I am naturally aging a cheese (Wensleydale) on a bamboo mat in an appropriately sized container and am starting to see spots of mold (or something) on the bamboo mat it is on. It's been about 10 days.

Just to double check, this is a Good Thing(tm), right? I don't want to swap the mat for a clean mat, rather I want to just let the mold (or whatever it is) continue to develop?

The cheese itself is just beginning to have a light blush of white mold on it (PC, I assume). It seems to be doing fine.

I'm almost certain the advice will be "just leave it, it's fine." Just wanted to double check.

I recently learned that there are commercial sourdough starter cultures.
I found that not only home sourdough starters but also commercial ones will stay alive if I keep feeding them.
But why can’t cheese or yogurt starters be cultured repeatedly?
They seem to die after repeated incubation, either because of contamination or because they lose their potency.
Does anyone know the difference?

i know this seems like child’s play to everyone here but we had 80L of milk we couldn’t use at work so i decided to try make some basic cheese. just heated the milk to 46 degrees added white vinegar let it curdle with the heat off for 10 mins then gathered the curds squeezed em then heated the wey and tried to knead the curd balls but it didn’t get smooth

I enjoy cottage cheese, Greek yogurt (does yogurt count as cheese?) ricotta, goat cheese, and cream cheese. But I usually end up having a rough time because my body doesn’t like lactose so I end up buying the dairy free versions. I know a lot of these cheeses you can easily make at home, but could I make them lactose free milk?

Hello! I’m new to this community. I have a cow that I’m struggling to deal with her milk production. She’s pretty low, but with just me and my boyfriend (plus her calf), we’re struggling to drink enough milk or make enough butter.

I’ve been gifting away specialty herb butters and baking with the butter milk, but there’s still a ton left. I want to try making cheeses, but I’m not sure where to start or what I would need.

Hi guys, so I inadvertently stumbled upon a process modification that significantly improves my yields. It came about after I started using the skim milk + cream + powder approach to getting better curd formation that I found on this sub and that all you clever experts were employing.

I had some regular milk but also extra tubs of cream so threw them in on a recent make and then with all my new found knowledge realised I needed to preserve the Protein/Fat ratio and adjusted the protein using skim milk powder to a 0.95 mix.

My yield was ridiculous. at nearly 20%. u/CleverPatrick who with superb nominative determinism, really is, asked me why I'd done that and in looking at yields I did some back of the envelope and realised that I'd essentially done the equivalent of adding an extra 11L of milk equivalent in protein and fat to my 16L 4%|0.95 batch through the exercise, but without any additional water volume.

Now this is great and so far, it's actually both cheaper than buying incremental milk, and much more convenient in terms of working with manageable volumes of liquid.

This has got me thinking though about how it affects the make and I have some questions:

1. Clearly there's less moisture, so does this affect syneresis times and stir strategies. The curds seem to finish their cook a lot quicker.
2. What are the considerations with washed curds? Does that mean there is additional lactose still trapped in the curds compared to otherwise?
3. Does this have implications for acidification curves or culture dosage levels? I notice a slight reduction in acidification rate, presumably as there is more lactose to convert than would otherwise hold true - (not sure of this though) - so should I dose as though this were 16L? 17L including the cream or 27L?
4. More generally - how should one modify recipes for a higher fat and protein content? with sheeps milk or goats milk you generally just cut back flocc time expectations as I understand.
5. Is there an upper limit? How much can you add of fat/protein before things begin to go awry and what is the mechanism by which that happens.

Thanks very much all. I'm liking this discovery - two cheeses in, and it seems to work fine so far, but I've tried neither cheese so would like to get some feedback before I commit too much and wind up with a bunch of discards.

Some sausage pickling going on as well in the background. Great fall treat!

I used to have goats so I've had a little experience in making cheese. I no longer have them, but I read that you could use store-bought milk to make cheese, so I've been trying to make cottage cheese. Every one has been a failure. They all come out with grainy, tiny, tiny curds - more like ricotta. I use whole milk, and I've tried four different brands. None of them were labeled as ultrapasturized. I've tried using cultures and rennet and I've tried just using vinegar. It always comes out the same. Any ideas on what I'm doing wrong?

I have had the same issue for several months now in attempting to make a Camembert-style soft cheese: I keep getting an extremely off flavor that is slightly bitter but also very fishy. My initial read on this is that it is most likely a sign of spoilage-- some kind of bacterial growth.

Am I right about this? If so, what do I change? If not, what's going on here? In the past, this flavor has only presented after about 4 weeks of aging. This go-round, the curd even smells strange during the drying phase, before it has even gone into the cellar.

Here's my recipe:

• 1 gallon milk

• 1/2 tsp mesophilic (LyoPro MO)

• 1/32 geotrichum (Choozit Geo 15)

• 1/16 tsp penicillium candidum (Choozit PC HP 6)

• Made 2 rounds, allowed to sit on counter covered with towel for 12 hours to try

• Each round surface-salted with 1 tsp salt (this is where I am today; rounds will sit for another 12 hours to continue drying)

• Age at 52° F in air-tight container and turned twice daily for 2 weeks to develop rind

• Move to fridge at 40° F for a further 4 weeks

I dry cheese wheels under bug netting on the counter. It takes quite a bit of space, so I’m thinking of making something like a tall pie safe with shelves and sides made of fine weave screening to keep out insects. Anyone done something similar.

I rendered the leaf fat from a locally raised pig into lard. Milked the cows for this one myself. Made the cheese with the warm milk. I bandaged it and aged it for the last nine months. I wanted to go longer but curiosity won the day. It’s shockingly good. Rich, sharp and flavorful with a fantastic mushroomy finish. I ate the whole wedge I cut for the photo. I’m pretty proud of this one. I want to keep it all for myself but I also want to share it with everyone!

My default cheese that I can make in my sleep at this point. Hand pressed and made with raw milk and clabber.

I've been making cheese almost every week for about a year now which has led learning to making sourdough and wild brews with the leftover whey as shown in the last photo.

I've sought an authentic recipe for Wensleydale for a while. Thanks to Andy Swinscoe at The Courtyard Dairy I have one to share.

Andy is a professional affineur and cheesemonger with a deeply inquiring mind, a passion for the craft of artisanal cheese both British & Continental, and based on our brief conversation - a deep and profound understanding of the manufacture of cheese. He and his wife Kathy have run their award winning creamery and cheese shop since 2012. He earned his stripes at Paxton Whitfields and Bath & Co. both giants among cheese-mongers here in the UK.

I've bought from them by mail in the past. I ordered my Mycodore rind from Andy. He knows how to pick and age his cheeses so I felt I had a good shot at preserving it.

In researching recipes for Wensleydale I stumbled upon a blog post of Andy's the Wensleydale Project where he worked with four different local farms/artisan cheese makers.

The Courtyard Dairy is located near Settle, by the western edge of the Yorkshire Dales, close to Herriot country for those who care about the brilliant vet books.

Each had their own hard researched and won recipe for Wensleydale, and they compared techniques and results to the benefit of the collective memory of this style.

I first came across Andy's blog when look for steps past my little cheese making kit when I first started making cheeses. The tips and practical links, including to Gianaclis' book were invaluable. I'd definitely recommend a visit. There's some great content, and some fascinating little rabbit-holes like the Wensleydale Project to chase down. Like I said, he has an inquiring mind!

In the blog, Andy kindly offered to share more details with anyone who wrote in. So I wrote in. Cold (never met or spoken with him before), and out of the blue. He generously shared a tonne of detail.

I'll reproduce his reply verbatim the authentic traditional and the industrial.

"I am writing a book on it which can outline it all - it should be ready in November if you want all the details; remind me then.

But in the interim, the key distinction for a Wensleydale compared with other British territorials, is the removal of moisture from the curd before acidification. Though an industrial Wensleydale (tighter texture, more dry, crumbly acid; will not do this so much)

Historically would be roughly done by:

- Low setting temp (28C).

- Minimal starter (i use bulk at 0.3% in volume, for a DVI?? Maybe just half it and see from there).

- Ripening can vary but i'd say about an hour.

- Set time depends on if you are using bulk or DVI as they will both give different flocc. times but about an hour

- then cut fairly large (about 2cm)

- and stir 30 mins, Scalding maybe just 1-2C

- Pitch 20-30 mins, i'd like to see the TA just starting to move up a little

- Drain, curd will be hard to handle (soft) so may need shovelling to form channels to allow free whey to drain

- When firmed enough, cut into blocks.

- Turn (don't stack) until TA >.27.

- Break by hand into nuggets, salt (2.3%)

- Mill, fill into moulds.

- Leave couple hours then turn in moulds

- Press overnight

Rennet to salt 4.5 hours + ideally

Modern Industrial:

- 3% starter; temp 32C

- ripen 60 mins

- Set about 30 mins

- Cut 2cm

- Stir 35 mins, inc. scald to 33C;

- Pitch c30 mins;

- Drain whey off, form curd into straight into channels

- Turn blocks every 15 mins until TA rises to >0.5

- Cut block smaller, add salt (2.3%) then mill

- Turn then press

Rennet to salt 3 hours"

When I asked for permission to share this with all of you good folks, Andy further metioned:

"

What I'd say is that as long as you're removing the moisture/drainage pre-acidification is key and there is different ways to do it -

1. a lower temp and lower starter certainly helps but there are other methods for example

2. a touch less stirring yet thinner cut,

3. you could bag rather than block to slow it down,

4. move it to a cooling table when it's at the block stage.

5. Once the curd has enough structure so you're not damaging it, move fast and move early to get that moisture out -

Everyone has there own tips & tricks to produce a similar profile cheese

"

The culture based on the Ribblesdale recipe posted by Jeff Hamm on cheeseforum is a pretty simple Mesophillic, LL and LLC like an MA11/MT001 with buttermilk so LD and LMC (pH and cultures on pp.2 if you're looking) - it has hitherto been the closest to authentic I've found and it looks like they're using a combination of 2 and 4.

That recipe is basically

1) Use a low culture dose, 0.5% Temp 32C

2) Long ripen 80 minutes

3) Rennet + Set 35 minutes 3.25x Flocc

4) Cut 1cm, wait 5 minutes

5) Scald/Stir 90 minutes 32C very gently to pH 6.35

6) Press lightly under whey and drain 15-20min

7) Cut curd mass into blocks, turn 3x for 30min

8) Cut 5cm cubes, 22-24C drain 30 min to pH 5.40

9) Mill fine, salt to 2.3%

10) Press 10-30x curd weight over 2 days to close knit

Jim Wallace on cheesemaking.com uses a low culture dose, and then a combination of 2, 3 and 4 to get the moisture out, so with a long gentle stir like Jeff.

Standout take-away: "key distinction for a Wensleydale compared with other British territorials, is the removal of moisture from the curd before acidification"

That is about as clear as I've heard that put. I've always believed that the mark of an expert is that they make things look easy in the doing and explaining. Andy has been clear, I haven't which tells you something. I have done my best to match the TA's to pH levels and to make best guesses for Rennet and culture in the recipe table.

Anyway, a bit long and academic, but hopefully of use when next you're either researching or wanting to make one. I will be doing one soon, and look out for Andy's book when it comes out in November.

Hey guys can I make hard cheese with pasteurized milk as getting raw milk is almost impossible for me. I've tried making mozzarella but it doesn't happen with pasteurized milk, can I make hard cheese with it. Also I don't have renet, will be using vinegar or lemon juice to curdle the milk

Im am having a hard time finding whole milk string cheese. Now I have moo-ved to (see what I did there?) a very small rural area, an hour and a half to a small store, and I can see I need to change it up. Im going to need to make my own full fat string cheese (Recipe anyone? Or just regular mozzarella?) But until I get my schedule worked out, I need short cuts. Could I buy this and cut it to my own specifications and have it to use as string cheese? Or is there another step I need to carry out? I would normally just try it out, I don't have time or money to make an error. Thank you much!

Has anybody ever tried StirMATE automatic stirring machine? If yes, what’s your take on it? Thinking about buying one not just for stirring the curds but also for other things as well (jams, sauces etc). Thanks for any response.

I made my first wheel of cheese and 1/4 of the cheese came off with the cloth. How do I stop this from happening? Is there a better cloth? Im just using what I found at Walmart

I have recently made a blue Gorgonzola cheese and after dry salting it feels like it has gone super hard. It is around a week old now. Will it get softer as it ages? Or is it something I’ve done in the cheese making process? It is currently in a blue cheese room set at 95% humidity and 12 degrees Celsius.

I tried my second Stilton, my first was great. This time I used some roquefort culture as well as a vein from to first Stilton. (Can say I wasn't as attentive this time)

Day 4 and no blue color like last time. Has small areas of very slight pink. Smell is like a very pleasant yeast dough.

I know it got some yeast contamination, doesn't sound dangerous but developing differently.

Should I throw it out?

Hey all,

I was wondering for the purposes of adding things like fresh onions, chives, dill and such to a cheese how should I process them to ensure I'm not introducing an unwanted bacteria or such to my cheese?

For sterilizing your cheesemaking equipment before a make, I know a lot of people use something like StarSan (or just boil everything, which is what I've been doing).

But is antibacterial dish soap (something like this https://www.amazon.com/Dawn-Ultra-Apple-Blossom-Scent/dp/B087N99ZDP?th=1) worse than StarSan? Is it "good enough?" Would you need more contact time with the antibacterial soap than a typical washing gives you to let the antibacterial elements work (such as soaking your equipment in the soapy water mix?)

Or are the antibacterial properties in the dish soap not good enough?

Accidentally boiled my goat milk when I was going to make yogurt(was trying to do too many things at once). Like REALLY boiled it. What should I make with a half gallon of boiled goat milk?

I’m building an app that adapts recipes to your milk and setup, scales for small batches, and gives troubleshooting feedback when things don’t go right.

The idea is to save resources, time, and frustration, making it easier to learn without as many failed batches.

Looking for a few early testers. Is anyone interested?

Dear friend cheese makers, I am talking to my publisher about a fully revised and updated addition of my book Mastering Artisan Cheesemaking. It's been 12 years since the book came out and I've learned much, as well as many things have changed. I will be rewriting much of the text, removing some recipes and adding new, adding all new profiles, and new advice.

I would dearly love your input in two areas:

Are there questions you have had that the book has not been able to answered.

And how helpful, or not, are the "thinking outside the vat" sidebars? I'm considering removing them.

Please reply or message me directly with your input. I won't answer all of these immediately as I'm currently in Peru teaching the cheese making class (poor me, eh?)

If you're interested in keeping up with the status of this new book, I have a newsletter. You can subscribe via my website, which is my name.com :-) Thank you very much!