How do you make Cheese at home?

Answer 1

Ingredient:

1 yucult ( it`s called also Rennet... and it`s available as tablets in most of pharmacies )

7 liters cow milk

1 liter goats milk(optional)

1 tsp rennet

Things needed:

cheese cloth

thermonitor

drainer

aluminum pot

long knife

Method: Make sure you sterilize all equipment before making cheese

Add milk to pot and heat to 32 degrees(milk is luke warm)

Add yucult and rennet and stir for 20sec(rennet dissolved in 1/4 cup of bottled water, no chlorine)

Let sit covered undisturbed for 1 hr

Cut the curds like checkers board (2 cm apart) then cut at 45 degree angle, slicing across both directions

Let sit for 10min no longer then 15min

Drain the curd in cheese cloth. Let drain 6hrs(reserving the whey)

Remove cheese cloth and cut the cheese in 6 pieces

Bring the whey to 45 degrees and place the cut curds at let cook for 1hr( it should look like cooked chicken, floating on top)

Remove cheese from whey, salt and place to cool for 2hr.

Bring the whey to the boil add salt(same saltness as sea water) let go cold and drain reserving only the whey(no lumpy bits)

Once the whey and cheese are cold, place cheese in the whey and allow to mature in fridge for 30days( in plastic sealed container)

Good Luck!

Answer 2

INGREDIENTS:

Milk:

You can use commercially purchased pasteurized homogenized cow's milk, TB certified raw cow's milk, goat's milk, sheep or even horse's milk. All will make cheese, each with its unique flavor. Cheese from unpasteurized milk should be cured for 2-4 months if there is any doubt about pathogens in the milk. If you use pasteurized milk, you may need to add a little calcium chloride to firm up the curd (see below).

Cheese can be made from whole milk (3.5%), 2% or from skimmed milk. However, remember that the richness of flavor of the cheese is related to the amount of butterfat in the milk. I do not recommend reconstituted powdered milk. Let me know if you do.

You should get 1 to 1.5 pounds of cheese/gallon of milk.

For store-bought milk, because Pasteurization removes calcium from solution, you may need to add a small amount of calcium chloride to aid coagulation and form curd which does not fall apart when you stir it. The desired concentration of CaCl2 is usually specified as 0.02%. This would mean adding 3.6g CaCl2 to 5 gal of pasteurized milk. My measurements indicate that 3.6g of crystals = ~3/4 tsp. Thus 3/4 tsp crystals/5 gal = ~0.02%. You should completely dissolve the CaCl2 in about 1/4 cup water before adding it to the milk. Add it slowly with thorough stirring. You should be able to purchase CaCl2 at brewer's supply house. Also, it is the (non-NaCl) deicer that is plant friendly. [You might be able to use CaSO4 (plaster of Paris) in a highly diluted state, tho it is much less soluble than CaCl2.]

Reconstituted powdered milk: I have not had good luck using powdered milk, but have heard some say that they have successfully used it. I suggest you make friends with a local dairy person to get bulk milk. (You will have better luck getting milk from homesteaders than with commercial operators. Legally, you must purchase it as "pet milk.")

Ultrapasterurized milk: This is common on the shelves in Europe, but I find it VERY unsatisfying in taste, and, in my opinion, this milk is nearly worthless in making basic cheese. The protein strucure is radically altered, and calcium is chelated so that it is unavailable for coagulation. If you have success with ultrapasterized milk, let us know! (You CAN use it to make yogurt and labneh.)

Starter:

Bacteria must be added to acidify the milk so that the rennet will work, and to aid in the curing. Cultured buttermilk can serve as a mesophilic starter (it likes room temperature), and yogurt can serve as a thermophilic starter (it prefers warmer temperatures). You can also purchase pure cultures from cheese makers supply houses. Some recipes call for addition of chemical acids to produce acidify the milk. I prefer the flavor of cheese made from bacterially acidified milk. Here is a detailed description of bacterial cheese starters from Peter Moller. Be aware that, especially with buttermilk, you should never add too much starter for too long a time such that the milk has even remotely thickened before you add rennet. With even slightly thickened milk, you will never get a "clean break."

Rennet:

An enzyme rennin converts milk protein (casein) from a soluble to an insoluble material, causing the milk to gel (forming a clean break). It will only work well in acidified milk. The gelling process must be undisturbed to get a clean break. Rennet is commonly available in supermarkets in the pudding section, or you can purchase liquid rennet from a cheese makers supply house. One tablet of Junket rennet is equivalent to 20 drops of fresh liquid rennet.

If you would like to try it, and have the materials available, I have successfully prepared home made rennet from the abomasum of a suckling kid.