Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with cheesemaking

Do bacteria survive freezing and thawing?

peachfuzz — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 12:39:32 -0800

Will frozen buttermilk thaw with its active cultures intact and...well...active? Ditto for yogurt. I've been experimenting with making cheese the semi-old school way, using buttermilk and/or yogurt with active cultures to provide starter bacteria for acidification. Awesome! Except: I can only find active culture buttermilk in quart containers, I only have time for messing around with cheese on the weekends, and I only need a quarter cup of buttermilk at a time. Lots of buttermilk waste, since the bacteria are only really kicking for a few days.

So - can I freeze it while it's still good and active and thaw as needed? Texture changes don't matter to me, all I need is the bacteria to come through the freezing process able to do their work. My plan is to freeze in quarter cup amounts so I just thaw what I need.

Googling has provided conflicting information. I do cook with buttermilk so it's not REALLY going to waste - but really, there are only so many biscuits and cakes and ice creams a two-person household can go through every week!

Wanted: Mold!

puckish — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 15:04:52 -0800

Cheesemaking suppliers in New York City? Specifically, where I can get starter cultures, look into workshops, and maybe hang out and talk to people who know what they're doing? I've looked into Murray's Cheese and done a preliminary google run, but everything I've found is pretty commercial, and mostly geared toward selling artisinal cheeses rather than DIY cheesemaking.

Any ideas?

dook day farmage?

cmoj — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 20:37:54 -0800

What's a good cheese-making book for me? A fairly recent question actually got me into making cheese, and I'm no fromagier, but after scouring Mr. Fankhauser's excellent information (and name) along with some other web resources I've dug up, I'm sort of at a loss as to how to learn more about all of this.

Looking at different recipes for different cheeses, I see that there's very little difference in the basic steps and all of the difference lies in the details, but at the same time there can be a wide variation among recipes for the "same" cheese.

So, I don't really want a cookbook with rote recipes, I want a cheese-making book (or website for that matter) that talks about the difference it makes to inoculate at 90 degrees versus 120 or to cut the curd versus stirring and breaking it. I'm looking for a book about the mechanics of making cheese, not just the recipes. A little chemistry wouldn't hurt my feelings either.

Simple cheeses that can be made in a day?

amanda — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 09:30:20 -0800

Cheesefilter! Any home cheesemakers out there? What simple cheeses can be made in half a day? I've made mozzarella and ricotta and now I'd like to make another quick cheese. Any suggestions? I'm doing this with a group so it's been fun to just gather the ingredients and spend a day doing the cheese. However, I'm stymied as to the next cheese. Everything I've looked up seems to require many hours of setting and/or many hours of draining. I'd like something I can make and eat immediately.

I can get fresh goat milk as well as simple-pasteurized whole milk!

Tools for making my own cheese.

NoMich — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 12:26:58 -0800

What are the essential tools needed in my kitchen for making my own cheese? Where did you get your cheesepress? Did you make your own? I want to make all kinds of cheese, but I especially like cheddar cheese, goat cheese and mozzarella.
Also, my stove is a flat top electric jobby. Will that provide me with extra challenges to overcome?