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- by CFH Admin
- June 23, 2022
- 2 min read
Swiss cheese is well known for its pockets of air, created during the culturing process by the active propionibacteria.
INGREDIENTS AND EQUIPMENT AVAILABLE AT CULTURES FOR HEALTH
Fresh Cheese Making Kit
$45.99
Our most comprehensive choice, the Fresh Cheese Kit contains two starter cultures and supplies to make five different varieties of soft cheese - feta, cottage cheese, cream cheese, fromage blanc, and traditional quark. Kit contains a Mesophilic Cheese Culture, a Fresh Cheese Culture, calcium chloride, vegetable rennet, cheese salt, butter muslin, a thermometer, and an instruction and recipe booklet.
Packaging andEquipment in the kit may appear different than pictured.
Propionibacteria Cheese Starter Culture
Thermophilic Starter Culture
$12.99
This useful culture makes a variety of hard cheeses, including parmesan, romano, provolone, and swiss.
Thermophilic B Culture
Liquid Animal Rennet
$9.49
High quality single strength animal rennet. This non-GMO animal rennet is preferred for aged cheese as it creates a more desirable flavor and aroma during the aging process. Each bottle contains enough rennet to set (12) 2-gallon batches of cheese.
Vegetable Rennet Tablets
$7.99
Rennet tablets are used to coagulate dairy products, usually for cheesemaking. Each pack of vegetable rennet tablets will set approximately (20) 2-gallon batches of cheese. Storerennet tabs in the freezer between batches, and they'll keep for up to 3 years.
Stick On Thermometer Strip
$1.99
A stick on thermometer is a hassle-free way to keep an eye on the temperature of your ferments. Apply a thermometer sticker to your kombucha fermentation bottle or your yogurt culturing container and always know that you're within the safe range.
Strip thermometers are flexible, unbreakable, and self-adhesive for easy use.
Cheesecloth
$4.99
A looser weave than our butter muslin, this 100% cotton cheesecloth is great for wrapping cheeses and draining whey from all sorts of cultured foods.
EQUIPMENT:
- Large pot
- DigitalThermometer
- Long knife (curd knife; does not need to be sharp)
- Cheesecloth(2 pieces)
- Cheese press
- Wire whisk
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 gallons fresh milk from cows, goats, or both
- 1/8 tsp.propionibacteria, dissolved in 1/2 cup milk
- Starter Culture (choose one):
- 1 packetdirect-set thermophilic culture
- 1/8 tsp. bulk thermophilic culture
- Thermo B Culture
- Rennet (choose one):
- 1/2 tsp.liquid animal rennet, dissolved in 1/2 cup cool water
- 1/4 tsp.double-strength liquid vegetable rennet, dissolved in 1/2 cup cool water
- 1/4vegetable rennet tablet, dissolved in 1/2 cup cool water
- 2 Lbs. sea salt (non-iodized) or cheese salt
- 1 gallon water
- Olive oil
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Heatthe milk to 87°F.Addthe thermophilic culture andstirwell.Addpropionibacteria andstirforat least 1 minute.Coverandallowto ferment for15 minutes.
- Checktemperature and make sure milk isno warmer than 90°F.Stirto hom*ogenize the milk, andslowly foldin the diluted rennet. Using anup-and-down motionwith your spoon will ensure that the rennet works its way through all the milk, so you can get the highest possible yield.
- Allowthe cheese to set for 30 to 45 minutes at 90°F, or until the whey begins to separate from the curd. You should see a layer of mostly clear whey floating on top of the curd, and the curd should be pulling away from the sides of the pot.
- Using a long knife,cutthe curds into 1/4-inch cubes.
- Stirthe curd with a whisk, slicing it into small pieces. The pieces should all be roughly the same size.
- Keep the curds at90°Fandstirwith the wooden spoon, working out the whey, for35 minutes.
- Over the next25 minutes,slowly heatthe curds to120°F, stirring frequently with your wooden spoon. As you stir, the curds will shrink.Keepthe curds at120°Ffor30 minutes. The curds should be small, and if you bite one it should squeak in your teeth. A handful of curds, squeezed into a ball, should fall apart in your hands.
- Pourthe curds-and-whey through a strainer, capturing thewhey in a bowl to save for future projects(or you can discard it).
- Pourthe curds into a press lined with cheesecloth. Work quickly; you do not want your curds to cool. Press at 10 pounds of pressure for 15 minutes.
- Using a fresh piece of cheesecloth,flipthe cheese and press, again, at15 pounds of pressure for 30 minutes.
- Repeat this process again, at15 pounds of pressure for 2 hours, rinsing the cheesecloth in clean, cool water each time and hanging to dry.
- Finally, press at20 pounds of pressure for 12 hours,or overnight.
- Mix2 pounds of sea salt with 1 gallon of cold water to make a brine.Placethe cheese in the brine and let itsoak for 24 hours.
- Take the cheese out of the brine andage at 55° to 60°F for one week.Flipandwipe dailywith a damp cheesecloth dipped in salt water.
- Agethe cheese in the kitchen (or another warm room) for2 to 3 weeks.Flipandwipe dailywith a damp cheesecloth dipped in salt water. The cheese should swell and will have a characteristic Swiss cheese smell.
- Placethe cheese in your aging refrigerator or cheese cave for12 weeks or more. (Click here forpractical methods for aging cheese.)Fliponce or twice a week andremove moldwith a cheesecloth dipped in salt water.
Ready toLearn More?
- How to Make Chèvre
- How to Make Feta
- How to Make Traditional Mozzarella
- Raw Milk vs. Pasteurized Milk for Making Cheese
- How to Make Monterey Jack Cheese
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