Is home cheese making difficult?
The home cheese making hobby is not difficult to learn. If you take our step-by-step recipes and make small batches in the beginning, you will learn the little tricks of the trade faster. Carefully reading and understanding the instructions / recipes is important.
If you need assistance or advice to get started; call or write and we'll be happy to make some recommendations based on your situation.
How much does it cost to start?
You can get started with a very minimal investment; see if you like making some 'easier' cheeses and then expand from there.
Our KITS are a great way to get going- you'll just need Milk! Feel free to discuss with us before ordering if you have a specific goal such as a certain type of cheese you might want to make.
What kind of customer service do you offer?
Cheese making is a lifelong learning experience, one which will give you plenty of satisfaction and rewards. It's ok to lean on us for help anytime, via email or phone.
How much cheese does one kit make?
That depends on which cheese kit you purchase, but you'll be able to make minimally a dozen batches of cheese, after which you can reorder small packets of specific ingredients / cultures to make more.
What other supplies will I need?
You'll need to heat your milk in a controlled fashion to hit temperature targets. We recommend a double boiler method of putting your pot of milk inside a larger pot of water. The water is heated and transfers heat to the milk, raising the temp more slowly than direct heat.
You'll also want to be sure to get a set of 'MINI MEASURING SPOONS' - many of our kits include these or they can be ordered separately. These will measure from 1/64th teaspoon up to 1/4 teaspoon- you use very small amounts of culture and rennet when making cheese.
In a very general sense, in additon to milk you'll also need: Culture, Rennet, Calcium Chloride, Cheesecloth, thermometer, curd scoop. A colander is handy to line with cheesecloth for draining curds.
Approximately how long does the process take?
The first step in the cheese making process will take between 3 and 6 hours, of which most of that time is waiting for the milk to warm, waiting for the cultures to ‘do their thing’ in the milk. So while you’re ‘waiting’, you can attend to other matters and come back for the next step in the process. It’s a lot like cooking, but a bit less labor intensive. After you have your cheeses in the moulds (hoops or tubes), the rest is letting the cheeses age.
Where can I store my cheese as it ages?
For many cheeses, the refrigerator works perfect as your ‘cheese cave’. After you’ve made a few batches of cheese, you may want to go further and invest in an additional freezer/refrigerator and use one of our Cheese Cave Thermostats to keep your ‘cheese cave’ set at a specific cheese aging temperature.
After making my cheese, how long before I can eat it?
This will depend on what cheeses you are making. Cheeses like fresh goat’s cheese, mozzarella and ricotta can be ready to eat the next day. Camembert, Brie and some Blue cheeses are ready to eat in about 30-50 days, while hard cheese usually needs a few months minimum before you want to eat them. Like a good wine, hard cheeses mellow over time.
How long will the cheese last?
For some cheese, especially hard cheeses, they can last more than a year, if you can keep from eating them. Fresh cheeses like Ricotta and Mozzarella can last a week or two in your refrigerator. The same holds true for some Camembert, Brie’s and Blue cheeses.
Do you have any ideas about how to serve my homemade cheese?
There are many ways to use your cheese to create a culinary delight. I’m constantly experimenting and searching recipes to tweak them the way I like. You can even join my Recipe Forum from this web site and have different cheese recipes emailed to you.
Can I purchase additional ingredients if I run out?
Absolutely- you can order individual ingredients, cultures or supplies anytime.
Are ingredients OK when shipped in the summertime?
Yes absolutely- cultures, rennet and other ingredients travel just fine even in the hot summer months without refrigerated shipping. Just store them properly once recieved as noted inside your shipment.
CULTURE INFORMATION
IMPORTANT NOTE: Maintaining the integrity and shelf-life of freeze dried DVI (direct vat inoculation) lactic bacteria cultures:
Cultures are FREEZE DRIED and stored properly last for over 2 years. (even past a 'Best if Used By' date)
Cultures ship just fine outside of refrigeration; just store them in the freezer in a zip lock bag away from moisture once you get them, and they'll be viable for a good 2 years from when you receive them.
What does DOSE mean? ( for example cultures are in 10D or 50D packets)
These are DAIRY terms; so we include on the website page for each culture the usage rate for that culture. A '50D' packet can be used at a commercial cheese company to treat about 130 gallons of milk; so we let home cheesemakers know you need (for example) 1/8 teaspoonfor 2 galllons of milk. Always use a recipe and you'll have instructions regarding amounts to use.
Which starter culture do I use?
If you're new to making cheese this can be daunting as there are a LOT of cultures. Many can be used for the same cheese; they just provide slightly different flavor / texture profiles. Many recipes mention a specific culture; our Kits come with cultures that match up to recipes.
Our lineup of theMilkman Starter Cultures is an easy way to get started- they are named for the cheeses you can make such as 'Mozzarella Culture, Cheddar Culture, Feta Culture, Cream Cheese Culture, etc
How do you calculate weight of salt water per gallon? This gets asked for those brining a cheese such as Gouda:
Sodium Chloride (Salt) Brine Tables for Brine at 60 F (15° C) in US Gallons At 100 degrees brine is fully saturated and contains 26.395 % of salt. 1 US gallon of waterweighs 8.33 lbs, 1 US gallon = 3.8 liters = 3.8 kilograms, 1 pound =.453kg, 1kg = 2.2 lbs. View the Brine Calculator or Download the PDF