Homemade Raw Cheddar Cheese Food

HOW TO MAKE CHEDDAR CHEESE

Steps:

• Heat the milk in a large stockpot. Pour the milk into your stockpot and heat it over medium heat until it reaches an even temperature of 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32.2 degrees Celsius). You can use either cow's milk or goat's milk, but either way, it should be raw. The temperature can be as low as 85 degrees Fahrenheit (29.4 degrees Celsius) when you begin. Check the temperature with an instant-read food thermometer.
• Mix in the mesophilic culture. Sprinkle the culture over the surface of the milk and whisk it in, making sure that it is thoroughly combined and dissolved. Let the cultured milk ripen for 1 hour. Note that you could also use 1 packet of direct-set mesophilic culture instead of bulk mesophilic culture.
• Add the rennet solution. Slowly pour the diluted rennet into the milk, whisking continuously as you add it and for at least 5 minutes after all the rennet has been added. Let the milk set for 1 to 2 hours. A curd should develop in this time, and it should be firm enough for you to cut cleanly with a knife. If you do not want to use liquid animal rennet, you could use 1/4 tsp (1.25 ml) double-strength liquid vegetable rennet dissolved in 1/2 cup (125 ml) water or 1/4 tablet vegetable rennet dissolved in 1/2 cup (125 ml) water.
• Cut the curds into cubes. Use a long knife to cut the curds into 1/4-inch (6.5-mm) cubes. The cubes do not have to be perfectly even, but they should be approximately the same size. Let the curds sit for an additional 15 minutes, or until they get a little firmer.
• Raise the temperature and continue cooking. Gradually raise the temperature of the milk until it reaches 100 to 102 degrees Fahrenheit (37.8 to 38.8 degrees Celsius). Stir the curds with a long-handled spoon every few minutes to prevent them from matting or clumping. It will usually take about 30 to 45 minutes for the curds to reach this temperature. After the curds reach your desired temperature, let them continue to cook for another 30 to 45 minutes. Again, stir gently every few minutes to prevent matting. Remove the curds from the heat if they get too hot. During this time, the curds will begin to shrink considerably.
• Line a colander with cheesecloth. Place the colander in a large, clean sink or basin and line it with enough cheesecloth to cover the sides completely. Meanwhile, let the curds settle to the bottom of the pot for about 20 minutes.
• Drain the whey. Pour the contents of the pot through your cheesecloth-lined colander. Rest the colander over a clean sink, basin, or the empty stockpot. Drain for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent the curds from becoming too clumpy or matted.

FARMHOUSE CHEDDAR ~ 18TH CENTURY RECIPE

Steps:

• Warm the milk to around 85 to 90 degrees.
• Dilute the rennet in 1/4 cup of water. Add the diluted rennet to the cheese and stir for about 1 minute using a figure 8 motion up and down in the pot.
• If using pasteurized milk, also add 1 cup cultured buttermilk and 1/2 tsp calcium chloride diluted in water at this time.
• Allow the cheese to sit in a warm place undisturbed for about 90 minutes until a stiff curd forms.
• Cut the curd into 1'' cubes with a large knife, ensuring you cut all the way through to the bottom of the pot.
• Allow the cut curd to rest for an additional 60 to 90 minutes.
• Slowly heat the curd and whey to 100 degrees, increasing the temperature by no more than 2 degrees every 5 minutes. Placing the pot in a sink full of hot water works well (though a wood stove is a more traditional 18th century method).
• Allow the cheese to stand at 100 degrees for 5 to 10 minutes before straining the curd through a colander lined with cheesecloth.
• Add salt and break the curd up into small pieces with your hands while distributing the salt.
• Line a cheese press with cheesecloth and place the curds into the press.
• Press the cheese, increasing pressure every 20 to 30 minutes for about 2 hours. Then allow the cheese to sit in the press under pressure for about 12 hours.
• Remove the cheese from the press and flip it over. Press on the other side for another 12 hours.
• Remove the cheese from the press and age the cheese on a salted shelf for a minimum of 60 days, flipping it over every day or two.
• The finished cheese will be dry and a hint salty, perfect for grating like parmesan.

HOMEMADE RAW CHEDDAR CHEESE

Steps:

• Put the milk in the pot and slowly over a couple hours warm it to 86 degrees Fahrenheit, stirring occasionally. Keep it covered to preserve heat.
• Sprinkle the mesophilic culture on top of the milk.
• Stir in very well.
• Cover and allow to culture or "ripen" for 45 minutes to 1 hour, keeping the temperature at 86 degrees Fahrenheit. During the summer, turn burner off and cover pot with a bath towel to keep at temperature.
• Meanwhile, dissolve rennet in about 1/4 cup of water. Set aside.
• After the ripening time, pour the water-rennet mix into the milk, and stir well.
• Cover the pot again and allow the milk to set for 30 to 45 minutes, until a firm curd forms. Once curd forms, if cut into with a knife, it should make a "clean break" -- where the curd splits and whey pours into the crack. See picture here.
• Then cut the curd into 1/2 inch cubes. Click here to read some good basic directions for making those cuts.
• Be very gentle with the curds at this point. In fact, after cutting them, just let them sit for 5 minutes, undisturbed. Keep the cover on to keep them warm.
• Then turn on the burner (if it isn't on already) and heat the curds to 102 degrees Fahrenheit over the course of 40 minutes or so.
• During this time, stir gently every 5 or 10 minutes to keep the curds from sticking and make them smaller.
• Keep the curds at 102 degrees Fahrenheit for an additional 30 minutes.
• Stir occasionally. Curds should be firm and a bit stretchy, surrounded with lots of whey. They should hold together if pressed. For more info on a texture test, check out The Cheesemaker's Manual.
• Let the curds settle at the bottom of the pot.
• Pour off about 2/3 of the whey into another pot or container. You can keep this raw, cultured whey for lacto-ferments or soaking where a stronger flavor works well (such as veggie ferments).
• Then transfer the curds to a colander, leaving the remaining whey in the pot.
• Put the colander to nest inside the pot, so the curds are suspended over the warm whey. This begins the "cheddaring process" which gives the cheese its squeaky texture.
• Let the curds drain for about 1 hour.
• Cover the colander with a piece of cheesecloth and the pot lid.
• Keep the burner on low if necessary to keep the whey warm.
• During this hour, turn the slab of curds over a few times to make sure they're draining well.
• Take the slab of curds out of the colander, put it on a cutting surface, and then cut it into chunks.
• Then cut the chunks into slices.
• Put them in a bowl and toss with fine sea salt until just slightly oversalted. Remember that some of the salt will leave with the whey that gets pressed out.
• If you don't have a cheese press, these curds are fresh and ready to be eaten! Delicious!
• If you do have a cheese press, line mold with cheesecloth - could be the same piece that covered the curds during the cheddaring process.
• Fill the mold with the slices of curd.
• Using your press's setup (follower, etc.), press the cheese at 10 to 15 pounds for about half an hour.
• If the pressure loosens during this time, tighten it up again.
• Take the cheese out of the mold, turn it over, and put it back in the mold (cheesecloth and all). This makes it pretty on top and bottom.
• You'll need a tray to catch the whey that drains during the pressing.
• Continue pressing overnight (or 12 to 15 hours) with continual pressure, working it up to 35 to 45 pounds for the duration.
• Once again, check frequently if the pressure loosens and adjust the press as necessary. What happens is the cheese gets smaller and shorter, but the press stays in the same position - thus the pressure on the cheese gets relieved, and we need to come in and tighten it up again. Not all presses work like this, but mine does.
• Take the cheese out of the mold.
• Air dry it at room temperature for a few hours or overnight.
• Eat fresh, or age for 1 to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.
• Wax it for longer aging.
• Mild cheddar develops in about 4 weeks, medium in about 2 to 3 months, and sharp in 6 months or more. Allow longer aging times for cheeses made from pasteurized milk (another reason raw is better!).

HOMEMADE CHEDDAR CHEESE

Steps:

• Gently warm the milk to 86 degrees F (30 C).
• Sprinkle the packet of mesophilic starter culture over the top of the warmed milk, andallow it to rehydrate for 2 minutes undisturbed. (This helps preventclumping.) Use 1 packet for raw milk or 2 packets for pasteurized milk. Alternately, use a bulk mesophilic starter at a rate of 1/4 tsp for raw milk or 1/2 tsp for pasteurized milk.
• Stir the culture into the milk using an up and down motion for 1 minute.
• Allow the milk to culture undisturbed for 45 minutes.
• If using pasteurized milk, dilute 1 tsp of calcium chloride in 1/4 cup cool unchlorinated water. Add to the cultured milk and stir for 1 minute to distribute. (This is optional, but highly recommended as the calcium is damaged in pasteurized milk, and it has difficulty forming good curds. This will help firm them up a bit, which will be easier to work with during the cheddaring process.)
• Dilute 1 tsp rennet in 1/4 cup of cool unchlorinated water and add it into the cultured milk, stirring using an up and down motion for 1 minute.
• After 1 minute, still the milk and allow it to set undisturbed for 45 minutes until the curds are set and show a clean break. If the curds are not set, wait another 5-15 minutes before proceeding.
• Cut the curds into 1/4 inch cubes and then allow them to sit for 5 minutes. (This allows the curds to heal a bit before you move along, which will improve the structure of the finished cheese.)
• Slowly heat the curds to 100 degrees F (38 C), increasing the temperature by no more than 2 degrees every 5 minutes. This should take at least 40 minutes. Occasionally stir the curds to prevent matting.
• Once the curds reach 100 degrees F (38 C), hold the temperature for 30 minutes and gently stir the curds.
• After 30 minutes, stop stirring and allow the curds to settle to the bottom of the pot.
• Once settled, pour the curds through a cheesecloth-lined colander (reserving the whey to make whey cheese).
• Allow the curds to drain for 15 minutes, during which they'll mat into a solid mass.
• Remove the curds from the colander and slice them into 1-inch strips. Stack the strips on top of each other and place the stacked curds back into the cheesecloth-lined colander.
• Suspend the colander over a pot of warm (100 degree F, or 38 C) water, and place a lid on top of the colander to maintain warmth. (Optionally, you can also fill a large Ziploc bag with warm water and place it on top of the curds to add more warmth and weight to help the cheddaring process.)
• Hold the curds at 100 degrees F (38 C) for two hours, flipping the stacked curds over every 15 minutes. This is called cheddaring.
• After 2 hours, the curds should have a texture like cooked chicken breast. Gently break them with your hands into 1/2 inch pieces, but keep them in the colander over the warm water bath to keep them warm.
• Hold the broken curds in the colander, still maintaining 100 degrees in the water below, for 30 minutes. Gently stir the curds with your hands every 10 minutes to keep them from matting.
• After 30 minutes, add the cheese salt (2 Tbsp. if starting with 4 gallons milk) and gently distribute it through the curds with your hands. Be sure to mix it thoroughly so it's evenly distributed.
• Line a cheese form (cheese mold) with cheesecloth and place the salted curds in the form. Drape part of the cheesecloth over the top of the curds, and then place a follower for the cheese form on top.
• Place the curds into a cheese press and press at 20 pounds pressure for 30 minutes to form the cheese into a block. At this point, the individual curds will still be visible, but it should mostly hold together when removed from the press.
• Remove the cheese from the press, undress it, flip it over and redress with cheesecloth. Press at 40 pounds pressure for 12 hours (overnight usually).
• In the morning, remove the cheese from the press, undress it, flip it and redress it. Press the cheese at 50 pounds pressure for 24 hours.
• Remove the cheese from the press and remove the cheesecloth.
• Allow the cheese to air dry at room temperature for 2 to 5 days, flipping daily until it's dry to the touch on all sides.
• Dress the cheddar block for aging by cloth binding, waxing, or vacuum sealing (see article).
• Age the dressed cheddar block at 50 to 55 degrees F (10 to 13 degrees C) and 85% relative humidity for at least three months. (Preferably 6 months to a year.) Flip the cheese daily for the first week, and then weekly after that.

DIY POWDERED CHEESE

Steps:

• Spread the Cheddar in a thin, even layer on a microwave-safe plate lined with parchment. Microwave in 30-second intervals until the cheese has melted into a firm disc and the fat has rendered out, about 2 minutes.
• Allow the cheese disc to cool slightly, then peel from the parchment and place on a paper towel to cool completely. It will crisp as it cools.
• Once the cheese disc is completely cooled, break it into pieces. Pulse it in a food processor until finely and evenly ground, about 45 seconds. Add the cornstarch and pulse again just to incorporate.
• Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks. Use to flavor popcorn, vegetables, noodles or anything else you would add cheese to!

MACARONI AND CHEDDAR CHEESE

Steps:

• Heat a medium, deep skillet over medium heat. Add oil and butter. When butter melts into the oil, add flour and combine. Gently cook, whisking flour and butter together, until smooth and flour has had a chance to cook, about 3 minutes. Slowly add milk while continuing to whisk. Gently bring milk to a bubble while stirring frequently. Allow the milk to thicken a bit, then stir in 2 cups of shredded Cheddar cheese a handful at a time. Season sauce with nutmeg and cayenne. Taste and add a little salt, if you like. Add cooked pasta to sauce and coat completely by turning over and over in the cheese sauce. Transfer to a flameproof baking dish and top with remaining cheese. Place baking dish under a hot broiler and brown the Cheddar cheese on top.