| The
curds are placed into the cheesecloth lined plastic mold and put under
light pressure to further expel the whey. Both the mold and the cheesecloth
should be thoroughly cleansed before using. |
 When
the time comes to press your cheese you will first line the mold with a
18" square piece of sterile cheesecloth. Prepare the cloth by placing
it into boiling water for 30 seconds. Remove the cloth with a tongs or
spoon and rinse it with cold water. It should then be wrung out and snapped
dry. The cloth lining will prevent the curd from being squeezed through
the mold. The curd is then placed into the lined mold and the excess cloth
is folded over top of the curd. Avoid bunching up the cloth or the cheese
will have an irregular surface which allows for the formation of surface
mold. As you load curd into the mold be aware that whey will begin draining
so place the mold where the whey will not run out on the counter or floor. |
| The
whey that is pressed from the cheese must have a place to collect. The
whey catch is placed under the press mold for this purpose. A catch can
be any vessel which is made from non reactive materials such as food grade
plastic or stainless steel. A more complex whey catch can include a drain
spout which removes the whey from around the cheese to a collection vessel.
Please note that whey collected from your cheese press should be discarded. |
 |
| The
amount of pressure and time of pressing will depend on the type of cheese
being made. Most recipes will start the pressing with a few pounds of pressure
and then increase the weight over time. It is also important to note that
the cheese must be turned over during the pressing process. This provides
for an even pressing and even distribution of what moisture remains n the
cheese. |
| The
simplest of all weighting systems is water. For the needs of the home cheese
maker it is fine to say that a gallon of water weighs 8 pounds. Therefore,
a pint or 16 fl. oz. equals one pound. This method works fine for pressures
up to 12 pounds, 1-1/2 gallons of water, providing that the vessel containing
the water can be balanced in place safely. |
| A
more workable weight system can be found at a local garage sale or flea
market. A collection of weights used for body building will provide all
that you need for accurate pressing. Additional weights can be added to
the set as necessary. The advantage to this method is a lower overall height
on the assembled press which makes the whole press more stable. |
| Once
the press is assembled, weight should be applied gently. Dropping weights
onto the press will cause the curd to pack down which can trap whey inside.
Place the weights carefully and center them on the follower. Off centered
weights will cause the follower to tilt and bind against the wall of the
mold. |
The
Cheese Making Process
Cheese
starter culture is added to the milk and allowed to acidify the milk for
a period of about 45 minutes or according to the recipe. This period is
referred to as ripening the milk. Add the starter culture and gently stir
it in with a ladle by slowly pumping the milk up and down. Be careful not
to pump a lot of air into the milk. It will take about 2 minutes of gentle
stirring to mix in the starter. During the ripening stage the bacteria
in the starter culture will consume the lactose (milk sugar) in the warm
milk and produce lactic acid. The lactic acid will then begin the separation
of curds and whey. To maintain the proper temperature during ripening you
can add hot water to the sink.
The
curd is ready to cut when it shows a clean break. Test for the clean break
by inserting your thermometer into the mass at an angle then lifting it.
The curd should separate and leave an open scar on the surface. If the
curd takes longer than 45 minutes to show a clean break, you should add
slightly more rennet the next time you make your recipe. 
The
curd is cut to increase the surface area of the curd and this increases
the movement of whey out of the curd. Cut the curd with a long bladed stainless
steel knife which reaches easily to the bottom of the pot. Slice the curd
from left to right into 1/2 inch slices as if cutting a cake. Turn the
pot 90o and once again cut the curd from left to right in 1/2
inch slices. 
Now
take a stainless steel ladle and sink it 1/2 inch into the pot and move
across the pot at that level. Sink the ladle another 1/2 inch and repeat
the process. Keep doing this until you are at the bottom of the pot. Obviously
this is not an exact science so now you can use your ladle and knife and
gently cut up any oversized pieces.
After
cutting the curd into equal sized pieces the curd is ready for cooking.
The curd and whey are warmed by placing the pot in hot water and increasing
the temperature of the curd according to the recipe. The curd should be
heated gradually, no more than 2oF every five minutes. To insure
even heating and prevent matting together, the curd should be stirred frequently
and gently. If the curd is heating too rapidly simply take the pot out
of the water for a while.
After
reaching the proper firmness, the curds and whey are poured into a colander
lined with cheesecloth. The colander should rest in a sink or large container
to permit the collection of the whey. The curds are properly firmed when
they have shrunk in size, are quite shiny, and are firm to the touch and
when pressed between thumb and forefinger. They no longer split open with
soft curd coming from the interior.
After
sufficient draining, the curds are placed in a bowl and one tablespoon
of salt is added for each gallon of milk used. A coarse flake salt is better
than fine table salt and should be sprinkled on the curds and then gently
mixed in. Salting both enhances the cheeses flavor and aids in draining
whey from the curd and in the final preservation of the cheese. For people
on a salt free diet, however, the addition of salt can be can be omitted
and the cheese will still have a fine flavor. At this stage you can also
add dried herbs if you like such as caraway seeds or dried sage (as in
sage cheddar).
Waxing
It
is a good idea to take a small piece of paper and write down the type of
cheese, the date and any other useful information and then wax the piece
of paper right onto the cheese. This will give you an accurate record of
what each waxed cheese is and when it was produced.