, unripened cheese 
into a soft ripened variety. 

• The pyramid shape is unlike the wheel 
form that nearly all cheeses come in. 

When flipping, you can’t flip between 
just two surfaces. Instead, rotate the 
cheese 90 degrees each time you turn it. 


KITCHEN CREAMERY 

136 


(COULOMMIERS STYLE) 


MAKES TWO 
12-OZ/340-G WHEELS 


This recipe for a double-creme, Coulommiers-style (a cousin of Brie) cheese is a special 
one. Why? Because it is quick to make and, in only a handful of weeks, the cheese is done. 
When ripened, the added butterfat makes the inner paste so rich that when people eat it, 
they make soft, happy sounds. This recipe is different from the other bloomy-rinds because 
it contains the greatest percentage of butterfat and uses only Geotrichum molds, no Pen- 
icillum candidum. The rind will be less thick and spongy and more wrinkly and matte. 


INGREDIENTS 

2 gal/7.5 L unhomogenized milk 
2 V 4 cups/540 ml heavy cream 
V 4 tsp prehydrated mesophilic cultures 
Pinch of prehydrated Geotrichum 
candidum mold powder 
V 4 tsp CaCl 2 diluted in H i cup/60 ml water 
V 4 tsp rennet diluted in V 4 cup/60 ml water 

1 tsp salt 

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT 

2 medium cheese forms; digital kitchen 
thermometer 

1. Clean all surfaces and equipment before 
beginning. Set up a draining station by 
placing the cheese forms on a draining rack 
in the sink. 

2 . Pour the milk and cream into a heavy- 
bottomed stockpot and warm over medium 
heat to 90T/32°C. Remove from the heat. 

3 . Add the prehydrated cultures and mold 
powder to the milk. Stir in gently. 

4 . Add the CaCl 2 solution while stirring. 

Add the rennet solution and stir in. As 

you add the rennet, start a timer and watch 
for the flocculation point (see page 218). 


Once reached, stop the timer. Multiply the 
number of minutes elapsed by 6. This is how 
long you need to wait before you cut the 
curd. Goal time is 90 minutes. 

5 . Cut the curd into l-in/2.5-cm squares. 
After cutting, let the curds heal for 2 min¬ 
utes. They will feel particularly soft. 

6 . Gently scoop the curds from the edge of 
the pot and slide them toward the center. 
This is not really stirring, but rather shift¬ 
ing the curds around to flush out more 
whey. Move the curds in this manner for 

15 minutes. 

7 . Finally, after removing any whey collected 
at the top of the vat, scoop the curds into the 
prepared forms. Fill each form to the very 
top, and then set in the prepared draining 
area. Allow the cheeses to drain for 45 min¬ 
utes, covered. 

CONTINUED 


MOLD-RIPENED CHEESES 

137 


MILK 




UNHOMOGENIZED 
MILK, HEAVY CREAM 


SUGGESTED 

CULTURES 

AROMA B OR 
FLORA DANICA; 
GEOTRICHUM 
CANDIDUM MOLD 
POWDER 


FINAL FORM 



MEDIUM WHEELS 


CATEGORIES 
BLOOMY RIND, 
SOFT RIPENED, 
DOUBLE CREME 











8. Next, refill each form to the top, then 
cover and allow to drain at room tempera¬ 
ture for 12 to 14 hours. If necessary, add 
additional cheese forms in order to use 
up the curds. During this period, the level 
of the curds should fall by nearly half or 
more but will stay extremely soft, almost 
the texture of pudding. 

9. As soon as the curd has drained enough 
to be firm, gently flip the cheese, so the top 
becomes the bottom, then set back onto 
the aging mat. If using a bottomless form, 
simply invert the form. If the cheese is still 
too soft, wait another 4 to 5 hours. If you 
flip the cheese and it goes back in its form 
cockeyed, don’t worry, you will continue to 
flip the cheese and the cockeyedness will 
straighten out. 

10 . After 15 to 20 hours and when there is a 
strong yogurty smell, sprinkle tsp of the 
salt on top of each form. Let the salt soak in 
for 1 hour, then flip. Salt the other side with 
another Vt tsp. 

11. Keep the cheeses at room temperature 
for 1 day more, making sure they are covered 
and also actively draining, not sitting in whey. 

12. Finally, once the cheeses have stopped 
releasing whey and feel firmer, remove them 
from their forms and set on top of dry, clean 
aging mats, inside of aging bins. Place the 
bins in a 48°F/9°C area. For the first 2 weeks, 
carefully monitor the cheeses to make sure 
they are not too moist. Flip daily and remove 
built-up moisture. 


13. After 10 days, you should see a shim- 
mery white coat covering the cheeses. I 
enjoy eating one of the wheels at this point. 
It is still very simple in flavor and crumbly 
in texture but pleasant, and it’s nice to 
taste how much the cheeses have already 
changed by then. 

14. Age for another 3 to 5 weeks, or until 
when you press on the cheese it has a soft¬ 
ness similar to when you squeeze the flesh 
between your pointer finger and your thumb. 
Do not overripen. 

15. Enjoy right away, warmed to room tem¬ 
perature, or wrap in cheese paper and store 
in the fridge for up to 1 week. 

NOTES 

• This cheese drains especially slowly because 
of the butterfat. Plan for the draining to 
take twice as long as the other bloomy-rind 
recipes. If you’d like a more traditional Brie- 
like rind but this same luxurious butter-like 
paste, add a pinch o/Penicillium candidum 
when you add the cultures at step 3. 

• I also tried this recipe being purposefully 
less strict about keeping the rind unex¬ 
posed, thinking I might catch more “native” 
flavor. It worked, and I ended up with a 
primarily white rind but with spots of blues 
(Penicillium roquefortij and reds ("Coryn- 
eform). It reminds me of a wilder looking 
version of the cheese Pouligny-Saint-Pierre. 


MOLD-RIPENED CHEESES 

139 


MEDIUM 


MILK 






ALL TYPES 
(NOT ULTRA- 
PASTEURIZED) 


SUGGESTED 

CULTURES 

BUTTERMILK OR 
MM100; PENICILLIUM 
ROQUEFORTI MOLD 
SPORES 

FINAL FORM 
EXTRA-TALL MEDIUM 
WHEEL 

CATEGORIES 

MOLD-RIPENED, 

SEMI-LACTIC, 

MILLED-CURD 




MAKES ONE T/ 2 -LB/ 68 O-G WHEEL 


Start your journey through the blues here, with this forgiving and delicious cheese. If you 
use smaller forms, the cheese will be ready around six weeks. If you make one slightly 
taller cheese, it may need a few weeks more. Once, after a class in which I’d taught this 
recipe, a student returned to tell me about the success of his take-home project (and his 
first attempt at making cheese). He said (in an English accent), “That was about the best 
Stilton I’ve ever had, and I know Stilton!” I had to blush. 


INGREDIENTS 
2 gal/7.5 L milk 

V 4 tsp prehydrated mesophilic cultures 
Vs tsp prehydrated Penicillium roqueforti 
mold spores 

V 4 tsp CaCl 2 diluted in Vi cup/60 ml water 
V 4 tsp rennet diluted in V 4 cup/60 ml water 
4 to 5 tsp salt 

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT 
Medium (60#) cheesecloth; digital kitchen 
thermometer; medium cheese form, 
ideally extra-tall and open-bottomed 
(a 32-oz/950-ml can with both the top 
and bottom taken off to form a hoop 
works perfectly); #6 knitting needle or 
equivalent for piercing 

1. Clean all surfaces and equipment before 
beginning. Set up a draining station by 
placing a clean colander lined with the 
cheesecloth in the sink. 

2. Pour the milk into a heavy-bottomed 
stockpot and warm over medium heat to 
86°F/30°C, stirring gently. Remove from 
the heat. 


3. Add the cultures and mold to the milk. 
Allow them to hydrate for 2 minutes, then 
stir in, using an up-and-down motion. 

4. Add the CaCl 2 solution and stir briefly. 

Add the rennet solution. Stir in for 20 sec¬ 
onds, then stop the motion of the milk. As 
you add the rennet, start a timer and watch 
for the flocculation point (see page 218). 
When reached, stop the timer. Multiply the 
number of minutes elapsed by 5.5. This is 
how long you need to wait before you cut the 
curd. Goal time is 90 minutes. 

5. At the timed moment, cut the curd into 
1 /2-in/12-mm pieces. Stir gently for 10 min¬ 
utes, then let the curds settle to the bottom 
of the pot for another 10 minutes. 

6 . Pour off the whey that has collected at 
the top of the pot, then gently pour the 
curds into the prepared colander. Cover the 
colander with additional cheesecloth or knot 
the corners of the cloth to form a pouch 
(see page 220). Drain for 12 hours at room 
temperature. 


KITCHEN CREAMERY 

140 



7. Afterward, open up the cheesecloth and 
move the drained curds to a bowl. With 
clean hands, break the curd into walnut-size 
chunks. Add half the salt to the curd chunks, 
toss to incorporate, then wait 2 minutes. 

Add the remaining salt and repeat the mixing 
process. The curds will taste very salty. 

8. After salting, fill your prepared cheese 
form with the curds, packing them in, using 
your fingertips to very gently press down on 
the cheese. Do not press too hard (or you 
will compact all the spaces where the blue 
mold is going to grow) but use enough pres¬ 
sure that the cheese starts to knit together 
slightly. An underpressed cheese will fall 
apart when flipped. Place the curd-filled 
form on a draining rack. 

9. Keep the cheese in its form, at room 
temperature, for 8 to 10 hours more, flip¬ 
ping after 2 hours and again after 6 hours. 
Flipping is especially easy if you are using 
an open-bottomed form. 

10. Finally, remove the cheese from its 
form by gently pushing it out and onto an 
aging mat. With a knife or spatula, gently 
smear the sides of the cheese—as though 
you were frosting a cake—to help fill in 
gaps and to form a more closed rind. Move 
slowly; I know it’s difficult to do because the 
cheese is crumbly. Move the cheese into a 
clean aging bin. Cover with the lid. Place 


the bin in a 65°F/24°C location for 2 to 3 days. 
This warmer period is important for acid 
development that activates the blue mold 
spores. Remove built-up moisture from the 
bin as needed. 

11. After 2 to 3 days, take the knitting needle 
and pierce the cheese a half dozen times 
horizontally. You can make more pierces 
vertically if you wish. 

12. Now move the bin and cheese to a cooler 
(50° to 55°F/10° to 13°C) location. Keep the 

lid on the box but not locked down. Turn 
the cheese every 3 days. Begin to wipe the 
rind with your fingertips or a small piece of 
cheesecloth if excessive molds start to grow. 
Eventually, the rind will start to feel sticky 
and turn brown or pinkish in color. 

13. For extra veining, pierce the cheeses 
again between days 10 and 14. 

14. Ripen the cheese for 6 to 8 weeks, flip¬ 
ping and maintaining the rind and moisture 
levels. Ripen the cheese for 3 to 5 weeks 
longer if aging in a refrigerator. 

15. Enjoy, or wrap the cheese in aluminum 
foil and keep in the fridge, uncut, for up to 
1 month. 


MOLD-RIPENED CHEESES 

141 







~ J 
1 > I 


i < 

a 





■i - */ ^ # *v ^ 

F%fP » f ^K. > 



— lj| 

*4*a. 






MEDIUM 


(Si^bee 

[blue] 

(FORME DAMBERT STYLE) 

MAKES ONE 1- TO 2-LB/ 

455- TO 910-G WHEEL 


MILK 



UNHOMOGENIZED 
MILK, HEAVY CREAM 


CULTURE 
SUGGESTIONS 
MM100 PLUS LM 57; 

PENICILLIUM 
ROQUEFORTI MOLD 
POWDER; LIPASE 


FINAL FORM 



MEDIUM WHEEL 


CATEGORIES 

(INTERIOR) 

MOLD-RIPENED, 

SOFT-RIPENED, 

SEMI-LACTIC, 

DOUBLE-CREME 



This cheese has a more pliable paste than the Stilton on page 140. It’s a similar make 
process to the cheese Forme d’Ambert. I suggest making it as one larger wheel instead 
of several smaller ones in order to have more space to pierce. I’ve named this cheese 
after a bright blue mineral commonly found in my hometown of Bisbee, Arizona. 


INGREDIENTS 

2 gal/7.5 L whole unhomogenized milk 
2 cups/480 ml heavy cream 
V4 tsp prehydrated mesophilic cultures 
Pinch of prehydrated PenicilUum 

roqueforti mold powder (about Vie tsp) 
Pinch of lipase (optional) 

V4 tsp CaCl 2 diluted in V4 cup/60 ml water 
V4 tsp liquid rennet diluted in V4 cup/60 ml 
water 

Saturated brine (see page 221) 

Salt 

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT 
Medium cheese form, with follower; 
medium (#60) cheesecloth to fit the form; 
digital kitchen thermometer; #6 knitting 
needle or equivalent for piercing 

1. Clean all surfaces and equipment before 
beginning. Set up a draining station by lining 
the cheese form with cheesecloth and placing 
it on a draining rack in the sink. Rinse a col¬ 
ander, line with cheesecloth, and place in 
the sink as well. 

2 . Pour the milk and cream into a heavy- 

bottomed stockpot and warm over medium 
heat to 90°F/32°C, stirring gently. 


3. When at temperature, turn off the heat 
and add the prehydrated cultures and mold 
powder to the milk. Stir in gently. 

4. Add CaCl 2 solution and stir. Add the ren¬ 
net solution. Stir in for 20 seconds, stop the 
motion of the milk. As you add the rennet, 
start a timer and watch for the flocculation 
point (see page 218). When reached, stop 
the timer. Multiply the number of minutes 
elapsed by 5. This is how long you need to 
wait before you cut the curd. Goal time is 
60 to 90 minutes. 

5. At the timed moment, cut curd to 
hazelnut-size pieces, about 1 2 3 U in/2 cm. 
After cutting, let the curds heal for 

2 minutes. 

6. Begin to stir slowly, starting at the top of 
the vat and working your way down, gently 
bringing all the curds into motion. Stir con¬ 
tinuously for 55 minutes, then pitch curds 
(or let them settle to the bottom of the vat) 
for 5 minutes. 

7. Pour off the whey from the top of the vat 
into the colander until you see the surface 
of the curds, then gently move all the curds 
into the colander. 


KITCHEN CREAMERY 

' 144 ' 










8. Drain the curds for 10 minutes, then move 
them into the prepared form. Press down 
onto the cheese with your fingertips, then 
cover the top of the cheese with cheesecloth 
and the follower. Place a small weight (5 lb/ 
2.2 kg) on top. After 20 minutes, remove the 
weight, flip, and redress the cheese. Press 
for another 20 minutes. Continue pressing 
for 5 to 7 hours more, flipping once midway 
through and making sure the weight stays 
centered on the cheese. 

9. Afterward, remove the cheese from the 
press and its form. Place in the brine for 

5 hours at room temperature (making sure 
to dry salt the part of the cheese that floats 
above the brine surface). Flip once halfway 
through the brining. 

10 . Remove from the brine. Place the 
cheese on a clean aging mat on top of a 
draining rack. Cover with a piece of cheese¬ 
cloth. Leave at room temperature for 2 to 

3 days, flipping regularly until the rind 
feels smooth and just slightly damp. Move 
the wheel and aging mat into an aging bin 
with the lid loosely placed on top. Set in a 
50°F/10°C location. For the first week, flip 
daily and remove built-up moisture. After 
1 week, pierce the wheel using the knitting 
needle. Push the needle all the way through 
the cheese vertically, making holes every 
IV 2 in/4 cm. To ensure blue veining, re-pierce 
the cheese again after 3 weeks. 


11 . Continue aging the cheese, turning twice 
weekly for the next 8 to 12 weeks. Blue, white, 
and grayish colored molds will grow on 

the rind. Control these molds by regularly 
brushing or rubbing the rind using a piece of 
cheesecloth, a soft brush, or your fingertips. 
With time, the rind will grow slightly sticky 
and possibly pinkish in color. 

12. Enjoy, or wrap in aluminum foil and store 
in the fridge, uncut, for up to 1 month. 


MOLD-RIPENED CHEESES 

145 






MEDIUM 







MAKES THREE 
6-OZ/170-G LOGS 


MILK 



GOAT 


SUGGESTED 

CULTURES 

FLORA DANICA; 
PENICILLIUM 
ROQUEFORTI MOLD 
POWDER 


FINAL FORM 


LOGS 


CATEGORIES 

LACTIC-ACID, 

(INTERIOR) 

MOLD-RIPENED 



These colorful goat-cheese logs are bright blue (or green) on the outside and bright white 
on the inside. This cheese has the shortest ripening time of the three blue recipes. Plan 
to enjoy it around 3 weeks. If you use raw milk and let the cheese age longer (5 weeks or 
more), it will be very picante and the cheese will turn gooey just under the rind. This recipe 
is different from the others because you’ll form the cheese into log shapes after it has 
first drained in a colander or cheesecloth pouch—meaning it’s a good cheese to make if 
you don’t yet have cheese forms to play with. 


INGREDIENTS 
2 gal/7.5 L goat’s milk 
V4 tsp prehydrated mesophilic cultures 
Pinch of prehydrated Penicillium 
roqueforti mold powder 
2 drops CaCl 2 
2 drops rennet 
2 to 3 tbsp salt 

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT 

Fine (#90) cheesecloth; digital kitchen 

thermometer 

1. Clean all surfaces and equipment before 
beginning. Set up a draining station by lining 
a colander with cheesecloth and placing on a 
draining rack in the sink. 

2. Pour the milk into a stockpot and warm 
over medium heat to 75°F/22°C, stirring 
gently. 

3. Pour in prehydrated cultures and mold 
powder and stir. 


4. Add the CaCl 2 while stirring. Add the ren¬ 
net and stir for 20 seconds. Stop the motion 
of the milk and cover the pot with a lid. 
Leave the pot in a vibration-free location, 

at room temperature, for 16 to 20 hours. 
(Maintain the temperature using a method 
explained on page 40 if needed.) After 
the incubation, look for a firm yogurt-like 
curd and some whey collecting at the 
edges and on the top of the curd block. 

5. Using a skimmer, scoop the curds 
from the pot into the prepared colander. 
When the colander is full, gather the 
corners of the cheesecloth to form a 
pouch. Suspend the pouch (see page 220), 
so the whey can drain freely. Drain for 
20 to 24 hours. For best results, gently 
shake the pouch (to open up new drainage 
channels) halfway through. You’ll notice 
when you empty the bag that curds nearer 
to the cheesecloth are drier than the 
curds in the middle. 


KITCHEN CREAMERY 

■ 148 ‘ 




6 . Afterward, shake all of the curds out of 
the cheesecloth and into a bowl. Using a 
mixer or clean hands, mix to even out the 
texture. Add the salt in two passes, mixing 
thoroughly each time. 

7. When curd is homogenous and properly 
salted, take a third of the contents of the 
bowl and roll into a smooth and uniform log 
shape, approximately the size of a cucumber. 
Repeat with the rest of the curd. Set the 
logs on top of a clean aging mat, inside an 
aging bin. Allow the cheeses to drain for 

1 day more at room temperature, removing 
excess moisture as needed, before moving 
the bin to a 50”F/10°C location. Keep the 
bin covered but not airtight. (Do not pierce 
this cheese as the middle is kept unveined 
and white.) 

8. Ripen for 2 to 3 weeks, rolling or turning 
every several days, until a beautiful blue 
mold covers the surface of each log. Enjoy, 
or age for up to 2 weeks. 


MOLD-RIPENED CHEESES 

149 



CKec^e^ 




























Cheddar is truly America’s cheese. It is the cheese 
people most frequently tell me is their favorite, the 
cheese I find in every fridge, the cheese that can 
be substituted for almost any other cheese in a 
recipe. It is a wonderful cheese—and quite variable 
in texture and flavor, depending on the recipe and 
the age. 

Capital-C Cheddar is technically reserved for prod¬ 
ucts made in the region in southern England from 
whence the style came and for which it was named. 
But the qualifications for a lowercase cheddar are 
this: the cheese should be cooked moderately (com¬ 
monly to about 102°F/39°C) and stirred substantially, 
often for over an hour, in order to reach a low pH 
level, before being hooped. When the curds reach 
this pH, they get salted—not after pressing, as most 
other cheeses are. This salting before pressing is 
another signature sign of cheddar cheeses. Finally, 
a true traditional cheddar makes use of a process 
called, yes, “cheddaring,” in which the cheesemaker 
cuts and stacks blocks of curd after draining. The 
stacking and then turning of these stacks gives the 
cheese time to develop more acid and also presses 
out more whey. After this stage, the blocks are 
milled into smaller chunks—becoming the “cheddar 
curds” so famous in the Midwest. You’ll be asked 
to run through this lengthier traditional cheddaring 
process in the Traditional Cheddar recipe (page 156) 
only. With the other two cheddar types in this chap¬ 
ter, we get to take shortcuts. 


CHEDDAR-STYLE CHEESES 

* 151 ‘ 


MEDIUM 


(BO/bUr 

Q (aj c k 


MAKES ONE 4.5-LB/2-KG WHEEL 


MILK 




SUGGESTED 

CULTURES 

BUTTERMILK, 
MA 4000, OR 
MM100 


FINAL FORM 




LARGE WHEEL 


CATEGORIES 
COOKED, PRESSED, 
FIRM, MILLED-CURD 



Baby Jack is a good cheese to make if you don’t yet have a pressable cheese form. You’ll 
only need a large square of cheesecloth. This will leave you with an irregularly shaped 
wheel with an indent in the middle and beautiful imprints from the folds of the cheese¬ 
cloth. It is a classic shape for this style of cheese. 


INGREDIENTS 

4 gal/15 L unhomogenized milk 
4 tbsp cultured buttermilk or V 2 tsp 
prehydrated mesophilic cultures 
% tsp CaCl 2 diluted in V 4 cup/60 ml water 
% tsp rennet diluted in V 4 cup/60 ml water 
About % cup/215 g salt 
Cheese wax, cream wax, or Traditional 
Jack Rub (page 155) for the rind 
treatment 

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT 
Large cheese form with follower (optional); 
medium (#60) cheesecloth; digital kitchen 
thermometer; press or pressing setup 

1. Clean all surfaces and equipment before 
beginning. Set up a draining station by lining 
the cheese form or a colander with cheese¬ 
cloth and placing it on a draining rack in 
the sink. 

2 . Pour the milk into a heavy-bottomed 
stockpot and warm over medium heat to 
86°F/30°C, stirring gently. Remove from 
the heat. 

3 . Add the buttermilk, and stir in with an 
up-and-down motion. Cover the pot and 
ripen for 1 hour. If necessary, gently reheat 
the milk to 86°F/30°C (or maintain heat 
using a method explained on page 40). 


4 . Add the CaCl 2 solution and stir gently. 

Add the rennet solution. Stir for 20 sec¬ 
onds. As you add the rennet, start a timer 
and watch for the flocculation point (see 
page 218). When reached, stop the timer. 
Multiply the number of minutes elapsed 
by 3.5. This is how long you need to wait 
before you cut the curd. Goal time is 35 to 
40 minutes. 

5 . At the timed moment, cut the curd into 
hazelnut-size pieces, about 1 2 3 A in/2 cm. 

Let the curds heal for 2 minutes, then start 
stirring, starting at the top of the vat and 
working slowly downward, cutting up large 
curd pieces as they rise to the top. 

6. When all the pieces are in motion, turn on 
a low heat. Warm the curds to 95°F/35°C over 
the course of 40 minutes, stirring gently and 
continuously. 

CONTINUED 


KITCHEN CREAMERY 

152 














7. Next, increase the heat to medium and 
bring the curds up to 102°F/39°C over the 
course of just 15 minutes. Stir the entire time. 
Once at temperature, remove from the heat. 
Continue stirring for another 45 minutes. 

By the end of this cooking time, the curds 
should bounce off the back of your hand like 
ping-pong balls when you dip it into the pot. 

8. Stop stirring and pitch the curds (see 
page 73) for 5 minutes, then pour off the whey 
while capturing the curds in the prepared 
colander. Return the curds to the pot. 

9. Using your hands, break or mill the curd 
into roughly hazelnut-size pieces. 

10. Add the salt in three passes, mixing it in 
well and pausing 2 minutes between each 
addition (to allow time for the salt to be 
absorbed). When finished, the curds should 
taste saltier than you think they should be. 

(If they don’t, add more salt.) 

11. Finally, moving quickly to preserve 
some of the heat still left in the curds, 
transfer the curds back to the prepared 
cheese form or colander with cheesecloth. 
Gather the ends and twist to form the 
cheese into a tight ball, and place under 

a very heavy weight (50 lb/23 kg) for 
10 minutes (see Note). 


12. After 10 minutes, remove the cheese 
from the press, open up the form or cloth, 
flip, redress, then press again, now at 
medium weight (25 to 40 lb/9 to 18 kg). 

Press overnight, or for 10 to 12 hours more. 
Afterward, set the cheese on an aging mat 
and draining rack, covered with a piece of 
cheesecloth. Allow the cheese to dry at 
room temperature for 2 days. Turn regularly 
to expedite the process. 

13. When the rind feels nearly dry but still the 
slightest bit damp, cover with cheese wax, 
cream wax, or Jack rub. If using the cream 
wax or the rub, you must age the cheese in 
an aging bin; if using cheese wax, an aging 
bin is not necessary. Place on a wooden 
board inside the fridge or aging cave. Ripen 
at 51° to 54°F/11° to 13°C for at least 5 weeks, 
or up to 3 months. 

NOTES 

• Only with cheddar curds do you press so 
heavily at first. This is because milled curds 
often have a hard time fusing or knitting 
back together after being salted. 

• For a yellower cheddar, add Vs tsp of liquid 
annatto to the milk during step 3. 


KITCHEN CREAMERY 

154 



TRADITIONAL JACK RUB 


MAKES 14 CUP/60 G 


INGREDIENTS 
2 tsp paprika 
2 tsp cocoa powder 
2 tsp salt 

V4 cup/60 ml olive oil or vegetable oil 

1. In a small bowl, stir together the paprika, 
cocoa powder, and salt. Add the oil and stir 
to make a paste. 

2 . Apply a portion of the rub onto the rind of 
your finished, air-dried cheese. Reapply the 


rub twice weekly for the first several weeks. 
The cheese should already be set up inside 
an aging bin on an aging mat at this point. 
As the rind dries and stabilizes, use less 
rub. When the rind gains a stable color and 
firmness, continue to turn and monitor the 
cheese until it is finished. The rub not only 
gives the cheese a richly colored exterior, 
but the motion of the rubbing knocks back 
unwanted molds. Store unused rub in a 
closed container in the fridge. 


CHEDDAR-STYLE 

155 


CHEESES 



^ADITION^ 


MAKES ONE 4.5-LB/2-KG WHEEL 


MILK 




UNHOMOGENIZED 


SUGGESTED 

CULTURES 

MA 4000 

FINAL FORM 



LARGE WHEEL 


CATEGORIES 
COOKED, PRESSED, 
MILLED, FIRM, AGED 



This recipe is more time intensive than its chapter-mate Baby Jack (page 152), but lets 
you practice the art of “cheddaring,” a process by which you cut, stack, and flip bricks of 
drained curds in order to draw off more whey. For those interested in using pH measure¬ 
ments, this is a good cheese for trying it out. I’ve listed suggested pH targets as a way for 
you to track your cheese’s acid development. 


INGREDIENTS 

4 gal/15 L unhomogenized milk 
Vitsp prehydrated mesophilic cultures 
3 A tsp CaCl 2 diluted in Ht cup/60 ml water 
(if using pasteurized milk) 

3 A tsp rennet diluted in 3 A cup/60 ml water 
V 2 cup/120 ml salt, or more to taste 

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT 
Large cheese form, with follower; medium 
(#60) cheesecloth to fit the form; digital 
kitchen thermometer; cheese press 
or other pressing setup with capacity 
for 40+ lb/18+ kg; pH strips or meter for 
testing acidity (optional) 

1. Clean all surfaces and equipment before 
beginning. Set up a draining station by 
lining the cheese form with cheesecloth 
and placing it on a draining rack in the sink. 

2 . Pour the milk into a stockpot and warm 
over medium heat to 86°F/30°C, stirring 
gently. Remove from the heat. 

3. Add the prehydrated cultures and stir in 
using an up-and-down motion. Cover the 
pot and let the milk ripen for 1 hour. If nec¬ 
essary, reheat the milk to 86°F/30°C degrees 
(or maintain heat using a method explained 
on page 40). 


4. Add the CaCl 2 solution and stir gently. 
Add the rennet solution. Stir for 20 sec¬ 
onds. As you add the rennet, start a timer 
and watch for the flocculation point (see 
page 218). When reached, stop the timer. 
Multiply the number of minutes elapsed by 3. 
This is how long you need to wait before you 
cut the curd. Goal time is 25 to 30 minutes. 
The pH target at renneting is 6.4. 

5. At the timed moment, cut the curd into 
hazelnut-size pieces, about 3 A in/2 cm (see 
page 219). Let the curds heal for 2 minutes, 
then start to stir, working at the top of the 
vat and gradually moving toward the bottom. 
Cut down large curds as they rise up from 
the bottom. 

6 . When all the curds are in motion, warm 
them over low heat to 95°F/35"C over the 
course of 45 minutes, stirring the entire 
time. When the curds reach 95°F/35°C, turn 
up the heat slightly and, while stirring, bring 
the curds to 104°F/40°C over the course of 
15 minutes. 

7. Remove the pot from the heat but con¬ 
tinue stirring for another 30 minutes. Your 
curds are done when 1) they make a funny 
squeak against your tooth when eaten; and 


KITCHEN CREAMERY 

156 







SQUEAKY CHEESE 

This standby of Midwestern pride is simply Cheddar curds that never got pressed into a 
wheel. From whence does this music come? For the first few hours after the nuggets form, 
they squeak against the tooth when chewed because the proteins are linked together in a 
tight matrix. (Imagine that matrix as something like rubber bands—that, if for whatever 
reason you, like me, have done it, you know also squeak when chewed.) It’s a special win¬ 
dow; after time and the inevitable continued fermentation, the squeak goes away, as the 
proteins become less elastic and deform less when bitten into. For this reason, if you love 
squeaky cheese, you either have to make your own—or be friendly with a cheesemaker on 
the day he or she is making a traditional cheddar! 


2) they bounce off the back of your hand 
if you dip it into the pot. The pH target at 
draining is 5.9. Pitch the curds (see page 73) 
for 5 minutes, then pour the whey from the 
top of the pot. With a clean hand, gather the 
curds toward one side of the pot, pressing 
them together into a firmer block. Pour off 
extra whey. 

8. Now it is time for cheddaring. Cut the 
curd block into two blocks and stack one 
on top of the other. Cover the pot and 
wait 15 minutes, then open up the pot again. 
Dump off extra whey. Take the bottom 
block, flip it so the top is now facing down 
and place it on top. Cover the pot and wait 
another 15 minutes. Continue flipping and 
rotating the blocks for 1 hour while main¬ 
taining a warm (at least 95"F/35°C) temper¬ 
ature in the vat. By the end, you should 
start to smell a slightly sour, yogurty smell 
from the curd. 

9. Now the curd is ready to be milled. Using 
a clean, sharp knife, roughly chop into 
walnut- and hazelnut-size chunks. Make sure 
to work quickly to conserve heat. The pH 
target at milling is 5.3 to 5.5. 

10. Add the salt in three passes, allow sev¬ 
eral minutes for the salt to be absorbed in 
between each. When finished, take a taste; 
the curds should taste saltier than you think 
they should be. Now quickly move the curds 
into the prepared form and place under 
very heavy weight (50 lb/23 kg or more) for 
10 minutes (see page 224). 


11 . After 10 minutes, remove the cheese from 
the press, turn, redress, and press again 

at medium (25 to 40 lb/9 to 18 kg) to heavy 
weight for 10 to 12 hours more. Afterward, 
set the cheese on an aging mat and draining 
rack, covered with a piece of cheesecloth. 
Allow the cheese to dry at room tempera¬ 
ture for 2 days. Turn regularly to expedite 
the process. 

12. When the cheese is almost dry but still 
slightly moist, start a rind treatment of nat¬ 
ural rind, bandages, cream wax, or cheese 
wax. (See pages 222 to 223 for more informa¬ 
tion on rind treatments. Bandage wrapping 
is a beautiful and traditional treatment for 
this cheese.) 

13. Set the cheese in an aging bin (required 
if bandaging or cream waxing but not if 
using cheese wax) and in a 55°F/13°C loca¬ 
tion. Age for 3 months or up to 1 year. Pay 
close attention to your cheddar during the 
first several weeks, flipping it every day 
and brushing away mold. Remove built-up 
moisture as needed. Afterward, turn the 
cheese regularly until finished. 


CHEDDAR-STYLE CHEESES 

157 





V 


an 


Il!l \ 

5 N J 




f : 



BANDAGE WRAPPED CHEDDAR 


Bandage wrapping is the most eco-friendly rind covering you can choose. You don’t need 
to buy any special “cheese bandages.” An old bedsheet, a floral blouse, or a cut-up flour 
sack will all work perfectly. And the fat coating you spread on top is a perfect destination 
for that can of bacon grease you’ve been saving up. 


Note that a cheese that has been pressed in a form with straight sides (not curved, as 
with a Gouda form, for example) works best. After the cheese has been pressed and 
dried, apply the bandage wrappings. 


INGREDIENTS 

1 well-made, well-sealed wheel of 
Traditional Cheddar (page 156) 

1 to 2 lb/455 to 910 g vegetable shortening, 
lard, bacon fat, coconut oil, or butter 

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT 
3 large pieces medium (#60) cheesecloth 
or medium-weave cotton fabric 

1. Place two of the cheesecloth pieces, one 
on top of the other, on a clean work surface. 
Center the cheese wheel on top. Using sharp 
scissors, cut around the cheese to make 
two circles 3 in/7.5 cm larger in diameter 
than the cheese. (This is just like the way 
you would trim a pie crust, using the pan as 
a guide.) These circles are the top and the 
bottom pieces; set aside. 

2 . Next, from the third cheesecloth piece, 
cut one long rectangular strip, exactly the 
height of the cheese and long enough so that 
it reaches all the way around the wheel and 
overlaps by at least 1 in/2.5 cm, like a belt. 
Set aside. 

3. In a saucepan over low heat, melt the 
shortening. Meanwhile, place the cheese 
wheel in the fridge for several minutes to 
make the rind extra-cooi. 

4. When the shortening is melted, remove 
the cheese from fridge. Using a pastry brush, 
brush the melted fat over the top and down 
the sides of the cheese, then quickly apply 


one circle of cheesecloth to the top, roughly 
centering it. Press the circle onto the cheese, 
starting from the center and moving toward 
the edge (this motion wiii help remove air 
bubbles). Rub into place and smooth the 
excess down the sides, then apply a second 
coat of fat to the top of the cloth. 

5. Flip the cheese over and repeat this 
process on the bottom using the second 
circle of doth. 

6 . Finally, turn the cheese onto its side and 
apply fat (covering a portion of the over¬ 
hanging doth from both the top and the 
bottom), then quickly belt the cheese with 
the last piece of doth. Make sure the edges 
of the belt stay even with the edges of the 
cheese. Apply more fat to the outside of the 
belt. When finished, the cheese will be com¬ 
pletely covered. 

7. Now return the cheese to its original 
cheese form and place in the press, with the 
bandages on. Apply heavy weight (50 lb/ 

23 kg) for another 24 hours to tightly secure 
the bandages in place. For an extra-secure 
rind covering, repeat this entire process 
after removing the cheese from the press— 
applying the second bandage directly over 
the first. The cheese does not need to be 
pressed a second time, though. Age the 
cheese as directed on an aging mat inside 
an aging bin, flipping, and brushing away 
molds regularly. 


CHEDDAR-STYLE CHEESES 

159 


MEDIUM 





* 


l X As* AyV 




CaefypluMy. 

XMAV.VVV 





MAKES ONE 4V2-LB/2-KG WHEEL 


MILK 



W :> 



SUGGESTED 

CULTURES 

MA 4000 

FINAL FORM 

LARGE WHEEL 


CATEGORIES 
COOKED, PRESSED 



This cheddar is unique—for one thing, because it’s stirred for much less time than the 
Traditional Cheddar (page 156) or Baby Jack (page 152). The majority of the time the curds 
are in the pot, they are simply sitting under whey, not being stirred but still developing 
acid. Also, this cheddar is not salted in the pot like the other versions. A long period of 
pressing without salt leads to a tangy sharpness and an extra-crumbly, almost creamy 
texture. It is eaten younger as well. Try making it with a natural rind or with raw milk for 
added flavor. 


INGREDIENTS 

4 gal/15 L unhomogenized milk 
Vi tsp prehydrated mesophilic cultures 
3 A tsp CaCl 2 diluted in V * cup/60 ml water 
3 A tsp rennet diluted in y« cup/60 ml water 
Saturated brine (see page 221) 

Salt 

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT 
Medium (#60) cheesecloth; cheese 
form with follower; digital kitchen 
thermometer; cheese press or other 
pressing setup 

1. Clean all surfaces and equipment before 
beginning. Line a colander with cheesecloth 
and place it in the sink. Set up a draining 
station by lining the cheese form with cheese¬ 
cloth and placing it on a draining rack in 
the sink. 

2. Pour the milk into a heavy-bottomed 
stockpot and warm over medium heat to 
91T/33°C, stirring gently. Remove from 
the heat. 

3. Add the prehydrated cultures and stir 
in gently. Cover the pot and let the milk 


ripen for 45 minutes. If necessary, reheat 
to 91°F/33°C degrees (or maintain heat using 
a method explained on page 40). 

4. Add the CaCl 2 solution and stir gently. 

Add the rennet solution. Stir for 20 sec¬ 
onds. As you add the rennet, start a timer 
and watch for the flocculation point (see 
page 218). When reached, stop the timer. 
Multiply the number of minutes elapsed 
by 2.5. This is how long you need to wait 
before you cut the curd. Goal time is 20 to 
25 minutes. 

5. At the timed moment, cut the curd into 
pinto bean-size pieces, about Vi in/12 mm 
(see page 219). Let the curds heal for 2 min¬ 
utes, then start stirring at the top of the vat 
and gradually moving downward. Cut large 
curds into smaller ones as they rise to 

the top. Eventually all the curds will be 
in motion. 

6. Turn on the heat to low and warm the 
curds to 96°F/35°C over the course of 30 min¬ 
utes while stirring gently. If the temperature 
is rising too quickly, turn off the heat 
intermittently. 


KITCHEN CREAMERY 

160 








7. When at temperature, remove from the 
heat, cover the pot, and allow the curds to 
rest under the whey for 1 hour. 

8. Pour off the whey and catch the curds in 
the prepared colander. Transfer the curds 
into their prepared form or, if pressing with¬ 
out a form (see page 220), gather the ends of 
the cloth and twist to draw out more whey. 

9. Apply medium weight (about 20 lb/9 kg) 
to the cheese for 10 minutes, then open 

up the form and/or cloth, flip the cheese, 
redress, and return to the press. 

10 . Increase the weight slightly to about 
30 lb/14 kg and press for 8 to 10 hours. 

11. Unwrap the wheel and place in the brine 
for 6 to 8 hours at 65°F/18°C, being sure to 
salt the parts of the cheese that float above 
the brine and flipping at least once midway 
through the brining. 

12. Afterward, place wheel on a drying rack, 
covered with a piece of cheesecloth. Air-dry 
for 2 days, or until the rind feels just slightly 
moist. Move the cheese to an aging mat 
inside an aging bin. Allow a natural rind to 
form or seal with cream wax or cheese wax 
(see pages 222 to 223). 

13. Age at 50°F/10°C for at least 3 months, 
or up to 6 months. If cultivating a natural 
rind, turn the cheese every other day, wiping, 
rubbing, or brushing the rind regularly and 
removing built-up moisture from the bin. 


RESEALING A CHEDDAR RIND 

If, after pressing, cracks cover the sur¬ 
face of your cheddar where individual 
curds came together, don’t fret. This 
is a poorly sealed rind and you have a 
second chance to form a good one. 

Bring 1 to 2 gal/3.8 to 7.5 L of water 
to a boil. Take the room-temperature 
cheddar (no more than 2 days old and 
preferably less than 1 day) and swad¬ 
dle loosely with cheesecloth to form 
a sling. Lower the wheel into the 
boiling water and hold (suspended in 
the water, not sitting on the bottom 
of the pot) for 3 minutes. Next, bring 
the wheel out of the water and place 
back in its cheesecloth-lined form, 
straightening out the cloth first then 
applying heavy weight (50 lb/23 kg) 
for 3 to 5 hours. An easier solution is 
to age the cracked-surface cheese in 
a vacuum-sealed bag. 


CHEDDAR-STYLE CHEESES 

161 





'V 


STRETCHED 


CURD 

Ckee-de^ 






















Now widely available are home mozzarella-making 
kits, which include instructions and ingredients for 
making a ball of mozzarella with just 1 gal/3.8 L of 
milk and 30 minutes of time. Sadly, the kits don’t 
always work out (because store-bought milk is 
variable and the recipe is finicky), which can damper 
one’s home-cheesemaking enthusiasm. A common 
refrain I hear in my mozzarella-cheesemaking classes 
is: “I made mozzarella once and it was great; then 
I tried to make it again and ...” or “I tried to make 
mozzarella but everything just turned to mush.” For 
this reason, don’t start with mozzarella. Make your 
way there. 

The name pasta fllata tells you what the cheese 
is: pasta (Latin: dough) and fllata (Latin: column). 

It translates from Italian to “spun paste” or “spun 
dough.” When I think of pasta fllata, I think of phyllo, 
or filo, dough, both for the etymological connection 
as well as the mental visual of layers. As we pull 
these cheeses into their final forms, we spin curds 
into thin phyllo-dough-like striations. This transfor¬ 
mation changes the texture and form of the cheese, 
but it also releases moisture and fat and is where 
we introduce salt, changing the internal chemistry 
of the cheese as well as extending shelf life. 


AN ACIDIC SWEET SPOT 

To make mozzarella, start with fresh milk. Turn the 
milk into a gel then cut, heat, and stir the curds to 
a proper temperature. Next, drain everything. Then, 
depending on if you’re making a direct-acid version 
(Quick Mozz) or a cultured version (the others), 
stretch the dough immediately, or within several 
hours of ripening. 

The ripening period, like the ripening period that 
happens before adding rennet, gives the cultures 
time to break down more lactose into lactic acid. 

As acid builds inside the draining curd, the proteins 
change in nature. When the acidity reaches the 
perfect level, the proteins form long, elastic threads. 
This will only happen for a short window of time 
(because the cultures continue producing acid that 


continues to change the nature of the proteins). 

If the curds haven’t ripened enough, they won’t 
stretch. If the curds are overripe, they break apart. 

You can track this acidic sweet spot by monitoring 
pH (target pH levels are listed on the chart below). 
Or, if you don’t have a pH meter or strips, use the 
Stretch Test (described below). 


pH Range for Stretching Cheese 


TYPE OF PASTA FILATA 

CHEESE 

PH RANGE FOR 

OPTIMAL STRETCHING 

Direct-Acid (Quick Mozz) 

5.2 to 5.4 

Cultured Dough (Scamorza, 

5.1 to 5.3 

Provolone, etc.) 



HOW TO DO A STRETCH TEST 

1. Cut a french-fry-size piece of curd from the 
drained curd block. 

2. Place the piece in a small bowl and cover well 
with very hot (155° to 175°F/68° to 79°C) water. 

3. After 1 minute, using a spoon, take the piece out 
of the water and tug gently. If the curd breaks or 
stretches only V 2 in/12 mm and then breaks, the curd 
needs more time to ripen. If it stretches freely, it is 
ready to be shaped. 



STRETCHED-CURD CHEESES 

' 163 * 














HOW TO STRETCH CURDS 


LIKE OVERWORKED PASTRY 

Treat your mozzarella curds as you would delicate 
pastry dough. The less you handle it, the more suc¬ 
cessful it will be. The more you work it, the tougher 
it will be. Often, I see first timers attacking their 
dough, packing it together tightly, then pulling it 
open again with as much strength as if they were 
working with duct tape. They keep at it, thinking the 
dough will “come around.” Don’t do this. 

If your stretching temperature is correct (between 
150° and 180°F/66° and 82°C), the curds, after a min¬ 
ute or two in hot water, should feel drapey. You fold 
these curds together to form a smooth, uniform disk 
shape. Next, bring the edges of this disk together 
as though you are closing a coin purse. Pinch off the 
edges of the “coin purse” and drop the just-sealed 
ball into cold water. 


TIPS FOR STRETCHING 

• When making Cultured Mozzarella (page 174) and 
Provolone (page 176), make sure the curds are 
properly acidified before stretching. If they 
don’t pass the “Stretch Test,” hold longer at 
ripening temperatures. 

• If the curd collapses into a ricotta-looking mess 
when you try and stretch it, the milk you used was 
ultra-pasteurized or pasteurized at too high of a 
temperature. Or, if your curd turns into the densest 
rock-like object ever, try another brand. 

• Warm the curd to room temperature before stretch¬ 
ing it. After stretching, drop the formed cheese 
immediately into cold water to help hold its shape. 

• Don't stretch the whole recipe worth of curds at 
once. Stretch small, handful-size amounts. 


1. Gather a large bowl filled with cold water, a small 
bowl of salt, and a medium bowl in which you will do 
the stretching. Have ready heat-resistant gloves (if 
you need them) and a thermometer. 

2. Take the drained, ripened curd and cut into 
french-fry-size strips. Place a handful of strips in 
the stretching bowl, then cover with 1 in/2.5 cm 
of 155° to 175°F/68°C to 79°C water. If the water is 
too cold, the cheese will not stretch; if the water 
is too hot, you will be in pain and the cheese will 
fall apart. 

3. Stir the strips in the water to expose all sides to 
the heat. Wait 1 to 2 minutes, then test to see if a 
strip is ready by doing a stretch test. If necessary, 
replace the stretching water with hotter water. 

4. When ready, move the strips to one side of the 
bowl (using a spoon if needed), then gather them in 
your hand. Fold and pull until the cheese is smooth 
and shiny. Fold in Vt tsp of salt per V 2 cup/120 ml 
worth of curd. Form a ball by pressing the cheese 
through your thumb and forefinger, then pinching 
off the excess as shown in the bottom-left photo on 
page 167. Try not to overwork the cheese. 

5. Drop immediately into the cold water. 


164 


K 



HOW TO STORE 

STRETCHED-CIIRD 

CHEESES 

Storing your beautiful homemade mozzarella 
correctly will keep its flavor bright. 

FRESH MOZZARELLA 

To store in water or whey: Mix 1 qt/960 ml filtered 
water or boiled and cooled whey with 1 tsp CaCl 2 
and V 2 tsp white vinegar. Pour into a large container. 
Add the mozzarella balls. Store in the fridge for up 
to 5 days. 

To store in plastic wrap: Take the mozzarella out 
of the cold-water bowl. Place one ball at a time 
onto squares of plastic wrap. Roll up tightly and tie 
the ends of the plastic wrap to secure. Place the 
wrapped balls in a bowl in case of drips. Store in 
the fridge for up to 10 days. 

BURRATA 

To store in a container: Place the just-filled, sealed 
burrata directly into a small, clean storage container 
(skipping the cold-water bath). The cheese eventu¬ 
ally will “melt” into the shape of the container. You 
can also choose, for increased moisture, to pour 
some salted heavy cream over the top. Store, cov¬ 
ered, in the fridge for up to 4 days. 


CULTURED MOZZARELLA AND PROVOLONE 
To age with a natural rind: After brining, dry 
the cheese for several days on a draining mat or 
by creating a pouch of cheesecloth and hanging 
it up with string. When the rind feels dry, move 
the cheeses to an aging bin or, if in the shape 
of a scamorza, hang up directly inside an aging 
cave. Brush away or cut off molds from the rind 
before eating. 

To smoke: After brining, move the cheese to aging 
mats placed on top of a drying rack. Dry for 1 to 
2 days. When the rind feels nearly dry, place into a 
cold smoker. Smoke according to the instructions, 
or for several hours. Afterward, vacuum-seal and 
keep at 55°F/13°C or cooler for up to 6 months. 

To vacuum-seal: When cheeses have dried, store in 
vacuum bags in the fridge or cave for several months 
to 1 year. 

To store in plastic wrap: After brining, wrap the 
cheese tightly in plastic wrap. Store in the fridge for 
up to 2 weeks. 


STRETCHED-CURD CHEESES 

* 165 


























MAKES 20 OZ/560 G FRESH 
MOZZARELLA 


MILK 




UNHOMOGENIZED 


FINAL FORM 
VARIABLE 


CATEGORIES 
FRESH UNRIPENED, 
PASTA FILATA 



This recipe makes a fresh mozzarella that is simple, milky, and soft as opposed to the 
other stretched-curd recipes that are firmer or more complex in their flavors. To be 
successful, you have to start with high-quality, very fresh, unhomogenized milk, and 
I highly recommend using cow’s milk. Without the right milk, the cheese won’t come 
together, won’t stretch nicely, or will be too tough—not the luscious cheese you wish 
for. For a list of possible milk sources, visit www.cheesemaking.com and search the 
“Good Milk List.” 


Note: You won’t use CaCl 2 in this recipe, though you will use it in the Cultured Mozzarella 
and Provolone recipes that follow. In ways, this recipe feels as much like a variation of 
Ricotta or Paneer as it does a mozzarella. 


INGREDIENTS 

2 gal/7.5 L unhomogenized milk 
IV2 cups/330 ml white vinegar or 3 tsp citric 
acid diluted in V 4 cup/60 ml cool water 
Vs tsp lipase powder (optional) 

V2 tsp rennet diluted in V4 cup/60 ml water 

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT 

Digital kitchen thermometer; heat 

resistant gloves 

1. Clean all surfaces and equipment before 
beginning. Set a colander in the sink. Set up 
an area for stretching cheeses (see page 164). 

2 . Pour the milk into a pot. Then, when the 
milk is cooler than 70°F/21°C, add the vinegar 
while stirring. This brings the pH value of the 
milk down to 5.2 to 5.4. 

3. Warm the milk over medium heat to 90"F/ 
32°C, while stirring. Remove from the heat. 
Sprinkle the lipase (if using) over the top and 
allow 1 minute for it to dissolve, then stir in. 


4. Add the rennet solution. Stir for 20 sec¬ 
onds, then stop the motion of the milk. 

A curd will form in about 3 minutes. 

5. After 8 minutes, cut the curd into a grid, with 
approximately 1 in/2.5 cm between the cuts. 

6 . Next, gently cut the columns horizontally 
by scooping the curds from the edge of the 
pot and moving them toward the middle. 
After 2 to 3 minutes, this motion will free up 
enough whey that all the curds will start to 
move. Stir gently and cut down large chunks 
as needed. 

7. Return the pot to the heat and warm to 
95T/35°C over the course of 10 minutes, 
stirring the whole time. 

8. Drain the pot into the colander, collecting 
the curds and discarding the whey. Drain for 
20 minutes, flipping once midway. 

9. Proceed with the stretching instructions. 
Eat within 2 days. 


KITCHEN CREAMERY 

168 








% 

KUU] 


MAKES THREE 6-OZ/170-G BALLS 


MILK 



UNHOMOGENIZED 
MILK, HEAVY CREAM 


FINAL FORM 

OoO 

BALLS 


CATEGORIES 
FRESH UNRIPENED, 
PASTA FILATA 



Burrata tastes like decadent cream with a unique feathery texture. If you’ve never had 
it, you’re not alone. It can be hard to find because its moisture—as well as its sweetness 
and lack of acidity—make it highly perishable. That’s one good reason to make your own. 

As you make burrata, you’ll find it is essentially cheese-stuffed cheese with some cream in 
the middle. The more cream you can manage to stuff in, the softer and gooier the burrata 
will be. Unfortunately, stuffing a thin sheet of cheese with runny cream isn’t easy. Go slowly 
and remember that no matter what your final product looks like, it will all taste good. 

The traditional filling for burrata, called Stracciatella, uses up bits of curd left over from 
making mozzarella balls. 


INGREDIENTS 

¥2 cup/120 ml leftover mozzarella bits 
IV 2 cup/360 ml heavy cream (can also 
be sour or clotted cream, butter, 
or ricotta) 

¥2 tsp salt 

1 recipe Quick Mozz (page 168, for a softer 
curd) or Cultured Mozzarella (page 174, 
for a firmer, more aromatic curd) 

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT 
Teacup for shaping burrata; several 
12-in/30-cm strips food-grade cord; 
heat-resistant gloves (optional) 

1. Shred the mozzarella bits so they look 
like shredded chicken. Place the shreds in 
a bowl. 

2. Add the cream and salt. Mush the 
cream and shreds together with your 
fingertips until they form a fine paste. 

Set the Stracciatella aside. 

3 . Per the stretching instructions on 
page 164, work approximately ¥2 cup/ 


120 ml mozzarella curd into a smooth and 
symmetrical ball (see page 166). 

4 . Flatten the ball to form a 4-in/10-cm disk. 
Open up the disk wide enough to drape over 
the top of the teacup or just cup your hand 
as in the photos, making sure excess cheese 
hangs over the edge of the teacup, like a 
pie crust over a pie plate. Moving quickly to 
conserve the warmth of the just-stretched 
dough, take ¥2 cup/120 ml of Stracciatella 
and place it in the center of the cheese 

in the teacup. Try to not have filling spill on 
the edge of the cheese bowl or it will not 
reseal properly. 

5 . Working quickly, bring the edges of the 
cheese together to form a pouch. Squeeze 
the pouch closed very tightly, pinching 
off the excess tab or tying closed with a 
strip of cord. Store as directed on page 165. 
The burrata will soften over the course of 

a day though it can be eaten immediately. 
Eat within 4 days. 


KITCHEN CREAMERY 

170 













TWISTED PINWHEET 



KNOT onNtUNI 


OTHERMOnAHELLA FORMS 


A©&lLRr 


D^VBfG 


fEA*UNl CILICGINE SOCCONCIN! 




^ c ozIa%clT4 


» 


A.K.A. PIZZA CHEESE, 

QUESO OAXAQUENO, QUESO ASADERO 


MAKES FOUR 6-OZ/170-G BALLS 


MILK 



UNHOMOGENIZED 


This slightly more involved mozzarella uses both direct acid (citric acid) as well as a 
mixture of cultures (both thermophilic and mesophilic), and it’s my favorite of the three 
pasta filata recipes in Kitchen Creamery. This recipe takes several hours from start to 
finish (instead of just one, as with the Quick Mozz on page 168), but the flavor, texture, 
and shelf life are well worth it. 


SUGGESTED 

CULTURES 

TA50 AND MM100; 
LIPASE 

FINAL FORM 

OOo o 

BALLS 

CATEGORIES 
PASTA FILATA 



INGREDIENTS 

2 gal/7.5 L cold (below 65°F/18°C) 
unhomogenized milk 
Vs tsp prehydrated mesophilic cultures 
Vs tsp prehydrated thermophilic cultures 
Pinch of lipase (optional) 

1 V4 tsp citric acid diluted in V> cup/60 ml 
water 

V 2 tsp CaCl 2 diluted in 'A cup/60 ml water 
V2 tsp rennet diluted in Vi cup/60 ml water 

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT 
Metal colander with legs that can fit inside 
a larger pot to serve as the “ripening 
station”; medium (#60) cheesecloth; 
digital kitchen thermometer; pH strips 
for testing ripeness (optional); heat- 
resistant gloves (optional) 

1. Clean all surfaces and equipment before 
beginning. Set up an area for stretching 
cheeses (see page 164). Line the colander 
with cheesecloth and place in the sink. 

2 . Pour half of the milk into a large pot and 
warm over medium heat to 97°F/36°C, while 
stirring. Turn off heat. 

3 . Add all the mesophilic, thermophilic, 
and optional lipase cultures and stir in. 

Cover the pot and allow the milk to ripen 


for 45 minutes while maintaining the 
temperature. 

4 . After the ripening period is up, in a sep¬ 
arate pot, combine the citric-acid solution 
with the remaining cold milk. Stir well. 

5 . Next, combine the cold milk with the 
warmer cultured milk in a large pot. Place 
over low heat and bring the temperature up 
to 92°F/33°C, while stirring gently. When at 
temperature, remove from the heat. 

6 . Add the CaCl 2 solution and stir in. Add 
the rennet solution. Stir for 20 seconds, then 
stop the motion of the milk. Cover the pot 
and let the milk rest for 30 minutes. 

7 . Afterward, cut the curd into a grid of 
grape-size pieces, or in 1 in/2.5 cm columns 
(see page 219). Let the curds heal for 2 min¬ 
utes, then, starting slowly and at the top of 
the pot, cut the columns of curd horizontally. 
Scoop about 1 in/2.5 cm below the curd 
surface, lift up a spoonful of curds and then 
lay them down in the center of the pot. 
Scoop from the edges and move the curds 
toward the middle. In this way, you are more 
lifting and moving the curds (as well as 
cutting them) than actually stirring them, 


KITCHEN CREAMERY 

■ 174 ' 



initially. Work your way downward to the 
bottom of the pot, until all the columns have 
been broken down into smaller pieces. 

8. Once all the curds are broken down, start 
to stir. When all of the curds in the pot are 
in motion, place the pot over low heat and 
warm slowly to 100°F/38°C over the course 
of 20 minutes, while stirring. Do not heat too 
quickly or the curds will not dry out suffi¬ 
ciently. Check the temperature of the pot 
frequently and adjust the heat. 

9 . When the pot reaches 100°F/38°C, turn off 
the heat and allow the curds to settle to the 
bottom. Pour the contents of the pot into the 
prepared colander. Drain briefly then move 
the curd-filled colander back into the empty 
cheese pot. Prop up the colander if needed 
to make sure the curds will drain freely and 
not sit in whey. 

10 . Cover the pot and maintain the temper¬ 
ature at 100°F/37°C for the next 1 to 4 hours, 
or until the pH reaches 5.1 to 5.3. To identify 
this point without a pH meter or pH strips, 
continue to perform “stretch tests” (see 
page 163). Once the curd is ripe, proceed 
with stretching, or wrap tightly and store 
the unstretched, ripened curd in the fridge 
for up to 24 hours before proceeding with 
stretching. Do not overripen or the curd will 
crumble when you try to stretch it. 


STRETCHED-CURD CHEESES 

175 


MAKES FOUR 6-OZ/170-G BALLS 
OR BRAIDS 



MILK 




UNHOMOGENIZED 


SUGGESTED 

CULTURES 

TA 60 OR 61 


FINAL FORM 

OOo o 

BALLS 


CATEGORIES 
COOKED, PASTA 
FILATA, SMOKED 



I learned to make this cheese while living on a ten-cow dairy in the Apennine Mountains, 
not far from Parma, Italy. I remember how pleasant the caseificio, or creamery, felt in late 
November when the ground outside was covered with frost and the sky was dark. We would 
stand at the vat, in clouds of steam, stretching the curd and feeling happy to be warm. 

Provolone can be enjoyed young (du/ce) or aged ( picante ). When younger, it is almost 
indistinguishable from mozzarella. Aged, it becomes spicy and distinct. You can shape 
your provolone into easy-to-slice logs by stuffing the pliable just-stretched dough into 
about 2-in-/5-cm-diameter PVC piping. Or you can form it into scamorza or caccioca- 
vallo shapes. 

This recipe is different from Cultured Mozzarella (page 174) because the curd is cooked to 
a higher temperature, making it drier but better for aging. When stretching it, you’ll notice 
it’s firmer than the Quick Mozz (page 168) and similar to the Cultured Mozzarella dough. 



INGREDIENTS 

2 gal/7.5 L unhomogenized milk 
V4 tsp prehydrated thermophilic cultures 
V 2 tsp CaCl 2 diluted in V» cup/60 ml water 
¥2 tsp rennet diluted in ¥i cup/60 ml water 
Saturated brine (see page 221) 

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT 
Metal colander with legs that can fit 
inside a larger pot to serve as the “ripen¬ 
ing station”; medium (#60) cheesecloth; 
digital kitchen thermometer; pH strips 
for testing ripeness (optional); heat- 
resistant gloves (optional) 


1. Clean all surfaces and equipment before 
beginning. Set up an area for stretching 
cheeses (see page 164). Line the colander 
with cheesecloth and place it in the sink. 

2 . Pour the milk into a heavy-bottomed 
stockpot and warm over medium heat to 
92°F/33°C, stirring gently. Remove from 
the heat. 

3 . Add the prehydrated cultures and stir in, 
then let the pot rest for 30 minutes. 

4 . Add the CaCl 2 solution and stir gently. 
Add the rennet and stir in for 20 seconds. As 
you add the rennet, start a timer and watch 
for the flocculation point (see page 218). 
When reached, stop the timer. Multiply the 
number of minutes elapsed by 3. This is how 
long you need to wait before you cut the 
curd. Goal time is 25 to 30 minutes. 


KITCHEN CREAMERY 

176 



5 . At the timed moment, cut the curd into 
lentil-size pieces, V 4 to V 2 in/6 to 12 mm (see 
page 219). Let the curds heal for 2 minutes. 
Start stirring at the top of the vat and slowly 
work your way downward, increasing in 
speed as more whey flushes out of the curd. 
Cut down large pieces that rise to the top. 
Once all the curds are in motion, place the 
pot back over low heat. 

6 . While stirring, bring the temperature of 
the curds up to 115°F/46°C over the course 
of 40 minutes, taking care to not raise the 
temperature too quickly. If needed, turn off 
the heat intermittently. 

7 . Once the pot reaches 115°F/46°C, remove 
from the heat and maintain this temperature 
for 30 minutes, stirring every several minutes 
to prevent the curds from clumping together, 
or “knitting.” Afterward, let the curds settle 
for 10 minutes. 

8. Pour off the whey from the pot, reserving 
about 1 gal/3.8 L, then pour the curds into 
the prepared colander. When all the curds 
are in the colander, flip the curd block so 
the top becomes the bottom. With the curd 
block in the colander, place the colander 
back into the pot. Pour the reserved whey 
into the bottom of the pot until it almost 
reaches the bottom of the colander— 
essentially suspending the curd block over 

a warm steam bath. Cover the pot with a lid. 


9 . Allow the curd block to ripen for approxi¬ 
mately 3 hours, flipping regularly and making 
sure the temperature inside the pot is at least 
95°F/32°C and not more than 105°F/41°C. If 
using pFl strips or a pH meter, ripen until 
the pH reaches 5.1 to 5.3. If needed, turn 

on the heat to bump the temperature of the 
pot back up. 

10 . After 2 hours, test if the curd is ready 
to stretch by doing a “stretch test” (see 
page 163). If the curd does not stretch easily, 
wait another 30 minutes before trying again. 

11 . When the curd is ripe, proceed with 
stretching, forming, and salting. 

12. Afterward, allow the cheeses to air-dry 
for up to 2 days, then age for 2 months or 
more on an aging mat, inside an aging bin in 
a 50°F/10°C area or packaged in a vacuum- 
sealed bag. This is also a great cheese to 
cold-smoke (see page 193), if desired. 


STRETCHED-CURD CHEESES 

177 


4 ? ">■ 


PRESSED 

& 

AGED 


CHEESES 


























THE TASTE OF TIME 


Finally, I thought it would be wise to include a few 
recipes for cheeses you can age. Indeed, you can 
age several of the earlier recipes, including Divino 
(page 106), Traditional Cheddar (page 156), and 
Marbler (page 118), but I’m grouping these last few 
recipes together as they are all considered cooked, 
pressed, or hard cheeses. All of them will be deli¬ 
cious aged out to 1 year. 

Not all cheeses can be aged forever (and really, 
should any cheese be?). An aging cheese needs to 
be pointed in the right direction while still in the 
vat. As you cook and stir the curds in the recipes 
ahead, the thoroughness with which you stir is vital. 
Whereas with a chevre or a feta recipe, the stirring 
segment is short or nonexistent, here stirring and 
heating drive moisture out of the curds. If you notice 
large clumps of curds forming (often at the bottom 
of the vat), stir more quickly and make sure you are 
reaching all of the curds in the pot. 

Sometimes if my vat is deep and my stirring utensil 
modest, I just scrub my whole arm clean and use it 
to stir the curds. 


1 AGED CHEESES 

179 


PRESS 


(GRUYERE STYLE) 


MAKES ONE 3- TO 4-LB/1.4- TO 1.8-KG WHEEL 


MILK 




UNHOMOGENIZED 


SUGGESTED 

CULTURES 

THERMO C PLUS 
PROPIONIC 
BACTERIA 


FINAL FORM 

LARGE WHEEL 


CATEGORIES 
WASHED RIND, 
COOKED, PRESSED, 
ALPINE-STYLE, 
SMEAR-RIND 


V>c° M 'W 

c . 

MO^' tHS 


This recipe is unique in terms of cooked and pressed cheeses because the renneting time 
is short (20 minutes), the cooking time is long (over an hour), and the curds are brought 
to the (reasonably high) temperature of 115°F/46°C. A shorter ripening period plus a bit of 
washing yields a sweeter (not acidic) cheese, dry enough to age and pliable enough to cut 
without crumbling, unless of course you overage it like the one in the photo here. 


INGREDIENTS 

4 gal/15 L unhomogenized milk 
¥2 tsp prehydrated thermophilic cultures 
3 A tsp CaCl 2 diluted in ¥4 cup/60 ml water 
¥4 tsp rennet diluted in ¥4 cup/60 ml water 
Saturated brine (see page 221) 

Salt 

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT 
Large cheese form, with follower; medium 
(#60) cheesecloth to fit the form; digital 
kitchen thermometer; cheese press or 
other pressing setup 

1. Clean all surfaces and equipment before 
beginning. Set up a draining station by 
lining the cheese form with cheesecloth 
and placing it on a draining rack in the sink. 

2 . Pour the milk into a heavy-bottomed 
stockpot and warm over medium heat to 
86°F/30°C, stirring gently. Once at tempera¬ 
ture, turn off the heat. 

3 . Add the prehydrated cultures, then stir in 
gently. Allow the pot to sit for 10 minutes. 

4 . Add the CaCl 2 solution and stir in. Add 
the rennet solution. Stir for 20 seconds, 
then stop the motion of the milk. As you 
add the rennet, start a timer and watch for 


the flocculation point (see page 218). When 
reached, stop the timer. Multiply the number 
of minutes elapsed by 2. This is how long you 
need to wait before you cut the curd. Goal 
time is 20 to 25 minutes. 

5 . At the timed moment, cut the curd into 
lentil-size pieces, about ¥t in/6 mm (see 
page 219). Let the curds heal for 2 minutes, 
then start stirring at the top of the vat and 
work your way down, getting all the curds 
into motion. Start slowly but quickly increase 
your stirring speed. 

6 . Once all the curds are in motion, return 
the pot to the heat and, while stirring, bring 
to 113°F/45°C over the course of 45 minutes. 
Do not heat too quickly. Stir continuously 
to prevent the curds from matting together. 
Remove from the heat. 

7 . After waiting a moment for the curds to 
sink, remove 2 qt/2 L of whey and replace 
it with an equal amount of 135°F/57°C 
water. The goal temperature of the vat is 
115°F/46°C. This modest washing step slows 
acid development, leading toward a more 
pliable texture in the finished cheese. 

CONTINUED 








8 . With the heat off, stir for another 25 min¬ 
utes. By this time, the curds should feel firm 
and rubbery. If you reach into the vat, the 
curds should bounce off the back of your 
hand like ping-pong balls. When you take 

a handful of curds from the pot and squeeze 
them tightly in your fist, they should stick 
together but then readily break back apart 
when crumbled. 

9. Pitch the curds (see page 73) for 5 min¬ 
utes, then, with a clean arm, reach into 
the pot and start to press or push the 
curds together to form a curd block. Press 
and compact the block under the whey 
for 5 minutes. 

10. Finally, lift the curds out in large chunks 
and pack directly into the prepared cheese 
form. Filter the remaining whey to collect the 
last cheese bits. Add these to the form. 

11. Pull tightly on the cheesecloth to 
remove wrinkles then cover with the follower. 
Press lightly (10 lb/4.5 kg) for 20 minutes, 
then open up the form, flip, and redress the 
cheese. Top with the follower and press at 
medium weight (about 20 lb/9 kg) for 30 min¬ 
utes, then flip and redress again. Finally, 
press under heavy weight (25 to 30 lb/11 to 
14 kg) for 14 to 16 hours, at room temperature. 

12. Unwrap the cheese wheel and move it 
into the brine. Sprinkle the exposed cheese 
surface with salt. Brine for 8 hours at room 
temperature. Flip once, midway through. 


13. Remove the cheese from the brine and 
set on an aging mat on top of a drying rack 
and cover with a piece of cheesecloth. Air- 
dry until the rind feels just slightly moist. 

14. For a Smear-Ripened Rind: Start your 
rind off by washing gently, every other day 
for the first 2 weeks, with a weak (3 per¬ 
cent) salt solution (see page 221) or the 
Red-Rind Wash (page 121). You can also 
help the rind establish by rubbing the rind 
of a mature red-rinded cheese against the 
rind of your fresh one. 

After 2 weeks, or once the rind starts to 
seem established (regular color, appropriate 
stinky smell, etc.), introduce moisture only 
when needed. Use your hand to rub back 
any molds that might crop up. Maintain the 
humidity (removing built up moisture with 
a clean paper towel and washing with more 
liquid if too dry) and continue to turn and 
rub regularly until done. 

For a Cream-Waxed Rind: Use a clean 
lV2-in/4-cm brush to coat the entire top 
surface and sides of the cheese wheel with 
cream wax. Allow the wax to dry, then flip 
and apply to the other surface and sides. 

If desired, apply a second coat. 

Set the coated cheese in an aging bin on a 
aging mat. Turn weekly and brush off molds 
if they appear. Note that a cream-waxed 
cheese will have less flavor intensity than 
the smear-rinded version. 


KITCHEN CREAMERY 

182 



MAKES ONE 3- TO 4-LB/1.4- TO 1.8-KG WHEEL 



This is the cheese with which I learned to use an “adjustable cheese ring.” This ring is 
just what it sounds like: a belt that is progressively tightened to shape the cheese as it 
drains. I learned this technique using a beautiful wooden ring that tightened with a 
hand-woven cord—exactly the materials you could never use in a commercial creamery 
here in the States. 

Note that Asiago can be made as a lower-fat cheese. Substitute 1 gal/3.8 L of whole milk 
with skim milk. If lowering the fat, give the cheese an additional month or two to age. 



INGREDIENTS 
4 gal/15 L whole milk 
Vz tsp prehydrated thermophilic cultures 
Vs tsp lipase powder 

¥4 tsp CaCl 2 diluted in ¥1 cup/60 ml water 
¥4 tsp rennet diluted in ¥4 cup/60 ml water 
Saturated brine (see page 221) 

Salt 

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT 
Large cheese form, with follower; medium 
(#60) cheesecloth; digital kitchen 
thermometer; press or pressing system; 
olive oil or cream wax for rind 

1. Clean all surfaces and equipment before 
beginning. Set up a draining station by 
lining the cheese form with cheesecloth 
and placing it on a draining rack in the sink. 

2. Pour the milk into a heavy-bottomed 
stockpot and warm over medium heat to 
100°F/38°C, stirring gently. Turn off the heat. 

3. Add the prehydrated cultures and lipase. 
Stir in gently, then allow the pot to sit for 
10 minutes. 


4. Add the CaCl 2 solution and stir gently. 

Add the rennet solution. Stir for 20 seconds, 
then stop the motion of the milk. As you 
add the rennet, start a timer and watch for 
the flocculation point (see page 218). When 
reached, stop the timer. Multiply the number 
of minutes elapsed by 2.5. This is how long 
you need to wait before you cut the curd. 
Goal time is 25 to 30 minutes. 

5. At the timed moment, cut the curd into 
lentil-size pieces, ¥4 in /6 mm (see page 219). 
Let the curds heal for 2 minutes, then start 
stirring at the top of the vat and work your 
way down. Make sure all the curds are in 
motion before turning on the heat. 

6 . Turn on the heat to low and warm the 
curds slowly to 110°F/43°C over the course of 
25 minutes. Stir continuously and make 
sure the temperature of the pot doesn’t rise 
too quickly. 

CONTINUED 


MILK 




UNHOMOGENIZED 


SUGGESTED 

CULTURES 

THERMO B; LIPASE 


FINAL FORM 




LARGE WHEEL 


CATEGORIES 
COOKED, PRESSED, 
ITALIAN-STYLE 



PRESSED & AGED CHEESES 

183 


MEDIUM 









7. Once the curds reach 110°F/43°C and 
25 minutes have passed, start to raise the 
temperature more quickly—up to 118°F/48°C 
over the course of 15 minutes, while stirring. 
At 118°F/48°C, turn off the heat, cover the 
pot, and allow the curds to rest for 15 min¬ 
utes. By this point, the curds should feel 
dense and bouncy. When you take a handful 
of curds from the pot and squeeze them 
tightly in your fist, they should stick together 
but then readily break back apart when 
crumbled. 

8 . With a clean arm, reach into the pot and 
press the curds together into a curd pack 
for 5 minutes, then lift chunks of the curds 
out of the vat and directly into the prepared 
form. Tug on the ends of the cheesecloth to 
smooth out wrinkles, then cover the form 
with the follower. If working without a form, 
gather the ends of the cheesecloth together 
and twist to form a pouch (see page 220). 

9. Press at medium weight (20 lb/9 kg) 
for 5 minutes, then open up the form, flip, 
and redress the cheese. Press again for 
another 15 minutes, then flip and redress 
again. Finally, press with heavyweight 
(30 to 50 lb/15 to 25 kg) for 10 hours at 
room temperature. 


10 . Remove the cheese from the press and 
place in the brine for 6 to 8 hours at 65°F/ 
18°C. Flip the wheel once midway through. 
Cover the exposed cheese with salt. 

11 . After brining, cure the cheese on a 
draining rack covered with cheesecloth for 
2 days, or until the rind feels barely moist. 
Turn often. 

12. Either apply several coats of cream wax 
to the cheese, dip the cheese into traditional 
cheese wax, vacuum-seal, or rub with olive 
oil daily for 1 month to form a natural rind. 

13. Keep at 55°F/13°C in a humid aging cave 
or aging bin for a minimum of 3 months, or 
up to 1 year. 


PRESSED & AGED CHEESES 

185 


MEDIUM 


MILK 



RAW SHEEP'S MILK 


SUGGESTED 

CULTURES 

THERMO B OR 
FLORA DANICA 


FINAL FORM 



LARGE WHEEL 

CATEGORIES 
COOKED, PRESSED, 
ITALIAN-STYLE, 
NATURAL RIND 




ONE 6-LB/2.7-G WHEEL 


I end this section with the cheese recipe that began my entire cheesemaking journey: 
Pecorino Toscano. I know the chances of a car-free, urban-dwelling cheesemaker finding 
a large volume of fresh sheep’s milk are slim, so say I’m planting a seed. 


I’ve always wished there were more sheep dairies in the United States because sheep’s 
milk is the most beautiful milk I’ve ever worked with. After just a few months of aging, the 
cheese this milk makes is pure ambrosia. I’ve heard cheesemakers say that all you have to 
do is look at sheep’s milk, and it becomes cheese. It is that destined. My hope is that one 
of the readers of Kitchen Creamery will read this and know that the fantasy you’ve had 
about buying land and getting sheep is now endorsed. I beg you to go forward and, if you 
ever need a hand in the milking parlor or ever have a bit of milk to spare, give me a call. 


INGREDIENTS 

4 gal/15 L raw sheep’s milk 

Vi tsp prehydrated thermophilic cultures 

3 A tsp rennet diluted in V« cup/60 ml water 

About IV 2 cups/340 g salt 

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT 
Large cheese form with follower; medium 
(#60) cheesecloth; digital kitchen 
thermometer; cheese press or other 
pressing setup 

1. Clean all surfaces and equipment before 
beginning. Set up a draining station by 
lining the cheese form with cheesecloth 
and placing it on a draining rack in the sink. 

2. Pour the milk into a heavy-bottomed 
stockpot and warm over medium heat to 
91T/33°C, stirring gently. Turn off the heat. 

3. Add the prehydrated cultures and stir 
in. Cover the pot and let the milk ripen for 
25 minutes. 


4. Add the rennet. Stir for 20 seconds. As 
you add the rennet, start a timer and watch 
for the flocculation point (see page 218). 
When reached, stop the timer. Multiply the 
number of minutes elapsed by 3. This is how 
long you need to wait before you cut the 
curd. Goal time is 20 to 25 minutes. 

5. At the timed moment, cut the curd into 
lentil-size pieces, V* in/6 mm (see page 219) 
or larger if you plan to enjoy a moister, 
younger cheese. Let the curds heal for 2 min¬ 
utes, then start stirring, working your way 
from the top of the vat downward, cutting 
large pieces as they rise to the top. (If you’ve 
only worked with cow’s milk, you’ll notice 
how outrageously dense sheep’s milk curds 
are in comparison!) 


KITCHEN CREAMERY 

186 










6 . Once all the curds are in motion, place 
over low heat and warm the curds to 98°F/ 
37°C over the course of 30 minutes, stirring 
the entire time and making sure the tem¬ 
perature doesn’t rise too quickly. Once at 
temperature, pitch the curds (see page 73) 
for 15 minutes. 

7 . With a clean arm, reach into the pot and 
press the curds together into a curd block. 
Press and compact in this manner for 10 min¬ 
utes, then lift large chunks of curd out of the 
vat and into the prepared cheese form. 

8 . When half the curds have been hooped, 
stop and, using your hands and the weight 
of your body, press into the cheese in the 
form to push out more whey, then finish 
filling with the curds still in the pot. 

9 . Tug on the ends of the cheesecloth to 
straighten out the wrinkles, then cover with 
the follower. Press lightly (10 lb/4.5 kg) for 
10 minutes, then open the press, flip the 
cheese, redress, and press again. This time, 
press with medium weight (20 lb/9 kg) for 
another 4 to 5 hours, flipping at least once. 


10 . Remove the cheese from the press and 
coat with the salt. There should be at least 
Vn in/6 mm of salt caked onto all sides of 
the cheese. Set the salted cheese on an 
aging mat for 5 to 7 hours at room temper¬ 
ature (about 70°F/21”C), flipping once 
midway through. 

11 . Rinse off the salt with cool tap water, 
then cure the cheese on an aging mat (on 
a drying rack, covered with cheesecloth) 
at room temperature for 2 days, turning 
regularly. When the surface of the cheese is 
barely damp to the touch, move the cheese 
to an aging mat set inside an aging bin. Set 
in a 55°F/13°C location. Regularly turn the 
cheese and brush away excess surface mold. 
Ripen for 4 to 8 months. 


PRESSED & AGED CHEESES 

187 

























As a cheese grows older, sugars, fats, and proteins 
inside the wheel change to a diversity of smaller, 
simpler molecules (amino acids, fatty acids, C0 2 , 
and NH 3 ). What causes these changes are mainly 
enzymes—the rennet or lipase you added ear¬ 
lier, enzymes naturally present in the raw milk, 
enzymes that cultures leave behind when they die 
off, or enzymes infiltrating from microbial activity 
at the rind. With these remarkable and complex 
transformations comes flavor—salted caramel, 
beef broth, burnt toast, wet earth—and tastes for 
which there are not yet words. 

You’ve gotten to the last and maybe most import¬ 
ant step in the cheese’s journey: affmage. The most 
important thing to remember now is that this wheel is 
alive! It’s breathing and changing and the moisture and 
temperature you keep it at will affect it profoundly. 
From here on out, I’ll refer to the environment you will 
keep your cheese in as a “cave.” Some cheese styles 
are more sensitive to the conditions of their cave than 
others—vacuum-sealed cheeses and cheeses covered 
with cheese wax or cream wax are less impacted by 
the world around them than a soft-ripened cheese 
like the Truffle Brie on page 133. Step by step, you’ll 
figure out a system and cave that works best for you. 


AGING BASICS 

Here are some simple guidelines to aging your cheese. 

• Aim for an aging process that is slow and steady 
versus quick and fluctuating. 

• Lower aging temperatures reduce the likelihood of 
developing off-flavors. 

• A higher temperature aging environment is some¬ 
times used—for example, to produce the eyes in 
Swiss-style cheeses like Rising Moon (page 111). 

• Too low a temperature means a cheese ages too 
slowly. This is problematic if the cheese is losing 
moisture over time. Additionally, a cheese (or 
rather, its aging bin) takes up valuable cave space. 

• If the humidity in the aging environment is too 
low, the cheese may crack; if the humidity is too 
high, molds, yeasts, and bacteria (whether desir¬ 
able or undesirable) grow too aggressively. 


WHICH STYLES TO AGE 

You can generally age any cheese that has a stable 
form, such as a wheel, square, or pyramid, and 
a well-sealed skin. This means you cannot age a 
tub of fresh chevre or a bunch of mozzarella balls 
in water. A cheese whose rind didn’t seal correctly 
shouldn’t be aged. An unclosed rind means inlets 
for unwanted microorganisms to flourish. You 
want these on the outside of the cheese (where 
you can brush, wipe, or rub them off) or not at all. 
The only way to age a cheese with a poorly sealed 
rind is in a vacuum-sealed bag. 

CHOOSING THE RIGHT WHEEL SIZE 

Of the ageable cheeses, and especially those not 
using a wax or a vacuum-seal, larger wheels age 
more effectively. A larger wheel has less surface 
area to volume. This means, in the end, you won’t 
have a wheel that is nearly all rind with no innards. 
And if you want to play with a cheese trier (see 
page 34), you’ll need a wheel that’s large enough 
to do so (more than 2 lb/910 g). 

To make a larger wheel, you need more milk, which 
means you need a large pot. Earlier recipes in this 
book require only 1 to 2 gal/3.8 to 7.5 L of milk, so 
initially you can get by using an average big pasta 
pot. Later, nearly all the recipes take 4 gal/15 L of 
milk. Although you can cut a recipe in half, I encour¬ 
age you to step up to the larger-sized vat if you 
want to play with the art of affmage. 

RIND TREATMENTS 

We’ve talked about which recipes you can age and 
the ideal wheel size. Now, let’s go over ways to 
work with the rind. There is an enormous difference 
in the amount of tending that each different rind 
treatment requires. Cheese wax and vacuum-sealing 
(and, to a slightly lesser degree, cream wax) are 
the easiest ways to treat a rind. Bloomy-rinds, 
smeared-rinds, washed-rinds, and natural rinds 
take much more work. However, you’ll be paid 
back in the flavors these processes can create. 

Figuring out what rind treatments work for you 
is part of your job as “head cheesemaker.” To 
achieve the cheese you are hoping for, you may 
not need the influences of a rind. The majority of 


ARTFUL AGING 

189 


Cheddars produced in the United States today are 
aged in vacuum-sealed bags. On the other hand, 
if you want the mushroomy notes of a Camembert 
or the boldness of a smear-rinded Alpine cheese, 
waxing or vacuum-sealing are not an option. The 
uniqueness of these cheeses are a direct result of 
what’s happening on the rind. 

Just as when you chose which recipe to make, which 
milk to work with, which cultures to buy, and which 
forms to use, here again, you have a significant 


decision to make. A cheese’s rind treatment is 
the most significant impact you can have on your 
cheese post vat. 

NOTE 

• Brining and marinating cheeses are not generally 
categorized as rind treatments because these 
cheeses are considered rindless. However, both 
are options for finishing your cheese. 


Rind Treatments 



DIFFICULTY 

BENEFITS 

DRAWBACKS 

Bloomy 
(primarily P. 
Candidum or 

Geotrichum) 

Medium 

Unique, aesthetically pleasing white 
and colored rinds ranging in textures, 
flavor, and aroma 

Mainly suitable for soft-ripened, higher mois¬ 
ture cheeses; can be prone to bitter tones and 
over-ripening; needs well-controlled aging cave 

Cheese Wax 
(e.g. Divino) 

Easy 

Classic rind aesthetic for some 
cheese styles; good moisture con¬ 
trol; different colors make for easy 
identification; reusable 

Synthetic ingredient; molds can still grow 
beneath; can be messy to apply; expensive; not 
easy to substitute with paraffin or beeswax 

Cloth-Bandaging 
(e.g. Cheddar) 

Advanced 

Nice aesthetic; plastic-free; 
excellent flavor potential 

Prone to cheese mites; more work and 
supplies; proper aging humidity needed 

Cream Wax 

(e.g. Rising Moon) 

Medium 

Minimal moisture loss; beautiful 
cleaner-looking rind; easy to tend; 
easy to apply; available with Nata- 
mycin mold inhibitor 

Synthetic ingredient; eaters may not know to 
remove the skin; cheese still needs to be aged 
in proper humidity; needs to be turned and 

brushed 

Herb-Rubbed, 

Leaf-Wrapped, 

Bark-Bound 

(e.g. Harbison) 

Advanced 

Unique presentation; potential for 
unique flavor characteristics 

Hard to find; inconsistent material inputs; 
labor-intensive assembly; shortened shelf-life 
because of exposure to more organic matter 

Natural Rind 
(e.g. Pecorino) 

Advanced 

Greatest potential for “locally 
grown” flavor because natural rinds 
showcase native flora; beautiful rind 

aesthetic 

Labor intensive; can be difficult to control 
molds and mites; few remedies for take-over 
by unwanted molds; needs well-controlled 
aging cave 

Oil-Rubbed 
(e.g. Asiago) 

Medium 

Natural ingredient; forms classic 
“Parmesan-like” rind 

Labor intensive; can be difficult to control 
molds; needs well-controlled aging cave 

Smoked 

Medium 

Imparts subtle to bold smoke 
flavors; flavors can be unique to 
the wood burned; adds pleasing 
caramel tone to the rind 

Requires setup for cold smoking; requires 
an additional sealant to prevent excessive 
moisture loss after smoking (cream wax, 
cheese wax, vacuum-seal) 

Vacuum-Sealed 

(e.g. Cheddar 
and Jack) 

Easy 

The simplest “affinage” treatment 
possible; with care, bags can be 
re-used 

Inhibits unique, regional flavor contributions 
from the rind; requires appropriate bags and 
sealer; often leaves telltale wrinkles on cheese 
(looks less artisanal); seen as an industrial 
practice 

Washed or 
Smear-ripened 
(e.g. Gruyere) 

Advanced 

Potential for robust flavors and pink 
to orangish colors; leads to classic, 
soft-ripened or Alpine cheese styles; 
older wheels can help inoculate 
younger wheels 

Smelly and labor intensive; once certain yeasts 
and Coryneform bacteria establish in your 
aging environment, they are liable to invade 
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COLD-SMOKING 


Many smoked cheeses on the market today never 
see a wisp of smoke. Smoking cheeses, as opposed 
to adding smoke flavoring, is labor intensive and a 
commitment of time—which is why it isn’t the com¬ 
mercial standard. But using real wood to produce 
a smoky flavor will be worth it. Smoking helps a 
cheese seal at the rind, locking in some moisture 
and discouraging mold growth. This is a bonus for 
a cheese you plan on aging. 

I’ve only smoked whole cheese wheels freshly out 
of the brine. However, while doing research for 
this book, I came across the idea of taking an aged 
wheel, such as cheddar, removing its cheese wax, 
cutting it up, and smoking the pieces individually. 
This method will take less time because, by cutting 
the cheese, you increase the amount of surface area. 

STEPS FOR COLD-SMOKING CHEESE 

1. Choose a smoking method (for example a com¬ 
mercial smoker or a meat smoker with homemade 
“cold smoke” accompaniment). 

2 . Gather or purchase wood chips; good woods for 
this process include apple, cherry, mesquite, maple, 
and pear. The chips should be roughly the size of a 
pencil. Presoaking is not needed in cheesemaking, 
as chips won’t be heated enough to warrant this 
cooling-off step. 

3 . Light your fire or start your heating element. Get 
your chips smoking a good hour ahead of adding 
the cheese. When a steady smoke has formed, 

set the cheese inside the smoking box, on a perfo¬ 
rated rack, as far away from the heat as possible. 

4 . Maintain the smoke by keeping the coals or other 
fuel fed and by adding more wood chips as needed. 
Flip the cheese and check the temperature every 

15 to 20 minutes (especially on your first run with a 
new setup). The temperature of the cheese should 
not go above 80°F/27°C or the cheese will start 
“oiling off,” or leaching precious butterfat. 

5 . Smoke the cheese for any length of time, taking 
into account the density of the smoke, the volume 
of the cheese and how much smokey flavor you 


want. Plan 2 to 3 hours for full-smoke flavor or 40 to 
50 minutes for lighter flavor on a medium wheel. 

6 . Remove the cheese from the smoker and cool. 
When cool, cover with wax, cream wax, vacuum- 
seal or enjoy right away. 

THE CAVE 

The “cave”—by which I mean a converted fridge, 
wine cooler, or perfect root cellar—is as fundamen¬ 
tal to the cheese’s aging process as the vat is to 
the cheesemaking—you can’t do without it for many 
cheese styles. Fresh cheeses, feta, and vacuum- 
sealed cheeses are the only exceptions. 

INSIDE OR OUT? 

Should you age your cheeses inside a fridge or out? 
The answer depends on whether you have a space 
outside the fridge that is consistently cool (less than 
60"F/16°C) but not too cold (above 37°F/3°C). You 
don’t want your cheeses to freeze. You can remedy 
too-low humidity by keeping cheeses in aging 
bins but a consistently cool location is crucial for 
cheese affinage. 

While the temperature of a regular fridge won’t stop 
a cheese from ripening, it does slow the process 
down. A cheese aged at 52°F/irc (an ideal tempera¬ 
ture for a cave) might ripen in 4 months, but that 
same cheese aged in the fridge (37°F/3°C) needs an 
additional chunk of time to reach the same flavor 
potential. Another downside of using your fridge to 
age your cheeses is that your fridge will soon (hope¬ 
fully) be taken over by projects. There’ll be no room 
for the eggs! 

If you’re “lucky” enough to have a frigid house or, 
better, a root cellar, basement, or shed, you might 
be able to age cheeses there. Before leaving cheeses 
in any of these spots, make sure the temperature 
isn’t spiking at midday or plummeting at night. 

And make sure the area is inaccessible to hungry 
rodents. Nothing’s more delightful to a mouse than 
stumbling upon a shed filled with artisan cheese! 


ARTFUL AGING 

193 


MAKING A FRIDGE OR FREEZER INTO A CAVE 

You can easily turn a fridge into a cheese cave using 
an analog thermostat, which brings the fridge’s 
running temperature up. The ideal temperature for 
aging cheese is warmer than your refrigerator (which 
runs about 37°F/3°C) and cooler than most ambient 
temperatures (about 70°F/21°C). An analog thermo¬ 
stat shuts the fridge off when it goes below the set 
temperature, keeping it warmer and just where your 
cheeses should be. 


There are also wine fridges, which already run at the 
correct temperature. Below are the pros and cons 
of all plugged-in caving options. Depending on your 
space limitations, price point, and how active you 
plan on being in maintaining the cave’s environment, 
there’s an aging solution for you. 

CAVE SETTINGS 

As a general rule, cheeses age best near 85 to 
90 percent relative humidity and between 45° and 
55°F/7° and 13°C. There are few cheeses (for example, 


Cheese Cave Options 



PROS 

CONS 

ADVICE 

Dorm fridge 

Easy to find; inexpensive; 
takes up minimal space 

Small capacity limits air flow; solid 
plastic shelving limits air flow; 
freezer unit (if included) does not 
work with analog thermostat and 
will cause perpetual moisture 
build-up 

Highly likely you can find an 
abandoned, perfectly good dorm 
fridge near college campuses 
each year when school lets out. 

Do a drive-by or check with the 
campus’s facilities management. 

Kitchen fridge 

Cheese stays in your line 
of sight, so is less likely 
to be neglected; no addi¬ 
tional purchase 

Aging temperature is very cold, 
which means cheeses ripen slowly; 
aging bins take up space; lack 
of space may discourage more 
cheesemaking 

Ideal for the home cheesemaker 
who makes cheese only periodi¬ 
cally; works well with waxed and 
vacuum-sealed wheels, which 
don’t require aging bins. 

A second kitchen 
refrigerator 
(versus the 
main fridge in 
your kitchen) 
fitted with analog 
thermostat 

Used fridges are easily 
found, an extra one pro¬ 
vides space to run many 
cheese projects at once; 
an analog thermostat is 
easily assembled and fit 
to the fridge 

Freezer component is wasted space; 
requires purchase of thermostat; 
additional full-size fridge may be 
too large for apartments or smaller 
homes; energy usage increases 

Find an inexpensive used fridge 
online. Choose “freezer on the 
bottom” models and anything 
manufactured after 1993 for 
increased energy efficiency. Wire 
racks are preferable to glass 
shelving for air flow. 

Upright freezer 

Most efficient use of 
space because no unused 
compartment; works with 
analog thermostat; may 
have moveable shelving 

Requires purchase of an analog 
thermostat; harder to come across 
used upright freezers 

Higher resale value because less 
common (if you find the setup 
doesn’t work for you). 

Root cellar, wine 
cellar, bulkhead 

Potential for aging many 
wheels at once; easier to 
use wooden aging boards; 
good oxygen circulating 
potential 

May require construction; keeping 
up the humidity may be a constant 
battle; requires forfeit of space; will 
attract rodents 

Choose a location that stays at 
an even and cool temperature; 
stabilize temperature by framing 
area with insulation. 

Wine cooler 

Storage temperature is 
ideal, roughly 55°F/13°C; 
cooler is appropriately 
sized for apartments and 
smaller homes 

Shelving is ideal for wine bottles, 
not cheese wheels so you may have 
to tinker with the shelving design; 
humidity may have to be increased 

Because wine coolers are small, 
open the door daily to increase 
air circulation and add a water 
dish with a rag wick to increase 
humidity. 


KITCHEN CREA 

194 










blues and Propionic- culture cheeses) that go out¬ 
side this range or need temperature shifts during 
the aging process. The chart below shows the ideal 
aging conditions by cheese style. 

ANALOG THERMOSTATS 

To convert a regular fridge to a cave, you’ll need to 
change the fridge’s baseline temperature using an 
analog thermostat. This device shuts off the fridge’s 
cooling element once the fridge is cold enough (55°F/ 
13"C or whatever you set the alternative temperature 
to) by regulating the electric current coming from 
the wall outlet. To install an analog thermostat: 

1. Place the temperature probe of the thermostat 
inside the refrigerator, in a position that allows the 
door to close. Use duct tape to secure in place. 

2. Place the temperature adjustment box of the 
analog thermostat near the fridge, in an accessible 
place. (I hang mine from a hook right next to the 


door handle.) Set the thermostat to the desired tem¬ 
perature, or 55°F/13°C for a starting point. 

3 . Plug the power cord of the fridge directly into the 
analog thermostat. 

4 . Plug the thermostat into the wall outlet. 

5 . After 1 day, check the temperature of the fridge 
against a second thermometer to confirm the analog 
thermostat is accurate. 

HUMIDITY HELP 

Working to achieve the right humidity can be a chal¬ 
lenge, especially if your aging cheeses are not waxed 
and if they aren’t in aging bins. I am always strug¬ 
gling to keep up the humidity in my converted-fridge 
cave. On the other hand, I also struggle to make sure 
the cheeses are dry enough. Moisture often collects 
at the top of the aging bin then drips down from the 
lid onto the surface of the cheese. If I don’t catch it 
in time, these extra moisture droplets cause the top 
of the cheese to rot. 


Temperature and Humidity Chart for Cheese Aging 


CHEESE TYPE 

RECIPE EXAMPLES 

IDEAL HUMIDITY 

IDEAL TEMPERATURE OR RANGE 

Bloomy-rinds 

Camembert, Truffle 
Brie, Valenpay 

95 to 97% RH 

45° to 52°F/7° to 1TC for ripening; when ripe move 
to 37°F/3°C 

Blues 

Bisbee Blue, Stilton, 
Blue Capricorn 

90% RH 

50° to 55°F/10° to 13°C for the first 2 months, then 
move to cooler temperature of 42° to 45°F/5°to 7°C 
for the last months of aging 

Brined 

Feta 

NA 

55° to 60°F/13° to 15°C 

Caerphilly and 
bandaged Cheddar 

Bandage-Wrapped 
and Caerphilly 

90 to 95% RH 

52°F/11°C 

Cheddars 

Stirred Curd with 

Vacuum Seal 

NA 

51° to 54°F/11° to 13°C 

Cheese with Pro¬ 
pionic secondary 

cultures 

Zeller, Jarlsberg with 
Cream Wax Rind 

85% RH 

First three weeks: 50°F/10°C 

Next three weeks: 72°F/22°C 

Last several months: 55°F/13°C 

Hard and pressed 

Mountain Top 

85% RH 

50° to 55°F/10° to 13°C 

Leaf-wrapped 

Aged Chevre 

90% RH 

55°F/13°C 

Semifirm 

Gouda, Cultured 

Mozzarella 

85 to 90% RH 

50° to 55°F/10° to 13°C 

Washed- and 

smeared-rinds 

Zeller, Marbler 

95% RH for the first 

month, then 85 to 

90% afterward 

53° to 56”F/12° to 13°C 


ARTFUL AGING 

195 


















One way to improve humidity is to place a bucket 
or glass of water inside the aging cave with a cloth 
tucked in. Half the cloth sits in the bucket and half 
hangs over the edge. This cloth serves as a wick, 
drawing water up from the bucket and evaporating 
it into the air. Change out the water in the bucket 
as well as the cloth regularly as it is the perfect 
place for molds to grow. 

If you are maintaining proper humidity, your cheeses 
will neither crack nor turn to mush (the two worst- 
case scenarios). There will, naturally, be a certain 
amount of moisture lost from the cheeses if they 
are natural-rinded or even cream-waxed (meaning 
they will shrink with time). Vacuum-sealing and 
cheese-waxing hold most of the moisture in. To see 
how much moisture your cheese loses throughout 
the aging process, weigh your wheels at the begin¬ 
ning of aging and again when they are finished. 

BREATHING CHEESES 

The hardest part about keeping the right humidity 
in your cave is that there also needs to be enough 
airflow. These two requirements work against each 
other, unfortunately. Lots of airflow leads to drier air. 
Slow or stagnant air often means humid air. 

Luckily, the cheeses are working on your behalf. 
Cheeses are breathing and releasing moisture all the 
time, just like you and me. Subsequently, the more 
cheeses you have in the fridge, the more humidity 
there will be. This doesn’t mean you can rely on the 
cheese alone—outside of an aging bin, most cheeses 
will crack. But having a fridge full of cheeses is going 
to be easier than having a large fridge holding just 
one lonely cheese. As you fill your cave, remember 
that more cheese means there needs to be more 
air. Cheeses will suffocate if crowded. Try and fill 
your cave to 60 percent capacity (by volume) with 
cheese. The other 40 percent should be air space. 

Proper airflow, proper humidity, and proper tem¬ 
perature all work together in the ripening process. 
The cheese takes in oxygen and releases C0 2 and 
other gases created through the breakdown of fats 
and proteins. Limiting the availability of oxygen 
or allowing the gases the cheeses are releasing 


(ammonia, for example) to build up can inhibit or 
redirect a proper aging process. Before you feel 
overwhelmed, just remember to breathe and to let 
your cheeses breathe. 


CAVING TIPS 

• Place your cave in the coolest part of your home or 
property, such as the north side of your garage. This 
will cause the fridge to turn on less often, saving 
energy. 

• Visit your cave regularly, not only to flip cheeses but 
also simply to open the door and let air in. 

• Place your cave where you can get to it easily (which 
hopefully isn’t too far from the north side of the 
garage). Place the cave somewhere you’ll walk 
past daily or figure out a reason why you’ll have 

to visit on a regular basis (keep your cell phone 
charger nearby, perhaps). Forgotten cheeses 
are dead cheeses. 

• It is okay to have a mixture of binned and unbinned 
cheeses in your cave. As long as the humidity is 
working for the cheese style, anything goes. 

• Waxed and vacuum-sealed cheeses are the most 
forgiving rind treatments if you’re uncertain about 
your cave setting. These treatments are a good way 
to maximize on shelf space since wheels can be 
stacked and/or do not need to be placed in aging 
bins (unlike other treatments). 

RIND SCIENCE 

Cheese rinds can be grouped into two distinct 
categories: living rinds and sealed rinds. Living 
rinds mean any rind that’s actively colonized by 
microorganisms. These microscopic friends, some 
species of which you introduced back at the vat in 
the form of freeze-dried inoculants, are busy growing 
and multiplying, digesting some aspect of the rind 
(could be a part of the cheese itself or could be 
another species of microbe they are chewing up) as 
they bring the cheese to a state of ripeness. Sealed 
rinds are a much simpler rind situation. These 


KITCHEN CREA 

196 


Managing Cave Challenges 


CHALLENGE 

SIGNS OF PROBLEM 

HOW TO DEAL WITH IT 

Mites 

Dust piles appear along shelves and 
at base of fridge; cheese surfaces 
appear pocked 

Turn cheese more often; create a “bug barrier” on your cave by 
stopping all production, cleaning, and then vacating the fridge for 

2 weeks; use a vacuum cleaner with a clean faucet head to clean 
cheese surfaces regularly 

Too-high 

humidity 

Puffy, excessive mold growth on 
mold-ripened and natural-rinded 
cheeses; cat hair, or “Poil de Chat,” 
mold shows up 

Open the fridge for daily “breaths of air”; open the lids to the 
cheese boxes and offer them time to breathe and dry out a bit 
as well 

Too-little 

air flow 

Smells like ammonia when you open 
the cave door 

Open the fridge for daily “breaths of air”; open the lids to the 
cheese boxes and offer them time to breathe and dry out a bit 
as well; lower the ripening temperature by a degree or two 

Too-low 

humidity 

Natural-rind cheeses show cracks; 
bloomy-rinded and blue cheeses 
aren’t developing proper molds; 
wheels sound hollow when tapped 

Open the door less often; add a second water pan with wick; tuck 
clean, sodden paper towels around the inner edges of aging bins; 
lay a clean plastic shower curtain over all the shelves inside the 
fridge so less moisture is lost each time you open the door 

Unwanted 

molds 

Black, gray, white, blue, yellow, 
pink, and other unwanted molds 
growing on cheeses and other 
cave surfaces 

Regularly clean all cave surfaces; decrease the humidity by open¬ 
ing the cave door daily; spray the boards and surfaces with a wash 
such as Red-Rind Wash (page 121) to proactively inoculate with the 
microorganisms you do want; create a “bug barrier” by stopping 
production and cleaning out cave for a period of time 


cheeses are covered in either cheese wax, cream 
wax, or a vacuum-sealed bag, limiting oxygen and 
preventing a natural rind from forming. 

Because what’s happening on a living rind is so excit¬ 
ing yet also so complex, it’s worth taking a moment 
to discuss some of the science in a bit more depth. 
The discussions of mold successions, growth inhib¬ 
itors, and cheese mites pertain only to the living— 
not the waxed or vacuum-sealed—rind types. 

MOLD SUCCESSIONS 

What you see growing on a cheese initially will 
not be the final state of the rind. Rinds are living, 
evolving, complex communities that are interacting 
with the environment around them and in a regular 
state of change. On a microscopic level, the mil¬ 
lions of microorganisms living on a rind are like a 
demographic chart on fast forward: populations are 
surging ahead, plateauing, dying back, conquering, 
and being conquered. Rinds are dynamic! 


Trust in the ongoing evolution of the cheese rind. 

It is very much part of the magic of cheesemaking. 

If you want to learn more, follow the research of 
Ben Wolfe and Rachel Dutton, cheese rind micro¬ 
biologists working currently to key out the vast 
array of microbes found on the rinds of American 
farmstead cheeses. Know that, at the home scale 
and arguably at the commercial scale too, one can¬ 
not perfectly control the succession of species that 
will occur. One species often preps the environment 
for a later species by changing the pH or nutrient 
availability. An earlier mold or bacteria might be 
pushing back another population—and inadver¬ 
tently holding space for later species to take root. 

It is important to keep things clean (now that you 
know “clean” for a cheese includes having molds 
present) and meet the cheese’s needs for humidity, 
temperature, and airflow to the best of your ability. 
This is your job as cheese affineur! 


ARTFUL AGING 

197 
















GROWTH INHIBITORS 

Aging a cheese is a careful art. If the cheese starts 
to go in the wrong direction—because of uneven 
moisture or too-high temperatures or contaminated 
milk—it can be tough or even impossible to pull it 
back into line. This doesn’t mean the minute your 
cheese project looks funny you beeline for the com¬ 
post pile. It is to say there’s a reason a beautifully 
aged wheel can be quite expensive. 

If you like to roll on the safe side, consider some 
of the methods professional cheesemakers use 
to trim away uncertainty and steer cheeses in the 
right direction. A first step is to use pasteurized 
milk to control a number of variables. Another is to 
be meticulous in how you keep your cheesemaking 
space and aging cave—many cheesemakers don’t 
allow any outside visitors into their creameries for 
fear of introducing new or unwanted microbes into 
the environment. 

Another option for achieving a more controlled 
cheese is to use growth inhibitors. Some of these 
additives can be natural in that they are biologically 
based or as common as table salt. Others might be 
considered more synthetic. These options are effec¬ 
tive at keeping flavors and surface growth on track, 
but they also change the nature of your craft. If your 
reason for making cheese in the first place is to eat 
it “the old-fashioned way,” then ignore the chart on 
the facing page without fret. I put together the table 
less to encourage you to use additives and more to 
give you information about how cheeses are made 
in a more commercial setting. Better to know how 
things are really made than to stay in the dark. 

CHEESE MITES 

The longer a non-waxed, non-vacuum-sealed cheese 
sits around, the more time it has to entertain visitors, 
a.k.a. cheese mites (Latin names: Tyrophagus 
casei and Acarus siro). Nearly every cheesemaker 
experiences these microscopic pests at some point. 
Luckily, tending your cheeses regularly is an easy 
way to keep mites under control. Mites get to your 
cheese in the first place because they feast on other 
foods, including grains, honeycomb, and smoked 
meats. These things are their vehicles into your 
home or cheesemaking space. 


Mites may not be feasting on the cheese alone. 

They may be eating proteinaceous yeasts and other 
microbes growing on the rind—making them a 
parasite of a parasite of your homemade cheese 
treasure. How dare all of them! As the mites eat, 
they open up the rind, making air channels where 
more mold can grow. In this way, little crevices 
become big crevices and that unblemished, pencil- 
thin rind you’d wished for becomes a thick layer 
of loss. 

Mites reliably show up for me anytime I have a 
natural-rinded, well-aged, somewhat neglected 
cheese. I know how it happens; the wheels are 
looking good and smelling right so I start to think 
they can take care of themselves. Then I realize 
mites have arrived because I see fresh piles of dust 
in the cave. When I brush the dust away, more 
shows up only a day or two later. If you’re looking 
to avoid the mite situation altogether, wax-dip, 
cream-wax, or vacuum-seal your cheeses. But really, 
a regular vacuuming with a vacuum cleaner or sim¬ 
ply regular turning and tending will keep the mites 
at bay. 

JUDGING RIPENESS 

Following are guidelines for when to stop aging and 
start eating your cheeses. As you will soon see, it 
isn’t an exact science but one perfected by repeating 
the same recipe over and over again. 

Making the Cut 

Judging when a wheel is ready to cut is a skill that 
will take time to perfect. Start with aging the cheese 
for the prescribed time noted in the recipe. As you 
open a wheel, have your make sheet (see page 232) 
nearby. Note as much as you can about the cheese’s 
appearance, smell, taste, and texture. 

If you find yourself remarking on a cheese’s bland ¬ 
ness, that cheese likely could have used more time. 
In general, time adds flavor. If you find yourself 
commenting on a cheese being too firm and chalky 
(specifically with soft-ripened styles), this means it 
might be underripe. On the other hand, if the guts 
of your Camembert run off the table, if you can’t get 
an axe through the Asiago, and if your blue cheese 


KITCHEN CREAI 


198 


Additives for Controlling Unwanted Growth 


ADDITIVE 

DESCRIPTION 

INFLUENCE 

NOTES 

AfiLact 

A naturally occurring enzyme 
mix used to hold back unwanted 
microbial growth and, in particu¬ 
lar, some strains of Clostridia. 

The active ingredient in AfiLact 
is lysozyme, an enzyme found in 
human tears and saliva whose func¬ 
tion is to attack foreign bacteria. 

AfiLact is produced from egg 
whites. It is an allergen, so 
proper labeling is required. 

Hold Bac 

Strains of Lactobacillus rhamnosus 
and Propionicbacterium freuden- 
reichii subsp. shermanii added to 
the milk to inhibit unwanted yeast, 
mold, and bacterial contaminants. 

May decrease undesired flavors, A natural and organic option 

acidity development, or textures. (generally speaking and in 

Effectiveness is influenced by extent terms of organic certification) 
of possible contamination (how long for controlling a cheese’s 
milk has been exposed and how outcome. Will not produce 

large the unwanted populations are) eyes because of non-ideal 
and by correct handling (storage conditions, 

temperature, exposure to humidity, 
etc.) of Hold Bac. 

Natamycin 

A naturally occurring fungicide 
used to control spoilage molds in 
a variety of foods, including fresh 
and aged cheeses. Natamycin 
can be added to the initial milk, 
the brine, the brine wash, or the 

cream wax. 

Cleaner rinds because of inhibiting 
effect on surface blue and white 
molds. Natamycin will help hold 
the space for the red rind bacteria 
(Coryneform ) to get established 
(if making washed or smeared 
rind). Do not use if intending 
to grow a bloomy-rind, blue, or 
natural-rinded cheese. 

Neutral flavor impact, used for 
decades throughout the food 
industry, commonly used in 
cottage cheese, sour cream, 
and yogurt. 

Potassium 

sorbate 

A chemical salt added to cheese 
milk to inhibit yeast and mold 
growth. Used in numerous food, 
beverage, and personal care 
products. 

Decreases or stops unwanted 
microbial growth leading to off fla¬ 
vors or textures, in turn increasing 
shelf life. 

Though used in quantities with 
“no known adverse health 
affects,” potassium sorbate is 
a chemical additive. Do your 
homework and figure out if it 
is something you want to use. 

Salt 

Increased salt may slow growth 
of unwanted microorganisms, 
though not all. Use a dry salt 
rub on the exterior of the cheese 
when turning. 

May help inhibit unwanted growth 
on the rind by dehydrating and 
making the rind less inhospitable. 

May lead to an overly salted 
cheese. Also, there are a num¬ 
ber of “salt loving” microbes. 

Sodium 

nitrate 

Food preservative found in nearly 
all cured meats. Helps preserve 

color as well as hold back bacte¬ 
rial growth. Sodium nitrate natu¬ 
rally occurs, in modest amounts, 
in fruits and vegetables. 

Decreases or stops unwanted 
microbial growth leading to 
off flavors or textures, in turn 
increasing shelf life. 

Though a widely used meat 
preservative, sodium nitrate 
is controversial and receives 
plenty of media attention. 

Do your homework and figure 
out if it is something you want 

to use. 


ARTFUL AGING 

199 













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reeks with so much ammonia that your nasal 
passage hurts, you’ve overaged things. 

There are many successful ends to a cheese if the 
cheesemaker keeps an open mind. Your first recipe 
may be a little dry. Your next may be overripened. 
You might forget to flip the next one and weird molds 
might take over after that. Whatever the case, with 
each recipe, you will learn an immense amount, 
all of it valuable—even more valuable if you write 
it down and review your notes before making the 
next batch. Making cheese and making mistakes is 
the way to learn cheesemaking. That is why there 
aren’t online degree programs on this subject. The 
experience has to be tactile, sensory rich, repetitive. 
And it will be. 

CONTINUING TO AGE CUT CHEESES 

You have the option of continuing to age wedges of 
semi-pressed, hard-pressed, and firm-pasted blue 
cheeses after the wheel has been cut. With all other 
cheese styles, including bloomy-rinds, soft blues, 
washed-rinds, and any other soft-ripened cheese, an 
opened wheel is a finished wheel. To reseal appro¬ 
priate cheeses, either rewax the exposed portion or 
vacuum-seal the cheese. 

To reseal with wax. Cut the wheel open and evalu¬ 
ate. For pieces you wish to continue aging, dip the 
just-cut surfaces into the wax, making sure the new 
wax wraps about 1 in/2.5 cm up around the rind or 
previous waxing. Apply a second coat. This seals 
the inner paste but lets the exterior rind continue to 
breathe and develop. 


To reseal with vacuum bags. This is a fantastic 
option for opening and resealing cheeses and it’s as 
easy as it sounds: Cut open a cheese; taste it; chop 
it up into as many pieces as you wish; reseal. If you 
want to taste-test the same wheel at various points 
of development (2 months, 4 months, 6 months), 
chop it up after brining and package in separate 
vacuum bags. Just be sure to secure those labels 
or you might not remember which is which. 


ARTFUL AGING 

201 






* 




PAMPERING 

•youY 

PIECES 
























You’re at the very last leg of the cheesemaking 
journey now; getting the cheese into your mouth 
or the mouths of others. You’ve made the wheel. 
You’ve aged the wheel. You’ve cut the wheel. But 
don’t rest just yet. Treating your pieces of cheese 
with respect—by wrapping and storing them 
correctly—means they’ll shine when it’s their 
turn on the dinner plate. 


STORING CHEESE 

Because home cheesemakers work with smaller 
amounts of milk, we usually don’t have to worry 
about what to do with a whole Parmesan wheel’s 
worth of cut cheese. Many of the recipes in Kitchen 
Creamery are sized so that you’ll only have about 
2 lb/910 g of cheese to give away or store. Using 
the right wrapping paper to store your cut cheeses 
will preserve flavor and extend shelf life. Remem¬ 
ber that storing cheeses in the fridge (a very Ameri¬ 
can thing to do), as opposed to on the counter, will 
also extend the shelf life. 


In the chart below, I give you the best options for 
storing cheeses after cutting. For where to find the 
brand-name, style-specific wrapping papers, see 
Resources (page 234). 

PAPERS FOR WRAPPING 

Cheese paper comes in two main styles: those that 
mimic the conditions ideal for a bloomy-rind cheese 
and those that mimic conditions for a washed-rind. 
Somewhere between the two sits the wrapping con¬ 
ditions for blue cheese. Any of these papers will work 
fine for wrapping a firm, aged cheese. If you plan on 
buying paper and want to buy just one style, choose 
Crystal, Expecto, or Formaticum brands (see chart, 
following). They will give you an elegant presentation 
and superior cheese care. 


FREEZING CHEESE 

Every time a farmers’ market customer asks me, 
“Flow long does this cheese keep?” I want to say, 
“Why wait?” My feeling on food is we should try and 


Approximate Shelf Life for Cut Cheese 


CHEESE STYLE 

(WITH EXAMPLES) 

APPROXIMATE 

SHELF LIFE 

AFTER CUTTING 

METHOD OF STORAGE 

Direct-acid 

(Burrata, Mascarpone, 
Quick Mozz) 

1 to 3 days 

For Burrata and Ricotta: Store in airtight container. 

For Quick Mozz: Store in water for up to 3 days, or remove from water 
and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. 

Soft-ripened 

(Camembert) 

7 days 

Best wrapping: Crystal or Formaticum brands of cheese paper. 
Alternative: Wrap in wax paper, then wrap in plastic wrap or place in 
an airtight container. 

Washed-rind 

(Tilsiter) 

1 to 2 weeks 

Best wrapping: Expecto cheese paper 

Alternative: Wrap loosely in wax paper, then wrap in plastic wrap or 
store in an airtight container. 

Blue 

(Stilton) 

2 weeks 

Best wrapping: Alu-Extrusion cheese paper, which is also ideal for 
wrapping blue cheeses during their aging process. 

Alternative: Wrap in wax paper or foil, then plastic wrap. 

Smoked 

(Provolone) 

2 to 3 months 

Vacuum-seal 

Semihard 

(Gouda, Cultured Mozz) 

2 to 3 months 

Vacuum-seal 

Hard 

(Asiago) 

3 to 4 months 

Vacuum-seal 


PAMPERING YOUR PIECES 

* 203 * 














SHIPPING CHEESE 


eat it when it’s fresh instead of saving it as long as 
we can. Cheeses are almost always sold when fully 
mature and don’t need to be aged any longer. Admit¬ 
tedly, if I didn’t live in California with its year-round 
abundance and wasn’t a home cheesemaker with 
often too much cheese on my hands, I might not 
think this way. I would use my freezer much more. 

I freeze cheese for one reason only: to make mac-n- 
cheese. In my freezer lives a bin that often has a nice 
mix of hunks and rinds. Who knows why these scraps 
ended up in the bin—probably just a moment when 
there was too much cheese and more arrived—but 
when the time comes, I’ll throw them in the food 
processor until I have cheese crumbles. I melt these 
crumbles with nonfrozen cheese and end up with 
one luscious cheese sauce. 

RULES OF FREEZING CHEESE 

If you have to freeze cheese and want to use it in any 
way other than a boiled-down cheese sauce, take 
this advice: 

Wrap cheeses well. A layer of plastic wrap, followed 
by a layer of foil, then a seal-top baggie or bin— 
that’s three layers of protection—works best. 

Thaw cheeses slowly. Move the cheese to the fridge 
and thaw over the course of 2 days rather than in the 
microwave rapidly. 

Freeze higher-fat cheeses. Double- or triple-creme 
cheeses freeze more successfully than cheeses with 
regular amounts of milk fat. 

Select denser cheeses over airy cheeses. A tub of 

whipped chevre won’t freeze as nicely as a densely 
packed one. The surface is where ice crystals form. 

Limit freezer time. The less time a cheese is in the 
freezer, the better. Plan on freezing a cheese no 
longer than 2 months. 

Cook cheese into casseroles. After you thaw a 
cheese, it will likely have a different, slightly mealier 
texture. Don’t use it in a sandwich but rather bake 
it into potatoes au gratin, cheese enchiladas, or good 
ol’ lasagna. 


When your cheese cave is full and the holidays are 
near, you might be thinking about shipping cheese 
treasures far and wide. Because you’ve poured so 
much energy into your cheeses, take precautions 
when shipping. Call the recipient ahead of time and 
tell him or her to be on the lookout. I once tried to 
surprise someone with a cheese shipment and the 
package sat so long in the post office that the box 
started leaking! Oops. The chart on the facing page 
gives timelines and suggestions for how to ship 
most successfully. 


CHEESE EVALUATION 

When you step onto the public cheese stage, to make 
heart-shaped cheeses for your best friend’s wedding 
or, if you are extra zealous, to enter the local festi¬ 
val’s cheese contest, your cheese is going to become 
public. Maybe the public arena is as simple as you 
presenting a cheese board at a dinner party or bring¬ 
ing a tray of samples to the office. When this happens, 
hooray! It’s a rite of passage for the home cheesemaker 
to start being known as “that person who makes 
cheese.” You will learn an imense amount from the 
feedback others offer, sometimes too freely. 

Know that eaters will evaluate your cheeses through 
the lens they know: a comparison of your cheese 
to commercial versions (another reason to give 
your cheeses unique names—keeps the eater’s 
mind open just a moment longer). When a cheese 
is formally judged in contests, there are specific 
characteristics of the cheese a judge will look 
at. Knowing these may help you to evaluate the 
cheeses for yourself. 

RIND 

A rind should be consistently colored and not overly 
patchy, though natural rinds are given more leeway 
for patchiness. A rind should not be overly thick, 
which would mean the cave was too dry (for pressed 
cheeses) or that you didn’t flip and pat the cheeses 
regularly enough (for bloomy-rinds). The rinds 
on bloomy-rinds should not be separated from the 


KITCHEN CREAN 

204 


How to Ship Cheeses 


CHEESE CATEGORY 

HOW TO SHIP 

SHIPPING SPEED 

Fresh unripened 

Vacuum-seal fresh cheese to prevent leakage. Double-bag tub 
containers. Bundle all cheeses with bubble wrap, then pack into an 
insulated shipping box with ice packs. Chevre may be frozen prior 
to sending. 

Overnight with ice ($$$) 

Soft ripened 

Create physical support for the cheese (such as a fitted wooden bas¬ 
ket or smaller cardboard box), then pack the baskets or boxes tightly 
into an insulated shipping box. Add ice packs and more insulation. 

Next-day shipping with 
ice ($$) 

Semifirm to 

firm—waxed or 

vacuum-sealed 

Firm to semifirm cheeses ship well, especially waxed or vacuum- 
sealed versions with which you don’t have to worry about airflow. 
Swaddle cheese in packing paper then pack tightly into a shipping 
box, making sure the cheese will not shift during transport. 

2-day shipping ($$), 
ice in warm weather 

Semifirm to firm— 

natural, oiled, or 

smeared rind 

Firm to semifirm cheeses ship well, although natural, cloth-bandaged, 
oiled, or smear-rinded cheeses must be wrapped in cheese paper 
first, then bundled in porous paper such as newsprint. For oil-rinded 
cheese, it’s okay to vacuum-seal. Pack cheese tightly into a shipping 
box, making sure the cheese will not shift during transport. 

2-day shipping ($$), 
ice in warm weather 


cheese (this is called “slip skin”). Rinds should also 
have even firmness. Soft spots on firm cheese rinds 
are a sign of uneven moisture or a problem in the 
cave environment. 

INTERIOR 

Aim for a cheese that is consistently colored and 
bright. The paste can be slightly open, very open, or 
have no openings at all (see page 103 and illustration 
on page 113); whatever it is, it should be consistent 
throughout the wheel. For pressed, aged cheeses, 
if the paste crumbles when cut, this might mean 
the cheese developed too much acid before it got 
salted. Or it might just mean the cheese is quite 
aged. A degree of pliability is always good (except 
for lactic-acid coagulated cheeses and many blues). 

RIPENESS 

Hopefully you hit the nail on the head and crack 
the wheel at peak ripeness. Overripe cheeses 
will reek of ammonia and be off in flavor. Overripe 
cheeses may also be too runny, too pungent, or too 
dried-out. Underripe cheeses may lack flavor, be 
too firm, be too hard, or lack a proper finished rind. 


AROMA AND TASTE 

The cheese should smell pleasant on the inside 
(even if the rind smells overly robust). Smells and 
tastes can span the garnet, are subjective, and will 
vary, but should be pleasing. The cheese should 
also not be over- or under-salted. 


PRESENTING YOUR 
MASTERPIECE 

Your cheese will be special, not only because you 
gathered the milk, stirred the vat, pressed the 
wheel, made the brine, and so on but also because 
you’ll present the cheese with dignity. Here is how 
to help your cheese stand in all its glory: 

CLEAN UP THE RIND 

When a natural-rind cheese comes out of the 
aging cave, it can look a little rough. Clean with 
a dry brush to remove the outer layer of the 
rind. Brushing will improve the appearance of the 
wheel and also balance the ratio of internal to 
external flavors. For firm and pressed cheese wheels 
with excessive mold growth, wash gently under cold 
water, then dry before cutting. For blue, bloomy-. 


PAMPERING YOUR PIECES 

205 








LIVING CHEESE 


and washed-rind cheeses, don’t be shy about 
trimming away unsightly parts before serving. You 
understand these imperfections, but eaters will 
be less tolerant. 

CHOOSE A NAME 

Naming your cheese can be as simple or compli¬ 
cated as you want it to be. You can call a cheese by 
the name of the recipe (“Camembert”). You can doc¬ 
tor it up with an adjective or two (“Oscar’s Asiago”). 
As you produce more and more cheeses, you might 
select a naming scheme; maybe music terms, local 
street names, or members of your family. 

SERVE AT ROOM TEMPERATURE 

You already know this but it can’t hurt to be 
reminded: Serve cheese at room temperature. Take 
the cheese out of the fridge an hour ahead of time 
(or don’t even put them in the fridge in the first 
place). The warmer temperature allows you to smell 
and taste the cheese’s deeper complexities. 

ENCOURAGE YOUR EATERS 

Make your cheese easy to eat. If setting up a cheese 
board, garnish with foods that bring the cheese 
to life. Apricot jam is a personal favorite. Try dried 
and fresh fruits; candied, toasted, or smoked nuts; 
assorted pickles; or cured meats. For very soft 
cheeses, use a shallow bowl so the cheese’s inner 
“fondue” can be enjoyed, rather than running 
toward the floor. For firm cheeses, precut a slice 
or two to encourage eaters. If wrapping cheeses to 
give as gifts, embellish the package with a person¬ 
alized cheese sticker. 


I should spare you this story but there’s value 
in hearing the truths of cheesemaking. 1 was in 
college, trying to impress a dinner date. We 
were making pizza, and, of course, I had to go to 
the basement to “pick out a cheese.” (Yes, now 
I realize how ridiculous I must have sounded.) 

An hour passed with the two of us chopping 
vegetables, talking. Then it came time for me to 
hack open the cheese wheel. Before doing so, 

I noted how nice the rind looked and imagined 
how flavorful the cheese was going to be. How¬ 
ever, I did notice a soft, slightly grayish area as I 
was starting to cut. I ignored it. 

The kitchen was filled with twilight, that special 
time of day after the sun has set, before the 
lights come on. My knife pushed the cheese 
wheel open into two halves and I was just about 
to start shredding a portion of it when, some¬ 
thing caught my eye. Something was moving. 

I kept chatting. He kept cutting the peppers he 
was working on. Did the cheese just move? Was 
I going crazy? The light in the kitchen faded a 
bit more. 

Suddenly, I realized the cheese had maggots. 
Their soft bodies waved to me, so happy for the 
breath of fresh air. I was horrified. 1 looked at 
the unfinished pizza, then at my date (who, by 
a stroke of luck, wasn’t looking at me). 

He turned to rinse parsley or something and 
without thinking I raced to the back hallway 
and chucked both halves of the cheese out 
an open window to an empty lot below. I then 
grabbed something else—anything—from the 
fridge and furiously started to cut. The pizza 
went into the oven without hesitation and I 
poured another glass of wine. Perhaps he was 
being kind when he didn’t ask about the pizza’s 
bright orange, Cheddar—this cheese I’d sup¬ 
posedly made myself. Perhaps he didn’t want to 
know any more. 

Note: Casu marzu, a traditional sheep’s-milk 
cheese from Sardinia, is famous for containing 
living larvae from a fly (Piophilia casei). Once 
one of my students told me about his Italian 
grandfather, who was a huge fan of this rare deli¬ 
cacy. We both shook our heads in disbelief! 


KITCHEN CREAN 

206 











IN CLOSING 


I’ve immersed myself in cheese for over a decade 
now and what surprises me is that my interest isn’t 
waning. Unlike the bags of roving wool, the half- 
finished patchwork under the bed, the carving tools 
now rusted, the long dead sourdough in the fridge, 
the dusty hives, and the sewing machine that hasn’t 
seen sunlight for an eon, cheese stands alone. It 
keeps catching my imagination. 

Part of what’s kept me hooked is the generous spirit I 
find within cheesemaking communities. I remember 
sitting in on a meeting of the Maine Cheese Guild 
one summer when I was apprenticing with Appleton 
Creamery, an award-winning cheesemaker in the 
state. Twelve cheesemakers sat at a picnic bench. 

On top of the bench, everyone (nearly all profession¬ 
als) had brought their latest efforts to be evaluated 
by others. Instead of seeing each other as competi¬ 
tors, these cheesemakers offered one another 
empathy and encouragement. They’d spent enough 
hours at the vat and enough years peddling cheese 
to people who balked at the price to know that they 
were in this together. The thing about cheese is no 
one has conquered the medium—not even the big 
guys. It is a mystery we all humbly chip away at. 
Together we stand. 

Another reason I can’t get over the craft is that 
nurturing cheese feels akin to parenting (another 
craft I’m elbow deep in). With both topics, advice 
abounds. Many have “been there” and, in hindsight, 
know a perfect path through. Yet the advice contra¬ 
dicts: One cheesemaker says to never use whey to 
build the brine. The next says it’s a best-kept secret. 
One cheesemaker swears by adding a specific cul¬ 
ture. The next doesn’t even know what culture the 
first is talking about. This mismatch, this confusion, 
this lack of absolute expertise delights me. It means 
you have to figure out your own recipe in the end. 


Children, like cheese, are greatly affected by the 
inputs of their parents, but the equation is more 
complex. You can fuss over a child, send him to an 
expensive school, and it can all flop. Or, conversely, 
a kid can be raised on benign neglect and turn out 
wonderfully. Cheese is similar. Sometimes it’s 
the cheese you give a little space that becomes 
something marvelous. Other times, a cheese simply 
needs to be held, literally. (And for beginning 
cheesemakers, I recommend some form of heli¬ 
copter parenting). 

It’s an adventure to work with living things, to be 
part of projects that extend beyond oneself. I love 
that one day, when a wheel is ripe, a story is told. 

I’ll be part of that story but so will the cows, the 
pasture, the farmer, the grass, and the eater, whom 
I might not ever know. I hope I open each wheel at 
the right time too—not prematurely when it lacks 
flavor and not too late when the funk has set in. I 
hope that as each morsel of goodness meets the 
mouth, it tastes as big as the story captured within. 


IN CLOSING 

209 


GLOSSARY 


ACIDITY: As the cultures digest lactose in the milk, 
they create lactic acid. This acidity 1) helps proteins link 
to form a gel; 2) creates a food less prone to spoilage; 
and 3) affects the moisture level, texture, and aging of 
the cheese. 

AFFINAGE: The art of aging cheeses. 

AFFINEUR: A professional whose job is to select 
cheeses for long-term aging as well as to guide the 
cheeses through to maturity. 

AGING MATS: Synthetic or natural-fiber mats used 
to age cheese. Mats increase air circulation as well 
as prop the cheese up, away from whey that may be 
collecting underneath. 

amino ACID CRYSTALS: The “crunchies,” best known 
in Parmesan, aged cheddar, and aged Gouda cheeses, 
form when Tyrosine, an amino acid that makes up the 
majority of the casein protein, crystallizes under cor¬ 
rect conditions. In some cheeses, the crystals may be 
calcium lactate. 

AMMONIA PRODUCTION: A by-product of the break¬ 
down of proteins. 

ANNATTO: Seeds from the subtropical tree Bixa Orel¬ 
lana, which are used to create yellow to orange hues in 
butter and cheese. Annatto is most often used in liquid 
extract form. 

ASH: Incinerated vegetation used to make distinct 
black lines in the middle of a cheese’s paste or on 
its exterior. In addition to visual contrast, ash may 
discourage unwanted microorganisms by affecting 
surface acidity. 

BANDAGING: A rind treatment for aging cheeses, 
mainly cheddar, using cheesecloth and fat to form a 
protective barrier for the cheese. 

BLUE MOLD: The secondary or ripening cultures 
Penicillum roqueforti or Penicillum glaucum used in 
styles such as Roquefort or Stilton. 

BODY: A term describing the density, pliability, and 
homogeneity of yogurt and cultured dairy products, 
though possibly also cheese. Words such as thin, 
medium, heavy, or very heavy are common qualifiers. 

BREVIBACTERIUM LINENS: Secondary or ripening 
cultures added to the vat or applied to a cheese rind 


to produce a robust, stinky flavor and pink to orangish 
colors. These bacteria are categorized by their broader 
phylogenic name of Coryneform. 

BUTTER muslin: A substitute for fine-weave (#90) 
cheesecloth. 

BUTTERFAT: The fatty portion of milk, a.k.a. milk fat. 
Amount of butterfat depends on the type of product 
(light cream versus heavy cream) as well as the 
commercial brand. If buying milk and cream directly 
from a farm, the breed of animal, stage in lactation, 
climate, and diet all affect butterfat levels. 

CALCIUM CHLORIDE (CaCl 2 ): An ingredient, originally 
derived from limestone, added to the milk prior to 
renneting. CaCl 2 helps correct the damaging effects 
that pasteurization has had on the casein protein. 

CASEIN: The primary protein in the cheesemaking 
process, the one that reacts to rennet. 

CAVE: Slang term for the area (usually a fridge or wine 
fridge) in which cheeses are ripened. 

CHEDDARING: A special step in the production of 
cheddar-style cheese whereby curd blocks are cut, 
stacked, then flipped in order to draw out more mois¬ 
ture, causing the curds to knit more tightly together 
and to allow time for more acid to develop. Blocks 
are then milled into small pieces, mixed with salt, put 
into forms, and pressed. 

CHEESE: Any fermented milk product from which a 
portion of the water has been removed. 

CHEESE PAPER: Paper engineered to meet the needs of 
ripening and finished cheeses. 

CHEESE WAX: A synthetic wax with a low melting point 
and high flexibility used to coat cheeses; and in partic¬ 
ular, Dutch-styles and Cheddars. I advise against using 
paraffin or bee’s wax because it is too brittle. Cheese 
wax’s low melting point ensures butterfat does not 
leach out when cheeses are dipped. 

CHURN: 1) v. To agitate cream to cause butterfat 
globules to stick together; 2) n. A container used to 
churn cream. 

CHYMOSIN: The primary enzyme found in rennet. 

CLEAN BREAK: A way of testing the doneness of ren- 
neted milk by inserting a knife or fingers into the curd 


KITCHEN CREAN 

210 


then pulling upward. The way in which the curd splits 
indicates if more time is needed. 

COAGULANT: Also called rennet. A broader term to 
describe the animal-, plant-, bacterial- or fungal-based 
enzymes that causes the casein proteins in milk to link 
together and form a gel. 

COAGULATE: When a substance changes from a liquid 
to a solid material, as when milk becomes a gel (or 
yogurt). 

CORYNEFORM: The name of a bacterial genus that 
includes Brevibacterium linens (b.linens) and Arthro- 
bacter species, known for producing pungent, often 
pink, orange, or red rinds. 

CREAM WAX: Also called “Clear Coat,” this water- 
based polymer is used to coat cheese, preventing mois¬ 
ture loss and slowing down mold growth during aging. 

CULTURED BUTTER: Butter made from fermented 
cream, technically the opposite of sweet cream butter, 
though the term sweet cream is often misused. 

CULTURED DAIRY PRODUCT: Any milk or cream that 
has been fermented but not drained. 

CURD: The coagulated milk solids, which separate from 
the whey in the cheesemaking process. Curd forms 
when the casein proteins link together, trapping butter- 
fat, lactose, and other solids. 

curd BLOCK: The amalgamation of curds, and mainly 
those that occur at the bottom of the vat during 
pre-pressing and before draining. 

curd KNIFE: A cutting tool with a long blade that 
allows the cheesemaker to cut the gel at the bottom 
of the vat without damaging the curds at the top. A 
non-offset cake spatula works well. 

CURING: The process of letting just pressed, just salted 
cheese dry at a temperature slightly warmer than the 
final aging temperature. Curing usually lasts 1 to 3 days. 

DENATURE: The way in which milk proteins are changed 
through pasteurization. Denatured milk proteins often 
are less desirable for the cheesemaker but can be 
improved through using CaCl 2 . 

DIACETYL: A flavor compound created during the milk 
fermentation process. Diacetyl is the flavor we perceive 
as “butter.” Lactococcns lactis ssp diacetylactis and 
Leuconostoc cremoris are two strains of bacteria that 
act on the milk to produce diacetyl. 

DRAINING: The separation of the curds from the whey. 


DRYING: The brief period after brining or salting and 
before aging when a cheese dries, often at warmer 
temperatures. This period helps seal the rind and 
to prevent excessive early mold growth. Also known 
as curing. 

EMULSION: The suspension of one substance within 
another, usually a fat within water, so that the sub¬ 
stance appears mixed. Milk is an emulsion. 

ENZYME: A substance, produced by a living organism, 
that creates a biological reaction. Chymosin and pep¬ 
sin (which make up rennet) and lipase are the main 
enzymes of cheesemaking. 

EQUILIBRIUM: The movement of molecules—in 
cheesemaking it’s often the sugars and minerals— 
from greater to lesser concentration, causing the 
medium to become equilibrated. 

EYE FORMATION: The openings in a cheese that result 
from gas production by the various cultures, the most 
common being Propionibacterium shermanii, used in 
Swiss-style cheeses. 

FLAVOR COMPOUNDS: Chemical compounds that 
we perceive as flavor through a combination of smell 
and taste (and often texture as well). Diacetyl is one 
example. 

FOLLOWER: The cover to a cheese form, which fits 
tightly on top so that when the cheese gets pressed, 
curd cannot mush up and out and pressure is evenly 
distributed. 

geotrichum CANDIDUM: A rapidly growing fungus 
or yeast used in numerous cheese styles. It is a 
secondary or ripening culture known to cultivate the 
rind in as little as several hours. It is also known as 
“buttermilk mold.” 

GRAM SCALE: A small scale used for weighing very 
small and lightweight items, such as cheese cultures. 

HAND-MILLED: Using your hands to break up or 
squeeze curds into smaller bits. 

harp: The grid-like tool used to cut the just-set milk 
into curd pieces. Harps may have vertical, horizontal, 
or grid lines. 

HOMOGENIZATION: The breaking down of butterfat 
globules into smaller particles that then stay in suspen 
sion and do not separate out from the milk to form a 
cream line. 

HOOPING: Moving curds out of the vat and into the 
cheese form for pressing. Cheese forms were once 


GLOSSARY 

*211 


opened-bottomed hoops, which is where the term 
originates. 

INTERIOR RIPENING: The transformation of a cheese 
from fresh to aged takes place within the core of a 
cheese, namely through the use of blue molds. 

KADOVA: A brand name for a particular cheese form 
made from heavy plastic with a removable mesh 
liner and a tightly fitting follower. Produces Gouda¬ 
shaped wheels. 

KNITTING: The process of curds connecting to each 
other to form a unified shape or wheel. Knitting is more 
positive than “matting” (which is essentially the same 
process but happening too early on in the vat). 

LACTIC ACID: The acid produced when cultures fer¬ 
ment lactose. The amount of lactic acid present in the 
vat is an indicator of how a recipe is progressing. 

LACTOBACILLUS: A genus of bacteria, which are part 
of the lactic acid group. Lactobacilli convert sugars 
into lactic acid. Members of this genus assist in the 
fermentation of many foods beyond cheese, including 
sauerkraut, kimchi, wine, beer, hard cider, silage, and 
more. Of over a hundred species within the genus, 
cheesemakers are most interested in L. delbrueckii 
subsp. delbrueckii, L. delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus, 

L. delbrueckii subsp. tactis, L. acidolphilus, and L. 
belveticus. 

LACTOCOCCUS: A genus of bacteria in the lactic acid 
group. Lactococci are homofermentors, meaning they 
produce only one type of acid during fermentation. Of 
the Lactococcus genus, cheesemakers are mainly inter¬ 
ested in Lactococcus lactis and, within that species, 
two subspecies: L. lactis subsp. lactis and L. lactic 
subsp. cremoris. 

LIPASE: An important enzyme used in many Italian - 
style cheeses to produce signature “picante,” flavors. 
Lipase is added to the milk along with the cultures 
prior to renneting. 

LlPOLYSIS: The breakdown of butterfat (through 
hydrolysis) to release fatty acids (flavor). 

matting: The premature joining of curds in the vat 
as a result of rapid temperature increase and/or 
stirring too slowly. 

MESOPHILIC: Cultures that thrive near 90°F/32°C, a 
cooler range than needed by thermophilic cultures. 

MOLD: A confusing term that can either mean the form 
in which a cheese drains or the microorganisms, such 


as Penicillum candidum, used to ripen a cheese. In this 
book, I use the term form instead of mold when talking 
about the object cheese drains in. 

MOTHER CULTURE: When cultures are grown into 
a yogurt-like gel before being added to the vat (as 
opposed to being added directly to the vat in freeze- 
dried form), the primary “seeding” gel is called 
“the mother.” 

NEEDLING: See piercing. 

NSLAB OR NON-STARTER LACTIC ACID BACTERIA: 

A group of bacteria used to culture cheese whose pri¬ 
mary function is not to produce acid so much as it is to 
produce enzymes that assist in the ripening process. 
NSLABs are often part of culture mixes and are abun¬ 
dant in raw milk. 

PASTE: The inner part of the cheese, not the rind. 

PENICILLIUM CANDIDUM: A secondary culture, a 
fungus, that produces the white “crust” of Brie. For 
professional cheesemakers, different subspecies of 
P. candidum exist and can be chosen based on desired 
height of the fuzz, density of the fuzz, and for specific 
fat and protein digesting abilities. The result of P. can¬ 
didum digesting cheese is a fondue-like texture. 

PENICILLIUM GLAUCUM: A secondary culture, a 
fungus, used in blue cheeses. Less common than 
Penicillium roqueforti. 

PENICILLIUM ROQUEFORTI: A secondary culture, a 
fungus, used to create distinct “blue” flavor, color and 
texture in cheeses. 

pH: A scale, running from 1 (highly acidic) to 14 (highly 
basic). pH measurements may be taken from the 
milk, the vat of curds and whey, or the final cheese 
to help the cheesemaker determine how a recipe is 
progressing. Milk is near neutral but slightly acidic 
(about 6.7). 

picante: A flavor term describing a peppery, spicy 
component found in cheeses, many of which are Italian- 
style. Often the effect of the enzyme lipase. 

PIERCING: The process of pushing a skewer into a blue 
cheese during the first few days and then weeks of 
ripening. The piercing creates channels of oxygen where 
the molds will bloom. Also called needling. 

PITCHING: Allowing the curds to settle to the bottom of 
the vat prior to draining. 

prehydrating: The process of placing DVI or “Direct 
Vat Inoculant” cultures (also known as freeze-dried 


kitchen crea 

212 


cultures) into warm milk for 1 to 2 hours prior to adding 
them to the vat. This waking up period helps the cul¬ 
tures develop acid more quickly and effectively. Pre¬ 
hydrating is less important for secondary cultures and 
not necessary when using liquid cultured buttermilk. 

prepared FORM: A term I use to describe a cleaned 
cheese form lined with a cleaned cheesecloth (or a 
mesh liner) placed in an area where the cheese can be 
pressed and whey can drain freely. 

PRE-PRESSING: The gathering of curds into a curd 
block by pressing under the whey, prior to draining, 
while still in the vat. 

PRESSING: Applying varying degrees of weight to a 
freshly hooped cheese wheel to encourage the curds 
to knit together, a rind to form, and more whey to be 
pushed out. 

PROBIOTICS: An overused term identifying fermented 
dairy products containing healthful microorganisms. 
These microorganisms are active in the food product 
as well as in the human gut and produce enzymes 
and digestive benefits. All freshly fermented dairy 
products are arguably probiotic. 

PROPIONIBACTERIUM SHERMANII: A secondary 
culture, a bacteria, that is used to form typical “Swiss 
cheese” flavor as well as the signature eyeholes. 

PROTEOLYSIS: The digestion of cheese proteins by 
cellular enzymes called proteases or by intermolecular 
digestion. 

RED RIND: A generic term I use to describe a pungent, 
robust rind resulting from a diversity of microorganisms 
and, most important, Coryneform bacteria. 

RENNET: A generic name for coagulant that may come 
from animal, plant, fungal, or bacterial origins. 

RIPE: When the chemical breakdown of fats, proteins, 
and sugars in a cheese reach a state of balance and 
complexity in both flavor and texture. 

RIPEN: The fermentation of milk or cream. 

ripening CULTURES: Also known as “secondary 
cultures,” these are bacteria, yeasts or molds that are 
added to the milk or applied to the rind to produce 
specific flavors or textures. They are the opposite of 
primary cultures whose purpose is to produce lactic 
acid early on. 

SCALDING: During a washing process, replacing 
removed whey with warm water to cause the tempera¬ 
ture of the vat to rise and the curds to form a skin. 


SECONDARY CULTURES: See Ripening Cultures. 

SPECIES SUCCESSION: The process by which commu¬ 
nities of organisms, especially those on a cheese rind, 
change over time. In cheesemaking, species succession 
occurs on natural-rind, bloomy-rind, smear-rind, and 
washed-rind cheeses. 

STRAINING: Separating curds from whey using cheese¬ 
cloth or form. 

SWISS-STYLE CHEESE: An informal cheese category 
describing cheeses that are cooked to high (about 
110°F/43°C) temperatures, have a sweet and nutty flavor, 
a pliable elastic texture, and use the secondary culture 
Propioribacterium shermanii to form eyes. 

TERROIR: The idea that food cultivated in a particular 
bioregion exhibits flavors specific to that region. This 
uniqueness is a result of the complex microbial commu¬ 
nities that reside there. 

THERMOPHILIC: Cultures that thrive near 110°F/43°C, a 
warmer temperature range than needed by mesophilic 
cultures. Often used in firm, cooked-, and Italian-style 
cheeses. 

TRIER: A T-shaped metal tool with a curved blade used 
to remove cores from a cheese wheel for testing and 
monitoring development. 

VAT: A large vessel in which cheese is made. The word 
is more appropriately applied to larger vessels but I use 
it to include the reader in cheesemaker’s lingo. Synony¬ 
mous with “pot.” 

WASHED RIND: The process of aging a cheese through 
regularly washing it with water, beer, spirits, or a mold- 
and/or herb-infused tea. Washing encourages the 
growth of Coryneform bacteria. 

WASHING: Removing whey from the vat and replacing 
it with water. Washing lowers the calcium and lactose 
content in the cheese and leads to a milder, more 
pliable product. 

WEEPING: When Swiss-style cheeses have moisture 
collect in the eyes caused by proteins breaking down 
during the ripening process. Can be a positive sign of 
maturity. 

WHEY: The watery part of milk, counterpart to milk 
solids. Whey is mainly water but also contains some 
casein, albumin, and lacto albumin proteins as well as 
butterfat, lactose, and minerals. 


.OSSARY 

213 


TROUBLESHOOTING 


CULTURED MILK & CREAM 

My yogurt never set up—it just stayed liquid. What 
happened? 

Either the cultures you used were no longer active or 
the incubation temperature wasn’t consistent (likely 
too cold). Try another batch but, this time, start with 
a new container of yogurt and use a thermometer to 
confirm that the incubator stays near 105°F/40°C. 

My yogurt set up but wasn’t smooth—it has an 
almost chunky texture and is very sour. There was 
lots of yellow whey on top. I didn’t like it. 

When this happens, it means the incubation tempera¬ 
ture was too hot. 

My yogurt came out very, very stringy or ropey. It 
wasn’t appealing. What went wrong? 

This ropey texture can be fixed by simply changing the 
type of cultures or brand of yogurt you are using. Also, 
it might occur when using powdered milk to form a 
thicker body. Try the recipe again with new cultures and 
without powdered milk. 

Can I use kefir in place of buttermilk in any of the 
cheese recipes? 

No. Though they are made through similar processes, 
kefir contains yeasts, which you don’t want. The bac¬ 
teria (present in both), you do. 

DIRECT ACID CHEESES 

My whey ricotta never clumped together and only 
bits formed at the bottom of the vat. 

Too much time passed between finishing your batch 
of cheese and starting the whey ricotta recipe. Next 
time, start the ricotta right away. Also, be sure to stop 
stirring soon after adding the acid to allow the proteins 
to clump. 

My first round of whole milk ricotta turned out tough 
and stringy. The second round was different and 
much better. Why? 

There are several types of proteins in milk and they 
precipitate out (when you add acid) at different rates. 
Your first round on the whole milk ricotta yields a 
cheese higher in the casein protein. Your second round, 
one richer in albumin and lacto-albumin proteins. In a 
sense, the first round is like making a regular batch of 


cheese and the second round is more similar to making 
whey ricotta with the leftovers. 

When can I add flavorings to the ricotta? 

The best time to season your ricotta is after it’s been 
drained for at least 6 hours in the fridge. Transfer to a 
medium bowl and gently fold in flavorings of choice. 
Some ideas include chopped dried cranberries; pow¬ 
dered sugar, mini chocolate chips, and almond extract; 
chopped basil and roasted garlic. 

BEGINNING CHEESES 

When I start to stir my curds, the pieces fall apart 
into tiny bits. What’s wrong? 

This is a sign that the milk you are using has been over¬ 
pasteurized. Switch brands and look for one that is 
more local, possibly also organic. 

My pot cheese tastes bad after just a week. 

Most of the recipes in chapter 2 are meant to be eaten 
right away and not saved or ripened. That is especially 
true for queso fresco, pot cheese, mascarpone, and 
ricotta. All of these cheeses are very sweet (meaning 
little acid) with very high moisture—exactly the kind of 
food that doesn’t last. 

Can I make ricotta with the leftover whey from any 
cheese recipe? 

Not really. You can make whey ricotta from any whey 
leftover from rennet-set cheeses. 

WASHED CURD CHEESES 

My Rising Moon doesn’t have much flavor. 

Try reducing the amount of whey you remove by 2 to 
3 cups/480 to 720 ml. Sometimes cheeses get over¬ 
washed, which depletes flavor. More likely, though, your 
cheese needs more time to age. If the flavor isn’t where 
you’d like it to be, add 2 to 3 months more. You can 
reseal this cheese, after cutting, in a vacuum-seal bag. 

The Divino tastes bitter. 

Bitterness is a pitfall for home cheesemaking. Try 
another rennet (different type or new bottle). Try reseal¬ 
ing the cheese and tasting again after another several 
months. Or try a different culture mix by calling the 
culture company and finding an alternative. 


214 


K 


WASHED RIND CHEESES 

I’m not seeing red on the rind. 

The mixture of microorganisms that create a red, stinky 
rind often arrive after the rind has been cultivated by 
other species. Give your rind time. Wash the rind regu¬ 
larly using the Red-Rind Wash (page 121) or Herb Wash 
(page 125). Make sure the aging temperature is correct. 

Should I be scraping off the blue and white spots? 

Other species will grow on your rind, especially before 
the Coryneform community establishes. Catch these 
other visitors early on and rub, brush, or wash them 
gently away. Don’t let them establish for a week before 
trying to scrape them off. 

My rind looks more pink than red. 

There is a range of colors, from light peach to deep red, 
that qualify as appropriate for a red or washed-rind 
cheese. The color depends on the collection of organ¬ 
isms present and how they are responding to the rind’s 
moisture, acidity, and salt levels. It makes me think of 
how hydrangeas turn pink or blue depending on the 
acidity of the soil they’re growing in. 

There is red but it isn’t covering the rind, just 
sections. 

Patchiness results from imbalanced moisture either 
inside or outside of the cheese. Do your best to rotate 
the cheese regularly and to maintain a constant envi¬ 
ronment. Cut your curds as evenly as possible on your 
next batch. Also, as the red rind starts to grow in one 
area, it likely spreads to other sections, given you are 
washing and rotating. 

My cheese is not gooey on the inside. 

Washed-rind cheeses are loved not only for their stink 
but also for their shiny, smooth insides. If the paste of 
your cheese is too firm, it may be that the cheese got 
too dry in the vat. Try cutting your curds Vt in/6 mm 
larger than before. Also, increase the humidity of your 
cave as maybe the cheese is simply drying out. 


BLOOMY RIND CHEESES 

What if the white mold only grows in patches? 

Uneven mold growth can be due to uneven moisture 
during ripening. Be sure to flip your cheese regularly 
so the top and the bottom have equal exposure. If 
the aging bin is too dry, increase moisture by adding 
a damp towel to the corner of the bin, making sure 
it doesn’t touch the cheese. Try dipping the patchy 
cheese in a bath of water and Penicillium candidum 
spores. Or eat it as it is! 

My Camembert is not getting soft. It’s been rubbery 
for two months. 

Given that you’ve been aging the cheese at proper 
temperature and humidity, the culprit is the cultures. 
They were not active enough for the cheese to develop. 
Your best bet is to eat the cheese in this less-than-soft 
stage and then try the recipe again with fresh cultures. 
A Camembert should bloom and soften within 4 to 
6 weeks if aged at 50’F/10°C and at 90% RH. Another 
possibility is that you had slow acid development, 
which leads to too much calcium being retained in the 
final curd. Slightly increase the dosage of cultures on 
the next batch. 

There is a strong bitter flavor. 

Bitterness is a potential problem of bloomy-rind 
cheeses. Try to 1) use the freshest milk and the freshest 
cultures possible, 2) use pasteurized instead of raw 
milk, 3) use Geo trichum candidum or switch to a differ¬ 
ent strain of Penicillium candidum if possible, and 
4) try a different type of rennet. Make sure you are 
aging the cheese under the proper conditions. Some¬ 
times the bitter flavor will go away with a longer aging 
time (though sometimes it only intensifies). 

The rind of my cheeses seems to be slipping away 
from the cheese itself. 

Slip skin. This unwanted feature of a bloomy-rind 
happens when the moisture in the aging environment 
is too high, causing the surface ripening molds to move 
too quickly and digest the paste nearest the rind out 
of proportion with the rest of the cheese. Bring the 
humidity of the aging bin down simply by removing the 
lid from the bin for 5 minutes daily. 


ROUBLESHOOTING 

215 


BLUE CHEESES 

My cheese has been aging for two weeks and I’m not 
seeing any blue molds. 

It may take several weeks to see blue mold growth on 
your rind, depending on what the aging conditions are. 
It is also possible that molds are growing on the inside 
even though you never saw them on the surface. You 
won’t know until you’ve opened up the wheel but don’t 
do that until you are ready. Follow through with the 
proper aging time. 

I forgot to pierce my cheese at the right time. Can I 
pierce it late? 

It is ideal to pierce early on because it gives the blue 
molds an “upper hand” on the battlefields within and 
on the rind. But also keep things in perspective; some 
blues are never even pierced. Try an experiment to 
see how a recipe turns out without any piercing. You 
might be surprised. 

There are white and gray molds growing over the 
blue molds on the surface. Is this okay? 

If you’ve had a hearty first bloom of blue on the cheese 
rind, you’re pointed in a good direction. Subsequent 
colonization by other rind microorganisms will have fla¬ 
vor impact but the blue flavor will dominate. Continue 
to flip and brush or smear the cheese wheel regularly. 

I smell a lot of ammonia. 

Ammonia is a natural by-product of the breakdown 
of proteins (proteolysis), a key process for ripening 
cheeses. Make sure to open the aging bin regularly to 
give your cheese a breath of fresh air—try 5 minutes 
each day. Also, try lowering the aging-room tempera¬ 
ture and/or humidity by several degrees. Before eating 
the cheese, allow it to sit out, uncovered, for an hour. 
Most of the ammonia should dissipate. 

The inside of the cheese has hardly any veining. 

Your cheese may simply be too dense, pressed too 
hard, or so moist that the tunnels you created when you 
pierced the cheese collapsed. To dry your cheese out 
a bit, try stirring 5 to 10 minutes longer when the curds 
are in the vat. When making the Stilton, try draining 
the curds longer in the colander (for 5 hours more), 
then break the curds into larger chunk sizes. Try not to 
overmix when folding in the salt. 


CHEDDAR CHEESES 

What if the curds never came together and sealed 
into one complete form? 

The salt you added in the pot caused each curd to 
tighten up. You want that tightening to happen when 
the curds are in the press and still slightly warm, not 
when the curds are still separated and cooling off in the 
pot. Work quickly when hooping the cheese. Alterna¬ 
tively, curds may have accidentally cooked to too high 
of a temperature. Lower the final cooking temperature 
by several degrees and cut back on the stirring time by 
several minutes. 

My Cheddar wheel was full of holes and cracks when 
I opened it up. Why? 

Unwanted holes often occur with harder, cooked and 
pressed cheeses. These holes are due to unwanted 
bacteria or improper pressing. Improve the sanitation 
on your next batch. Remember that the cleaner and 
fresher your milk, the less likely you’ll have extra eye 
holes and fissures. To improve mechanical openings, 
get the cheese into a press as soon as possible, flip 
soon afterward (within the first 10 minutes), and press 
under heavy weights (50 lb/23 kg) for at least 8 to 
10 hours to create a more sealed body. 

My Cheddar is really crumbly. If I try to cut a slice, it 
falls apart. Why? 

The curds developed too much acid in the vat. Fix this 
by shortening the pre-rennet ripening time by 15 min¬ 
utes or your stirring time by 15 minutes. Alternatively, 
try stirring in 2 tbsp of salt 30 minutes before starting 
to drain. Age for a shorter period of time. 


HEN CREA 

216 


K 


STRETCHED CURD CHEESES 

My curds won’t stretch. 

If your curds won’t stretch, and you’ve given it many, 
many hours (on the order often!) to ripen, the cultures 
you used may not be strong enough or even active at 
all. Repeat the recipe with freshly purchased cultures. 
Also, try switching the brand of milk. 

The mozzarella I made is too tough. 

Making sure the mozzarella has reached the correct 
acidity will make the stretching process easier, which 
means you’ll work the dough less, which means 
your finished cheese will be softer. Other ways to 
improve the softness of your mozzarella include ini¬ 
tially cutting the curds to a larger size (greater than 
V 2 in/12 mm thick) as well as adding 1 qt/960 ml of 
warm water to the vat as you are stirring the curds, 
prior to draining and ripening. 

The leftover whey looks almost like milk. 

The clearer your whey is, the more proteins you’ve 
“caught.” Very milky whey means you lost some 
potential cheese. This may be due to cutting the curd 
too early, using milk that is over-pasteurized or rough 
treatment of the curds (stir very slowly at first). 

My Quick Mozz was great the first day but now it 
is slimy. 

Quick Mozz needs to be eaten, not aged. If you are 
looking for a cheese that lasts longer and gets better 
in terms of flavor and texture, go with the Cultured 
Mozzarella (page 174) or Provolone (page 176). 


PRESSED AND AGED CHEESES 

The rind is colorful with mold. How do I know if it’s 
safe to eat? 

Mold rinds, from my experience, may make your cheese 
taste odd but they aren’t going to make you sick. It is 
very hard to identify the precise microorganisms you 
may have growing and would require sending a sample 
to a laboratory. If you want to play it safe, you can 
always trim the rind away before eating. 

My cheese has eye holes even though I thought it was 
going to be a cheese with no eyes. What happened? 

I have this problem often. Eye holes (if you weren’t 
planning on them) and excessive eye holes (if you 
wanted just a few) could be a sign of contamination 
or maybe just gas-producing native bacteria in the 
milk. Too many eyes can be prevented by bringing 
down the temperature of the aging environment, 
changing the type of cultures you’re using, working 
with pasteurized milk, or pre-pressing the curds 
more thoroughly when they are still under the whey. 

My Asiago tastes too peppery. How can I tone 
it down? 

The spiciness in the Asiago comes from the lipase you 
added. Lipase breaks down the fat globules and forms 
flavor compounds that taste spicy. Tone this down by 
choosing a milder lipase (calf lipase is the mildest, 
followed by young lamb, then kid lipase). Or decrease 
the amount of lipase you are using by half. Try aging the 
cheese for a shorter amount of time. 


ROUBLESHOOTING 

217 


APPENDICES 


CHEESEMAKING 

PROCESSES 

WHEN TO CUT THE CVRD VSING 
THE CLEAN BREAK METHOD 

In the beginning cheeses of chapter 2, you’re instructed 
to cut the curd after renneting according to a specific 
amount of time, usually about 30 minutes. This is a 
reliable enough method when you’re just learning to 
make cheese or if you’re making a very simple, fresh 
cheese that won’t be aged. As your cheesemaking skills 
advance or you start to make more involved cheeses, 
you can use the Flocculation Method at right. 

1. After renneting the milk and waiting for the alloted 
time, uncover the pot. Look for a faintly yogurty aroma. 
This is one way to know things are working. 

2 . With a clean hand, slowly insert several of your 
fingers into the curd at a 45-degree angle, up to the 
second knuckle. Slowly push these fingers toward the 
surface of the curd and watch how the curd splits open. 
If it splits into one or two clean fissures, the curd is 
ready to cut. If the curd opens up loosely, looking more 
like undercooked egg white, allow the milk to set for 
another 10 minutes. If the curd is so tough it simply 
bends as you gently press upward, you’ve waited too 
long or used too much rennet. 

3 . If the milk does not show a clean break after an 
additional 30 minutes, there’s likely a problem with 
your milk or rennet. Start again with new ingredients. 


WHEN TO CVT THE CVRD VSING 
THE FLOCCVLATION METHOD 

As you advance in your cheesemaking skills, a more 
accurate method for determining when to cut the 
curd is necessary. This method uses the flocculation 
point—the moment after adding rennet to the milk, 
when the milk becomes a perceivable gel. Here’s how 
to calculate that moment and then use it to deter¬ 
mine when to cut the curd: 

1. Add rennet to the milk, stir it in thoroughly, stop the 
motion of the milk, and then immediately start a timer. 
Let’s say it is 10:00 a.m. 

2. At the same time that you start the timer, set a 
bottle cap (upside down) or a Styrofoam bowl (right- 
side up) on the surface of the milk. It should float. 

3 . Use your finger to tap the cap or bowl. It should 
glide across the milk’s surface. Keep tapping until 

it stops moving easily and seems to bounce backward 
toward your finger; at that moment, stop the timer. 

This is the flocculation point. Let’s say the time is 
now 10:10 a.m. 

4 . Take the number of minutes that passed (in our 
example 10 minutes, and in most cases somewhere 
between 4 and 15 minutes) and multiple by the numer¬ 
ical factor given in the recipe. Some cheeses have 
high flocculation factors (you’ll multiply the minutes 
by 5 or 6). Others have low factors (1.5 or 2). The higher 
the factor, the more moisture retained in the final 
cheese. For example, you’ll cut an Asiago cheese at 
three times the flocculation point because it is a 

drier cheese, whereas you’ll cut Brie at six times the 
flocculation point. 


Multiplication Factors If Using Flocculation Point 


CHEESE STYLE 

MULTIPLY BY 

WHY 

Firm, cooked cheeses 

2 to 2.5 

An earlier cut will mean a looser protein web. A looser web releases water 
more readily and creates a drier cheese. 

Cheddars, washed curd, 

cultured mozzarellas 

3 to 3.5 

These intermediate cheeses retain more water than the firmer cooked 

cheeses. 

Feta, blues 

4 

Also intermediate cheeses, but those with a higher moisture content than 
Cheddar and washed-curd styles. 

Bloomy-rinds, some 

blues 

5 to 6 

These styles have the highest water content of the renneted cheeses. The 
protein web traps a lot of the water. 


KITCHEN CREAt 

218 ’ 











HOW TO CUT SQUARE CURDS FROM 
A CYLINDRICAL POT 


HOW TO PRE PRESS CURDS 
UNDER THE WHEY 


You’ve probably been wondering how on Earth you 
can cut a cylindrical pot of milk into identical cubes 
using only a cake spatula. This is the goal—uniform 
curd pieces release water at the same rate—but it isn’t 
entirely possible. In commercial creameries, retangular 
vats of renneted milk can be cut into perfect squares 
using cheese harps. In your kitchen creamery, you’ll 
just do a close approximation. Here are two methods 
for this inexact art. 


Pressing curds under the whey before draining, also 
known as pre-pressing, helps the curds to knit together 
prior to being exposed to air and when they are still 
very warm. The result of pre-pressing is a denser, less- 
open paste in the finished cheese. 

1. After you’ve finished cooking and stirring the curds, 
pitch the curds, allowing them to sink to the bottom of 
the vat for 5 minutes. 


THE GRID METHOD 

Start with the vertical cuts. Position a long knife such 
as a curd knife (12 in/30.5 cm) or cake knife (10 to 15 in/ 
25 to 38 cm) at either the left or the right edge of the 
pot. Make a series of straight cuts all the way to the 
bottom of the pot, and equal distance apart—the dis¬ 
tance between the cuts will be specified in the recipe 
(e.g., hazelnut-size curds or 3 A-in/2-cm curds). Next, 
rotate the pot 90 degrees and make cuts perpendicular 
to the first. You will end up with a grid. Next, use your 
skimmer to make rough horizontal cuts from the top to 
the bottom of the pot. 



THE ANGLE METHOD 

Because the Grid Method (above) requires a final set 
of horizontal cuts that is technically impossible (start¬ 
ing awkwardly and getting harder as you work toward 
the bottom of the pot), try a second method that fudges 
the challenge a different way. Instead of making an 
initial grid, start by cutting into the curd at a 45 degree 
angle. Work your way from one side of the pot to the 
other and make the distance between the cuts as 
specified in the recipe (e.g., hazelnut-size curds or 
3 A-in/2-cm curds). After cutting in one direction, rotate 
the pot 90 degrees and repeat. Cut the curd in all four 
directions (north, south, east, west). This will land 
you with a bunch of trapezoids but they will be nearly 
uniform trapezoids, which is what matters. 


2 . With a clean arm, reach to the bottom of the vat. 
With your hand or a clean cheese form, slowly gather 
and press the curds together. Press for the amount of 
time specified in the recipe. 

3 . Afterward, pour off a portion of the whey and 
then move chunks of curd directly into the final form 
for pressing. 

HOW TO FILL FORMS WITH LACTIC 
ACID OR VERY SOFT SET CURD 

Lactic-acid curds, such as you’ll create when making 
Chevre (page 82), Fromage Blanc & Quark (page 84), 
Gosling (page 134), and Blue Capricorn (page 148) are 
tender, more so than curds formed through a rennet 
set. One rarely stirs lactic-acid set curds. Instead, 
gently scoop the curd directly into the draining forms. 

1. Use a skimmer or wide spoon to gather a scoop 
about 1 in/2.5 cm deep from the top of the vat, then 
lay this scoop gently into the bottom of the form (as 
opposed to dropping, dumping, or pumping it in). 

The more gently you treat the curd, the higher the yield 
(as fewer bits break off to be lost in the draining whey). 

2 . Fill the first form until it is brimming (looks like an 
ice-cream cone) before moving on to the next form. 

Do not be tempted to return to the first form to “top it 
off” until you’ve finished filling the other forms. Whey 
will rapidly drain off, making the curd that has been 

in a form longer appear to be less full. This is not the 
case—it is just more compacted. 

3 . If needed, after time has passed, return to the first 
form and refill all the forms again. Wait until the curds 
have drained at least 1 in/2.5 cm before attempting a 
first flip. 


219 





HOW TO DO A FIRST FLIP WITH 
SOFT CURDS 

An early flip with soft curd cheeses (Camembert, 

Chevre in forms, Buttercup) ensures the top and the 
bottom of the cheese are symmetrical and well-sealed. 
This is important biologically—so the cheese drains 
evenly and so there aren’t gaps and fissures on the 
cheese’s rind. Do a first flip as early as possible— 
flipping the first form as soon as you can after filling 
the last form of the fleet. When I make higher-fat 
soft-curd cheese (Buttercup), the curds take a very 
long time to drain, and it’s hours before I can do the 
first flip. With other cheeses, I can manage the first 
flip within the first 5 to 10 minutes. 

TO FLIP A SMALLER CHEESE 

1. Hold the curd-filled form in one hand, then invert it 
into the palm of the other hand. 

2 . Remove the form and set it down. 

3 . Move the free-standing cheese from one palm onto 
the other, flipping as you do so. 

4 . Quickly replace the form over the cheese in your 
hand, then invert and set on the aging mat. The cheese 
will slide down the form, with what was once the bot¬ 
tom now as the top. 

TO FLIP A LARGER (SOFT CURD) CHEESE 

Larger cheeses with very soft curds (mainly the Brie on 
page 133) are best made in bottomless forms. Using 
a second aging mat, cover the top of the form you’re 
about to flip. Use your hand to hold it in place. Carefully 
slide the fingers of your other hand underneath the 
mat beneath the cheese. Invert. In this way, soft curds 
never lose the support of the sidewalls. 

HOW TO FLIP AND REDRESS 
A CHEESE 

For a cheese to drain properly and be symmetrical on 
the top and the bottom, you’ll need to flip it at least 
once while it is pressing. When you flip the cheese, 
you’ll need to remove the cheese from the press, take 
off the follower, take off the cheesecloth, invert the 
cheese, and return it to the press. This process is called 
flipping and redressing. 

1. After the cheese has pressed for an initial period of 
time (about 5 minutes), remove the weights and the 


follower. Peel off the cheesecloth. Take the cheese 
wheel out. 

2. Flip so the top of the cheese becomes the bottom, 
then place again in the cheesecloth. Place in the 
form. Tug on the cheesecloth to tighten. Replace the 
follower and reapply weights. 

HOW TO FIGURE OUT THE AMOUNT 
OF WEIGHT TO USE 

I press cheeses by thinking in general terms: “unpressed,” 
“lightly pressed,” “medium pressed,” or “hard pressed.” 
It isn’t scientific but it’s worked. Each of these cate¬ 
gories is a ballpark range because I use barbells that 
come in 10-lb/4.5-kg increments. Here are some 
pressing guidelines. 

• In general, begin pressing with lighter weights and 
then increase in amount. For firmer cheeses, you 
can start off with medium pressure. Cheddars are 
the only cheeses where you’ll start off with a heavy 
pressing. 

• Consider the volume of cheese you are working with— 
the more cheese, the more weight you need to apply. 

• Cheese pressing can be as light as 5 lb/2.2 kg and as 
much as 50 lb/23 kg, but does not need to go beyond 
this range. 

HOW TO PRESS A CHEESE 
WITHOUT USING A FORM 

You don’t have to have a pressable form with follower 
to make a pressable, ageable cheese. You can simply 
use a piece of cheesecloth! 

1. Clean a large (no less than 24-in/61-cm) square of 
fine (#60 or #90) cheesecloth by boiling it in water for 
3 minutes. 

2 . Spread the cheesecloth over a colander, then place 
colander in the sink. 

3 . Transfer the curds out of the vat and into the 
colander. 

4 . Let the curds drain for 1 minute, then gather the cor¬ 
ners of the cheesecloth and twist them together to wring 
out more whey. While twisting, quickly turn the twist into 
a knot, securing it as close to the cheese as possible. 
Alternatively, you can secure the twist with twine. 

5 . Place the cheese on a plate or board, setting the 
knot portion of the cheesecloth in the center of the 


KITCHEN CREA 

220 


Salt: Water Ratios for Brine 


wheel (to form that characteristic indent you can see on 
page 153). Place a second board on top of the cheese, 
then put weights on top of the board. Make sure the 
weights stay centered over the cheese. 

6 . Flip and redress the wheel twice during the press¬ 
ing to ensure the wheel is complete and folds of the 
cheesecloth aren’t lost inside. 

SALTING YOUR CHEESES 

At the first creamery I worked at, we only dry salted 
the cheeses. At the next creamery, we only brined. The 
benefit of dry salting is it saves time (you don’t have to 
prepare and maintain a brine). On the other hand, dry 
salting wastes salt because you can’t save what doesn’t 
get absorbed; and managed brine can last decades. 

The choice is really yours for which method to use. 

TO DRY SALT A CHEESE 

1. Remove the cheese from its form. Weigh the cheese 
then calculate 2 percent of the cheese’s weight. (If 
the cheese weighs 2 lb/960 g, use 0.7 oz/20 g of salt). 
Weigh out the correct amount of salt. 

2 . Rub half the measured salt over the top and sides of 
the cheese. Some salt will fall away. Set the wheel on a 
draining rack and allow the salt to soak in for an hour. 
Afterward, flip and apply the second portion of the salt 
to the other side of the cheese. 

TO MAKE A BRINE 

1. Bring 1 gal/3.7 L of water to a boil, cool to 75°F/24°C 
or a similar temperature, then transfer to a plastic or 
glass container (not metal). 

2 . Add the salt to the water according to the desired 
brine strength (see chart at right). Stir until the salt 
has dissolved (unless you’re making saturated brine in 
which case add salt to the point of saturation—until no 
more salt can dissolve). Be sure to add salt at the same 
temperature every time you make a batch to ensure 
the salt content stays consistent from batch to batch 
(water absorbs more salt at higher temperatures). 

3 . Cool the brine in the fridge until it reaches between 
55° and 60°F/13° and 15°C. Make sure your cheese is 
also at the same temperature as the brine when you 
combine the two. If the brine is too warm, it causes 
the cheese to release butterfat at the rind. This creates 
a shield against incoming salt, thwarting your efforts. 
Keep the cheese in the brine for the prescribed 
amount of time. 



WATER 

SALT BY 

% 


(AT ABOUT 

WEIGHT 

SATURA- 


75°F/24°C) 


TION 

Washing brine 

1 gal/3.8 L 

0.25 lb/113 g 

3% 

Light Brine 

1 gal/3.8 L 

0.40 lb/181 g 

5% 

Medium 

1 gal/3.8 L 

0.75 lb/340 g 

8% 

Medium-Heavy 

1 gal/3.8 L 

1.5 lb/680 g 

15% 

Saturated 

1 gal/3.8 L 

2.5 lb/1.1 kg 

22% 


HOW TO FIGURE OUT DURATION OF BRINING 

I learned this equation for figuring out how long to brine 
a cheese from cheesemaking master Peter Dixon. It is 
based on using heavy (>20% salt saturation) brine. 

(height in inches) x (weight in pounds) = 

(number of hours to brine) 

For example, if your cheese is 2.5 in/6.4 cm high and 
weighs 8 lb/3.6 kg, plan to brine your cheese for 
20 hours at 55°F/13°C. Remember, if the aging area is 
cooler than this, your cheese will need to brine for 
longer and vise versa if the room is warmer. Also, 
remember other factors affect the brining process; 
if the brine tank if overflowing with other cheeses, if 
the cheese is soft- or firm-pressed, if the cheese has 
a higher or lower fat content, and if the cheese rind 
got oily while in the press (due to high temperatures). 

HOW TO MAINTAIN BRINE OVER TIME 

To maintain your brine from batch to batch, start with a 
saturated brine. Brine the first round of cheeses. When 
finished, remove the cheeses and filter the brine by 
pouring through layers of fine (#90) cheesecloth. Dis¬ 
card the sediments. Return the brine to a clean, closed 
container and store in the fridge. 

For quality control, before brining your next recipe, you 
might choose to pasteurize the brine by heating it to 
180°F/82°C and adding more salt to bring it back to the 
correct concentration. An instrument called a salom- 
eter reads how much salt is in a solution by measuring 
its density. Remember to always cool the brine before 
submerging new cheeses. 

HOW TO USE A HYDROMETER TO JUDGE 
BRINE STRENGTH 

If you are a home brewer or have a saltwater fish 
tank, you already have a device to measure the strength 
of your brine. A hydrometer measures the density of a 
fluid. For home brewers, that means the sugar content. 
For cheesemakers, that same device can measure a 


221 * 














brine’s salt content. I learned this from the Beverage 
People in Santa Rosa. To translate the hydrometer’s 
specific gravity readings into brine strength, use the 
following chart. 


BRINE 

STRENGTH 

HYDROMETER READINGS 

IN SPECIFIC GRAVITY 


Light 

1.057 to 1.074 


Medium 

1.088 tol.110 


Heavy 

1.148 to 1.169 



HOW TO DRY OR CURE A WHEEL 
PRIOR TO AGING 

When a cheese comes out of the brine, it needs to dry 
before going into an aging bin or cave. There are several 
reasons for this. First, a curing period gives the cheese 
a few days at a warmer temperature (I dry my wheels on 
the countertop, which is a little too warm but works), 
allowing the salt to dissipate and more acid to be pro¬ 
duced. Next, a curing period keeps the cheese in your 
line of sight during the first few critical days. This is 
the time period when you should watch for bloating or 
cracking (possibly signs of contamination) and when 
the cheese needs to be turned and whey removed. 
Finally, curing helps seal and establish the rind, an 
essential step for a wheel that’s going to roll down 
the long, winding road of affmage. 

TO DRY OR CURE YOUR CHEESE 

1. Remove the cheese from the brine. Pat dry with a 
clean towel. 

2 . Set the cheese on a clean aging mat, which sits on 
top of a drying rack. 

3 . Cover the cheese with cheesecloth to keep away flies 
and dust. 

4 . Flip the cheese twice daily until the rind feels just 
barely damp. 

5 . If your climate is exceedingly humid, set the aging 
rack in front of a desk fan set on the lowest speed. This 
air movement will dry the cheese in less time. 

HOW TO PREVENT CHEESE FROM 
STICKING TO CHEESECLOTH 

In recipes where the end temperature of the vat is 
higher than 110"F/43’C, the curds get hooped when 
they are still relatively warm. There are benefits to 
warm curds, such as they knit together nicely to form 


a perfect rind. But there is one potential drawback. If 
the curd is warm and heavy pressure is applied right 
away, the pressure will push the cheese through the 
pores of the cheesecloth. This cheese will reconnect 
on the outside of the cloth and essentially encapsulate 
the cloth. 

To prevent this, place your cheesecloth, or the mesh 
liner, in the whey of the vat for a minute before hooping 
the curds. This will bring the cloth to a temperature 
and acidity closer to that of the cheese. Another trick 
is to apply pressure gradually, starting with a light 
pressure and, over the course of an hour, moving to 
heavy pressure. Last, cheese is unlikely to stick if you 
flip and redress the wheel regularly, especially in the 
first 30 minutes. 

HOW TO ASH A CHEESE 

Covering a rind with vegetable ash makes for a beautiful 
aesthetic. There are a number of ways to apply the ash 
but this is what works best for me. 

1. Gather disposable gloves, several sheets of news¬ 
paper, and an empty saltshaker. 

2 . Fill the saltshaker with vegetable ash. 

3 . Close the windows and turn off any fans. Cover the 
countertop with the newspaper. 

4 . Select a cured or curing cheese when the rind is no 
longer wet. There should be little to no mold growth yet 
in the case of bloomy-rinds. 

5 . With one hand, hold the cheese (assuming it is small 
enough). With the other hand, shake the ash three to 
four times onto one surface, then rotate the cheese 
and apply to the other side. You may also apply ash 
internally to a cheese, while hooping, as you’ll do with 
the Marbler. 

6 . Set the ashed cheese on top of a mat, inside a bin. 
Cover and proceed with aging. 

HOW TO USE CREAM WAX 

Applying cream wax feels like painting your cheese 
with white glue. Oddly, cream wax even smells like 
glue. Remember that you can purchase cream wax 
either with or without Natamycin, a mold-inhibitor. 

It should be stored in a dry, dark, cool place and never 
subjected to freezing temperatures. 

1. Cure the wheel thoroughly. 


222 


K 







2 . When the cheese is dry, paint the cream wax over 
the cheese’s top and sides. Allow this to dry (for several 
hours to a day) then flip the cheese and repeat on the 
bottom, making sure to overlap at the sides. If the room 
is humid, be careful when flipping the cheese. Cream 
wax will easily peel off and leave you with spots that 
need to be retouched. 

3 . Apply two or three coats of cream wax in total. Set 
on an aging mat and proceed with aging according to 
the recipe. 

HOW TO USE CHEESE WAX 

Waxing works for semi- to firm-pressed cheeses. Wax¬ 
ing will not work for soft, unpressed, or mold-ripened 
cheeses such as queso fresco or Buttercup. It is also 
not appropriate for cheeses that need their rinds to 
develop proper flavor (such as the Marbler). 

1. Remove the cheese from the press. Trim cheese 
with a pairing knife to make the wheel smooth and 
symmetrical. If an area is distinctly rough or knobby, 
it will be coated in wax but then, ultimately, that wax 
may not easily separate from this area. Smooth sur¬ 
faces work best. 

2 . Cure the cheese until it is dry. Do not dry cheese so 
long that it starts to crack. 

3 . Place at least 5 lb/2.3 kg of plain or colored cheese 
wax into a designated pot. You will not reuse this pot 
for any other purpose once you’ve put cheese wax 
inside. Be sure the pot is wide enough that, if dipping, 
the wheel can fit. There are options other than a slow- 
cooker for melting the wax (a doubled-up disposable 
aluminum baking tray placed directly on the stovetop), 
but I find a second-hand slow-cooker is easy to find 
and easy to use. 

4 . Allow the wax approximately 2 hours to melt, 
depending on the size of the chunk. Melt at the low¬ 
est temperature setting, also, to preserve the quality 
of the wax. Too hot of a temperature will destabilize 
the wax. While melting the wax, place your cheese 
in the fridge to cool. 

5 . Place newspaper or foil underneath the area where 
you’ll be working. Wax drips are hard to clean. 

6 . Remove the cheese from the fridge and, while 
holding on tightly to one half of the wheel (as though it’s 
a big cookie you’re about to dip), dip half the cheese into 
the wax pot, then pull immediately back out. 


7 . Hold the dipped cheese in midair for 30 seconds to 
allow the wax to harden, then rotate and hold on 
to the just-dipped section. Dip the other half in. Con¬ 
tinue rotating and dipping as though you were dipping 
a clock: first cover the clock face from 12 to 6 p.m., 
then rotate and cover from 6 to 12 p.m., then rotate 
and cover from 9 to 3 p.m. and so on. Make sure the 
seams overlap. Touch up as needed using a cotton 
swab or a brush. 

• Alternative Option: Apply the wax using a clean 
2-in/S-cm natural-fiber brush. Paint multiple layers 
onto the wheel until the cheese is completely covered. 
This method creates a rougher rind and will use up 
more wax but also gets the job done. 

• Note: You may discover molds growing beneath the 
wax on the surface of the cheese when you open up 
the wheel months later. If this happens, use stricter 
sanitation. Or precoat the rind with cream wax con¬ 
taining Natamycin. Allow the cream wax to dry for 2 to 
3 days before applying the cheese-wax coat. 


cHow io 

WAX CHEESE WELL 




DRY CHEESE FIRST 
THEN PRE Coon IS FBIDOE 

AAELT WAX slowly. 
OPEN a WINDOW 

LAY 

PAPER 
NEARBY. 


GI TA GOOD GRIP. 

Dvmi. COOL. ROTATE 

IF BRUSHING WAX ON VSE 
A 

EFIIBER 

BRUSH. 

APPBY 

2, to 

3 COATS. 

SET 

CH o!r SE S save PIECES 

OF V-SED WAX. 


APPENDICES 

223 






FORMS AND PRESSES 


Here’s how to choose the correct form: 


CHEESE FORMS 

HOW TO CHOOSE THE CORRECT CHEESE FORM 

Though I make general recommendations on which size 
and style of form to use for each pertinent recipe, the 
truth is that you’ll likely make most cheeses in the same 
form! I have three Kadova molds and use them to make 
almost everything—from Bisbee Blue to Rising Moon to 
Marbler to Mountain Top. By admitting this, what I’m 
really doing is lobbying for you to buy one nice cheese 
form to start with. Once you land an easy-to-use form 
that fits with your pressing setup (if you’re pressing), 
you won’t change a thing. All of your cheeses will begin 
to look identical in shape. But that’s less important 
than the fact that they’ll be properly shaped, properly 
drained, and properly pressed. Of course, you may 
want a variety of shapes in your cave; read on for the 
most common options. 

CHEESE FORM TERMS 

Bottomless: An open tube or square shape. Ideal for 
cheeses that need to be flipped before they are drained 
enough to be very sturdy (meaning cheeses that are 
liable to spill apart when taken out of the form). An 
open bottom allows you to place an aging mat on the 
opposite side and simply invert instead of removing 
the cheese from the form. 

Disposable: Made from lightweight, less-durable plas¬ 
tic; though with care, can be reused. Not for pressed 
cheeses. Usually used for ricotta or very soft cheeses, 
which may be sold with the cheeses in them. 

Follower: The lid to the cheese form, necessary in 
order to apply pressure evenly onto the cheese and 
perfectly fitting so that cheese is not squeezed out 
in the gap where the form and the follower meet. 

Kadova: A three-part form including a base, a mesh 
liner (which replaces the cheesecloth called for in most 
recipes), and a follower. Easy to use, relatively easy to 
clean and made with replaceable parts. 

Microperforated: A newer cheese form option with 
pinpoint-size holes and an imprinted cheesecloth 
design. These forms make perfectly sealed rinds 
with no wrinkles or imperfection. They can be diffi¬ 
cult to clean. 


• Identify if the cheese needs to be pressed. If not, you 
have many more choices, because you won’t need a 
follower or lid to the form. 

• Identify if the form’s volume is in proportion to the 
volume of milk used. Remember, the cheese yields 
will be between roughly 12 and 17 percent for 
fresh cheeses and between 8 and 14 percent for 
aged cheeses. 

• Cheeses, such as the Asiago or the Zeller, cook in 
the vat and become drier and smaller before the 
curds are hooped, so they won’t take up as much 
space in the form, initially, as opposed to, say, 
the Camembert. 

• Remember that forms for cooked, pressed cheeses 
will need to be lined with cheesecloth when pressed 
to help wick the moisture out of the cheese. Cheese¬ 
cloth is not necessary if the form includes a mesh 
liner or is microperforated. 

• Cheeses that are not cooked or stirred and won’t be 
pressed (such as the Camembert) need taller forms. 
This is because the curds release most of their whey 
over many hours, not in the vat. These cheeses start 
out bulkier and shrink more. 

CHEESE PRESSES 

Pressing cheeses using heavy objects from the house 
(instead of buying a cheese press) is innovative and 
low cost but also risky. I have two favorite “pressing” 
horror stories. The first is a student who used a tall 
stack of books to press his Gouda then, for kicks, 
added a glass bottle of whisky to the top of the stack. 
The stack didn’t topple but when I saw the picture, 

I gasped. The second story is of a cheesemaker who 
set up a makeshift press in his kitchen sink. After dinner, 
his boyfriend, not knowing why there were water-filled 
jugs in the sink, proceeded to wash the spaghetti plates 
right over the cheese that had taken all day to make. 

OFF THE WALL (DUTCH-STYLE) PRESS 

The Dutch-Style or Off-the-Wall press is a smart, 
inexpensive style, which you can construct or pur¬ 
chase at minimal cost. This system uses a long 
lever arm fastened to a wall or stand. Off of the arm 
comes another downward facing arm, which pushes 
against the follower on the cheese form. To the end 
of the main arm, the cheesemaker attaches any 
amount of weight. These presses are often made of 
wood treated with natural sealant. 


KITCHEN CREA 

224 


THE CAR-JACK PRESS 


One of my favorite cheese-pressing ideas comes from 
cheesemaker Kathy Biss in the west Highlands of Scot¬ 
land. Kathy’s idea is to use a carjack to press cheese. 

In order for this system to work, there needs to be a low 
“ceiling” for the jack to work against. Don’t even think 
of pressing your cheeses under the car. Perhaps there 
is a low cabinet or the underside of a very heavy table. 
Have a jack reserved for cheese pressing alone. No one 
wants car grease in his Caerphilly. 

BARBELL WEIGHTS 

Though I always meant to do the research and buy a 
nice stainless-steel press, I ended up mastering a setup 
using gym weights. Barbell weights are helpful because 
you’ll know the exact weight you are using. They are 
easy to come by and easy to adjust. What they do need, 
though, I’ve learned, is support so that as the cheese 
compresses, the weights don’t topple over. My handy 
husband put together a frame using little more than a 
drill and some 2x4 scraps. 

WOODEN AGING BOARDS 

Wooden planks make wonderful platters for your aging 
cheese wheels, replacing the “aging mat” mentioned in 
many recipes. These planks will most likely need to be 
placed inside an aging bin, which keeps the humidity 
up if you are aging in a converted fridge. The humidity 
conditions of a walk-in aging cave or root cellar may 
be different. Planks should be made of unplaned, non- 
cracked wood. If using planed wood, you must place a 
mat between the board and the cheese to prevent the 
cheese from sticking to the board and to make sure the 
cheese gets enough oxygen underneath. 


If you are aging cheeses using aging bins and aging 
mats, you won’t need aging boards. However, if you 
have a well-humidified cave, you may be able to 
abandon the plastic bins and mats and simply set your 
cheeses on top of wooden boards. The type of boards 
you use is less important if cheeses are wax-dipped, 
cream-waxed, or vacuum-sealed and more important 
if the cheeses are smear-, bloomy-, or natural-rinded. 
The boards play a meaningful role in mold and flavor 
development and are discussed more thoroughly in the 
next section. 

WOOD TO USE 

Wooden aging boards should be sturdy enough to 
stand up to the rigor of regular washings. They should 
also provide the right amount of moisture and oxygen 
exchange. These woods will all work well: ash, beech, 
birch, cedar, cypress, fir, maple, pine. These following 
woods may stain your cheese or release compounds 
that slow or stop the development of the cheese’s rind: 
mahogany, oak, redwood, teak, walnut. 

Note that you don’t have to age your cheese on wooden 
boards, however. You can place them on an aging mat 
directly on the bottom of an aging bin. The bin will 
serve as the support, and the mat will encourage a 
balance of oxygen and moisture. 

HOW TO CLEAN AGING BOARDS 

Between batches of cheese or on a regular calendar 
schedule, scrub the boards with only water and a 
gentle scrub brush. Do not use soaps or detergents, 
which may deteriorate the wood. To dry the boards, 
leave in direct, bright sunlight for several days. This 
will not only dry the wood but will help control yeasts 
and molds by exposing the wood to UV light. 


APPENDICES 

*225 


CULTURES 

Because this book is directed at beginners, I’ve tried 
to keep the culture requirements as simple as pos¬ 
sible. There’s already enough to intimidate a new 
cheesemaker—forms, presses, milk sources, affinage! 
And cultures are probably the most daunting of all. 
There are many, many cultures to choose from; in 
addition, neither the naming system nor the dosage 
are overly obvious. Finally, how a culture works 
might not be revealed until months down the road—if 
you remembered to take good notes and if you could 
ever really isolate cultures as the sole reason for a 
cheese’s outcome. 

I suggest you use buttermilk for most of your initial 
recipes. After that, I offer specific examples of freeze- 
dried cultures to try. All of the cultures in the ingre¬ 
dients lists come from major culture manufacturer 
Danisco. You’ll be able to source these from the 
companies listed on page 234. Artisangeek.com and 
Fromagex are good places to look if you want to find 
cultures made by producers beyond Danisco and 
Chris Hansen, another global culture company. 

That said, let’s go a little further into the world of 
cheese cultures; how they’re categorized, what tem¬ 
peratures different strains like to hang out at, and 
what ways different strains affect your cheesemaking. 
Be brave and let’s go! 

MESOPHILIC VS. THERMOPHILIC 

A really basic way to organize cultures is by the terms 
mesophilic and thermophilic. This is a simplification 
but it works for the beginner. Mesophilic cultures love 


a middle temperature range and thermophilic cultures 
love a higher temperature. The terms mesophilic and 
thermophilic refer mainly to primary cultures whose 
main purpose is to produce lactic acid and not second¬ 
ary cultures, which we’ll talk about next. 

As a rule of thumb, if the recipe calls for heating and 
cooking the curds above 104”F/40°C, you are working 
primarily with thermophilic culture strains. 

PRIMARY VS. SECONDARY 

Another way to sort cultures is by what they do in the 
vat or in the cheese. Cultures can be more important 
initially, by creating lactic acid (primary culture) or 
be more important later on, by breaking down fat, 
proteins, and sugars into specific flavor compounds 
(secondary cultures). Secondary cultures—also called 
ripening cultures—can be bacteria, molds, or yeasts; 
whereas primary cultures are usually only bacteria. 
You’ll use secondary cultures for several recipes in this 
book—to make the bloomy-rinds, blues, Swiss-style, 
and washed-rind cheeses—but you’ll use primary 
cultures in almost all of the recipes (the exceptions 
being the direct-acid cheeses of Paneer, Mascarpone, 
and Quick Mozz). 

Secondary cultures do stuff to the milk and the 
cheese other than produce acid. They give a cheese 
distinction—perhaps a unique flavor or aesthetic 
direction, perhaps eyes, a pinkish rind, or a furry 
white coat. Though they actually may produce some 
acid, they cannot be used in place of primary cultures. 
They are always used in conjunction with primary 
cultures. Also, know that it is common to use several 
secondary cultures at once. For example, when you 


Comparing Mesophilic to Thermophilic Cultures 



MESOPHILIC 

THERMOPHILIC 

ACTIVITY RANGE 

65” to 104"F/18” to 40”C 

90" to 140”F/32” to 60”C 

PEAK ACTIVITY POINT 

90”F/32”C 

110”F/43”C 

EXAMPLES OF CHEESES MADE 

USING CULTURES FROM EACH 

CATEGORY 

Chevre, cottage cheese, soft cheese, 
Brie, Havarti, feta, sour cream 

Gruyere, Swiss-style cheese, Asiago, 
Alpine types, mozzarella, provolone, 

Parmesan 

EXAMPLES OF COMMERCIAL 

CULTURE MIXES 

MM100, MA11, BMSC, Aroma B, 

Flora Danica 

TA50, TA60, Thermo C 


THE BEGINNING CHEESEMAKER’S Cultured buttermilk, Plain yogurt 

ALTERNATIVE cultured sour cream 


KITCHEN CREA 

226 











make the Gosling, you’ll use both Penicillium can¬ 
didum (secondary culture) and Geotrichum candidum 
(another secondary culture). 

In the table below, I’ve bolded essential secondary 
cultures you will need to make the cheeses in this 
book. The non-bolded ones are optional and are for 
more advanced tinkering, when you are ready. 

SORTING BACTERIA CULTURES 
BY FUNCTION 

Another way to sort cultures is to think about how a 
culture strain does its work. Some cultures make lots of 
acid right away, then die off. This type of culture would 
work well with a cheese that is completed in a short 
amount of time, such as a Cheddar. It wouldn’t work for 
a Swiss-style cheese in which the final flavor and tex¬ 
ture depend on minimal acid levels at draining. Here, 


the cheesemaker chooses a culture that produces acid 
slowly and over a longer period of time. 

Other times, cheesemakers add bacterial cultures 
to the milk only to produce unique enzymes. These 
enzymes turn fats and proteins into wonderful flavors. 
Cultures that do this are known as NSLABS or non¬ 
starter lactic-acid bacteria. The term non-starter 
means these bacteria do not form that starting wave 
of acid that helps to initially acidify the milk into curds. 

Different strains or subspecies have different acid- 
producing qualities or different enzymatic contributions 
to the cheese. You don’t need to understand the intri¬ 
cacies of bacteriology but only to know that, invisibly 
right before your eyes, each microorganism you add to 
your vat is contributing in a unique way. These micro¬ 
organisms are only one factor that determines the end 
product but they are an important one. 


Examples of Secondary Cultures 


CULTURE 

TYPE 

USAGE 

CHEESE 

EXAMPLES 

EXAMPLE OF 

PRODUCT NAME 

B. linens 

Bacteria 

One of the most well-known red-rind 
forming bacteria. Only used on washed- and 
smear-rinds. 

Zeller (via the 
Red Rind Wash) 

B. Linens or 
Coryneform 

Candida 

Yeast 

Used in addition to other ripening cultures, 
Candida adds aroma and flavor to washed-, 
smear-, bloomy-, and natural-rinded cheeses. It 
often “sets the stage” for other desired species. 

Brie, Marbler, 

Camembert 

CUM 

Geotrichum 

candidum 

Mold 

For rapid surface mold growth. Often used with 
Penicillium candidum but also sometimes alone. 
Will occur naturally on numerous cheese styles. 

Bloomy-rinds, 

washed-rinds 

Geo 2, Geo 13 

Kluyveromyces 

Yeast 

Used to complement bloomy- and washed-rind 
cheeses, also can be added to blue cheeses to 
complement mold growth, and in washed-curd 
cheeses such as a Gouda. 

Marbler, Gouda, 

Bisbee Blue 

KL 71 

Leuconostoc 

medenteroides 
subsp. cremoris 

Bacteria 

Used with a primary culture such as MM100, 
produces C0 2 gas and additional butter flavor. 
Great for sheep’s milk. 

Blues, Gouda, 
Havarti, 

Pecorino 

LM 

Penicillium 

candidum 

Mold 

For surface mold growth. Nearly always used in 
conjunction with Geotrichum candidum. 

Brie, 

Camembert 

PC VS, PC ABL, PC 
Neige 

Penicillium 

roqueforti 

Mold 

Blue cheese molds can be found in different 
colors (green, light blue, dark blue) that have 
different flavors and “blue flavor” intensities. 

Blue cheeses 

PV 

Propionic 

Bacteria 

Bacteria 

Causes gas production inside the wheel, 
creating signature “Swiss” eye holes. 

Jarlsberg, 
Mountain Top 

Propionibacteria 

or PS1 


227 















CULTURE BLENDS 


You’ll rarely work with just one strain, meso, or thermo¬ 
philic culture. More likely, you will work with a blend 
containing strains that are active across a range of tem¬ 
peratures and at a range of rates. This can be a helpful 
buffer as your vat isn’t likely to be at the exact tempera¬ 
ture throughout the entire cheesemaking process. 


CORRECT CULTURE DOSAGES 

Although in this book I offer simplified cultures 
amounts—often Vs tsp or “a pinch”—that have 
been tested for success within the bounds of 
interpretation and standard home kitchen tools, 
there is a more accurate way to figure out the 
dosage rate when using freeze-dried cultures. 

On the label of every packet of freeze-dried 
cultures are two pieces of information: the 
weight of the contents of the package and the 
number of doses within, often listed as a DCU— 
which stands for Danisco (the manufacturer) 
Culture Inoculant. A DCU is how much to use 
per 26-gal/100-L batch of milk. 

Figuring out how much culture to use for a 
2-gal/7.5-L home batch will take a little work. 
You’ll need a gram scale and will have to do 
some quick math. Take the weight of the packet 
(for example 39 g) and the doses per packet 
(for example 10 DCU). Divide the weight of the 
packet by how many servings are inside to find 
out how much one DCU weighs (in this case 39 
divided by 10 equals 3.9 grams). Then figure out 
how your vat compares to the standard 100-L vat 
by doing simple algebra: 100 multiplied by 3.9 
multiplied by 2 equals .078 grams or 78 mg of 
culture. Phew! 

With this equation, you can calculate how much 
culture to use when scaling up and scaling down 
the size of recipes (given you have that gram 
scale). However, if you are only eye-balling it 
(as I often do), you’re probably overadding 
your cultures, especially when making smaller 
batches (it’s hard to see Vie of a teaspoon!). 

Use a tiny bit less culture than you think you 
should when scaling down. 


KITCHEN CREAt 


228 



Examples of Culture Blends 


COMMERCIAL NAME CHEESE 

EXAMPLES 

KEY CHARACTERISTICS 


Kazu 

Aged Tomme 

Acid production with additional complex “sweeter” aged notes 

MA4000 series 

Cheddars 

Excellent for lactic-acid production, moderate gas production 

MT1 

Feta 


Mix offers both acid production and good flavor development 

RA Series 

Cheddar, feta, chevre 

Rapid acidification 


Attributes of Key Bacterial Cultures 

GENUS 

GENERAL 

CATEGORY 

TEMPERATURE RANGE 

OPTIMUM GROWTH 

CHARACTERISTICS 

Lactococcus 

Mesophilic 

68° to 102°F/2O° to 39 °C 

78° to 92°F/26° to 33°C 

Primary acid production for 
cheeses not cooked to higher 
temperatures 

Leuconostoc 

Mesophilic 

64° to 86°F/l8° to 30 °C 

70° to 78°F/21° to 26°C 

Produces gas that causes eyes 
to form, butter flavor (diacetyl) 

Lactobacillus 

NSLABs 

Mesophilic 

68° to 108°F/2O° to 42 °C 

85° to 100°F/29° to 38°C 

Highly strain dependent for 
flavor and aroma production 

Streptococcus 

Thermophilus 

Thermophilic 

70° to 120°F/21° to 49 °C 

102° to 110°F/39° to 43°C 

Rapid or slow acid producer 
(depending on strain) 

Lactobacillus 

acidifiers 

Thermophilic 

90° to 125°F/32° to S2°C 

100° to 115°F/38° to 46°C 

Survives high temperatures 
and continues producing acid 
as temperature drops 


APPENDICES 

229 















BUTTERFAT CHART 

The percentage of butterfat in store-bought milk or 
cream is rarely labeled and often falls within a stan¬ 
dardized range. It’s one of the imperfect parts of the 
home cheesemaking process because it is helpful 
for you to know the amount of butterfat in your milk 
or cream when making a recipe. Luckily, the range is 
narrow so you can’t ever be too far off. 


HOW TO MIX YOUR OWN 
GNHOMOGENIZED MILK 

If you don’t live in an area of the country that sells 
cream line—unhomogenized — milk, don’t fret. You 
may be able to make your own. For this process to 
work, you need to confirm that the heavy cream you’ll 
be using is unhomogenized and that the milk is not 
ultra-pasteurized. Much of the heavy cream in the 
United States is homogenized and often milk is heated 
above regulation temperatures, even though it is still 
simply labeled as “pasteurized.” You may have to 
test run a cheese recipe or call the milk distributor 
to see if your cream and milk are good to go. 

1. Pour 1 gal/3.8 L non-fat milk into a pot. 

2 . Add 1 3 A cups/415 ml heavy cream (36% butterfat) 
to bring the butterfat level up to roughly 3.6%. 



Butterfat Range 

Best Uses 

Skim Milk and Non-Fat 

0 to 0.5% 

Quark 

2% Milk and Semi- 

Skimmed 

0.5 to 2% 

Swiss-style cheese such as Jarlsberg (but only by mixing 
unhomogenized whole milk with skim to form a partial skim) 

Whole Milk 

3.6 to 4% 

All recipes 

Half-and-Half 

12% fat (range 10.5 to 18%) 

Cream cheese, whole milk ricotta 

Light Cream 

20% fat (range 18 to 30%) 

Cream cheese, whole milk ricotta 

Whipping Cream 

30% 

Sour cream, butter, mascarpone 

Fleavy Cream and 
Manufacturing Cream 

36 to 40% 

Sour cream, butter, mascarpone 


KITCHEN CREA 

230 











SANITATION 


STARSAN 


NON CHEMICAL AND CHEMICAL 
SANITIZERS 

STEAM 

I’m listing my favorite sanitizer first: Steam. Any metal 
tools you’ll be using that fit into your milk vat can 
be cleaned beforehand with a steam bath. Add your 
equipment to your vat, then add water until it reaches 
1 in/2.5 cm up the side. Cover the pot, bring it to a boil, 
and boil for 5 minutes. Afterward, carefully remove all 
the tools using tongs and set out on a clean (prefera¬ 
bly) white towel near where you’ll be making cheese. 
You can also just use the dishwasher. For towels and 
cheesecloth, I run them through the washing machine 
then through the dryer. 

HEAT 

Home canners confirm that heat is also an effective way 
to sterilize surfaces. When I first met my husband, he 
prepped jars for jam by placing them in the oven, then 
baking the whole deal for 10 minutes at 300°F/149°C. 

BLEACH 

The most commonly used sanitizer for home cheese¬ 
making is bleach, hands down. The upshot of this 
option is that bleach is inexpensive, readily available, 
and isn’t too difficult to work with. I’ve used bleach 
for much of my cheesemaking career, so much so that 
I have a bit of an association between the smell of 
bleach and cheesemaking altogether. 

The drawback of bleach is that it isn’t good for the envi¬ 
ronment. Bleach, if put into repeat or long-term contact 
with your (expensive) stainless-steel equipment, can 
also cause pitting. Its fumes can be noxious if inhaled at 
high concentrations over extended periods of time. 


Starsan is a product coming to us from the brewing 
world. It is an acid sanitizer that needs only a minute of 
contact time with your equipment to be effective. It is 
promoted as not having to be rinsed away (if used at 
the proper concentration of 0.2 oz/5.6 g per 1 gal/3.8 L 
of water) as well as not leaving off-flavors behind. 

I would still rinse everything just in case. 

IODOPHOR 

lodophor, a version of iodine, is another easy-to-use 
sanitizer option. Use at a concentration of V 2 tbsp per 
2.5 gal/1.5 ml per 1.9 L of water. I often prepare a large 
5-gal/19-L bucket of lodophor to have on hand during 
a cheesemake day. I dunk items in for 3 minutes, rinse, 
then place on a clean towel to drain before using. 

LET THE GOOD GUYS LIVE 

Now that you’ve cleaned every surface and scrutinized 
every microbe, I want to remind you why we’re here 
in the first place: to encourage the growth of micro¬ 
organisms. If you are too aggressive with a cleaning 
regimen, or if you aren’t thorough enough in rinsing away 
soaps and sanitizers, you’ll be working against yourself. 

I remember a cheesemaker I worked with in Italy being 
downright nervous about the sanitizer he was made to 
use by the local Department of Health. He would make 
sure that each time cheese forms came out of the sani¬ 
tizer bath that I stood with the hose and doused each 
individual form with water for one entire minute. That’s 
a lot of water. But the point stayed with me. We are 
shepherding biological communities. A slight alteration 
may stop them from flourishing or may change the 
community design. 

Microorganisms are found everywhere from under 
fingernails to the depths of the ocean floor to nooks 
well inside the Earth’s mantel. They are everywhere 
in a greater way than I can really even understand. 
They were the first forms of life to exist on Earth, which 
alone should incite a bit of humility. 


231 


SAMPLE MAKE SHEET FOR HOME CHEESEMAKING 


NAME OF CHEESE 


RECIPE SOURCE DATE MADE 


BATCH NUMBER 


MILK PURCHASED AT EXPIRATION DATE 


BRAND 


NUMBER OF GALLONS/LITERS USED 


ADDED CREAM 


TYPE OF MILK: COW / GOAT / SHEEP / WHOLE / NON-FAT / 2% / HOMOGENIZED / RAW 



TIME / TEMPERATURE / PH 

OTHER INFO 

Fill vat with milk 



Add prehydrated cultures 

tsp/ g 

tsp/ g 

Type: 

Type: 

Allow cultures to incubate 

Minutes: 


Add CaCL 2 

Add Annatto 

tsp/ ml 

tsp/ ml 


Add Rennet 

tsp/ ml 

Type: 

Allow rennet to set 

Minutes: 

Flocculation Factor: 


Cut curd 

Time: 

pH: 

Lentils / beans / hazelnuts / grapes / ladled into 
forms 

Stir / heat / wash curds 



Stir / heat / wash curds 



Stir / heat / wash curds 



Allow curds to settle 

Minutes: 

Prepress under whey: Y / N 

Drain off whey 



Salt (if appropriate) 



Hoop curds 


# of forms: 

Press 

Weight: 

Duration: 

Brine or dry salt 


Duration: 

Brine Saturation: 


KITCHEN CREAMERY 

232 






























AGING INFORMATION 


LOCATION 


TEMPERATURE HUMIDITY 


RIND TREATMENT(S) 


DATE 

ACTION 

(Flip, Oil, New Wax Coat, Brushing, etc.) 

NOTES 

(changes in smell, coloring, cracking, etc.) 




































































233 































RESOURCES 


When all your pasta pots are in use, all your sweater 
bins repurposed, the medicine dropper missing, and 
half your fridge given over to cheese projects, it’s time 
to expand your collection of cheesemaking supplies 
and probably set up that cave. You’ll find nearly every¬ 
thing you need at each of the companies listed here. 
See what works best for your location and specific 
cheesemaking needs. 

CHEESEMAKING SUPPLY 
COMPANIES 

ARTISAN GEEK: A source for hard-to-find specialty 
items, such as spruce-bark straps and thistle rennet. 
artisangeek.com 

THE BEVERAGE PEOPLE: With a broad understand¬ 
ing of all fermentation processes, the Beverage People 
spearheaded one of the first home cheesemaking 
clubs in the country, called “Wheyward Bound.” 
Inexpensive shipping and excellent customer service. 
www.thebeveragepeople.com 

caprine SUPPLY: Wide selection of equipment for 
milk handling and dairy farm management with a focus 
on goats. Look here to find stainless-steel milk cans, 
buckets, small-scale cream separators, and more. 
www.caprinesupply.com 

THE CHEESE MAKER: Supplier of Chris Hansen-brand 
cultures (another culture line different from those cul¬ 
tures suggested in this book) to the home-scale 
cheesemaker. Excellent customer service and free 
shipping, www.thecheesemaker.com 

CULTURES FOR HEALTH: A company focused on 
home fermentation, also a unique online source for 
Kefir grains and Scandinavian yogurt cultures. 
www.culturesforhealth.com 

DAIRY CONNECTION: Caters to both large-scale 
commercial producers as well as home-scale efforts. 
Ideal for the committed cheesemaker (who can buy 
ten-dose culture packets vs. single-use ones). 
www.dairyconnection.com 

FROMAGEX: Serves Canada and the United States with 
a unique selection of cultures (wide variety of ripening 
cultures), interesting forms, tools, ripening papers, and 
more, www.fromagex.com 


GLENGARRY CHEESEMAKING: Run by a sage of the 
cheesemaking movement, Margaret Morris, Glengarry 
offers a selection of ingredients, tools, and even con¬ 
sulting services for new creamery layout and design. 
www.glengarrycheesemaking.on.ca 

HOEGGER’S: Offers products related to goat husbandry, 
homesteading crafts, and especially cheese and dairy 
processing. Their website links to blogs and other fun 
community connections, www.hoeggerfarmyard.com 

MOORLANDS CHEESEMAKERS LTD: Athorough 
selection of tools and ingredients needed for 
the home cheesemaker. Also, check for info on 
cheesemaking classes in the United Kingdom. 
www.cheesemaking.co.uk 

NEW ENGLAND CHEESEMAKING: Focused on home- 
and farmstead-scale cheese operations, Ricki Carroll, 
the “Cheese Queen,” started this hub of cheese activity 
(which includes classes) in 1984. Website includes help¬ 
ful articles, blogs, and Q & A. www.cheesemaking.com 

CLASSES AND CERTIFICATIONS 

IN THE UNITED STATES 

• Find classes through a cheese guild or cooperative 
extension. 

• Take a class at The Cheese School of San Francisco— 
the only independent school in the United States 
devoted strictly to the topic of cheese. 

• Take a class at a nearby creamery. 

• Look for classes offered through college and uni¬ 
versity dairy programs. Examples include College 
of Marin’s Artisan Cheesemaking Program, Basic 
Cheesemaker’s License Program at University of 
Wisconsin, Cheesemaking Short Course at Cal 
Poly in San Luis Obispo, and short courses at the 
Washington State University Creamery. 

IN THE UNITED KINGDOM 

AB CHEESEMAKING, CHESHIRE: Well-known site for 
trainings and consultations, www.abcheesemaking 
.co.uk 

ABBEY HOME FARM, CIRENCESTER: Multiple courses 
on topics of cooking and sustainable living, www 
.theorganicfarmshop.co.uk/courses/cheese-making 


KITCHEN CREAN 

234 


CHEESE SCHOOL, BRISTOL: Join Fiona and Jess for 
a cheesemaking and cheese tasting extravaganza. 
www.cheeseschool.co.uk 

CUTTING THE CURD, DORSET: A homesteading enthu¬ 
siast who teaches classes on making soft and fresh 
cheeses, www.cuttingthecurd.co.uk 

HARTINGTONS, DERBYSHIRE: A cooking school with 
cheesemaking courses held in a converted saw mill. 
www.hartingtons.com 

HIGH WEALD DAIRY, WEST SUSSEX: Enjoy a cheese¬ 
making course amid award-winning cheesemakers 
known for their cow’s, goat’s and sheep’s cheeses. 
www.highwealddairy.co.uk 

RIVER COTTAGE, DEVON: A cooking school linked 
with an online community, several canteens, and 
a television show all in a breathtaking location. 
www.rivercottage.net 

SCHOOL OF ARTISAN FOOD, NOTTINGHAMSHIRE: 

An excellent resource for the beginner through the 
advanced cheesemaker. www.schoolofartisanfood.org 

WEST HIGHLAND DAIRY, SCOTLAND: Author and 
cheesemaker Kathy Biss offers cheesemaking courses 
on her dairy farm, www.westhighlanddairy.co.uk 

IN AUSTRALIA 

ARTISAN CHEESEMAKING ACADEMY OF AUSTRALIA, 
MULTIPLE CAMPUS LOCATIONS: The country’s 
only teaching academy dedicated to the 
craft of cheesemaking: www.tafesa.edu.au/ 
artisan-cheese-making-academy-australia 

CHEESE LINKS, VICTORIA: Offering hands-on classes 
for beginners as well as selling cheesemaking equip¬ 
ment and supplies, www.cheeselinks.com.au 

CHEESEMAKING AUSTRALIA, QUEENSLAND: Half-day, 
two-day, or private cheesemaking courses offered. 
www.cheesemaking.com.au 

IN CANADA 

THE CHEESEMAKING WORKSHOP, WHISTLER, BC: 

Learn a variety of fun, easy cheese recipes firsthand at 
this workshop in British Columbia. 
www.thecheesemakingworkshop.com 

GLENGARRY CHEESEMAKING SUPPLY: Run by cheese 
guru Margaret Morris, Glengarry offers resources for 
both the hobbyist and the professional cheesemaker. 
www.glengarrycheesemaking.on.ca/workshops.htm 


UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA FARM: Home¬ 
steading classes on topics such as bread making, brew¬ 
ing, and home cheesemaking. Sign up for their mailing 
list to stay in the loop, www.ubcfarm.ubc.ca 

UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH: Has an annual five-day 
cheesemaking intensive. Additionally, their website is 
a fantastic resource, www.uoguelph.ca/foodscience/ 
cheese-making-technology 

IN IRELAND 

BALLYMALOE COOKERY SCHOOL, CORK: Situated 
on a 100-acre organic farm, this school offers a range 
of classes on topics, including butter-, yogurt-, and 
cheesemaking: www.cookingisfun.ie 

KEEP LEARNING 

• Find or start a cheesemaking club in your area. 

• Join a cheese guild as an enthusiast or hobby 
member. 

• Enter or initiate an amateur cheesemaking contest as 
part of a community event or county fair. 

• Cheese Forum—join this incredible online commu¬ 
nity of home and professional cheesemakers sharing 
wisdom, recipes, and more. Nothing comes close 

to the quantity of information shared on this site. 
www.cheeseforum.org/forum/ 

KEEP BEING INSPIRED 

BLOGS 

CHEESE NOTES: Blogger Matt Spiegler will keep you in 
the loop, entertained, and hungry for more and more of 
his awesome cheese photos, www.cheesenotes.com 

CURD NERD: Join the Curd Nerd on her excellent 
adventures in home cheesemaking. Follow her by email 
to get fresh updates on a range of cheesemaking ideas. 
www.curd-nerd.com 

HEINENNELLIE: An inspiring documentation of a 
home cheesemaker turned professional. He sets up an 
aging cave under a sidewalk in Brooklyn, New York. 
www.heinennellie.blogspot.com 

LITTLE GREEN CHEESE: Enjoy this blog by a sustainable- 
living expert in Australia giving detailed instructions 
and video tutorials on cheesemaking. 
www.littlegreencheese.com 


235 


MADAME FROMAGE: A beautifully composed weekly 
and sometimes daily essay on all things cheese. 
www.madamefromageblog.com 

MILK’S LEAP: Enjoy the adventures of home cheese- 
maker Caitlin Harvey (who also kindly tested recipes 
for this book), www.milksleap.wordpress.com 

HELPFUL SITES 

FANKHAUSER’S CHEESE PAGE: A great stop for reci¬ 
pes, explanations, and tips, www.biology.clc.uc.edu/ 
fankhauser/cheese/cheese.html 

SMALL DAIRY: Dairy queen Vicki Dunaway created 
her site to help small-scale dairies and cheesemakers 
share info. Look here to find used dairy equipment, 
apprenticeships, and more, www.smalldairy.com 

KEEP READING 

The Art of Fermentation, Sandor Katz: A nice way to 
round out your understanding of fermentation. Katz will 
quickly become your hero, if he isn’t already. 

Mastering Artisan Cheesemaking, Gianaclis Caldwell: 
The very best book for cheesemakers ready to tackle 
advanced cheesemaking concepts. 


MAKE FRIENDS WITH THE MONGER 

Last, because cheesemaking leaves you with a product 
that must be eaten or shared (and sometimes, in short 
order), cheese can lead to friendships. As you spread 
the cheese, why not befriend a cheesemonger? They are 
busy people, but if you lean against the display cases 
in the quietest hours of a Tuesday afternoon, you’ll 
find their brains brimming with knowledge. A cheese¬ 
monger’s experience fits perfectly with what you are 
learning at the vat. Bring your mongers questions, 
listen to their answers, and then buy a hearty chunk 
of something to inspire you and to keep their (often 
independent) shops in business. 


KITCHEN CREAK 

236 


REFERENCES 


BOOKS 

Amrein-Boyes, Debra. 2009. 200 Easy Homemade 
Cheese Recipes. Robert Rose Publishing. Ontario, 
Canada. 

Biss, Kathy. 1988. Practical Cheesemaking. The 
Crowood Press. Wilteshire, England. 

Fox, P.F., Guinee, T.P., Cogan, T.M., McSweeney, 

P.L.H. 2000. Fundamentals of Cheese Science. Aspen 
Publishers, Inc. Gaithersburg, MD. 

Hill, Arthur. 1995. Chemistry of Structure-Function 
Relationships in Cheese. Plenum Press. New York, NY. 

Kosokowsky, F., Mistry, V. 1997. Cheese and Fermented 
Milk Foods. New England Cheesemaking Supply 
Company. Ashfield, MA. 

McCalman, M., Gibbons, D. 2005. Cheese: A 
Connoisseur’s Guide to the World’s Best. Crown 
Publishing. New York, NY. 

Valenze, Deborah. 2011. Milk: A Local and Global 
History. Yale University Press. New Haven, CT. 

Wong, N., Jenness, R., Keeney, M., Marth, E. 1988. 
Fundamentals of Dairy Chemistry. Van Nostrand 
Reinhold Co. New York, NY. 

WEBSITES, PAPERS, 

AND LECTURES 

Chenry, P. “Ways to Clean Fresh Herbs.” (online forum 
comment) www.cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/ 
topic,11582.0/topicseen.html (July, 2013). 

-.“When Proteins Bind with Direct Acid.” (online 

forum comment) www.cheeseforum.org/forum/index 
.php/topic,11568.0/topicseen.html (July, 2013). 

Dixon, Peter. “Advanced Cheesemaking and Affinage.” 
(class lecture) College of Marin, Novato, CA. 

(February 15, 2013). 

Dunaway, Vicki. Cream Line: A New Voice for 
Little Dairies, (paper) Self-published. Willis, VA. 
(2001-2009). 


Hill, Arthur. “Structural Elements of Milk,” Figure 8.1, 
after Walstra and Jenness, 1984, Dairy Chemistry and 
Physics (section in book), Wiley and Sons, NY, (2009) 
University of Guelph, Food Science, www.uoguelph.ca/ 
foodscience/cheese-making-technology/list-figures 
(August 2012). 

Lammert, Amy. “Milk Types.” (class lecture) College of 
Marin, Novato, CA. (March 28, 2012). 

Potter, Dave. “Cheese Chemistry.” (class lecture) 
College of Marin, Novato, CA. (October 7, 2011). 

Rosenberg, Moshe. “Cheese Defects.” (class lecture) 
College of Marin, Novato, CA. (September 26, 2011). 

Wolfe, Benjamin. “Cheese Rind Microbiology.” (class 
lecture) College of Marin, Novato, CA. (January 11, 
2013). 



“The Science of Artisan Cheese”—Videos of presen¬ 
tations. Cheesenotes.com/post/39488071028/ 
science-of-artisan-cheese-videos (September 2012). 

• Larcher, I., Kehler, M. “Quality & Control (in Artisan 
Cheesemaking).” 

• Montel, Marie-Christine. “Raw Milk Microbial 
Biodiversity & Its Influences.” 

• Paxson, Heather. “Risk Perception & Categoriza¬ 
tion: Artisanship in the 21st Century.” 


237 



INDEX 


A 

Acidification, 39-40 
Acid substitution, 75 
Affinage. See Aging 
AfiLact, 199 

Aging. See also Pressed and aged cheeses 
air flow and, 196, 197 
bins, 29, 34, 225 
of bloomy-rind cheeses, 127-28 
of blue cheeses, 129-30 
boards, 34, 225 
cave for, 193-96, 197 
cold-smoking, 190, 193 
of cut cheeses, 201 
growth inhibitors and, 198, 199 
guidelines for, 189 
humidity and, 189, 195-96, 197 
judging ripeness and, 198, 201 
mats, 29, 34, 225 
recording information on, 233 
rind treatments and, 189-90, 196-98 
styles for, 189 
temperature and, 189, 195 
trust and, 12 

of washed-rind cheeses, 117 
wheel size and, 189 
Ammonia, 216 
Angle method, 219 
Annatto, 27 

Appenzeller-style cheese 
Zeller, 123-25 
Appleton Creamery, 209 
Ash, 28, 222 
Asiago, 183-85 


B 

Baby Jack, 152-55 
Baker’s cheese, 87 
Bandage-Wrapped Cheddar, 159 
Batch pasteurization, 22 
Beer-Ripened Bel Paese, 95 
Beginning cheeses 

Beer-Ripened Bel Paese, 95 
Bel Paese, 94-95 
Chevre, 82-83 
Cream Cheese, 86 
Fromage Blanc, 84 
making, 67-69, 72-73 
Mascarpone, 81 
Paneer, 74-75 
Pot Cheese, 87 
Quark, 84 

Queso Fresco, 91-92 
troubleshooting, 214 
Whey Ricotta, 76-78 
Whole Milk Ricotta, 80 
Bel Paese, 94-95 
Beverage coolers, 40 

Bisbee Blue (Forme d’Ambert Style), 144-45 
Bleach, 231 
Bliss, Kathy, 225 
Blogs, 235-36 
Bloomy-rind cheeses 
aging of, 127-28, 190 
Buttercup (Coulommiers Style), 137-39 
Camembert, 132-33 
Gosling (Valengay Style), 134-36 
judging ripeness of, 128-29 
microorganisms in, 127 
presenting, 205-6 
size of, 127 


KITCHEN CREAK 

238 


storing, 203 
troubleshooting, 215 
Truffle Brie, 133 
Blue cheeses 

aging of, 129-30 

Bisbee Blue (Forme d’Ambert Style), 144-45 
Blue Capricorn, 148-49 
characteristics of, 129 
isolating, 131 

microorganisms in, 130-31 
presenting, 205-6 
Stilton, 140-41 
storing, 203 
troubleshooting, 216 
Brevibacterium linens, 227 
Brie 

Camembert vs., 127 
Truffle Brie, 133 
Brines 

duration of, 221 
Feta Brine, 99 

judging strength of, 221-22 
maintaining, 221 
making, 221 
Bulgarian yogurt, 43 
Burrata, 165, 170 
Butter 

Cultured Butter, 56-60 
flavored, 60 
gadgets, 61, 62 
Ghee, 63 
molding, 62 
storing, 60 

Buttercup (Coulommiers Style), 137-39 
Butterfat, 230 
Buttermilk 
buying, 25 
making, 50 
starting with, 25 
types of, 49 


C 

Caerphilly, 160-61 
Calcium chloride (CaCl 2 ), 22, 26-27 
Camembert, 127, 132-33 
Candida, 227 
Casein, 39 
Caving, 193-96, 197 
Cheddar-style cheeses 
Baby Jack, 152-55 
Bandage-Wrapped Cheddar, 159 
Caerphilly, 160-61 
characteristics of, 151 
resealing rind of, 161 
Traditional Cheddar, 156-57 
troubleshooting, 216 
Cheese (general) 
aging, 117 
cutting, 200 
evaluating, 204-5 
final forms of, 14-15 
freezing, 203-4 
naming, 206 

presenting and serving, 205-6 
shipping, 204, 205 
storing, 203 
Cheese (recipes) 

Asiago, 183-85 
Baby Jack, 152-55 
Bandage-Wrapped Cheddar, 159 
Beer-Ripened Bel Paese, 95 
Bel Paese, 94-95 

Bisbee Blue (Forme d’Ambert Style), 144-45 
Blue Capricorn, 148-49 
Burrata, 170 

Buttercup (Coulommiers Style), 137-39 
Caerphilly, 160-61 
Camembert, 132-33 
Chevre, 82-83 

Classic Yellow-Colored Gouda, 109 
Cream Cheese, 86 


239 


Cultured Mozzarella, 174-75 

Cumin Gouda, 109 

Divino (Gouda Style), 106-9 

Farmer’s Cheese, 48 

Fromage Blanc, 84 

Gosling (Valengay Style), 134-36 

Havarti, 104-5 

Marbler (Morbier Style), 118-21 
Mascarpone, 81 

Mountain Top (Gruyere Style), 180-82 

Paneer, 74-75 

Pecorino, 186-87 

Pot Cheese, 87 

Provolone, 176-77 

Quark, 84 

Queso Fresco, 91-92 
Quick Mozz, 168 

Rising-Moon (Jarlsberg Style), 111-12 
Stilton, 140-41 
Tilsiter, 122 

Traditional Cheddar, 156-57 
Truffle Brie, 133 
Tvorog, 88 

Whey Ricotta, 76-78 
Whole Milk Ricotta, 80 
Zeller (Appenzeller Style), 123-25 
Cheesecloth 

alternatives to, 34, 37 
attributes of, 34 

preventing cheese from sticking to, 222 
thread count of, 29, 37 
Cheese forms, 25, 31, 34-35, 69, 224 
Cheese harps, 32 

Cheesemaking. See also individual cheeses 
basic steps of, 19, 67-69, 72 
beginning, 11-12 
classes and certifications, 234-35 
coagulation methods for, 65, 67 
community and, 209, 236 
equipment for, 29, 31-35 
inspiration sources for, 235-36 


motivations for, 10-11 
parenting analogy for, 209 
preparation for, 36 
processes, 218-23 
sample make sheet for, 232-33 
sanitation and, 36 
scaling recipes up or down, 16-17 
slang, 72-73 
subtle differences in, 13 
supply companies, 234 
troubleshooting, 214-17 
variables in, 20 
yield for, 16 
Cheese mites, 197, 198 
Cheesemongers, befriending, 236 
Cheese paper, 203 

Cheese presses, 34, 69, 220-21, 224-25 

Cheese trier, 34 

Cheese wax, 31, 34, 223 

Chevre, 82-83 

Chiles 

Bel Paese, 94-95 
Chymosin, 25, 26 
Citric-acid powder, 75 
Classic Yellow-Colored Gouda, 109 
“Clean break” test, 72, 218 
Coagulants, 25-26 
Coagulation methods, 65, 67 
Cold-smoking, 34, 190, 193 
Colorants, 27 

Coryneform bacteria, 115, 116, 130, 227 
Cottage cheese 

California-style, 87 
definition of, 87 
flavored, 87 

Coulommiers-style cheese 
Buttercup, 137-39 
Cowgirl Creamery, 13 
Cream, 28-29 
Cream Cheese, 41, 86 
Cream wax, 31, 34, 222-23 


KITCHEN CREAN 

240 


Crema, Mexican, 54 
Creme FraTche, 55 
Cultured Butter, 56-60 
Cultured Mozzarella, 172-74 
Cultures 

attributes of key, 229 
blends of, 228-29 
choosing, 14, 25, 226 
dosages of, 228 

mesophilic vs. thermophilic, 226 
prehydrating freeze-dried, 101 
primary vs. secondary, 226-27 
sorting, by function, 227 
storing, 25 
using, 25 
for yogurt, 41 
Cumin Gouda, 109 
Curd knives, 32, 34 
Curds 

“clean break” test for, 72, 218 
cutting, 67-68, 72, 218-19 
healing period for, 72 
lactic-acid, 219 
pitching, 73 
pre-pressing, 219 
separating, from whey, 68 
Cutting tools, 200 

D 

Direct-acid cheeses 

acid substitution in, 75 
characteristics of, 65 
Mascarpone, 81 
Paneer, 74-75 
storing, 203 
troubleshooting, 214 
Whey Ricotta, 76-78 
Whole Milk Ricotta, 80 
Divino (Gouda Style), 106-9 


Dixon, Peter, 221 
Dutton, Rachel, 197 

E 

Equipment 
sanitizing, 36 
types of, 29, 31-35 

F 

Farmer’s cheese, 48, 87 
Feta, 96-99 
Flavorings, 28 

Flocculation point, 105, 218 
Forme d’Ambert-style cheese 
Bisbee Blue, 144-45 
Forms, 25, 31, 34-35, 69, 224 
Freezers, as caves, 194 
Freezing, 203-4 
Fromage Blanc, 84 

G 

Gelatin, 41 

Geotrichum candidum, 115, 127, 227 
Ghee, 63 

Gosling (Valengay Style), 134-36 
Gouda-style cheeses 

Classic Yellow-Colored Gouda, 109 
Cumin Gouda, 109 
Divino (Gouda Style), 106-9 
Greek-style yogurt, 43 
Grid method, 219 
Growth inhibitors, 198, 199 
Gruyere-style cheese 
Mountain Top, 180-82 


241 


H 


Harps, 32 
Havarti, 104-5 
Heating period, 72 
Heat, sterilizing with, 231 
Heating pads, 41 
Herbs 

as flavorings, 28 

Herb Wash, 125 
Hold Bac, 199 
Homogenization, 23 
Honey Butter, 60 
Humidifiers, 35 
Hydrometers, 221-22 


I 


Icelandic Yogurt, 46-47 
Incubation methods, 40-41 
lodophor, 231 


J 


Jarlsberg-style cheese 
Rising-Moon, 111-12 


K 


Kefir 

from grains, 52-53 
making, 50 
thickeners for, 41 
Kluyveromyces, 227 


L 


Labeling, 12 

Lactic-acid cheeses, 65. See also individual cheeses 
Lactobacillus buigaricus, 41,43 
Lactose, 39 

Leaf-wrapped cheeses, 192 
Lemon juice, 75 

Leuconostoc mesenteroides ssp cremoris, 60, 227, 
229 

Lightbulb boxes, 40-41 
Lipase, 27, 39, 98 


M 

Marbler (Morbier Style), 118-21 
Mascarpone, 81 
Medicine droppers, 32, 35 
Mexican Crema, 54 
Milk 

animal health and, 21 
animal type and, 20-21 
butterfat in, 230 
complexity of, 20 
components of, 20, 39 
cultured, 39-40 
environment and, 21 
heat treatments for, 22 
homogenized, 23 
powdered, 41 
raw, 22 
selecting, 23 

store-bought vs. farm fresh, 21 
unhomogenized, 230 
Mites, 197, 198 

Mold-ripened cheeses. See Bloomy-rind cheeses; 

Blue cheeses 
Morbier-style cheese 
Marbler, 118-21 

Mountain Top (Gruyere Style), 180-82 

HEN CREAMERY 

242 


Mozzarella 
Burrata, 170 

Cultured Mozzarella, 174-75 

forms of, 173 

kits for, 163 

making, 163-64 

Quick Mozz, 168 

storing, 165 

troubleshooting, 217 

N 

Narragansett Creamery, 106 
Natamycin, 199 
Notes, taking, 12 

P 

Paneer, 74-75 
Paper, 203 

Pasta fllata, 163. See also Stretched-curd cheeses 

Pasteur, Louis, 22 

Pasteurization, 22 

Pecorino, 186-87 

Penicillium candidum, 127, 227 

Penicillium glaucum, 129 

Penicillium roqueforti, 129, 131,227 

pH 

scale, 39 

strips and meters, 33, 35 
Picnic coolers, 40 
Pilot lights, 41 
Potassium sorbate, 199 
Pot Cheese, 87, 88-89 
Prehydration, 101 
Presentation, 205-6 
Pressed and aged cheeses 
Asiago, 183-85 
characteristics of, 179 


Mountain Top (Gruyere Style), 180-82 
Pecorino, 186-87 
troubleshooting, 217 
Presses, 34, 69, 220-21, 224-25 
Propionic bacteria, 101, 111, 227 
Provolone, 165, 176-77 

Q 

Quark, 84 

Queso Fresco, 91-92 
Quick Mozz, 168 

R 

Red-Rind Wash, 121 
Redwood Hill, 127 
Refrigerators, as caves, 194 
Rennet, 25-26, 41,65, 67, 69, 72 
Rennin, 25 

Rhizomucor miehei, 26 
Ri cotta 

troubleshooting, 214 
types of, 79 
Whey Ricotta, 76-78 
Whole Milk Ricotta, 80 
Rinds 

cleaning up, 205-6 
evaluating, 204-5 
living vs. sealed, 196-97 
mold successions and, 197 
types of, 189-90 

Rising-Moon (Jarlsberg Style), 111-12 

S 

Salometers, 35 
Salt, 27, 69, 199, 221 


INDEX 

243 


Sanitation, 36, 231 
Scales, 35 
SCOBYs, 52, 53 
Shipping, 204, 205 
Skimmers, 32, 35 
Smear-rinded cheeses, 115, 190 
Smoked cheeses, 190, 193, 203 
Sodium nitrate, 199 
Sour Cream, 41,54 
Spices, 28 

Squeaky cheese, 157 
Starsan, 231 

Steam, sanitizing with, 231 
Stilton, 140-41 
Stirring methods, 72 
Stirring rods, 32, 35 
Stockpots, 32, 35 
Storage, 203 

Streptococcus thermophiles, 41,43, 229 
Stretched-curd cheeses 
Burrata, 170 

Cultured Mozzarella, 174-75 
making, 163-64 
Provolone, 176-77 
Quick Mozz, 168 
storing, 165 
troubleshooting, 217 
Swiss-style cheeses 
eyes in, 101 

Rising-Moon (Jarlsberg Style), 111-12 

T 

Tartaric-acid powder, 75 
Thermization, 22 
Thermometers, 32-33, 35, 36 
Thermostats, 34 
Tilsiter, 122 

Traditional Cheddar, 156-57 
Traditional Jack Rub, 155 


Troubleshooting, 214-17 
Truffle Brie, 133 

V 

Vacuum sealers, 33, 35 
Vacuum-sealing bags, 31, 201 
Valengay-style cheese 
Gosling, 134-36 
Vanilla yogurt, 44 
Vermont Creamery, 127 
Vinegar, white, 75 
Von Soxhlet, Franz, 22 

W 

Washed-curd cheeses 
characteristics of, 101 
Classic Yellow-Colored Gouda, 109 
Cumin Gouda, 109 
Divino (Gouda Style), 106-9 
Havarti, 104-5 

Marbler (Morbier Style), 118-21 
Rising-Moon (Jarlsberg Style), 111-12 
with “Swiss eyes,” 101 
Tilsiter, 122 

troubleshooting, 214-15 
Zeller (Appenzeller Style), 123-25 
Washed-rind cheeses. See also Washes 
aging of, 117 
characteristics of, 115 
judging ripeness of, 117 
Marbler (Morbier Style), 118-21 
microorganisms in, 115-16 
presenting, 206 
storing, 203 
Tilsiter, 122 
troubleshooting, 215 
Zeller (Appenzeller Style), 123-25 


KITCHEN CREA 

244 


Washes 

Herb Wash, 125 
Red-Rind Wash, 121 
Water, 28 

Wheel size, 14-15, 189 
Whey 

pre-pressing curds under, 219 
separating curds from, 68 
Whey Ricotta, 76-78 
Whiteners, 27 
Whole Milk Ricotta, 80 
Wolfe, Ben, 197 


Y 


Yield, 16 
Yogurt 

Bulgarian, 43 
cultures for, 41 
flavored, 44 
goat’s-milk, 44 
Greek, 43 
Icelandic, 46-47 
making, 42-44 
thickeners for, 41 
troubleshooting, 214 
vanilla, 44 
Yogurt makers, 40 


z 


Zeller (Appenzeller Style), 123-25 













ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 


Thank you to Mark and Pattie Federico (who love 
kitchens and creameries more than anyone I know), 
Claudio and Maddalena Cavazzoni, Tina and Luciano 
Rucci, Ana and Gil Cox, Pascale Quiviger, Caitlin 
Plunter, Sue Connley, Amy Gallo, Vicki Woollard, 

Sarah Leibel, Marian Thorpe, Ginnie Dunleavy, Barbara 
Simon, Eric Marton, Emma Mack, Justin Fried, Flavio 
Casoy, Caitlin Flarvey, Juliette Rogers, Dana Berg, 

Sacha Laurin, Rod Kass, the Kapitulnik Family, the Suby 
Family, the Budner Family, Chris Lee, Ken Olander, 
Maria lorillo, Rachel Betesh, Oliva Trajera, Ruth 
Flernandez, John Taverna, Doniga Markegard, Robert 
Aguilera, Ronald Pozo, Roberto Paiz, Rachel and Peter 
Dixon, Matt and Kate Jennings, Anne Saxelby, Cathy 
Goldstein, Anthea Stolz, Pav Cherny, Juliana Uruburu, 
the Cheese School of San Francisco, 18 Reasons, 
FARMcurious, the Cheese Board Collective, Little 
City Gardens, the Greenhorns, the California Artisan 
Cheese Guild, and the League of Urban Cheesemakers. 
Thank you to everyone in my family. Thank you to 
Amy Treadwell for having the idea. 


ABOUT THE CHAPTER 
HEADINGS AND 
ILLUSTRATIONS 

The chapter headings and illustrations in this 
book were done by me, at the kitchen table while 
the cheese drained quietly. I used a mix of Prus¬ 
sian Blue and Burnt Sienna watercolors, some 
calligraphy ink and one dog-eared copy of Albert 
Cavanagh’s 1946 book Lettering and Alphabets. 
You can see that my calligraphy, like my cheese, 
is a work in progress. 


KITCHEN CREAK 

248 




LOUELLA HILL (a.k.a. The Milk Maid) first encountered 
cheesemaking on a sheep dairy in Tuscany a decade ago. There, 
she realized she could be part of the cheesemaking process all 
the way from sunlight to dinner plate. She hasn’t turned back 
since, crafting her own education with apprenticeships at farms 
and in factories, in the United States and abroad. After working 
her way through cow, sheep, and goat milks, she cofounded 
what was once Rhode Island’s only licensed cheese producer, 
Narragansett Creamery. 

Louella has always been busy with the food system. While at 
Brown University, she was known as the school’s “Local Foods 
Ambassador.” She received a Young Tastemaker award from 
Food & Wine magazine, not only for her work localizing the 
university’s dining system but also for encouraging sustainable 
eating throughout the New England region. 

Now a resident of Northern California, she is a member of the 
California Artisan Cheese Guild, helping to bring world-class 
cheese experts to the Bay Area for classes and lectures. Her 
own, often sold-out, Milk Maid classes book months in advance 
and are held through venues such as The Cheese School of San 
Francisco, The Ferry Market Plaza, and 18 Reasons. 

Though she has worn the hat of professional cheesemaker 
many times, Louella’s favorite place to make cheese is in her 
own kitchen. This is her first book. You can find out more about 
Louella at www.sfmilkmaid.com. 

ERIN KIINKEL is a San Francisco-based photographer 
specializing in food and lifestyle. Her work appears in Cooking 
Light, Food Arts, Anthology, and Dwell magazines. 


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