Cheddar Cheese

Ingredients

1 Gallon Fresh Milk
1 oz. Mesophilic Starter Culture
1/4 tab Rennet
1 Tablespoon Salt

Instructions

Using a double boiler, warm the milk to 90 F (32.25 C).

Add 1 oz of mesophilic starter culture and mix thoroughly with a whisk, the culture must be uniform throughout the milk.

Allow the milk to ripen for one hour.

Dissolve 1/4 tab rennet into 3-4 tablespoons COOL water. Hot water will DESTROY the rennet enzymes.

Slowly pour the rennet into the milk stirring constantly with a whisk.

Stir for at least 5 minutes.

Allow the milk to set for 1-2 hours until a firm curd is set and a clean break can be obtained when the curd is cut.

With a long knife, cut the curds into 1/4 inch cubes.

Allow the curds to sit for 15 minutes to firm up.

Slowly raise the temperature of the milk to 102 F (39 C). It should take as long as 45 minutes to reach this temperature. During this time, gently stir the curds every few minutes so they don't mat together.

Cook the curds at 102 F (39 C) for another 45 minutes. During this time, gently stir the curds every few minutes so they don't mat together.

Drain the whey by pouring through a cheesecloth lined colander. Do this quickly and do not allow the curds to mat.

Place the curds back into the double boiler at 102 F (39 C). Stir the curds to separate any particles that have matted. Add the tablespoon of salt and mix thoroughly.

Cook the curds at 102 F (39 C) for one hour, stirring every few minutes.

Carefully place the curds into your cheesecloth lined mold.

Press the cheese at about 20 lbs. (9 kg) for 45 minutes.

Remove the cheese from the press and flip it.

Press the cheese at about 40 lbs. (18 kg) for 3 hours.

Remove the cheese from the press and flip it.

Press the cheese at about 50 lbs. (22.75 kg) for 24 hours.

Remove the cheese from the press. Place the cheese on a cheese board and dry at room temperature for 3-5 days, until the cheese is dry to the touch.

Wax the cheese and age it in your refrigerator for 3-24 months. The longer the cheese is aged the sharper the flavor it will develop. Be sure to flip the cheese every few days.

Cream Cheese

Ingredients

1 gallon goat's milk (store-bought cow's milk will work too!)

¼ tsp. direct set mesophilic-m culture

2 Tbsp. diluted rennet (add 1 drop of rennet to 5 Tbsp. cool water)

Instructions

In a large pot add goat's milk. Heat milk to 80 degrees. Remove from heat and add the mesophilic-m culture and stir will. Add the rennet and stir. Cover the pan and let sit undisturbed at room temperature for 12 to 18 hours.

After the time is up, what you have in the pot should look like very thick yogurt. Now you will drain and drip your cheese.

Line a colander with your clean cheesecloth. You can use a pillowcase if you do not have cheesecloth. Set this colander in a large bowl to catch the whey. Now drain your thick, yogurt-looking cheese into this cloth. Gather up the cloth and tie it tightly. Now you need to hang it somewhere so that the remaining whey will drip out. Generally, I hang it over the kitchen sink, so that it drips into the sink. Now let your cream cheese drain for about 6 to 8 hours. You can speed this process along by stirring the cream cheese about halfway through the time, and you can do it again if you need to.

When it is completed, what you have left is your cream cheese! You can salt it a bit or not; that is up to you. It is ready to be used right away over a homemade bagel, or you can use it for cooking or even cheesecake! You can also put some of the cream cheese in a food processor and blend it up a lot and you will end up with a great substitute for sour cream.

Source: Gourmet Sleuth

Farmer's Cheese

INGREDIENTS


1 gallon whole milk
1 pinch salt
1 large lemon, juiced

DIRECTIONS


Pour the milk into a large pot, and stir in a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally to prevent the milk from scorching on the bottom of the pot.

When the milk begins to boil (small bubbles will first appear at the edges or if using a thermometer 190 degrees F ), turn off the heat. Stir lemon juice into the milk, and the milk will curdle. You may need to wait 5 or 10 minutes.

Line a sieve or colander with a cheesecloth, and pour the milk through the cloth to catch the curds. What is left in the cheesecloth is the Farmer’s Cheese. The liquid is the whey. Some people keep the whey and drink it, but I throw it away. Gather the cloth around the cheese, and squeeze out as much of the whey as you can. Wrap in plastic, or place in an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator.