CHEESE, BUTTER & YOGHURT MAKING INGREDIENTS & EQUIPMENT (EST.1993)

CHEESE MAKING

Finest Kind offers a wide range of production methods for the making of cheeses such as Asiago, Esrom, Gouda, Cheddar, Mozzarella, Feta etc. with the purchase of our goods. However the following books and production methods can be purchased. 

PRODUCTION METHODS AND BOOKS
H250
 RESEARCH A PRODUCTION METHOD FOR A CHEESE OR YOGHURT OF YOUR CHOICE, PHOTOCOPY AND SUPPLY
H100
 "FARMHOUSE CHEESEMAKING" STEP BY STEP WITH PHOTOS
H101
 "MAKE YOUR OWN CHEESE, BUTTER & YOGHURT AT HOME"
H099
 "RONDOM BOERENKAAS" (IN DUTCH)
H102
 FINEST KIND MANUAL WITH PRODUCTION METHODS FOR CHEESES AND YOGHURT


Please find an easy cheese for you to try as follows:

PRODUCTION METHOD FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF FINEST KIND FROMAGE FRAIS (FRESH CHEESE)

Try making this delicious cheese. Fromage Frais is a soft fresh cheese, similar to smooth cottage cheese or quark. It is very  easy to make but because of its high moisture content it has a short shelf life.

THE EQUIPMENT:

H932
 SMALL CIRCULAR MOULD
H985

PYRAMID MOULD

H986

HEART SHAPED MOULD
H063

50ML LIQUID RENNET
H070

DRI-VAC CHEESE CULTURE
H107

THERMOMETER
H168

CHEESECLOTH
H050

DRAINING GAUZE SQUARE

MAKING THE STARTER CULTURE:

Before starting to make cheese, one must make the starter culture. Starter culture consists of bacteria that produce lactic acid from lactose when they come in contact with milk. The H070 dri-vac cheese culture consists of three silver packets as well as the instructions inside a white and blue packet. One silver packet is required to make 1 liter of starter culture. Place 1 liter skim milk in a sterile canning bottle and close the lid well. Place the bottle in a pot filled with water and bring the water to the boil. Boil the bottle of milk for 30 minutes. The milk should now be sterilised. (Hint: There is a shortcut to making the starter culture. Instead of sterilising your milk, buy 1 liter UHT or sterilised milk at your local store). Before adding the cheese culture to the milk, make sure the temperature of the sterilised milk is at 20°C. Do not contaminate the milk with any unsterilised item. The thermometer must be sterilised by placing it in boiling water before testing the temperature of the milk. Cut open one corner of one packet of culture from the white and blue packet and add the contents to the sterilised milk. Close the bottle or UHT milk carton, shake to mix, and cover with cushions to maintain the temperature at 20°C. Leave the milk to stand at 20°C for 16 - 24 hours. When it is thick like yoghurt, place the milk in the fridge. If you are not planning to use all the culture, store it by freezing it in an ice tray.

MAKING THE CHEESE:

ADDITION OF STARTER CULTURE AND RENNET:
Milk:
 3 liters full cream milk, 3.5% or 2% milk. Use milk directly after milking your cow or goat or use pasteurized fresh shop milk.
Milk Temperature:
Make sure the temperature is at 18°C - 24°C using the H107 thermometer.
Starter Culture:
 Make up starter culture H070, as instructed above. Add 60ml starter culture to 3 liters milk.
Rennet:
 Add 1 drop of rennet H063 or H066 to a little cool water and add this to the milk.

Stir well!!!

Now let the milk stand undisturbed and covered with the cheesecloth at 18° - 24°C until it has set like jelly and a little whey has appeared on the surface. It should have a dull appearance. The milk should set within 12 - 24 hours, usually 16 hours.

DRAINING USING THE A) BAG OR B) MOULD METHOD:
At this point one can either either drain the cheese using:

A) BAG METHOD
Cut the cheesecloth to fit your colander. Carefully ladle the curds into a cheesecloth - lined colander, tie the four corners of the cheesecloth together and hang the cheese to drain from your tap over the kitchen sink. Once the cheese has drained for 1 - 2 days, mix the cheese with some salt to taste and place in a 250 gm plastic container and refrigerate. One can also add fresh or dried herbs as required.

B) MOULD METHOD
Carefully ladle the curds into the 3 soft cheese moulds, H932, H985 and H986. Fill the moulds to the top, wait a while and fill them some more. Place the moulds on a cake rack placed over a container so that the whey can drain into the container.

SALTING THE CHEESE:
After approximately 8 hours salt the surface of the cheeses. Then turn the cheeses. If they are not firm enough to turn, wait until they are. In winter it takes much longer for the cheese to drain and become dry enough to turn than in summer. (The cheese in the pyramid mould must not be turned.) To turn the cheeses, remove it from the mould onto the palm of your hand, turn it around by letting it fall into your fingers, and place it back into the mould. Salt the other side of the cheese. Turn the cheeses twice more with intervals of approximately 8 hours. If you have a very hot climate you can place the cheeses in the fridge to drain. The cheese should drain in their moulds for a total of 24 - 36 hours or until they are firm enough to be removed from the moulds. Place the cheese on the draining gauze supplied, H050, and dry the cheese in the fridge. Or place the cheese on the draining gauze on a wooden board and dry in a draughty cellar or coldroom at 10°C. Make sure you do not have mouldy vegetables or strong smelling food such as onions in the fridge or cellar. Spores from the moulds travel unnoticed through the air and land on your cheeses! Turn the cheeses after 6 hours and then every 12 hours.

THIS CHEESE CAN BE EATEN AT VARIOUS STAGES:

Soft
While still draining in the moulds with jam or sugar and fruit.

Semi-Soft
When it has air dried for a few days it can be eaten as a spread on bread or crackers. It can be rolled in dried or fresh herbs such as stinging nettle, garden herbs or black pepper. Pour a little olive oil over the cheese before serving. One can also decorate the cheese with herb flowers or sliced olives.
The cheese can also be preserved in olive oil with a few dried herbs such as 1/2 tsp Thyme, 1/2 tsp Rosemary, 4 black peppercorns and 1 clove of garlic per liter of olive oil.
Mouldy
The cheese can be left to dry for some time. It will become quite hard and first get a white mould then a blue mould. The French love it like that, but it is an acquired taste! These cheeses can be grated over pastas.
For re-sale purposes the semi soft or mouldy cheeses can be wrapped in butter paper available from Finest Kind and tied with a thin blue ribbon or natural raffia. One can even wrap the semi soft cheeses in vine leaves and tie them with raffia - soak the vine leaves in brandy overnight before wrapping - it gives the cheese a wonderful taste!
Serve the cheese with crackers and some crisp white wine in summer or a full bodied red in winter. Your friends will love it.

Are you experiencing problems with your cheesemaking? Please contact us.

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