Comments on: Home Kosher cheesemaking?

By: andy

andy — Mon, 03 May 2004 13:21:43 +0000

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…

By: jabbett

jabbett — Sat, 13 Mar 2004 19:46:35 +0000

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!

By: dlevy

dlevy — Thu, 11 Mar 2004 09:40:09 +0000

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?)

By: elf

elf — Wed, 10 Mar 2004 20:29:05 +0000

I, for one, have certainly benefitted from your cheese obsession.

By: tday

tday — Wed, 10 Mar 2004 16:05:34 +0000

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.

By: jabbett

jabbett — Tue, 09 Mar 2004 13:11:22 +0000

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.

By: Chaim

Chaim — Tue, 09 Mar 2004 11:47:12 +0000

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