# Farmhouse Cheddar



## Julie

Got a cheese press for Christmas, WooHoo!!!1

So we are making Farmhouse Cheddar, this is suppose to be the easiest cheddar to make but boy are there a lot of steps, i'll post up later what we did and lol, Sarah you can let me know if we did this right!


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## Runningwolf

Me tinks Sarah created some monsters!


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## ibglowin

We want pics!


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## Runningwolf

ibglowin said:


> We want pics!



Of julie? I can do that!


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## Brew and Wine Supply

Hope you enjoy the Cheddar, a lot of steps but well worth the effort, Have you decided on the next batch? The Mozzarella is one of the easist to make and only takes about an hour. Good Luck


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## Wade E

Hiw long does say Feta and mozz take. I know cheddar should take lots of time like wine b ut are some of the others somewhat faster?


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## Julie

K, here is a pic, it needs to hang for one hour to drain, after this we mix in the salt and then add to a mold.


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## Brew and Wine Supply

Mozzarella takes less than 1 hour, Feta on the other hand takes a while. The beginning cook to curd process takes about 3 hours. then draining pressing and brining add another few days. Kinda like wine in the first week.


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## Julie

Wade E said:


> Hiw long does say Feta and mozz take. I know cheddar should take lots of time like wine b ut are some of the others somewhat faster?



Mozza and riccotta are the easiest, these are ready to eat almost immediately. The cheddar that I am doing is suppose to be easier than other cheddar's, you can eat it in 8 weeks but 6 months is more preferable.


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## Brew and Wine Supply

Julie said:


> K, here is a pic, it needs to hang for one hour to drain, after this we mix in the salt and then add to a mold.


Looks good Julie, betcha if you hung it from a ceiling fan on high it would drain faster...:<


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## Julie

Brew and Wine Supply said:


> Looks good Julie, betcha if you hung it from a ceiling fan on high it would drain faster...:<



Gee, I could have done that you know

Do you,also, sell cheese making supplies?


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## Brew and Wine Supply

Julie said:


> Gee, I could have done that you know
> 
> Do you,also, sell cheese making supplies?



Yes we do!


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## grapeman

Brew and Wine Supply said:


> Looks good Julie, betcha if you hung it from a ceiling fan on high it would drain faster...:<


 ROFLMAO

I set up next to a man at the Farmer's Markets that has been making cheeses and selling them for about 20 years. He uses cow's milk and it is mostly organic. Really good cheese of all types. Don't forget doing goats milk cheese also.


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## Julie

Brew and Wine Supply said:


> Yes we do!



THANK YOU!!!!! I'll be paying you a visit in the future. Wish I would have known earlier, I needed to buy some wax.


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## Julie

grapeman said:


> ROFLMAO
> 
> I set up next to a man at the Farmer's Markets that has been making cheeses and selling them for about 20 years. He uses cow's milk and it is mostly organic. Really good cheese of all types. Don't forget doing goats milk cheese also.



Yea, I hear ya on the goats milk cheese, I love feta cheese so I now have to find someone local who sells goats milk.


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## Runningwolf

Julie check the Amish in your area. If that doesn't work we'll lend you Bueford in exchange for some house work in the chat room.


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## grapeman

Ah, Dan, I will let you milk Bueford! JUlie would do better buying the goat's milk. It will take forever for you to get a gallon out of Bueford!


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## Julie

Runningwolf said:


> Julie check the Amish in your area. If that doesn't work we'll lend you Bueford in exchange for some house work in the chat room.



LOL, you know it would be a cold day in he11 before I do any cleaning in any house other than my own!



grapeman said:


> Ah, Dan, I will let you milk Bueford! JUlie would do better buying the goat's milk. It will take forever for you to get a gallon out of Bueford!



Thank you Rich, I"m thinking Bueford is a male anyway and, lol, I would like to see Dan trying to milk him.


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## Julie

Ok, here is what I did

2 gallons of milk, I used store bought milk so I need to add calcium chloride
1 tablet rennet
1 packet of mesophilic direct set culture
1 tbls cheese salt

Mike bought me a kit from Ricki's, so everything I needed was there, all I did was follow the recipe.
1. heat milk to 90 degrees
2. add starter culture, let sit for 45 minutes
3. add calcium cholride and rennet
4. cover and let sit for 45 minutes
5. cut the curd
6. place pot in sink with hot water and ring temp up to 100, 2 degrees at a time for 30 minutes
7. let set for 5 minutes
8. pour drained curds into bowl and break up into walnut size pieces and add salt
9. pack curds into mold, add 10 pounds of weight for 15 minutes, turn cheese, add 20 pounds of weight for 12 hours, turn and press for another 12 hours at 20 pounds.
10. remove cheese, carefully remove cheesecloth, then air dry on wooden board, turning the cheese several times a day. dry until you have a nice rind on cheese, this will take 3 to 5 days.
11. wax cheese, age for 2 months but cheese would be better if aged to 6 months.

We will be gone Friday and Saturday, so this is the wooden piece that Mike made. Brew and Wine Supply, we are planning on turning the board over where the groves are on top to dry, will this work since we will not be home for two days to turn the cheese?

Here is a pic of our cheese so far


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## Runningwolf

Julie thanks for sharing. Theres more turning there then I do during the night. Really though it sounds like the first week or so and expecially the first several days you need to pay attention to a time table and be available. It sounds like it would be another interesting hobby. I look forward to tasting it!


So how soon before you're cutting the cheese?


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## Julie

You are so bad, that pic is just wrong and yes you will be tasting


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## SarahRides

Looks great Julie! Sorry, haven't been on much lately to reply! 

I hadn't tried placing the curds in a bag before to drain (none of my instructions said to), was that to get more moisture out?

I've made a few farmhouse cheddars (mostly because they are easy). I even made one that I added herbs to that came out pretty good! I love the smell of the cheese.


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## djrockinsteve

grapeman said:


> Ah, Dan, I will let you milk Bueford!



Just make sure you warm your hands first, Buford hates cold hands on him.


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## milbrosa

I tried making cheese, but I struck out. I bought a cheese press a couple years ago, but I've never used it. I really wanted to make that farmhouse cheddar. I tried making some simple cheeses first to get the hang of it, ones that didn't require a press, but none of them came out especially good. Most of the milk I have access to is high temperature ultra-pasteurized. It doesn't seem like it makes good curds. It makes little pebble grain curds. 

I tried calling a bunch of stores in my area. No one (no one period nobody) sells plain old pasteurized whole milk, the kind that separates, like we used to get delivered to our house when I was growing up. Few of them sell regular homogenized milk that isn't ultra-pasteurized either. Whole Foods does, and Walmart does, but no one else.

I contacted several local farms that sell raw milk. It is legal in Texas to sell raw milk so long as it is sold directly off the dairy farm. Still, I suspect it is a hassle, as not many farmers do it. They all have long waiting lists to sign up to buy their product, and you have to agree to buy a certain amount weekly. All of them are 40 or more miles away, so it doesn't seem practical for me. And in reality, I would prefer plain old pasteurized milk over raw milk anyhow. Of course, I could pasteurize it myself.

I guess if I ever move out of the city, I'll give it a try. But for now, it doesn't seem possible for a city dweller to make good cheese, given the lack of suitable milk. So much for "progress". I think it stinks that buying real food is so difficult these days.


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## Angelina

Julie said:


> Yea, I hear ya on the goats milk cheese, I love feta cheese so I now have to find someone local who sells goats milk.



I have been looking for goats milk too and I came across this site, it may help you find the milk you want, and it looks like Pa has a lot of resources.

http://www.cheesemaking.com/goodmilklist.html#Anchor-Virginia-59125


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## milbrosa

Angelina, thanks for posting that cheesemaking.com site. That is the site I bought most of my cheese making equipement and supplies from a couple (er, was it three?) years ago. At the time the good milk list for Texas had very slim pickin's in my area. Now I see a farm listed that sells raw milk that is really close to me! 

I'm tentatively happy now!


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## Julie

I was just reading an article this morning about milk. Gettting raw milk can be risky, you need to use it within 3 to 4 hours of the cow being milked. 

milbrosa, you are right ultra does not make a good cheese. If you have a store that sells pasteurized milk, use that and if it comes from a local dairy that is even better.

Thanks Angelina, I was on their site this morning, they have a wealth of information. But out of the 4 sites that I was on to buy supplies, Brew and Wine Supply is coming in the cheapest. Go check them out and remember their site is still under construction, so if you do not see what you are looking for, give them a call. I know they love people calling them.

Sarah the kit I used was Ricki's Hard Cheese Kit and yes that is to get more moisture out.


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## Julie

Runningwolf said:


> Julie thanks for sharing. Theres more turning there then I do during the night. Really though it sounds like the first week or so and expecially the first several days you need to pay attention to a time table and be available. It sounds like it would be another interesting hobby. I look forward to tasting it!
> 
> 
> So how soon before you're cutting the cheese?



 you are in one he11 of a mischievous mood, aren't you? So how many different pics did you post up here from the time I went to bed and you decided to settle with this one?

Six months before we can cut the cheese


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## lloyd

Julie congrats on the cheese My mother made cheese when I was young. I am very interested in returning to the craft. This Thread and the new source for supplies n(Brew and Wine Supply) will be a great help. Im looking forward to having fresh milk as my neighbor's cow will be caving some time next week.


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## Julie

Ok, here is a pic of our Farmhouse cheddar after I waxed it. We have lately made a Monterey Jack. I'll start another thread on that one.


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## Runningwolf

Julie that is so awesome. Can't wait to get a slice.


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## Julie

Runningwolf said:


> Julie that is so awesome. Can't wait to get a slice.



Well we are going to make some different ones and I'm thinking of a wine and cheese afternoon, I know you are interested.


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## Runningwolf

Party...am I interested???? Duhhhh!!


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## grapeman

I wish you guys were closer. I'd be there to cut the cheese with you guys and gals in a heartbeat! I even have some Adirondack Woodturner handmade cheese cutters and serving dishes with domed glass covers. He lives right around the corner from me a couple hundred yeards away from where Mrtree hailed from.


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## Julie

grapeman said:


> I wish you guys were closer. I'd be there to cut the cheese with you guys and gals in a heartbeat! I even have some Adirondack Woodturner handmade cheese cutters and serving dishes with domed glass covers. He lives right around the corner from me a couple hundred yeards away from where Mrtree hailed from.



Rich, I wish you lived closer, this would be awesome to get together with you.


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## Flem

Looks yummy, Julie! That sure seemed quick!!


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## Julie

Oh it is quick to make but now I have to leave it age for 6 months and unlike wine, where you can take a little sip here and there to see how the wine is progressing, you can't take a little nip here and there.


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## Brew and Wine Supply

sure you can, with one of these, a cheese tirer. Just makes your cheddar look like swiss after a while..lol


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## Julie

Brew and Wine Supply said:


> sure you can, with one of these, a cheese tirer. Just makes your cheddar look like swiss after a while..lol



I will have to see about getting one of those. lol, gee this might be dangereous, I propbably won't have any cheese left to age after a month.


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## Brew and Wine Supply

you'll have to do what I do with wine,,, just make more...


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## grapeman

Sounds just like wine to me!


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## Brew and Wine Supply

Two more months and counting


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## Julie

Lol are you reading my mine? I was just thinking about that myself this morning


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## Flem

----------and I was hoping for a taste at the "meet and greet"!


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## Julie

I have my cheese in our spare bedroom, aging but with the warmer weather the temp has climbed to 65 in there so I now need to place them in the frig. I am thinking of getting a small dorm frig and making that into a cheese cave. Anyway, the second farmhouse cheddar we made had some mold on it So I had to dig it out, it was into the cheese not on the wax, so anyway, here is my cheese with a little hole in it, yes I know I just need to fill it back in with some wax but I am looking at this cheese and said "What Da Hell!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm tasting!!!!!!!  So I did, it is now 2 months old and ..................... OMG is this stuff good! The texture is very creamy, and it has a very sharp cheddar taste. Actually this stuff is better than anything I buy at out meat shop. They have specialty a cheese shop and their cheeses are heaven.

I am so happy with the outcome. Come fall I we will be making way more than the four batches that we did.


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## Wade E

Julie, are we going to see one of those huge wheels soon?


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## Brew and Wine Supply

Cheese


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## milbrosa

I made my first farmhouse cheddar this past Sunday. It was in the press all day yesterday. Late last night I unwrapped it to begin the drying process. 

It measures 6 inches in diameter by 2.125 inches thick and it weighs 2 lb 3.4 ounces. 

I made it from two gallons of low temperature vat pasteurized non-homogenized Jersey cow milk. 

The milk was unbelievably expensive. I was able to source it only in pints from Whole Foods at $1.39 each. At a cost of around $10 per pound of cheese, I won't go that route again. I will have to find a less expensive source for low-temperature pasteurized non-homogenized milk before I make any more cheese.

As you can see by the yellow tint, I added annatto to color it. My impression is that most home cheesemakers and cheese aficionados dislike coloring additives and prefer all of their cheeses to have a natural color. But I wanted to see what the effect would be, and frankly I find the colored Cheddar and Red Leicester cheeses to be visually attractive and aesthetically appealing. In fact, the color is not as dark as I'd like. I hope it turns more orange colored during aging.

The press I used is from Hoegger Supply Co. http://www.hoeggerfarmyard.com/xcart/Presses/

I'll be waxing my cheese when it has dried and developed a rind. Then it'll just be a matter of aging time before I can taste it.


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## Julie

Wow that does look good. Would you mind if I ask why you go with low-temperature pasteurized non-homogenized milk?


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## milbrosa

Thank you! 

Sure, I'd be happy to explain. 

The reasons I wanted low-temperature pasteurized non-homogenized milk mainly come down to two. 

First, in much of my casual research of cheesemaking forums, web sites and blogs devoted to cheese making, and a few vendor sites that sell cheesemaking supplies, I found many recommendations to use raw milk or minimally processed pasteurized milk rather than homogenized milk, both because the cheesemaking process will be easier, and because the taste was considered by proponents to be superior. 

It was often stated that something in the homogenization process, perhaps the change in fat globule size, negatively affects the milks ability to form a good curd. Some sites also claimed that homogenizing milk alters the flavor and tactile qualities of the cheese that is made from it. 

Second, I tried making mozzarella and a couple other soft cheeses a couple years ago with homogenized milk using Ricki's kit, and my results were disappointing. Low yield and poor texture were the main issues. I only tried a couple of times, so part of the problem might have just been my unfamiliarity with the process. 

In my very first attempt, I used ultra-pasteurized homogenized milk. It was a total flop. I got hard little curd particles 1/2 the size of rice grains. I tried again using a regular homogenized milk and got much better results, but the cheese wasn't very good tasting or looking, and didn't have the right consistency. 

So a few days ago when I decided to give it another try, I decided that I wanted to use a milk that would be as close as possible to a farm fresh raw product. Low temperature vat pasteurization holds the milk at 145 degrees for 30 minutes. Supposedly this wreaks the least amount of damage to the milk. 

It was also partly a nostalgia thing. As a child, our milk was delivered to the house early in the morning twice a week by the milk man. It was a non-homogenized pasteurized milk from Guernsey cows, and it had an awesome buttery color and flavor. I have never tasted a homogenized milk that had such flavor. I just wanted to use something for my cheese that would be as close as possible in flavor and character to that incredible milk I recalled from childhood. Silly, perhaps, but there it is.


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## ibglowin

Beautiful!

And like a fine wine, worth every penny!


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## milbrosa

Thank you Mike. 

I'm trying to make Ricotta from the leftover whey now. I let it sit on the stove, covered, for 26 hours to acidify. That took me to late last night. I was ready to go to bed, so I stuck it in the fridge. Then just a little while ago, I took it out and brought it up to 204 degrees. 

That seems to be all there is to it, as far as I know. I followed the process described here: http://biology.clc.uc.edu/fankhauser/cheese/Ricotta/ricotta_00.htm

I'm letting it cool down a bit now so I can strain it. Will post results, good or bad, tomorrow.


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## joeswine

*cheese making*

I 've been following this thread and will soon depart on this roadway,can anyone make a list for me of what utenciles are required to start with and if you know of any other chems. I should get before hand,if I'm going to do this I want to do it all the way,also any place in new jersey that has real non-pasteurized milk?wegmens or the like ?even goats milk.


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## Brew and Wine Supply

Depends on the type of cheese you want to make. If its the farmhouse cheddar, there is a kit for that. It has some cultures, thermometer, mold, cheese cloth, rennet and calcium chloride, and a booklet on making cheese. 
That runs $29.99 and makes 8 different cheeses and roughly 25 to 30 batches of cheese at around 1lb each. 

Other things you may need: 
A pan large enough for 1 to 2 gallons of milk.
Long spoon
collander
a slotted or perforated spoon
cheese press
tupperware ( or other plastic ) container for aging cheese that need aging
rubber gloves ( for mozzarella )
6 gallon fermenting bucket ( I use it for when I have to hang the cheese for draining, then clean it out and store my supplies in it)
cheese mat
wax
curd knife
I could go on.....


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## milbrosa

I feel like your question really deserves its own thread. 

But anyway, there is a good basic equipment list on this site, as well as a good general description of the process: 

http://biology.clc.uc.edu/Fankhauser/Cheese/Cheese_course/Cheese_course.htm

There are specific instructions for several types of cheeses, and some of these may list additional equipment or chemicals. 

Most equipment is common stuff you probably already have. Pots, strainers, collanders, thermometers, long-handled spoons, cheesecloth. A cheese press would be a specialized piece of equipment that you might want to consider. Butter muslin or a very fine weave cheesecloth is better than the loose weave stuff you can get at the grocery store, so that might be considered another specialty supply item.

Kits and individual supplies are generally available from beer and wine and/or cheesemaking supply stores and vendors. Kits should come with good instructions and all the basic equipment and consumables you need for several batches.

The most important specialized supplies are starter cultures, calcium chloride solution, maybe annatto if you want to color your cheese. You'll want to buy some cheese wax for aging unless you are only going to make fresh cheeses that are eaten without aging. You can buy starters in bulk or in convenient pre-measured packs. You'll need mesophilic starter for many common fresh and aged cheeses, or you can make your own from cultured buttermilk) for basic Farmer's Cheddar and similar cheeses. For certain hard cheeses like parmesan, you'll need themophilic starter culture. And of course, you'll need specialized bacteria for blue cheeses and for surface ripened cheeses. Rennet is essential for almost all cheeses. It can be obtained in tablet or liquid form. Often you can find rennet at your grocery store too. 


Good milk is often the most difficult item to source. Ultra-pasteurized milk won't work. Regular, non-high heat pasteurized homogenized milk will work. My results with low-temperature pasteurized non-homogenized milk have been very encouraging so far, and such milk should be a good option if you can find it. 

Raw milk availability varies from state to state. You'll have to check your state laws. In Texas, a dairy that is licensed by the state to sell raw milk can do so only directly from the farm. There are no other retail sources for it in Texas, and I suspect the same is true in most other states. Of course, if you are lucky enough to have a family cow or some milk goats, you're good to go.


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## milbrosa

The Ricotta I made from my leftover whey came out very good. It is very dense and smooth, not grainy at all, and it has an excellent flavor. 

I got 6.9 oz by weight, about 1 cup by volume, from the nearly two gallons of whey left over from my farmhouse cheddar. 

That may seem like a low yield, but the Ricotta is almost effortless to make, and the flavor is rich and delectable, so I think it is worth the minimal effort. When I graduate to making cheeses from 4 or 5 gallon vats of milk, the yield should go up to over a pint.


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## milbrosa

I used the Ricotta to make stuffed shells tonight. I didn't take a picture of that, but here is a picture of the Ricotta. It wasn't much, so I had to augment it with some store-bought. Mine had the same texture as the store-bought Ricotta, and was even better tasting.


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## milbrosa

Here is my Farmhouse Cheddar being waxed.


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## SarahRides

Very cool! I haven't waxed any of my cheese yet, but every time I make one, I tell myself I should do it! I've been just sealing them with the vacuum sealer. Just getting lazy I guess!


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## ibglowin

First class "wax job" for sure!


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## milbrosa

Thank you both. 

I read a lot about waxing before I attempted it. There are basically two methods; painting or dipping. By all accounts, dipping gets you a smoother surface, but you need more wax to do it. I had a 5 pound block of wax, so I decided to dip. 

The pot I'm using is an inexpensive 5 quart stock pot I picked up at WalMart for $6.89. It's a basic pot and lid made of thin metal and with no special features such as an aluminum-core or copper clad bottom. That kept the price low and made it perfect for a dedicated wax pot. I bought three of them so I can have one each for red, yellow, and black wax.

The biggest question I had in my mind was what temperature should the wax be? Searching the internet for an answer yielded recommendations ranging from 120 degrees to 250 degrees Fahrenheit. The lower temperature recommendations appeared to primarily have cheesemaker safety as a primary consideration. The higher temperature recommendations appeared to have cheese safety (mold prevention) in mind. 

Generally the low temperature recommendations also suggested using a double boiler to heat the wax. Doing so obviously limits temperature to something approaching the boiling point of the outer vessel fluid. For water at sea level, that would be 212F. I tried initially to heat my wax in this fashion, but I couldn't get the wax temperature over 200 degrees. (Note: The boiling point of 100% ethylene glycol would be 387F, and in an 80/20 mixture with water it would be 255. I didn't try that and don't recommend it without careful study first, as there may be other safety considerations.)

The only way to get the wax to 250 degrees (248 was specified in several sources to insure death of mold spores), you have to use direct heat. There are safety considerations when doing this. Wax can "explode" if heated too rapidly, a catastrophic and violent boiling eruption that can throw wax everywhere like a volcano. Also, wax and wax fumes are highly flammable, and the higher you raise the temperature, the greater the danger. 

I wanted the higher temperature to kill mold spores. So I put a 1/8th inch thick steel plate over my gas stove burner to distribute the heat more evenly, and put the wax pot on that. I used a medium heat to start with, and reduced it as the wax got closer to 248. I very gently and slowly stirred the wax now and then to keep gas from forming and bubbling up from the bottom (boiling). Then as soon as the wax temperature hit 248, I turned off the fire and started dipping. 

At 248 degrees, the wax makes a very thin coat. You can see this in the first couple of photos. I dipped half the cheese, then let it air dry for about 30 seconds, then dipped the other half and let it dry for 30 seconds. Then I turned 90 degrees and repeated the two-dip cycle.

For the final coats, a temperature of around 160 will yield much thicker coatings. So I put the pot in a sink of warm water to bring the temp down quickly to 160, then I followed the process above and dipped three more times. After the first complete dip at 160 (dip, dry, turn 180, dip), I dipped about half of my label into the wax and stuck it to the cheese and smoothed it out. Then I did two more dip cycles. 

I didn't really need that third dip. Two dip cycles at 160 produced a very nice looking wax coating. I did it because I messed up the second coat by touching it before it was dry enough.

I thought I'd explain what I did in case anyone might be interested in the process. I'm sorry for being long-winded, but I wanted to make sure the safety considerations were highlighted. There is greater danger in heating wax to a high temperature, and it is not strictly needed to obtain a good coat. The reason to do it is to kill mold spores on the surface of the cheese. In fact, lower temperature wax gives a better coat. If you decide to go with the high heat method, be sure to heat the wax very slowly, wear protective gear (heavy shirt, jeans, eye and face protection, cap, etc), and have a good exhaust fan and ventilation. 

I'm going to make a cheese holder dipping frame to simplify this process going forward. It will cut down on the time and should help me get an even smoother surface.


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## Brew and Wine Supply

Hey Julie, its time... how did the cheese turn out??


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## Julie

Well, pretty good. I was quite surprised, took a small chunk up to Dan's and got yell at for not bringing more.

The montery jack was pretty tasty too but it had a sharp taste to it, not sure what I did wrong.


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## SarahRides

Julie said:


> Well, pretty good. I was quite surprised, took a small chunk up to Dan's and got yell at for not bringing more.
> 
> The montery jack was pretty tasty too but it had a sharp taste to it, not sure what I did wrong.



I had tried a monterey jack too, let it age about 6 months, and mine was very sharp as well, even salty. I just re-sealed it up, set it back to age some more. Last month I opened up an herb farmhouse cheddar that was about a year old and it was amazing!


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## Sirs

I may need to try my hand at some cheese


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## Brew and Wine Supply

Sirs said:


> I may need to try my hand at some cheese


 
We can help you with that!


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## Julie

Sirs said:


> I may need to try my hand at some cheese


 
You should, Eddie. I'm not doing any at the moment but I am looking at making a lot come fall.


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