Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
20
Practical Cheese Making Techniques
In this chapter, I am going to progress from the easiest and
least time-consuming techniques to the more involved, using
a few examples. By mixing, matching, and varying these
techniques you can make a wide array of interesting cheeses.
Buttermilk and yogurt are an ideal starting place because both
can be used to make other cheeses while saving money on
starter cultures.
How to Have a Lifetime Supply of Buttermilk and Mesophilic
Cheese Starter
I have always loved cultured buttermilk. Its thick consistency
with sweet-tartness is irresistibly delicious, and it makes
wonderful pancakes as well! Buttermilk costs 70% more than
regular milk, so if you like it, you can save money by making
your own.
Start with cultured buttermilk from the store that uses live
cultures. You can make any amount of buttermilk you'd like
from this by re-culturing. To re-culture, put the amount of
milk you would like to turn into buttermilk into a stainless
steel container. Either use a double-boiler or put the container
of milk into a sink of hot water, and raise the temperature to
86 degrees.
Hold at 86 degrees for ten minutes, then add ¾ cup of
buttermilk per quart of milk. (1½ cups of buttermilk for a
half-gallon and 3 cups of buttermilk for a gallon.) Remove the
