Monteray Jack cheese
15
Jul
Hard & Semi-Hard Cheeses, Recipes

The easiest hard cheese to make. If you are a beginner cheese maker and want to venture further, then try this easy cheese.

Posted on by Joan Berning

This cheese was first made in California USA and is one of the quickest hard Cheeses to make.

Equipment

Ingredients

Method for forming cheese:

  1. Place the milk in a pot and heat to 32 °C
  2. Add 1 teaspoon tip R708 DVS starter culture to the milk and let it stand (pre-ripen) for 1 hour at 32 °C.
  3. Add liquid rennet to a little cool water and then add this to the milk.
  4. Stir the mixture well
  5. Add calcium chloride to the milk mixture only if you get a sloppy curd. (Instructions and dosage in the packet).
  6. Let the milk stand, covered, for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until it sets like jelly.

Method for cutting the curd:

  1. Using a knife, cut the curd gently into little cubes the size of a small dice.
  2. Cut down and then across and then at an angle.
  3. Leave for 15 minutes and drain off most of the whey.
  4. Heat the curds slowly, stirring constantly, until the temperature reaches 38°C. This should take about 30 minutes.

Method for drawing off the whey:

  1. Draw off remaining whey
  2. Run cool water through the curds to reduce the temperature to 30°C.
  3. Put curds into sieves or colanders and drain for 15 minutes.
  4. Add salt (1.5 tablespoons salt per 10 liters of milk OR to taste).

Method for filling moulds and maturing the cheese:

  1. Place curds into cheese moulds (either the kadova cheese mould OR the cylindrical mould) and press with weights for 1 hour.
  2. Remove from mould and turn the cheese over.
  3. Replace in mould and press with heavier weight (ten times the weight of the cheese)
  4. After 2 hours repeat the above two steps and leave for 12 hours or overnight.
  5. Cure Jack cheese in a cool, damp place at 10°C for 4-5 weeks.

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