How Can I Make Homemade Cheese?

It is easy to make your own cheese, and following some simple steps you will be able to turn out some great cheese that you have made on your own. It is important that you have all the necessary ingredients and tools so that you are able to make cheese to the best of your own ability. Follow these steps and hopefully soon you’ll be turning out cheese that rivals the stuff that you generally end up paying for.

Step 1
Get all the ingredients that you need.

You will need milk, and that is the most important ingredient to make cheese with. Generally, you will want to use either pasteurized cow milk, raw cow’s milk, goat milk, or sheep milk. With each of these kinds of milk, you will get a unique flavor with it. You usually want to use whole milk to get the best flavor. You also will need a starter like buttermilk or a pure culture that you can find at a supply store for cheese making. Be sure that you pick up rennet too which will actually coagulate the milk so that it will properly form the curd which is necessary to make the cheese.

Step 2
Have the Proper Equipment

To make cheese at home, you are also going to need the proper tools. You will need to have a stainless steel pot with a lid that is non-reactive so that the milk stays good. You want to be sure that the pot is large enough to contain the milk and the curd. You also need to have a great temperature and a measuring cup so everything is properly measured out. Get a good cheese cloth that will be necessary to hold the curds together or a cheese press that can help you mold the hard cheese together.

Step 3
Make the Cheese

Once you actually have all the ingredients, the milk must be brought to a certain temperature. From there, you need to add the culture and the rennet which will actually help form the milk into curds. When the curds form, you need to separate it from the whey by draining it. Then the curds need to be placed in the cheese cloth so it can dry out. For hard cheese you will need to use the cheese press to get the shape of the block. Let your cheese age, and you’ll have great homemade cheese.

-Written by Viktoira Carella