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If you have a question that you would like to ask about cheese making and would like it answered during a podcast episode, then leave a message via the Speakpipe widget below.
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Hi, Naomi,
I live in Bangalore, and would like to get in touch via email. I too want to start making cheese at home.
I would like your inputs on a few things, like vegetable rennet, cultures, etc.
Please email me, it’s daniellenair819@gmail.com
Thanks,
Danielle.
Comment: Hello Gavin,
Greeting from Bombay, India!
I love your Youtube vids. I chanced upon them quite serendipitously, and now I want to experiment with cheese making. The Indian subcontinent does not have a tradition of cheese-making after the European methods of using mesophilic culture, rennet, lipase, calcium chloride and the other’ cheddaring’ ingredients that you typically use in your cheeses. ‘Paneer’, or south Asian cottage cheese, requires nothing more that hot milk and a squeeze of line.
As I result, acquiring these somewhat ‘exotic’ chees- making supplies would entail some legwork — not that they are not available around (there is a growing European-style cheese making community here), but perhaps I am being just plain lazy! Perhaps I will one day (sooner than later!) get up the gumption to kit my self out more fully, but not just now.
Therefore, I was wondering if I could make some of the cheeses in your vids (may be some; I’m sure not all) with store-bought full fat yogurt.
When I last checked, I noticed that the list of ingredients of these ready-made products — Nestle, Danone, as well as some domestically-produced yogurts brands — had mesophilic culture, calcium chloride, and ‘microbially-produced’ (animal rennet is not culturally acceptable in largely vegetarian India) rennet. I haven’t noticed lipase on the list, though.
Since these yogurt products have most (certainly not the lipase, though) of the ingredients that you use in your cheeses, would I be able to proceed with the store-bought yogurt as my starting point?
I should tell you that, as an experiment, I drained two 500 gm full fat yogurt tubs (Danone), pressed the curbs in a DIY cheese press with 5 kg weights, and the pressed block is now being brined in the 10 % non-iodised NaCl solution, acidified with vinegar according to you feta making video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnvqtQV754E)
Although I haven’t tasted it yet, I am happy to report that it looks and feels exactly like feta, even after only one day of brining! Yeyyy!!
I am sure the purist in you must cringe at my question, but I would still be interested in your thought on making cheese (again, I should qualify that by saying ‘some’ varieties of cheese) with store-bought yogurt as the starting point.
I would love to hear from you 🙂 And yes, one day, I will acquire the full cheese-making armamentarium (what a great word, that!) and approach my new found hobby more professionally!
Have a great day, and keep posting more vids — we love them!!
Best wishes,
Naomi Patrao.
Really like your cheesemaking instructional videos. If I could recommend a Raclette cheese tutorial? There isn’t much information online and it is hugely popular in Europe with Raclette grills. Thank you and keep up the great work.
Thanks Christopher. It’s on the list!
I’m glad you asked this question Christopher…because now Gavin has posted a Raclette recipe and it’s gotten me started. Not just Raclette, but other alpine cheeses as well.
Hello Gavin..Today I made your Jarlsberg recipe from your video. I am very confused about some of ur instruction. This is a washed curd. U instruct that after draining the original whey from the curd to pour water that has been heated to 140°f over the curd up to the level of the original whey. Then u say this should lower the temperature to about 100°. Then you instruct to heat the curds up to 108°f over the course of 30 minutes. Here is the problem. ..When u pour 140°water over curds that hav been ripening at 90° you are not going to lower the temperature to 100°.. in fact u get a matted curd mass with a temperature of in excess of about 120 degrees. The only thing I knew to do was to stir the 120° matted curd mass for about 30 minutes in order to eventually lower the temperature to 108 over 30 minutes. No idea how this is going to turn out. It’s in the press now. Do u hav an amended recipe somewhere, or do u concur that this was a misspeak? Any help u could give me for next time would b appreciated
Hi Linda. Here is the full written recipe; https://www.littlegreencheese.com/2016/10/making-jarlsberg-cheese-home.html