• About
  • Contact Me

Little Green Cheese

Cheese making at home with Gavin Webber the Cheeseman

  • Home
  • Blog
  • Cheese eBook
  • Podcast
  • Videos
  • Cheese Making Kits
  • Courses
  • Support Me!
  • Live!
You are here: Home / Workshops / Pressing Cheese at Home

Pressing Cheese at Home

22/06/2013 By Gavin Webber 5 Comments

Cheese presses are an essential item in the cheese makers tool box.  A cheese press is used to expel excess whey and assist in forming the curds into the familiar shapes during the semi-hard and hard cheese making processes.

For the home cheese maker, commercial cheese presses are way too big, so we have to opt for a smaller version.

There are many types that can be bought in kit form, or if you are handy enough, made at home DIY style.  In this post we will be looking at various types of home cheese presses so that you can progress on your cheese making journey by pressing cheese at home.

Firstly, here is the small press that I use.  I purchased it in kit form from Little Green Workshops quite a while ago.  This is what it looks like flat packed.


The instructions are quite simple, and once assembled it looks like this.

pressing cheese at home
I now have three of these presses, and they take cheese baskets from 145mm to 165mm in diameter.

I highly recommend that you buy the spring, which helps you to determine the amount of pressure that is applied to the curds.  You have to use a bit of common sense when you use the spring.  As it requires 22 kilograms or 50 lbs to close the spring, you have to estimate how far you have closed the spring.  For instance, if you need 11 kg of pressure, tighten the handle until the spring is about half way closed. It is a rough guide, but I have never had any trouble pressing any of my cheeses to date.

So that is what I use.  How about other cheese makers?

Fellow home cheese maker Aase from Denmark, uses a home-made press build by her husband that uses water filled bottles as weights.

I believe that this type of press is called a dutch press.  It uses the weight applied via a lever to deliver the right amount of pressure to the curds.  It is also tall enough so that you can stack cheese baskets upon each other and press many cheeses at the same time.  Aase blogs about her cheese making at http://ostepressen.blogspot.com.au.  It is written in Danish, however Google Translator does a good job for those who don’t speak the language.

Another cheese maker, Myron from Colorado USA, made his own press.

Here is what he had to say about it;

“My press has worked well for the (about) 10 cheeses I have pressed in it.
It is only built to accommodate the one ‘hoop’ I had available – a leftover piece of PVC water pipe. I sized it to fill to the top (before pressing) with curd from a 2 gallon recipe. I may build another one for a larger diameter lower profile hoop.
Instead of dressing in cheesecloth, I use a nylon mesh paint strainer. The one gallon size fits well in my press, the 5 gallon size is what I use while draining the curd. Easily washable & reusable.  Cheap from a home building center or hardware store.”

Here are a few more pictures of his press with a Colby cheese that he was making.

You can see the nylon net that he uses instead of cheese cloth.  The round of cheese looks well-formed.

In this closer picture, you can see the drainage holes in the mould that he made.  From all accounts, Myron says that this press works very well.

Here is another home-made cheese press.  This one is built by David Dawson from Manitoba, Canada.  You may remember David from episode 5 of the podcast.

He has this to say about his press;

I made my own press (actually I made four – two for me and two for friends), and I made my own moulds. For these I used a slightly tapered jug, cutting off the top and bottom, and then drilling numerous holes in it.

You will notice that his press has wing nuts that is used to apply the pressure to the curds.  I believe that the wood is maple hardwood and the base is a kitchen chopping board.

Here are some wheels of cheese that are fresh out of David’s cheese press.  They look well-formed, and from what he tells me, they are very tasty.

Another reader, Judy from Ontario sent in this picture of a cheese press that her hubby made her after seeing that she was struggling with her old press.  It look very practical.


Lastly, here is another method of pressing without the need for a press.

In this instance I used two square cheese baskets, which are normally used for pressing feta, and used a 2 litre (2 qt) milk carton filled with water as the weight.  This equates to about 2 kg (4.4 lbs) of pressure.

After four hours of pressing it looked like this, ready for soaking in brine.  This method works well with a smaller amount of curd.

Well there you have it.  Many thanks to all the home cheese makers for sending me photos via email for this post.

Hopefully you now have a little more knowledge about home cheese presses.  You may even be inspired enough to make your own!

Happy cheese pressing, and remember Keep Calm & Make Cheese!

Will this article help someone you know? If so help them out by sharing now!

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)

Related

Filed Under: Workshops Tagged With: Cheese Press, Technique

← How to Make Emmental Video Tutorial LGC 006 – 10 Tips For Successful Cheese Making →

About Gavin Webber

Gavin Webber is passionate about home cheese making. He loves to make cheese in his spare time and shares the techniques, videos, podcasts, and recipes with his fellow curd nerds!

Learn more about him here and connect with him on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+.

Comments

  1. hook,,,allen says

    30/06/2019 at 00:10

    glad to have discovered your site,,,video are very encouraging,,,realy enjoying my new passion too,..thx Gav,,,,bee well,…eh,,

    Reply
  2. sarwataj says

    17/02/2015 at 09:19

    wow …… pressing was the biggest obstacle in the way to attemp the cheese making …..

    Reply
  3. Unknown says

    13/09/2014 at 17:55

    Thanks so much this isnpricelespriceless for us in the Philippines

    Reply
  4. Liz Beavis says

    22/06/2013 at 08:48

    interesting range of possibilities Gavin, I have one like David Dawson's, but made from metal of course! (husband welds everything!) He also welded a small length of pipe into the corner of a baking dish, so I can sit that under the cheese mold and control the whey 🙂

    Reply

Leave a comment for the Cheese Maker! Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Follow Us via Social

FacebooktwitterpinterestrssyoutubeinstagramFacebooktwitterpinterestrssyoutubeinstagram

Cheese Making Kits

Cheeseman.tv Merchandise

Cheeseman.tv Merchandise
Cool Cheesy T-shirts, sweatshirts, mugs, stickers, and more
0:00
54:12
  • LGC097 - Interview with Tutu Saad Artisan Cheesemaker Bangladesh
Subscribe on Apple Podcasts

Archives

Tags

Aging Blue Brine Caerphilly Camembert Cheese Cave Cheese Press Colby Cream Cheese Curd Cutter Curds Drunken Cow eBook Emmentaler Equipment Farmhouse Cheddar Feta Gavin Halloumi Jarlsberg Kits Monterey Jack Mould Ripened Cheese Moulds Mozzarella Parmesan Parmigiano Reggiano Podcast Queso Fresco Raw Milk Rennet Ricotta Romano Romano Pepato Salt Sanitisation Starter Cultures Stilton Storage Technique Tzafatit Video Tutorial Waxing Whey Ricotta Workshops

Subscribe to Cheese Podcast

Apple PodcastsGoogle PodcastsAndroidby EmailRSS

Subscribe to Cheeseman.TV

Podcast Reviews

  • Love it. Keep it up!
    February 12, 2022 by Corknip from Denmark

    Excellent podcast. Started the home making adventure last month and have been catching up on all the past episodes and YouTube videos. it is a gold mine of shared knowledge. Thank you!

  • So funny!!!!
    June 15, 2020 by purple quaqamale from United States

    Little green cheese is so funny

  • Great podcasts
    June 14, 2020 by Chrissy Curd Nurd from Australia

    I’ve just started cheese making at home,Gavin ‘s podcasts are so informative. I also watch his you tube tutorials. Thanks for your great work!!

  • An excellent guide to artisan cheese!
    January 14, 2020 by N.K.13 from Australia

    I recently became aware of Gavin’s lovely YouTube channel and podcast and it’s been incredible. His competence and comprehensive explanations leave you craving more. Much like a good cheese! Cheers Gavin!

  • Perfect for Cheesemakers of all levels!
    December 3, 2018 by Viki Leeasa from Thailand

    I love that this podcast does not just have helpful tips and tricks on cheese making, but also stories and news from the cheese world, as well as nice little anecdotes from the host. A big fan from Thailand!

  • If you think you want to make cheese, listen to this!
    November 30, 2018 by paulsaw from United States

    Gavin Webber’s Little Green Cheese is By Far the best podcast I have ever heard! A truly informative and quality production!

  • Great program
    October 9, 2018 by p37dg9q14 from United States

    Very informative and enjoyable podcast. I started at episode 1 and currently listening to 25. I’ll be giving cheesemaking a go in the next week. Mike J from Oceanside CA

  • Great podcast
    September 13, 2018 by nicole_elias from Australia

    I have a long commute to and from work and have worked my way through the back catalogue of these podcasts. Enjoyed every one of them and hope for many more to come. Thanks Gavin! Keep up the great work. Cheers, Nicole

  • Excellent!
    September 3, 2018 by emeldridge from United States

    Looking to take up cheesemaking sometime soon and this channel has provided all the information necessary to get started!

  • Great Resource!
    August 28, 2018 by olivestones from United States

    I have been learning to make cheese for the past year. Gavin's podcast and video series has been a tremendous resource for me. His love for the cheese-making craft is evident in the amount of research he will perform in order to answer a listener's cheese question. All thumbs up for the amount of time and energy he puts into his quality podcast! ...And he cracks me up with his attempts at pronunciation!

Little Green Workshops

Copyright © 2023 · Gavin Webber