How to Make Homemade Cheese

Whether your favorite cheese is cheddar, Edam, Mozzarella, Gouda or Swiss cheese, everyone can enjoy cheese as part of their diet. Cheese can be found in different types; hard, soft, mature, tangy, mellow, creamy or ripe. There are other types such as sheep’s milk cheese, goat’s cheese or buffalo cheese for people with lactose intolerance but each cheese has a distinctive and rich flavor. For most of us cheese is the backbone of many a dish or even a light meal. Although it does get knocked down for its fat content it is high in calcium and should be eaten moderately. Eating good quality cheese will also ensure that you only need a reasonable sized portion to be satisfied.

Can Cheese Be Made At Home?

Yes, cheese can most definitely be made at home.

Making cheese at home ensures that you have control over the ingredients that go into your cheese. This means you will not have to resort to using additives and preservatives used in commercial cheese. You can also choose to use organic ingredients such as the milk. It also means that young calves can actually stay with their mothers longer and are allowed to be part of a sociable herd and that there is no routine use of antibiotics nor are they fed with stimulants. When you make cheese at home, there is also a degree of quality control in your finished product. Not only this, you will get a great sense of satisfaction from mastering the recipe as it is one that requires time and patience. It will take a few tries to get the recipe right but you will learn through trial and error and the rewards will be worth it. Here is a simple and easy recipe to follow to make your own cheese.

Method Of Making Home Made Cheese

Add either yogurt or crème fraiche (this depends on preference) into a large pan and leave for half an hour. This allows the milk to develop a rich flavor and encourages it to acidify. Next, place the pan over the heat and bring the milk to 28oC/82.4F slowly without scalding, keep it at this temperature. Then take rennet (4 drops) and dissolve in a small cup of water that was already boiled and then mix it into the milk. After the ingredients are mixed well, take the milk off of the heat and allow it to cool for about thirty minutes. This will cause the milk to set and the curd will separate. Line a colander with a piece of sterilized muslin then collect the curds by cutting them into small cubes and placing them on the muslin. Bring together the corners of the muslin and it will make a ‘pouch.’ This will allow the curds to drain which you should do for about 8 hours or you can leave overnight. After the cheese has drained, open the muslin and add in salt. Store the cheese in you fridge and consume within a few days as it will go off quicker than other hard cheeses.