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Author Topic: butter and cheese making  (Read 5577 times)

Dogwalker

  • Joined Nov 2011
butter and cheese making
« on: May 09, 2012, 08:00:36 pm »
Thinking ahead to when my other two goats are in milk, at the moment I've got enough for my porridge and tea although I normally drink semi-skimmed so it seems very creamy in my tea.

Do you make butter and cheese with your goats milk?
Any tips for a novice?
Do I need to get a cream seperator and if so are the hand crank ones any good?

thanks in advance for your help.

smithycraft

  • Joined Apr 2012
Re: butter and cheese making
« Reply #1 on: May 09, 2012, 08:36:14 pm »
I've been making cheese on and off for a while with my goat's milk and I've made all sorts but mostly I make a soft cheese which is simple and can be eaten after a couple of days.  I've also tried making butter without much success but I will revisit that at some point. 

I've used both a hand cranked separator which works perfectly but is quite hard work - you can read about it here http://www.smithycraft.co.uk/smithyblog/?p=511

And an electric separator which I love - review here http://www.smithycraft.co.uk/smithyblog/?p=766

I've just bought a book called Artisan Cheese Making at Home and today I'm trying my hand at my first ever blue cheese.

I also make a lot of ice cream.

It's probably best to start with a basic soft cheese which you can make with vinegar or lemon juice so you don't need any special equipment.  There are plenty of recipes online but I can point you to some if you can't find any.

I don't pasteurise my milk before use.

Beware, cheesemaking can become addictive.

Anke

  • Joined Dec 2009
  • St Boswells, Scottish Borders
Re: butter and cheese making
« Reply #2 on: May 09, 2012, 09:41:18 pm »
To make butter from goatsmilk effectively you will need a cream separator - we bought one from the Ukraine through ebay, and other than that it has a continental electrical plug and looks wonderfully retro, it also works very well for us. We normally do about 8-10 litres per run, warmed up to around 35 deg C. Then ice cream, use for any recipe that calls for cream/cream fresh, and I also make butter using a hand-held mixer. Works well.

Re cheesemaking - addictive definitely :D, I make lots of soft cheese with things like wild garlic, chives or garlic, cheddar type cheeses and also have been successful in making white-mold, brie type cheeses. Not for the fainhearted though... I do not pasteurise my milk, except for making chewese starter culture, which is then frozen in ice cubes.

My most used guide is "Home cheese making" by Ricki Carroll. All in Amercian units, but otherwise great.

Dogwalker

  • Joined Nov 2011
Re: butter and cheese making
« Reply #3 on: May 10, 2012, 11:55:57 am »
Thank you for the replies I think a purchase is in order.

countrywoman

  • Joined Nov 2011
Re: butter and cheese making
« Reply #4 on: May 10, 2012, 05:03:33 pm »
I started making soft cheese last autumn and had a few failures (too runny) until I got the hang of it - got starter culture and some rennet from Goat Nutrition.  One drop makes all the difference!  Made up batch of starter and keep it as ice-cubes, really easy to do.

Just made some soft cheese today in my new Stainless Steel dedicated-to-cheese pan.  Best trick I have learnt is to heat milk very, very slowly otherwise (Aga too fierce) it scorches.  Will be experimenting with more exotic types in the months to come.

Lesley Silvester

  • Joined Sep 2011
  • Telford
Re: butter and cheese making
« Reply #5 on: May 11, 2012, 12:17:41 am »
Anyone tried blending fruit puree into soft cheese?   :yum: :yum: :yum: :yum:

colliewoman

  • Joined Jul 2011
  • Pilton
  • Caution! May spontaneously talk rabbits!
Re: butter and cheese making
« Reply #6 on: May 11, 2012, 07:19:01 pm »
We are on our second batch of soft cheese which couldn't be easier to make. Bring 2 pints of milk to the boil, turn heat off immediately. Stir in juice of a lemon and keep stirring till nicely curdled.
Pour into muslin and hang overnight to drip.
Mash in salt and pepper, chives or whatever you like. Eat :yum: :yum: :yum Keeps for 3 days in the fridge (apparently)
We'll turn the dust to soil,
Turn the rust of hate back into passion.
It's not water into wine
But it's here, and it's happening.
Massive,
but passive.


Bring the peace back

Dogwalker

  • Joined Nov 2011
Re: butter and cheese making
« Reply #7 on: May 11, 2012, 09:26:54 pm »
Sounds straight forward enough I'll try that tomorrow if I get any time spare between visitors.

tizaala

  • Joined Mar 2011
  • Dolau, Llandrindod Wells,Powys
Re: butter and cheese making
« Reply #8 on: May 12, 2012, 08:39:26 am »
Electric cream separators on ebay from Ukrain for less than £80  + P&P , home made butter on utube. and marscapone , Very easy

benkt

  • Joined Apr 2010
  • Cambridgeshire
    • Hempsals Community Farm
Re: butter and cheese making
« Reply #9 on: August 17, 2012, 03:01:25 pm »
I mainly do the Neufchatel recipe from  http://biology.clc.uc.edu/fankhauser/Cheese/Cheese_course/Cheese_course.htm
which makes a lovely soft goats cheese. We then leave whey for 24hrs,  boil it up and filter out the ricotta and give the remaining whey to the pigs, who love it.

Bumblebear

  • Joined Jun 2012
  • Norfolk
    • http://southwellski.blogspot.co.uk/
Re: butter and cheese making
« Reply #10 on: August 18, 2012, 09:35:20 pm »
My cheesemaking book (Riki Carroll) finally arrived; my starters finally arrived but when I went ot make some cheese I found out most of the recipes needed a gallon+ of milk!  How do you cheesemakers manage to store that much milk without freezing?
I already have our jug/s of cream (for butter etc which I seperate); 2 x litre fridge bottles; and jugs of milk waiting to be seperated - in fact we are running out of jugs and containers - so where do I fit in an extra gallon! (Sorry to hijack the thread....)  :bouquet:

Lesley Silvester

  • Joined Sep 2011
  • Telford
Re: butter and cheese making
« Reply #11 on: August 18, 2012, 10:34:45 pm »
Get another fridge?
 
Seriously, I freeze it until I have enough.

Anke

  • Joined Dec 2009
  • St Boswells, Scottish Borders
Re: butter and cheese making
« Reply #12 on: August 19, 2012, 07:50:49 am »
My cheesemaking book (Riki Carroll) finally arrived; my starters finally arrived but when I went ot make some cheese I found out most of the recipes needed a gallon+ of milk!  How do you cheesemakers manage to store that much milk without freezing?
I already have our jug/s of cream (for butter etc which I seperate); 2 x litre fridge bottles; and jugs of milk waiting to be seperated - in fact we are running out of jugs and containers - so where do I fit in an extra gallon! (Sorry to hijack the thread....)  :bouquet:
I make soft cheese from 1.5ltrs of milk regularly, it is just using one ice cube of starter (or before I would jjust tip a tiny bit of “freeze dried starter like a pointed knife size, into the milk while warming up to 30 deg C, then it is 1 drop of rennet per 0.5lltr milk (I use Ascotts mainly). Works well. Also use only 1.6ltrs for couloummier, my cheese form tkaes exactly that amount, so can be done. Also remeber Rikki Carrol is USA - so it is American gallon, only 3.8ltrs not 4.5 as in UK. For hard cheese it is best to have a UK gallon, otherwise too small and dries out.

Bumblebear

  • Joined Jun 2012
  • Norfolk
    • http://southwellski.blogspot.co.uk/
Re: butter and cheese making
« Reply #13 on: August 19, 2012, 10:22:32 am »
How do you make your starter Anke?  1 litre would make an awful lot of ice cubes  wouldn't it?   :thinking:  Do you just use 1 ice cube per 1.5 litres (a much more manageable quantity!) and final question...when do you add the 'erbs, salt etc?  I have made the lemon type cheese but although it was ok I found it a bit bland so I am very excited about the batch I now have dripping in a bowl  :excited:   

 

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