The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Food & crafts => Food processing => Topic started by: SallyintNorth on June 20, 2011, 06:11:31 pm
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I am loving playing with making cheese, enjoying my curd cheese (and cheesecake), cottage cheese, soft cheese, and experimenting now with semi-hard.
I am however very confused about cheese molds.
Rita Ash in her Camembert recipe says that the mold should be open both ends and have no drainage holes.
I have bought the Camembert mold from Ascott, it is an open cylinder but it has drainage holes.
I am still also struggling to get to grips with bottoms or no bottoms, holes or not holes generally.
I do get that I don't press soft cheese and do press hard cheese. But my follower fits two different molds, one has a bottom and one not... ??? ::)
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What make of cheese press do you have?
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Oh to have something as good as a cheese press. My sister told me to use a tin can with a big stone in it.. ;D ;D
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I make brie type and hard cheese using an old epaderm pot with holes drilled in with a golden syrup tin as a follower....my press is made of a large plastic chopping board (catering type) cut in half with a curtain pole chopped up to make the uprights. I put old gym weights on top of this at varying degrees depending on the cheese I am making. My point is, experiment, have fun and if all else fails, feed the cheese to the chickens/dogs/cats...by the way..try halloumi, it's amazing home made ;D
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Hah! I love this!
For camembert we use the metal moulds which are double height and slit in two so once the curd has drained you can put a board on top and just flip it over. Ours have NO drainage holes. The best company for buying any products for french style cheese is a company in france called Coquard. They have by far the best kit for the job.
However, it is costly and as a result just get some connecting drainpipes and cut them to the size that suits you. Most of the cheese indutry used drain pipes, any pipes in fact until food regs changed and everything had to be food grade. Totally spoilt the fun :(
But, when it's for yourself, they can't do a dam thing about it. Hurrrah!
I suggest you keep experimenting until you find what's right for you, but be inventive, it by far the best and cheapest way.
Happy cheesing!
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What make of cheese press do you have?
Oh to have something as good as a cheese press. My sister told me to use a tin can with a big stone in it.. ;D ;D
;D ;D ;D
I was inspired by Rita to have a go using clean stones. I found I needed more weight over a small area so currently on top of the follower are a giant Chappie tin (full & unopened) on a small plate, with a stone on top of that lot. Tomorrow the follower will probably descend inside the mold so I will have to devise a way of getting the weight down into the recess. I'll think of something! :D
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Got a home made cheese press from OH, using spare bits of wood, two towel rails from Ikea that got never put into bathroom and bought some cheap sport weights. Works ok. Cheese forms from Ascotts, their smaller sizes fit well for using 4.5ltrs of milk (my larger pot takes that). I make Coloummier (using form from Ascotts), also Haloumi is great (not use the brine bath though it gets too hard in that), plus made our first hard cheese recently. I follow recipes quite loosely, and use mainly the Ricki Carroll book (with loads on annotations in degrees C, and metric in general). Her whole goats milk ricotta is great if you find yourself with 4 ltrs of milk to use up before the morning, and it is already past 8 (pm) - quick and delicious.
Ps.: The holes in the bottom of my hard cheese form is a bit superfluous, as it sits on its bottom, so no whey comes out of it....
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I make brie type and hard cheese using an old epaderm pot with holes drilled in with a golden syrup tin as a follower....my press is made of a large plastic chopping board (catering type) cut in half with a curtain pole chopped up to make the uprights. I put old gym weights on top of this at varying degrees depending on the cheese I am making. My point is, experiment, have fun and if all else fails, feed the cheese to the chickens/dogs/cats...by the way..try halloumi, it's amazing home made ;D
Have you a recipe/method for the halloumi Skirza? I'd love to try it at home with the goats milk
Brid
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hoorah for Rita! I was lucky enough to go on a one day course with her teaching. I also tried to find a form with no drainage holes and couldn't find one so thanks for the Coquard tip - I am off to achete un!
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I should point out that it can be quite expensive getting the stuff sent over from france. Perhaps we could all have a look and if a few of us want some bits then order together??
McR :wave: