Mastering Basic Cheesemaking

A complete, hands-on beginner's guide to the magic and satisfaction of making your own cheese

The craft of home cheesemaking is exploding in popularity. However most "beginner" books are essentially loosely-organized collections of recipes which lack a progressive approach to teaching the fundamentals of this exciting and satisfying traditional skill. Mastering Basic Cheesemaking provides a complete hands-on guide to making cheese and other fermented dairy products from scratch, geared toward helping the novice cheesemaker to develop the intuition and abilities to position them for success, especially in the real world of the home kitchen.

This well-illustrated, clearly written practical guide assumes no prior experience on the part of the aspiring cheesemaker. Topics include:

• Understanding your ingredients, tools and techniques


• Whipping up "instant cheeses" such as ricotta and paneer while learning basic milk chemistry


• Progressing to fermented dairy products such as kefir, yogurt and sour cream


• Using bacteria and coagulant to create spreadable and tender cheeses like quark, chevre, cream cheese and American style cottage cheese


• Graduating to curdled, aged and ripened cheese—mozzarella, feta, cheddar, gouda, and parmesan.

Whether you are a budding cheesemaker, avid do-it-yourselfer, foodie, homesteader or cheese professional, this complete course in beginning cheesemaking from one of North America's foremost instructors is packed with everything you need to create delicious, nourishing and beautiful classic cheeses and other dairy delights.

Mastering Basic Cheesemaking is a complete, hands-on guide to making cheese and other fermented dairy products at home. These clear, easy-to-follow, instructions from one of North America's foremost cheesemaking instructors are all you need to create delicious, nourishing and beautiful classic cheeses and dairy delights.

A complete, hands-on beginner's guide to the magic and satisfaction of making your own cheese

The craft of home cheesemaking is exploding in popularity. However most "beginner" books are essentially loosely-organized collections of recipes which lack a progressive approach to teaching the fundamentals of this exciting and satisfying traditional skill. Mastering Basic Cheesemaking provides a complete hands-on guide to making cheese and other fermented dairy products from scratch, geared toward helping the novice cheesemaker to develop the intuition and abilities to position them for success, especially in the real world of the home kitchen.

This well-illustrated, clearly written practical guide assumes no prior experience on the part of the aspiring cheesemaker. Topics include:

• Understanding your ingredients, tools and techniques


• Whipping up "instant cheeses" such as ricotta and paneer while learning basic milk chemistry


• Progressing to fermented dairy products such as kefir, yogurt and sour cream


• Using bacteria and coagulant to create spreadable and tender cheeses like quark, chevre, cream cheese and American style cottage cheese


• Graduating to curdled, aged and ripened cheese—mozzarella, feta, cheddar, gouda, and parmesan.

Whether you are a budding cheesemaker, avid do-it-yourselfer, foodie, homesteader or cheese professional, this complete course in beginning cheesemaking from one of North America's foremost instructors is packed with everything you need to create delicious, nourishing and beautiful classic cheeses and other dairy delights.

INTRODUCTION
HOW TO USE THIS BOOK

PART 1: THE FUNDAMENTALS OF MAKING CHEESE

1: WHY MAKE CHEESE?
The First Cheesemakers
The Pedigree of a Cheese
What Is Cheesemaking?

2: UNDERSTANDING INGREDIENTS
A Quick Look
Milk
Acid
Cultures
Calcium Chloride
Lipase
Rennet
Salt
Flavoring, Coloring, and Other Additions

3: THE CHEESEMAKER'S TOOLS
Pots, Vats, and Containers
Thermometers
Ladles, Spoons, and Spatulas
Ripening Spaces
Knives
pH Meters
Cloths
Forms and Molds
Colanders and Sieves
Presses
Mats and Racks
Trays and Tubs
Vacuum-sealing Equipment
Aging Spaces
Preparing Cheesemaking Tools

PART 2: THE FUN OF MAKING CHEESE

4: QUICK AND SIMPLE CHEESES
Steps for Making Quick and Simple Cheeses with Heat and Added Acid
What to Do with the Whey from Quick and Simple Cheeses
Lesson 1: Whole-milk Ricotta
Lesson 2: Mascarpone
Lesson 3: Paneer

5: CULTURED MILKS AND CREAMS
Steps for Making Cultured Milks and Creams
What to Do with the Whey from Cultured Milks and Creams
Lesson 4: Buttermilk
Lesson 5: Sour Cream and Crème Fraîche
Lesson 6: Cultured Butter and Buttermilk
Bonus Recipe: Ghee
Lesson 7: Kefir and Kefir Cheese
Lesson 8: Yogurt and Yogurt Cheese

6: FRESH AND VERSATILE CHEESES
Steps for Making Fresh and Versatile Cheeses
What to Do with the Whey from Fresh and Versatile Cheeses
Lesson 9: Quark, Chèvre, and Fromage Blanc
Lesson 10: Cream Cheese
Lesson 11: Curd Cottage Cheese

7: RENNET-COAGULATED SEMI-FIRM FRESH CHEESES
Steps for Making Rennet-coagulated Fresh Cheeses
What to Do with the Whey from Rennet-coagulated Fresh Cheeses
Lesson 12: Quick Mozzarella
Bonus Recipe: Burrata
Lesson 13: Feta
Lesson 14: Farmhouse Cheese

8: RENNET-COAGULATED AGED CHEESES
Steps for Making Rennet-coagulated Aged Cheeses
Lesson 15: Gouda
Lesson 16: Fresh, Squeaky Cheddar Curds and Traditional Cheddar
Lesson 17: Stirred-curd Cheddar
Lesson 18: Colby
Lesson 19: Parmesan
Bonus Recipe: Whey Ricotta

9: WHAT'S NEXT?
Keep a Cheese Journal
Experiment
Advanced Cheesemaking
Cheesemaking as a Business
Conclusion

GLOSSARY
RESOURCES
BOOKS
MAGAZINES
MOVIES AND VIDEOS
SUPPLIES
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
INDEX
ABOUT THE AUTHOR