Curd Nerd | Curd Nerd

The Easy Going Member Of The Cheddar Family

Curd Nerd Cheese Making, Hard Cheeses 15/06/201130/01/2019Cheddar, cheese, cheese making, Easy Cheddar, Farmhouse Cheddar, Hard Cheeses, Milling, pressing

Many recipes that have cheese as a main ingredient really do demand the true full and sharp taste of Cheddar. Think cheese scones and cheese puffs. They just wouldn’t be the same with a more mild flavoured cheese.

A decent Cheddar can be expensive, especially the delicious vintages, but making your own Cheddar at home can yield you a far superior cheese than the cheap blocks you might buy otherwise at your local store.

Making your first block of Cheddar can seem daunting though. While the name of this cheese came from the area in England where it originated, cheddaring is also the term for the technique of milling and stacking the curds during the make, a seemingly complex process that can deter new cheese makers. Read more

Waxing Cheese – Preserving Cheese In Wax

Curd Nerd Aging, Cheese Making, Hard Cheeses, Most Read Articles, Preserving 08/06/201112/03/2019beeswax, beeswax cheese wax, cheese in wax, cheese wax, natural cheese wax, waxing cheese

Wax on, Wax off, Wax on, Wax off – so says Mr Miyagi

Ok, so perhaps that’s a bad play on words but it’s what comes to mind EVERY time I’m waxing my cheeses.

Anyway, let’s move on from that terrible start and talk about one of the methods of preserving your aging cheeses – waxing.

A lot of people shy away from waxing their cheese because the whole process can seem a little technical and messy. But once you give it a go a few times it becomes a lot easier and the benefits start to outweigh the effort.

QA2 – Why Does My Feta Melt When I Store It In Brine?

Curd Nerd Aging, Brining, Cheese Making, Most Read Articles, Soft Cheeses, Troubleshooting 01/06/201125/11/2019brine solution for feta, brining, feta, Feta Brine, feta cheese in brine how long does it last, why does feta melt in brine

How To Make Feta Brine cheese Solution At Home

You’ve made a lovely batch of Feta. It’s been salted and aged and now you want to store it for use later on.

You’ve followed the instructions and put it in a salty brine. A few days later, it starts to soften, go slimy and ‘melt’ in the solution.

Why does your Feta brine solution make your Feta melt?

Cheese Mold | Is Mould On Cheese Harmful

Curd Nerd Cheese Making, Troubleshooting 25/05/201125/11/2019cheese mold, cheese mould, cheese with mold, cheese with mould, Mold, moldy cheese, mould on cheese

Mold or mould? I don’t mind which way we all spell it but I do know that I’ve seen a lot more of it since I’ve been making cheese.

In the wonderful world of mixing together milk, cultures and bacteria you can end up with some pretty funky looking new friends living on your cheese.

Some moulds (as we spell it in the parts I live in) are desirable and we put special effort into inviting them into and onto our cheese, such as those in blue cheeses and on mould ripened cheeses like Camembert or Brie.

Others aren’t quite so welcome. These are those unwanted, unsightly moulds that turn up and appear to threaten the success of your hard earned cheese.

What Is Annatto – Do You Have To Use Annatto In Cheese?

Curd Nerd Cheese Making, Ingredients 18/05/201112/03/2019annatto, annatto cheese, annatto in cheese, cheese coloring, what is annatto

What Is Annatto? Annatto In Cheese Making

You’re busy reading your way through a Cheddar, Gouda or a Red Leicester cheese recipe, getting prepared to try something new and there in the ingredients list is something you haven’t used before in your cheese making. Annatto! What is Annatto?

Let me fill you in.

Slip Skin – Camembert Rind Nemesis

Curd Nerd Aging, Troubleshooting 10/05/201130/01/2019camembert aging, camembert mold, camembert rind, camembert slip skin, can you eat the rind of camembert, cheese skin, skin cheese, slip skin camemebert

Can You Eat Camembert Rind Even If It Had Slip Skin

For home cheese makers, attempting to make Camembert can seem like pushing the limits of your new cheese making skills directly into the advanced arena.

The reality is, that the actual make of this delicious soft cheese is pretty simple and straightforward, but the ripening and aging period can be a somewhat tense few weeks.

There are a handful of things that can go wrong during the ripening process, a few that will destroy your cheese, others that just make it a bit of an adventure to eat, with strong smells and unexpected textures. Read more

Cooking Cheese Curds Known As Scalding The Curds

Curd Nerd Basic Instructions, Cheese Making, Curd 07/05/201130/01/2019cooking cheese curds, cooking curds, curds, milk, scalding, scalding curds

Cooking Cheese Curds - Scalding Cheese Curds

This post is Part 5 of the continued basic home cheese making instructions. See the Curd Nerd Beginner page or the Basic Instructions category for previous parts.

With your curds all nicely cut and having had a 5 minute rest, for many recipes, the next step is to scald the curds.

Otherwise known as cooking the curds. Read more

Camembert Cheese Making – The Ripening Process

Curd Nerd Aging, Cheese Making, Soft Cheeses 05/05/201125/11/2019aging, Camembert, camembert cheese making, how to make camembert cheese, making camembert, ripe camembert, ripening camembert cheese

As I’ve mentioned before, in this post, I love making Camembert and so far I have been lucky enough to end up with great looking and tasting cheese each time I make it so it’s been a cheese that just works for me.

I had someone ask me what I was doing differently that meant I always turned out a good Camembert so I decided to elaborate further in this post on my usual recipe with extra details of what I do to successfully age my Camembert. Read more