Topic: Anyone into making cheese?

[Digeroo]

Is this kefir the same as used for ginger beer.

[goodlife]

Is this kefir the same as used for ginger beer.

There is kefir 'grains' that are called water kefir...they are bacterial and yeast grown 'colonies' too but look very different to milk kefir. Water kefir are chrystal like...almost clear structures that can be used to make ginger beer or other juice based beverages.
'water kefir' has pre- and probiotic benefits as well as milk kefir.
Dom's pages ( see my previous post) has info about water kefir too.

[BarriedaleNick]

Sounds fun!  I'd love to have a go..

If you Pm me - Ill send a SAE??

Nick

[queenbee]

It all sounds very complicated to me. My mother ( not having a fridge in the 40's and 50's ) used sour milk, full cream especially in the summer when milk went off very quickly. She waited until it was lumpy them poured into a cotton cloth and hung it on the washing line. (not very hygienic) when the whey had dripped out it was ready and she mixed it with pickled onions, this was her version of cottage cheese, It was delicious.

[goodlife]

It all sounds very complicated to me. My mother ( not having a fridge in the 40's and 50's ) used sour milk, full cream especially in the summer when milk went off very quickly. She waited until it was lumpy them poured into a cotton cloth and hung it on the washing line. (not very hygienic) when the whey had dripped out it was ready and she mixed it with pickled onions, this was her version of cottage cheese, It was delicious.

Yes..that 'recipe' sounds very familiar to me too.. ;D ..and it is not 'million miles' away from what I rustled up today.
My cheese is now in fridge under 'weights' draining off from excess whey..but tommorrow I shall turn it over from its mold and take pic. I've already made some lovely cobs using the whey and tommorrow I shall feast! MMMMM.
It is very hard to keep away from having little taster.. ::) I don't do cheese very often so when I've made the effort its is always such a treat. Must go to bed so tommorrow comes sooner.. ;D

[Digeroo]

Realised what I did wrong with Paneer, used milk which had been in the freezer, texture was very small and rough rather than smooth.  Normally works ok I can still recommend this proces. 

[goodlife]

Well here we are..my 'eggy' cheese.

Just out of mould. It spent last 24 hrs in fridge under weights setting..

[goodlife]

...and here it is just after oven. It was given egg wash and quickly 'baked'  in hot oven to give it slight colour and skin.
Next to it is some 'rough' cobs made with whey. I made 2 dozen cobs which most are now in freezer and I still got another litre or so whey in frozen for to use later.
'All' that from 3 litres of milk and 3 eggs... ;D YUM YUM!

[pumkinlover]

The old brain finally remembered who we bought the real raw milk from, and there is a diary page of where it is on sale. :) :)

real milk!

The cheese is very nice too- though not as nice as yours looks  Goodlife!! I'm so inspired!

[goodlife]

The old brain finally remembered who we bought the real raw milk from, and there is a diary page of where it is on sale. :) :)

real milk!

The cheese is very nice too- though not as nice as yours looks  Goodlife!! I'm so inspired!

Thanks for that!..I've added the link into my 'shopping' contacts.. ;D Mmm..their cheese looks interesting.. ;D

[Digeroo]

Like the look of your cheese goodlife.  You even seem to have a special mould.  Where do the eggs come in.

Made some more paneer.   Not frozen milk this time. Much better.  Nice taste.  Seem to get a lot of whey.  Not sure what to use it for.  Actually tastes quite nice, since got the lemon juice in it.

Was going to make quark but got tired of waiting for it to separate, maybe the bacteria in boughten quark have died.  So added the lemon to make paneer.

[goodlife]

Code: [Select]

You even seem to have a special mould.  Where do the eggs come in#

Yep..I treated myself for the wooden mould few years ago. It wasn't cheap but should last for the life time. I got it from Finland where it is very traditional 'tool' though decorative patterns vary.

There is actually 3 eggs whisked in with the sourmilk (kefir) and that mixture is whisked into hot milk and then allowed to separate from whey. And then there is tiny amount of egg washed on surface before browning in oven.

Use the whey for making bread...bit of lemony flavour won't be noticeable at all...or if you add some milk powder into the whey to make 'more' milk..you could use it for making sweet buns.. ;D http://www.foodnetwork.co.uk/recipes/pulla-finnish-coffee-buns-ru327972.html

[pumkinlover]

Just back from the farm with 4 pints on unpasturised milk!!  :D

[goodlife]

Just back from the farm with 4 pints on unpasturised milk!!  :D

..and what are you going to do with it?

[pumkinlover]

I'm not  making cheese yet! I'm very  interested having read this thread but not at the moment.
Now I know we can still get it in Chesterfield  I can get a regular supply it means I do not have to get it from the supermarket when I cannot get to the farm at Longstone. I try and avoid the supermarkets as they screw the farmers so much and I hate that, how can anyone justify paying the farmers less than it costs them to produce milk ???

When got time will be asking for advice though now I know cheese at home is a possibilty!!
If you are ever this way and want some raw milk -let me know Goodlife.

[goodlife]

I'm not  making cheese yet! I'm very  interested having read this thread but not at the moment.
Now I know we can still get it in Chesterfield  I can get a regular supply it means I do not have to get it from the supermarket when I cannot get to the farm at Longstone. I try and avoid the supermarkets as they screw the farmers so much and I hate that, how can anyone justify paying the farmers less than it costs them to produce milk ???

When got time will be asking for advice though now I know cheese at home is a possibilty!!
If you are ever this way and want some raw milk -let me know Goodlife.

Yes..I'm with you there..I would love to be able to buy my milk straight from the farmer and would be happy to pay 'proper' price for it. But unfortunately people in towns don't have many options with where to get their milk from .
You either have to make some 'food miles' and fetched your milk miles away or buy it what ever is nearest..doomed to be doing 'wrong' one way or other  ::)

I've never had chance to taste raw milk (not that I'm aware of it) and I've always wanted some. When I was kid my gran kept couple of cows on her small holding..I don't know why I never even thought to ask to taste the milk  ???..usually I was eager to taste anything and everything. I have the milk in other forms..cooked, baked etc. but never as it was.
Thanks for the offer dear..I shall ask where to get it when I'm in my 'travels' to that direction.. ;) ;D I've already dropped a hint to Mr goodlife that we could go to Bakewell farmers market..soon!  ;D

[artichoke]

When I was with my first husband we kept 2 cows and had almost more raw milk than we could cope with - it went into everything including bread. Occasionally they were both dry at once and we had to buy milk, which was when we realised how much we preferred the taste of the raw milk - the bought milk tasted a bit like evaporated milk in comparison.

All I did after milking was to strain it through cheese cloth to get rid of hairs and mud flakes and skin, and cool in the fridge. Any that went off was allowed to solidify, was chopped up and strained through a cloth as described. There always seemed to be a bag of dripping cheese pegged to the washing line in those days. I looked into making hard cheese, but it seemed too complicated and needed equipment I didn't have.

I made a lot of butter as well and froze most of it as it went off very quickly.

[pigeonseed]

My dad said he remembered gone-off milk hanging from the scullery tap in a cloth when he was little, and I think he hadn't really put two and two together until we talked about it a few years ago - it was cottage cheese being made.  :)

My friend saw the cheese-making promotion at lakeland and has got very excited by the idea of making cheese. I'm hoping to help her perfect her technique by tasting it.

[pumkinlover]

Artichoke- did you hand milk? with two cows I guess that you would not have all the equipment?

[artichoke]

Definitely hand milking. I have to admit that after a couple of years of milking morning and evening, often in the dark, and with toddlers stumbling into cowpats, we got someone in to do it. I carried on filtering and dealing with the milk though. It was quite a tie, but I'm very glad that I had the experience.