Ed with his first cheese – Swiss
I started making cheese 3 months ago here in Racine after watching a video on how to make mozzarella! I said “I can do that” and proceeded to fail as I watched all the curds and whey flow through the cheesecloth … darned ultra-pasteurized! That led me down the road to “how can I?” and then “how can I better?”
Now I do a cheese a week, and just bought what I need to do my first Brie. So very excited. Being from Wisconsin, it’s pretty much required to love cheese.
Wenslydale with cranberries and walnuts
Waiting for Christmas Eve
After three months and 7 cheeses, I’m starting to hone my personal cheesemaking superpowers – starting with successful mozzarella, swiss and parmesan that I’m very proud of and some Jack and Yorkshire that’s as beautiful as can be!
I’m also drying a Monterey Jack and have made ricotta mixed with homemade jalapeno jelly a few times with the whey!
Caciottas made with NE Cheesemaking recipe
Cave
Cheese cave including waxed Jack, Swiss bagged, Caciottas bagged, Parmesan oiled, Wensleydale bagged. Not bad for only a few months (IMO).
Press
I’ve also developed a press that I think anyone can make/use without fear of weights falling on kitchen tiles, or cheese being half tilted! It also delivers solid pressure without breaking the bank for us starting artisans!
Two buckets and bungee cords! It works great!
The colby I pressed at 100lbs turned out amazing. I used the large hard cheese mold, so I upped the pressure based on the surface area.
I used tractor weights (used to weigh tractors down so they don’t get stuck.) 50 lbs each, so pretty heavy. It worked perfectly.
The best part about the buckets … no crooked cheese! The lower bucket keeps the upper bucket straight, so it doesn’t press the cheese crooked! I’m adding a small piece of foam around the lip of the lower bucket to take up some of the space, but other than that it works perfectly!
The foam will fill the space between the upper and lower buckets to keep the buckets perfectly centered. Last night I simply put a folded over piece of cheesecloth in 4 places to keep it perfectly centered. Buckets are tapered. When you are not perfectly seated, there is a bit of space between the buckets … the foam will fill that. It will also keep any dust, etc. from being able to get inside the buckets while pressing overnight.
Bane Marie
One of my big tips that has been successful for me is my heating bane! I’ve tried pots on the stove, and been successful, but I really like the videos of professional cheesemakers using the big rectangular banes to make cheese, aiding in cutting and keeping a consistent surface. So, after some thought of how I can duplicate it, I turned to my trusty 18 qt. Nesco!
Nesco set up. Making my first Colby with NE Cheesemaking recipe
It holds a solid 4 gallons of milk, it has flat sides making it very easy for cutting the curds, and it’s not extremely deep that my curd knife (ie. an offset cake frosting spreader thing) cuts through it perfectly. I’ve used it now on the last 4 cheeses (one cheese a week), and its worked perfectly.
Cheese Lab
I had a 12’ x 12’ shed in my back yard that was unusable due to disrepair. I spent my vacation this fall gutting it, and setting up a cheese lab, microgreen and seed starting shed.
My cheese lab set-up. The addition of stainless steel helps me feel “commercial” and reminds me of when I used to work in the restaurant world … always a passion of mine to own a coffee shop! Maybe someday lol.
The walls (full back wall, and half of the two side walls) are whiteboard. It allows my daughters and I to easily mark what’s growing underneath the board, and what I have sitting in my cheese cave.
I ran electricity to it, completely insulated it, sealed it from any critters and made it rustic to match my style. I also, put in vinyl flooring to keep it safe from any spills, and it’s fully automated for lighting.
Goals
I love making cheese. It’s one of the most relaxing and satisfying things I’ve done in a long time!
It has sparked my creativity, and being a new product design engineer supervisor, creativity is crucial to my happiness. I love creating products with my hands … so this is right up my alley!
I’ve been able to develop patience, extreme multitasking, and the thing I love the most – connecting with other people across the world who share a passion for something they create with their own hands. Next steps are for some homemade charcuterie boards! Ideas are always welcome. 😊
Update from Ed in January, 2021, one month later: I have 4 Camemberts almost ready, finished Jim’s recipe for Monterey Jack (my first one from a different recipe was horrible, too much salt – it was inedible). This one tasted perfectly (well the curds did…I’ve got to wait a few weeks before cracking into the wheel, lol). Made a Butterkase that is so very soft, and a marbled Derby made with an herb packet someone picked up for me from their trip to Disney! It’s been a great holiday break. I’m picking up a professional food warmer to use as a new Bain Marie instead of my Nesco, with a perforated pan so I can do some cheddaring.
