Cheese Making

Cheese Christmas Gifts – Give A Cheesy Gift This Year

Curd Nerd Cheese Making, Other, Soft Cheeses , ,
Cheese Christmas Gifts - Give A Cheesy Gift This Year

The festive season is certainly upon us, with less than a month until Christmas.

The stores are decorated, the carols have started (far too early in my mind) and the preparations have begun with cards, gifts and thoughts of indulgent Christmas dinners.

In the years since I started making cheese, it’s been my honor to break out a good home made cheese later on in the early evening when lunch has settled and the family feel like just a little nibble more.

So last week I set up six lovely raw milk Camembert to age over the last few weeks before Christmas, ready to be enjoyed for Christmas supper. Read more

Preservation Of Cheese – Bandaging Cheese

Curd Nerd Aging, Cheese Making, Hard Cheeses, Preserving, Storage , , , ,
Preservation Of Cheese - Cheese Preservation Techniques

If you feel so inclined to play with some older, traditional methods of preserving cheese, ‘bandaging’ is an interesting and fun technique to try out. 

It is also a more natural method that will appeal to those not wanting to preserve their cheese with colored waxes.

Bandaging involves wrapping your cheese in cheese cloth bandage and then sealing it with a fat based product like lard. And while it is still a slightly messy preserving technique much like waxing, it looks pretty neat when it’s done.

It also produces a better flavored cheese due to the molds that form around the bandage and contribute to the aging of the cheese. Bandaging also allows your cheese to breathe as compared to wax or vacuum sealing.

Read more

What Is Lipase? The Purpose Of Lipase In Cheese Making

Curd Nerd Cheese Making, Hard Cheeses, Ingredients, Lipase , , , , , ,
What Is Lipase The Purpose Of Lipase In Cheese Making

If you are new to the hobby of cheese making, you might have no idea, just as I didn’t when I first started out. I had never heard of it in any context and it took a bit of research to learn why and when I would use it.

So I thought I would help you out with telling you what I learnt back in those early days. Read more

QA5 – Why Doesn’t My Mozzarella Stretch Properly?

Curd Nerd Cheese Making, Most Read Articles, Soft Cheeses, Troubleshooting , , ,
Why Doesn't My Mozzarella Stretch Properly Stretching Mozzarella

Mozzarella, it’s the cheese that many new cheese makers try first because of its quick results, delicious taste and versatility of use.

Recipes like 30 Minute Mozzarella make it even more appealing, especially for those who are time poor but want to get involved in home cheese making and experience the thrill of creating their own cheese products.

But, while this recipe is quick and simple and caters to that need for instant gratification, it often causes new cheese makers the most frustration and questions about how to master the delightful stringy cheese they imagined creating. Read more

Cheese Making Press – How To Press Cheese

Curd Nerd Basic Instructions, Cheese Making, Hard Cheeses, Pressing , , , ,
Cheese Mkaing Press - How To Press Cheese

This post is Part 6 of the continued basic home cheese making instructions. See the Curd Nerd Beginner Page or the Basic Instructions category for previous parts.

Pressing your cheese is not only an important part of shaping the cheese but is also important in creating the texture and as part of the aging process.

 

What Cheese Needs Pressing

Soft cheeses need either no pressing, are pressed under their own weight or have minimal light weight applied to form the cheese.

Hard cheese on the other hand must be pressed and after your cheese has been through each of the steps to get to the point of having curds ready to turn into cheese, you need to apply enough weight in a way that will knit the curds, expel any extra whey and create the shape of your final product.

Read more

Cheese Plastic Wrap – Is Cling Film Safe For Wrapping Cheese?

Curd Nerd Aging, Cheese Making, Preserving, Storage , ,
Cheese Plastic Wrap - Is Cling Film Safe For Wrapping Cheese

 

Aging, preserving and storing cheese can present a few challenges for home cheese makers, between battling with rinds, molds, brines, wraps and waxes and trying to control humidity and temperatures.

There are many tried and true methods and just as many personal recommendations for how to nurture and protect your cheese and it can all get a bit confusing about what works and what doesn’t, and for those wanting to be true to the art of cheese making, what’s wrong and what’s right. Read more

What Is The Best Milk For Cheese Making?

Curd Nerd Cheese Making, Ingredients, Milk , , , ,
Best Milk For Cheese Making - making cheese from milk

If you’ve been making cheese for any period of time you’re probably aware of the conversations about raw milk versus pasteurized milk, or perhaps you’ve already started thinking about it from your own perspective.

 

If you do a quick Google search on raw milk vs pasteurized milk you can get lost in the plethora of information and sometimes heated debate about this subject very easily.

But what’s the fuss all about milk and how does it affect Cheese Making? Read more

QA4 – I Stored My Feta In Brine And Now It’s Too Salty!

Curd Nerd Brining, Cheese Making, Preserving, Soft Cheeses, Troubleshooting , , , ,
Is Feta Cheese Salty? Why Is Feta Cheese Salty?

Storing your Feta in Brine is the most common way to preserve this cheese, but what do you if your Feta ends up too salty to enjoy?

Everyone enjoys different levels of salt and Feta is a cheese that has a saltier taste associated with it due to the aging method and the usual preservation method.

In fact if you ever get the chance to eat a traditional Feta from Greece or Cyprus, it’s likely the cheese will be much more salty than any other Feta you’ve eaten.

But, after the hard work you put into your Feta, it can be disappointing when you end up with a batch of cheese that is inedible because of too much salt. Read more