Cheese Making at Home

I posted a recipe for home-made halloumi see here: Home-made Halloumi - but I'm not at all sure if its really any different from paneer. Halloumi is traditionally made from sheep's milk and is brined - mine wasn't sheep's milk or brined!

In fact, most home-made cheeses seem to follow a similar recipe and aside from how much they are drained to firm up, its hard to see the differences. Mozzarella is an exception to this as it requires several further steps compared to other fresh cheeses.

I normally make a simple soft cheese by heating milk in a saucepan, splitting with lemon juice (or vinegar) and straining through cheesecloth. I'm not sure why you need a machine. Its the straining which is fiddly as you need to suspend the cloth over a bowl. I use a jam straining kit.

Never discard the whey - its fantastic for bread making (and other things).
 
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Morning Glory said:
I posted a recipe for home-made halloumi see here: Home-made Halloumi - but I'm not at all sure if its really any different from paneer. Halloumi is traditionally made from sheep's milk and is brined - mine wasn't sheep's milk or brined!

In fact, most home-made cheeses seem to follow a similar recipe and aside from how much they are drained to firm up, its hard to see the differences. Mozzarella is an exception to this as it requires several further steps compared to other fresh cheeses.

I normally make a simple soft cheese by heating milk in a saucepan, splitting with lemon juice (or vinegar) and straining through cheesecloth. I'm not sure why you need a machine. Its the straining which is fiddly as you need to suspend the cloth over a bowl. I use a jam straining kit.

Never discard the whey - its fantastic for bread making (and other things).
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I'm getting the machine primarily for making yogurt and it happens to have a cheese button too. Just curious is all. I've made mozzarella before that was quite good albeit messy! This thing uses bacterial cultures to make the cheese.

I was looking at these.
 
I've made soft cheeses - ricotta, paneer and yoghurt based cream cheese.

Have had fantasies of making *real* cheese - blue cheese in particular as non crumbled (why?🫣) good blue cheese is quite difficult to come across in these parts. But it would be a huge production 😅

What type of cheese do these multiuse yogurt makers do?
And wine too?
 
Z-Cook said:
I've made soft cheeses - ricotta, paneer and yoghurt based cream cheese.

Have had fantasies of making *real* cheese - blue cheese in particular as non crumbled (why?🫣) good blue cheese is quite difficult to come across in these parts. But it would be a huge production 😅

What type of cheese do these multiuse yogurt makers do?
And wine too?
Click to expand...
It just says soft cheese. I've just watched a video on making cheddar. 🤔 I've made wine without a machine so I expect this just applies more control.

It's this thing.
 
We've made mozzarella and ricotta, and something that was made from most of the cream that separated when raw milk was allowed to stand. It's been so long I don't remember. I just did it on the stovetop.
 
Barriehie said:
It just says soft cheese. I've just watched a video on making cheddar. 🤔 I've made wine without a machine so I expect this just applies more control.

It's this thing.
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Looks like it just has a lot of temperature control options.
I just leave my yoghurt standing on the counter, or in an cooler box in winter time.
But that's because it never gets really cold here
 
badjak said:
Looks like it just has a lot of temperature control options.
I just leave my yoghurt standing on the counter, or in an cooler box in winter time.
But that's because it never gets really cold here
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Usually yes. I just spent way to long trying to get it to go yesterday but then it's winter and my house is cool, 65'ish or so. Too many times heating the pot it was sitting in.
 
Barriehie said:
Usually yes. I just spent way to long trying to get it to go yesterday but then it's winter and my house is cool, 65'ish or so. Too many times heating the pot it was sitting in.
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When it's cold, I wrap the pot in an old duvet when it gets to about 40 oC, then pot and duvets into a cooler box.
But a machine like the one you are looking at, will make it easier.
And I can see optons for other things.
And while I am writing this: maybe it's worth looking at a bread proofer instead?
 
badjak said:
When it's cold, I wrap the pot in an old duvet when it gets to about 40 oC, then pot and duvets into a cooler box.
But a machine like the one you are looking at, will make it easier.
And I can see optons for other things.
And while I am writing this: maybe it's worth looking at a bread proofer instead?
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No issues proofing bread. I'm just done with yogurt being a project every time. I want to set it and forget it. If I have to keep messing with it then it's not cost effective.
 
Fair enough.
I've never used a yoghurt maker. Does it do anything more than just keep the temperature?
I've never done anything more than get milk to the right temperature, stir in (old) yoghurt and let it sit.
 
badjak said:
Fair enough.
I've never used a yoghurt maker. Does it do anything more than just keep the temperature?
I've never done anything more than get milk to the right temperature, stir in (old) yoghurt and let it sit.
Click to expand...
Nope, that's all it does! The IP does that too but I'd like to not have it tied up for those lengths of time.
 
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