Home Kosher cheesemaking?
My wife thinks I’m obsessed with cheese, so if you, dear Reader, agree with her, I apologize in advance. It’s my blog, and I’ll post if I want to … this time about attempting a kosher cheesemaking hobby.
I was always taught that if you want something done right, do it yourself. Couple that with my lifetime inability to follow through on ill-conceived hobbies, and you end up with a closet full of half-painted model aircraft carriers and a box of dusty blockprinting supplies. This time, however, will be different! I’m going to document (in blog form) each step in my learning process and each tidbit of peripheral information I come upon. That way, I can keep track of my progress, draw out any helpful suggestions and ideas from the general Internet world, and, with luck, end up with an invaluable online resource for Kosher Cheesemaking.
I believe my first step will be acquiring books on cheesemaking. Two candidates: Home Cheese Making by Ricki Carroll and Laura Werlin and Making Great Cheese At Home by Barbara Ciletti.
Just as a note, Jabbett has attempted to make his own cheese before. I was with him on that failed attempt to make mozzrella. It came out crumbly and extremely salty, not the smooth sweetness we have come to love from pizza. I like salty, so I ate most of the ball, however, I don’t know if anyone would call it cheese.So, good luck on your future endevours(sp) in the world of cheese
Chaim’s right, and I’m glad he mentioned that failed attempt. In my old apartment, I sent away for cheesemaking materials and tried to jump right into mozzarella making without the proper environment and education. The milk didn’t seem to curdle correctly, and the curds never came together as single cheesy entity.I plan to be very methodical and scientific this time… the stakes are higher. I have a larger, cleaner kitchen and a little more weekend free time than my grad school days.
Paneer, or (very plain) Indian cheese, can be made with just a cheese cloth and surprisingly little effort. Perhaps this extremely mild cheese doesn’t rank very high up in the grand cheese hierarchy but I thought it might be worth mentioning. It is delish.
I, for one, have certainly benefitted from your cheese obsession.
Ricotta can also be made with just a cheese cloth and some milk. Start small, and be bolstered by your early successes! (Why do I all of a sudden sound like Uncle Taam’s fortune cookie writer?)
As I prep for a trip to Uncle Taam’s, just thought I’d mentioned that I now know why my first attempt at Mozzarella was unsuccessful. Liquid rennet, before being added to milk, must be diluted in water. The water I used in my old apartment was from the tap — and had been "chloraminated" by the local water authority. The additives to such water weaken the enzyme in rennet and prevent it from curdling the milk sufficiently. So, it will be strictly bottled water next time!
make sure that the bottled water you get is indeed not from a municipal source, as many are. BTW, I went through a cheese making phase myself. I went through New England Cheese making supply and they were able to fax me the certifications of all the products in their kit (albeit, some of it repackaged not under supervision in smaller quantities). Mozzarella for me was very difficult. I did end up with a very interesting cheddar. I t didn’t quite dry out enough and some liquid developed inside the wax, but it turned out ok…