How to Make Cheese

Guide Note

Making cheese at home is easier than you think and can be a rewarding pastime. How to Make Cheese shows you how to make queso blanco and provides tips on the cheesemaking process in general.

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• What You'll Need
• Step 1: Sterilize Your Equipment
• Step 2: Curdle the Milk
• Step 3: Drain the Curds
• Step 4: Shape the Cheese
• Step 5: Enjoy Your Cheese
• Step 6: Make Other Kinds of Cheese
• Conclusion
• References

Cheesemaking Tips

1. Use a non-aluminum pot to make your cheese.
2. Add vinegar to precipitate the curds.
3. Use cheesecloth to drain the whey from the curds.
4. You can use rennet or starter bacteria to make other cheeses.
5. Rub the outside of a cheese with salt to flavor and preserve it.
6. Inject cheese with mold to make blue cheese.
7. Consider using goat or sheep milk instead of cow milk.

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Introduction

• Cheesemaking as a hobby has increased in popularity as the demand for cheesemaking classes rises.¹ Actually, you don't even need a class to learn to make your own cheese, as the process can be fairly simple, depending on the type of cheese you wish to make. Queso blanco, a bland, rubbery, Latin American cheese similar to Indian panir, is one of the easiest varieties to produce at home.² Below, you'll find instructions for making queso blanco, as well as information on the cheesemaking process in general.

What You'll Need

(Creative Commons photo by Chris Buecheler)

• The following recipe for queso blanco yields about 1 1/2 to 2 pounds of cheese.³

Ingredients

• 1 gallon whole milk
• 1/4 cup vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)⁴
• Inclusions and flavorings (optional)⁴

Equipment

• Large pot (not aluminum)²
• Dairy or candy thermometer
• Stirring utensil
• Cheesecloth
• Strainer or colander
• Pan or bowl
• Cheese press or mold (optional)

Step 1: Sterilize Your Equipment

(Creative Commons photo by lorelei)

• Before beginning to make your cheese, you must sterilize all of your equipment.² Otherwise your cheese might become contaminated with unwanted bacteria or other pathogens. You can either boil all your equipment or use bleach to sterilize it. For bleach sterilization:⁵

1. Fill your sink or a large tub or bucket with water.
2. Add 1/4 cup bleach for every two gallons of water.⁵
3. Allow the equipment to sit in the solution for several minutes.
4. Take the equipment out and wait for at least 15 minutes before using.⁵

Step 2: Curdle the Milk

(Creative Commons photo by Les Hutchins)

• Cheese is made by curdling milk. Curdling separates milk into two distinct elements: solid curds and liquid whey.⁶ The curds contain most of the original milk's protein and fat, while the whey is largely water.⁷
• Cheesemakers use two different components to curdle milk: rennet (an enzyme) and acid.^{8 9} Acid and rennet can be used individually or in combination to produce different kinds of cheese. In general, rennet cheeses are firmer than acid cheeses.¹⁰ Queso blanco is an acid precipitated cheese.³

1. Pour milk into a large pot.
2. Heat the milk to between 180° and 185°F while stirring frequently.
3. Maintain that temperature for several minutes.
4. Gradually add the vinegar while continuing to stir. The curds should begin to separate from the whey.

Step 3: Drain the Curds

(Creative Commons photo by Dan4th Nicholas)

• For most cheeses, whey is drained from the curds and discarded. For rennet cheeses that form larger blocks of precipitated curd, cheesemakers often cut the curd into smaller pieces to release even more of the whey.⁸ However, you won't have to do this for queso blanco.

1. Place a strainer over a pot large enough to catch the whey.
2. Line the strainer with cheesecloth and pour in the curds and whey. You can discard the whey or save it for other purposes.²
3. At this point you can add salt, herbs, chiles or whatever other flavorings you wish to include. Stir additions into the curds.⁴
4. Tie the corners of the cheesecloth to form a bag. Hang it up and allow the curds to drain for several hours.
5. Once your cheese is drained, it's ready to eat! If you want, you can shape your cheese before eating.

Step 4: Shape the Cheese (Optional)

(Creative Commons photo by Jason Riedy)

• Queso blanco doesn't really need to be shaped. However, if you want to create a compact wheel, you can use a cheese press or weighted form (mold) to help drain the curd and form it into a block.^{4 11} You can buy molds and cheese presses from any cheesemaking supply company or Fias Co Farm offers instructions for making them yourself.^{12 13}

1. Place your cheesecloth full of curds into the cheese press or mold.
2. Add weight on top of the mold or press to drain your curds and shape your cheese.
3. Once your cheese is shaped, it's ready to eat! It will keep in the refrigerator, enclosed in plastic wrap, for about a week.³

Step 5: Enjoy Your Cheese

(Creative Commons photo by Jason Riedy)

• Queso blanco is a versatile, non-melting cheese suitable for many different preparations. It tends to take on the flavor of other ingredients.² You can:

1. Deep-fry it.³
2. Sprinkle it with salt and savor it as a snack.²
3. Cube and stir-fry it.³
4. Include it in a hot soup or sauce.³
5. Replace meat with queso blanco for a vegetarian dish.²
6. Top a salad.²

Step 6: Make Other Kinds of Cheese

• Queso blanco is one of the simplest cheeses to make at home. It requires few supplies and ingredients and has a limited number of steps. Now that you know how to make queso blanco, you can make more complex cheeses by varying your ingredients and the process you follow. Here are a few tips to get you started.

1. In addition to acid, use various combinations of rennet and starter bacteria, to curdle your milk.
   • Try making ricotta at home using the bacterial cultures in buttermilk.¹⁴
   • Neufchatel is one of the easiest rennet cheeses to make at home and can also be made using buttermilk.¹⁵
2. Queso blanco is a fresh cheese, meaning it hasn't been allowed to age.¹⁶ Ripen your cheese by aging it carefully.
   • Brie is one common aged cheese.¹⁷
3. As your cheese ripens, rub the outside of the cheese with salt .¹⁸
   • Salt both flavors and preserves cheese.
4. Certain molds can be sprayed on cheeses or injected into them to develop flavor.¹⁸
   • Duplicate your favorite blue cheese by using its mold to inoculate a new cheese.¹⁹
5. You can also obtain a different flavor in your cheese by using goat or sheep milk instead of cow milk.²⁰

• 
  
  
• YouTube: How to Make Cheese (Time: 4:13)

Conclusion

• Once you've mastered queso blanco and a few other cheese recipes, you can experiment a little to create your own formula for the perfect cheese. Just make sure to keep your equipment sterile and follow the appropriate procedures when aging your cheese.⁸ Consult existing recipes if you're unsure about any part of the process. If you enjoy making your own cheese, you may also enjoy brewing beer, making your own wine or baking homemade bread.

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References for How to Make Cheese

1. ↑ The New York Times: Learning to Make Cheese By Hand (August 3, 2008)
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7} Fias Co Farm: Panir/Paneer aka Queso Blanco Cheese Recipe
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5} The Splendid Table: Queso Blanco
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3} New England Cheesemaking Supply Company: Queso Blanco (August 2006)
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1 5.2} Fias Co Farm: Milking Process, Equipment & Sanitation
6. ↑ Epicurious: Food Dictionary—Cheese  
7. ↑ Dairy Management Inc.: What Exactly Are Curds and Whey?
8. ↑ ^{8.0 8.1 8.2} Cornell University: Cheese Production
9. ↑ University of Cincinnati Clermont College: Rennet for Making Cheese
10. ↑ Kashrut.com: Say Cheese!
11. ↑ FXCuisine.com: Swiss Alps Cheesemaking
12. ↑ New England Cheesemaking Supply Company: Cheese Molds and Presses
13. ↑ Fias Co Farm: Build Your Own Cheese Press Instructions
14. ↑ About.com: How to Make Ricotta 
15. ↑ University of Cincinnati Clermont College: Neufchatel—An Unripened Cheese (December 22, 2000)
16. ↑ The Cook's Thesaurus: Cheese
17. ↑ New England Cheesemaking Supply Company: Brie—Traditional Style
18. ↑ ^{18.0 18.1} About.com: Six Important Steps in Cheesemaking 
19. ↑ University of Cincinnati Clermont College: Blue Cheese
20. ↑ University of Cincinnati Clermont College: Beginning Cheese Making (February 2, 2003)

More Cheese Recipes

• Fias Co Farm: Recipes
• GourmetSleuth.com: How to Make Cheese—Cheesemaking Recipes
• New England Cheesemaking Supply Company: Cheese Recipes

Cheesemaking Supplies

• The Cheesemaker
• Dairy Connection Inc.
• Leeners: Cheese Making Supplies