/ck/ - Food & Cooking

Humble beginnings:
2.5 gallons whole milk in the pot. Gotta bring it up to 88F, slooooowly.

You have a cheesecave?

>place in cheesecave for 24 months
you know the thread isn't going to stay up for 2 years right?

>>18089813
Obviously we just need to get this stickied

>>18089813
Lol, yes I know that. I'm hoping the thread stays active for at least to the pressing and sealing part. The coagulation process is pretty neat.

>>18089810
Indeed! I've turned the unfinished part of my house's foundation into a makeshift cheesecake. It's secluded, dark, free of dust and pests, and the concrete and that is below ground level keeps the temperature around 50-65 degrees year round -- absolutely optimal for aging cheeses.

>>18089754
Why don't you dumb faggots make the food and take the pictures and then make thread. I don't want to have to watch you bump this boring bullshit to minimal response over the next six fucking hours

>>18089754
Are you going to do cloth wrap or wax?

>>18089852
The first Cheddar I did was cloth-banded. I did not like the process, and I couldn't control the moisture within/under the wrap, and I developed some unwanted mold.
For the following ones, and for this one now, I do a heavy "waxing" with a solid oil/fat. Usually a 50/50 mixture of lard and coconut oil. Thin enough to allow the cheese to breath, but thick enough that any mold growth can just be scraped away and leave the cheese unharmed after the maturization period.

>>18089850
>found the fast food, preheated, prepackaged, prewrapped, instant-gratification non-cook zoomer
But I'll humor it regardless. The next few pics are a previous cheddar I did, as I slowly scraped off the mold, cleaned it, and the final result.

>>18089896

>>18089901

>>18089905
Aged only 5 months or so. If I can get more time crank out more wheels, I would like to age some to the coveted 12 or even 24 months. Imagine the smell

89F reached.
Time to innoculate.
1/8 tsp sprinkled over the top, and we'll let the little bastards start their cycles. Kinda smells like if you leave wet clothes in the washer and forgot to move them to the dryer. Just pure concentration of bacteria.

>>18089910
Looks washed out like it was made with pasteurised milk.

>>18089933
It's true. Where I live, I don't have access to raw milk, and I'm not willing to pay near-criminal prices for the 'lowtemp' pasteurized stuff.
I've done the research. Using extra rennet along with the calcium chloride can help regular milk work the magic as similar to raw milk as possible. I'm happy with my results, and I assume I'll only improve my final product as I refine my technique.

While the milk ripens, prepping my other chemicals.
Got music bumping, cleaning other parts of the kitchen, and of course plaguing /ck/ with frequent updates. Gonna work on studying some Japanese in between cheese steps while I wait.
Say what you want, this is a pretty comfy way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

>1-2 c. Pure Water
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GceNsojnMf0

>>18090040
Hilarious. That guy is silly.
I only say pure water to mean that the water can contain absolutely zero flouride or, God forbid, bleach. Trace minerals are probably unavoidable.
Its just an indicator to use my filtered/purified water, and not from the tap or whatever.

>>18089910
Garbage. Literally worse than generic grocery store shit.

>>18090109
I kneel.
Any tips on how I can improve, o master cheesemaker? The way you can determine a cheese's quality by sight alone is astounding. Let us witness some examples of your finest creations.

Keep up the good work cheesegod

>>18090210
How does your cheese compare to store bought? It looks good to me and I would be interested in trying it, but I know nothing about cheese.

>>18089850
there there, hungry lil hippomutt

>>18090430
It's not as "sharp" as a storebought, high quality cheese. But that honestly may be because I haven't been patient enough to age long enough to achieve that quality. Cheese sharpens with age.
Mine is creamier and softer. It probably doesn't have as much salt/sugar as commercial cheeses, so it understandably doesn't have as rich of a flavor. However! It does lend itself to be a fun hobby, and I do a lot of cooking centered around when a wheel reaches maturity. It's a real sense of pride, the "I made this" mentality.

>>18090479
tips on developing a cheesecave of my own?

>>18089813
Yes it will. My dad is a janny and he told me he'd talk to moot about it.

Milk has coagulated for about 90 minutes, maintaining at around 90F. Look at that thick curd setting. It holds its own shape pretty well. The annatto is doing its work, and helping reach that nice pale orange color.

After being cut into somewhat-even cubes. Holds shape when being stirred. This is looking good!
The texture is similar to flan or an opaque jello at this stage. Very wiggly.

>>18089813
MOOOOOODS
STICKY THIS THREAD

>>18090486
If you're not lucky enough to have a section of your home underground, like a crawlspace or basement, other home-cheesemakers suggest getting a mini-fridge or a wine-cooler to use. Any enclosed space that can stay 50-65 degrees F. That can sometimes be tough, cuz I don't know if most standard fridges go that high or not.
You run a dangerous game if you try to age cheese at room temp, or anything higher than 70F.
During a disastrous heat spike last month, my cave breached 72F and mold immediately broke out on all my cheese that I had to sanitize and wipe clean.

Cheesemaking at home, at a novice level, is 100% achievable and rewarding, but certainly takes some dedication and commitment. 10/10 would recommend.

>>18090430
>>18090486
Additionally, if you truly want to take a stab at it, or just be curiously informed of the process, check this guy out.
He makes an incredible amount of start-to-finish videos on hundreds of types of cheeses. For sure a big inspiration for me.

https://youtube.com/c/GavinWebber

>>18090552
>>18090571
Not the anons you were replying to but you’re a godly OP. Thank you for sharing your cheese with us.

>>18090571
doing gods work anon

>>18090578
>>18090585
I appreciate that, kind anons.
When I stumble across the occasional cheese thread on here, I do mention that I make my own cheese, but it's usually not received very well. But I get it -- the thread was about *eating* cheese, not making it, and I definitely came across as snobby and holier-than-thou. Not what I'm aiming to do.
So, I started my own thread, and I'm happy to share any info along the way for whoever is intrigued.

Cheese is a funny food. We took a liquid that was solely intended for baby animals to drink, systematically let it "rot", and now enjoy a myriad of flavors that are the waste product of bacteria converting lactic sugars into acids. What a time to be alive!

>>18090606
Based autistic cheeseposter

>>18089842
That's fuckin' neat. Kinda jelly, the cellar in my house is damp and foul.

>>18090606
No you are cool I remember you.

>>18090552
What are you doing to it enclose your area?
Is it just a corner of your basement?
Did you give it its own room and furnish it?

>>18090430
Honestly it's pretty bad. I wasted several hundred dollars and countless hours making it and it tastes worse than kraft. At least I'm honest about it though. Live and learn. Mods you can delete my thread now. Experiment over.

>>18090655
>>18090636
Just for you guys.
Sorry for speeding it up, just trying to squeeze it into the maximum size limit for posting.
An unused closet downstairs. A small wooden panel that opens up to the house's sump pump and some other electrical stuff. It's only about 3 feet high, if that. Have to move around on my hands and knees.
Styrofoam containers to protect the cheese from dust and bugs. Suspended with wooden skewers poked thru the coolers. It's an equally genius and retarded system, but goddammit, it works on a budget.
A perfect little nook for aging cheeses in a space that would otherwise have zero purpose.
Two wheels of parmesan in the left one, and a very molded wheel of Cheddar on the right, but it's perfectly fine and protected.

>>18090767
Okay yikes. The video is really bad.
I can fucking almost hear Benny Hill type music. I guess I don't know how to make decent clips under 4mb on my phone, lmao.
My bad guys. You still get the general idea.

>>18090767
That's a great way to poison yourself. Keep at it, hopefully you will be dead soon.

>>18090779
Looks good. Video makes me kind of sick tho.sick vid

Curds are strained into a cheesecloth and gonna drain for 30 minutes or so. Saving as much whey as I can. I've learned to use it for making cultured butter and lacto-fermented vegetables.
>>18090783
God I hope so

Time to cheddar the cheddar!
Gotta "cook" each slab for about 20 minutes on each side. Can't go over 105F, otherwise it'll kill the bacteria that have just started their feasting.
This is the most labor-intensive part, just a bunch of slipping and monitoring the temperature.

>>18090767
>that asbestos
dude wtf

>>18090606
Don't let anybody slow you down, fast food addicts would never understand the bushido mindset of the cheesemeister. This kind of thread is what this board should be about.

>>18090767
>>18090779
Based. I appreciate the context, I was having a hard time picturing the layout.

>>18090894
Making shitty half ass cheese using incorrect ingredients that tastes worse than what you get from the store for $2? Yeah you're right seems appropriate for a board full of complete retards.

>>18090921
You'll never understand.
The heat from the bacteria cooks the milk.

>>18090886
That's not asbestos you fucking retard.

>>18090894
Couldn't agree more. I was inspired by the OP of this recently-archived thread:

>>18082174

Had a nice conversation, and his pasta dish looked pretty lovely. Encouraged me to document my stuff more here on /ck/, whether the trolls like it or not.

Loving this thread!

We are almost finished for the night, my friends.
Cheddaring is complete, and now I break up the curdslabs with my hands into small pieces for salting. The texture has gone from flabby and delicate to almost a scrambled-egg or tofu type of texture. The cheddaring sweated out any remaining whey from the curd.
After this, it goes into the cheese-mold and gets pressed into a cylinder.

Here comes the fabled part where I potentially lose respect from every person in the thread, lmao.
Behold! The cheese needs to be pressed with 25 lbs pressure for 1 hour, and then 50 lbs for 12 hours.
I do not have a reliable way to supply that weight. There's commercially-available Cheese Presses out there, but I don't want to buy a uni-tasker like that.

So, I balance a can of tomatoes onto the cheese mold, and just stack some bench press weights on top. It's nestled in the corner of my counter top, to keep from falling over.
I'm laughing while posting this, cuz I am fully aware of how ratchety and stupid this fucking looks. But y'know what, it gets the job done.
You may now roast me.

About an hour of pressing at 25 lbs. Kinda lopsided, but the 12 hours of 50 lbs will correct it and smooth it out.
Interesting to know that this was only 2.5 gallons of milk a few hours ago.

It has been fun everyone. I'll post pictures in the morning. Thanks to the dozen Anons that kept up with my silly antics.

op is based and straight. you can ferment deez nuts next

>>18091455
Actually I'm quite gay!

>>18090767
Wacky and illuminating. Good shit OP.

>>18090767
>mom found the cheese cellar behind the false wall

>>18091598
Audibly laughed.
The Cheesecave™ is such a wonderful icebreaker. If I have friends from church over, or if my wife's family comes to visit, and I feel like the conversation is running dry, I can always slyly ask my guests "Hey... wanna see my cheesecave?"
Nobody says No, and nobody comes back to visit -- it's fantastic.

>>18091492
Thanks! xD
I posted it on reddit too if you're interested.

Conversely at the same time, I do vacuum-seal wedges of finished product and hand them out to the same friends and family. My gramma is particularly impressed, as she said she boasts about the "cheese her grandson makes in his basement" to her Gin Rummy gals.
Another wedge went to a good friend, and he reported that he ate it all at once with crackers while watching Marvel movies.
Covid tried to keep us all apart, but mah cheese will bring us back together.

Thank you for posting something generally interesting on here instead of some retarded Seared Bite webm thread like every other failed abortion on this board does. It's good to see people getting to share their hobbies.

>>18091682
Wondered when someone would try that.
Nice eggsdee, friend. ggwp

>>18091704
Yeah I don't even browse here normally but I noticed this board is pure cancer and literally none of you can cook a box of mac and cheese to save your life so I figured I'd show you how it's done.

>>18091718

cheesed to meet you, OP

bump for awesome

>>18090767
Based

>>18091154
Made me chuckle, it does look primed for cheesaster, but I don't see how else you'd do it.

>>18089810
>this guy doesn't have a cheese cave

We are victorious!
50 lbs @ 12 hours is complete. Already darkening into that classic cheddar yellow-orange color.
Propped up on wooden skewers to elevate it, and it air dries for about 48 hours or so.
I doubt the thread will be alive at the time when I fat-wax it, but this is essentially the end of our journey.

Stay classy, /ck/. I'll be keeping an eye on you.

>>18091154
>I do not have a reliable way to supply that weight
>I don't want to buy a uni-tasker like that.
But it does the one thing you can not

>>18093171
>that classic cheddar yellow-orange color.
that comes from dye, cheddar is creamy white otherwise.

>>18093191
That's fair. I guess I meant classic when using a dye. At least it's a natural annatto dye and not straight-up food coloring.
Most of my other cheeses are white/pale, so I fun to have a bright one in the mix.

>>18093171
God that looks good already. Does it taste at all like cheddar at this stage? Or do you have to wait before that taste appears?

TELL US HOW IT TASTES

>>18089754
made my own mozarella a few years ago, best cheese i ever had

>>18093316
Only barely. The bacteria haven't had a good chance to start their work yet on the lactic sugars, that's where the 'sharpness' comes from.
I've eaten the infant cheese before, out of curiosity. It's like if LaCroix made cheese -- "This almost sorta of tastes like cheese"
It's very mild, like a saltless cream cheese.

>>18093316
>>18093334
As I mentioned briefly with
>>18090479
I certainly don't claim my cheese to be earth-shatteringly the best in the world. I aint winning any awards and I don't plan on ever selling it.
Regardless, it's very tasty. The high moisture makes it creamy like a Havarti or Munster, but it still has that sharp twang that you'd expect from a medium-sharp cheddar.
It does That Thing where if you haven't eaten or drank anything in a few hours, and you eat a piece, it almost hurts your saliva glands as they freak out.
I'm sure I overcompensate the flavor due to the "I Made This Therefore It's Special" mentality, but it's honestly an unbiased 7/10 quality.
I've made mac'n'cheese ( why not ) grilled cheeses, cheeseburgers, and other things that showcase a good cheddar, and they've all turned out great.

>>18089896

>>18093352
Isn't it though?
I have made mozzarella, but goddamn the process is tiring, if you do the melt-stretch-fold-repeat process with the near-boiling whey.
I might have a picture of some that I made -- standby.

>>18093437
Unshaped, unstretched mozzarella curd.

>>18093437
Shaped and rounded, sitting in a brine to firm them up. Made some arancini and really good pizza with these Fulkerson. Badass on some nice bread with evoo and balsamic.

>>18093448
Aha, I knew I had this pic too.
Good times.

>>18093450

>>18093000
I sing the sad song of a cheese caveless man.

>>18089754
thoughts on training a group of rodents to obey your commands for a nibble of your cheese or the reward of traversing the cheesecave?

>>18090084
>Its just an indicator to use my filtered/purified water
>my filtered/purified water
Interesting, can I hear how you made your own water filter?

>>18093930
>you spill a drink onto the floor
>oh no my carpet
>someone walks up, fist securely embedded in their colon
>Interesting, can I hear how you made your own carpet?
>inserts arm further up rectal track, awaiting a response

>>18093889
This is almost a legitimate fear I have. The styrofoam containers do well to keep out potential bugs, but I don't think they'd stop mice. When I flip the cheese weekly, I do check for nibbles on the containers, or droppings on the floor. I'm prepared to move the whole operation if/when that does happen.

>>18093993
Fill a jar with peppermint oil and that should be enough

>>18093949
Hey, I was genuinely interested to hear how you filter your water, what do you use for yours filter system, etc.
you could have just told me to fuck off and look it up for myself.
Now excuse me, I have an appointment with my doctor for my intestinal problem.

>>18094139
Y'know what, that's my bad then. I thought you were being a troll and yanking my chain.
Apologies, I was only fighting fire with what I thought was fire.
But, I don't use anything too fancy for filtering water. Can't remember the brand name for it, but it's a fancy double-charcoal thingy that we fill the top thing with, and the water trickles down to be filtered. It's probably not even "pure", but it works enough, and I don't feel poisoned by drinking it.
I've boiled off a whole pot of the filtered water, to see what kind of residue was left behind, and it was impressively clean.

>>18094139
>>18094165
I looked it up, we use this system. There's mixed reviews for it online, but I can stand by it. Water tastes better than whatever bottled stuff you'd buy; moreover, it doesn't really have a taste at all, which is probably preferred.

>>18094165
>>18094184
Thanks for the info anon and bless your cheesecave.
[spoiled] and next time I'll will write it better so it doesn't look like a troll post [/food]

based, keep it up cheesegod
>mfw my friend irl says he hates cheese, isn't even lactose intolerant, just says he doesn't like cheese in general
this is some sheltered retarded white person thing, right? how can you possibly not like ANY cheese? there are literally millions of different flavor profiles, textures, fragrances, etc
it'd be like saying you don't like fucking fruit or something

This is a certified Good Thread™. I'm in awe of the cheese cave anon. I'm now thinking about how to make one in my basement....I already have a little section that isn't being used...

>>18095122
hes a retard and a Picky Eater which is the shittiest kind of bitch to walk the earth

>>18091154
Whenever I make a terrine, I use weights or bricks or whatever. No need to buy an extra tool if you already have what you need. This is 100% acceptable.

Why are you studying Japanese? The irony of living in Japan is that I can get whole milk and fresh butter all day but can't get good cheese anywhere.

>>18095122
My brother's girlfriend is the same way, and I try not to give her much grief over it. She's tried to justify it and say that it's the texture she doesn't like about cheese. She also stirs away from other soft foods too -- scrambled eggs, oatmeal, tofu, pudding, etc etc. I guess texture really throws some people off. I've made it a personal goal to make a real hard cheese that she'll end up liking.
>>18095147
I like you, and I appreciate you. See my earlier post with the link to Gavin Webber's youtube channel. I've always been loosely aware that cheese can be made at home, within a comfortable means, but his content is the first time I actually believed I could do it, and here I am now!
>>18096212
I have to plan my workouts around cheesemaking, since I don't have extra weights laying around. Definitely a weird, autistic First World problem, lmao.
>>18096270
Studying Japanese is a non-dairy/cheese related thing. It was either Japanese or German, and my wife and I would eventually like to visit Japan one day. I don't want to be an English-only amerimutt -- I think it's a powerful motivation to learn a 2nd language.

Further, I know a few anons made comments about the upfront cost being discouraging.
Like this retard >>18090751 saying I've wasted hundreds of dollars.
Rennet, Calcium chloride, Lipase, and starter cultures. That's it. And the cost of Milk, of course, but that's already a common enough staple in most people's fridge.
If anyone only planned on doing one type of cheese, then you'd only need to buy one type of starter culture.
The upfront cost for all chemicals was maybe, gee I dunno, 35-45 bucks since I had to have it shipped. But that cost potentially is enough for several dozen pounds of cheese.
There's loads of cheesemaking sites that are happy to supply folks with the needed chemicals/cultures.

>>18093993
If it helps ease the mind, mice don't really like cheese. They'll go for it if there's nothing else around, but they'd much rather have sweet things or grains. Where the meme comes from is a mystery.

>>18089842
>tfw no makeshift cheesecake underneath my house

>>18091665
>church
be gone cretin, i hope your cheese melts

An actual fucking thread. Amazing. Based. Bump.

>>18091154
Holy based.

>>18091154
In what way is stacking standardized weight plates on top of something not a reliable way to supply weight?

>>18090512
lel

>>18091154
>benches AND makes his own cheese
Criminally based, whatcha benchin' m8?

>>18092980
>cheesaster
Lost

>>18091154
this totally makes sense. how do you think they did it in the middle ages? they stacked heavy ass stones.

my only sugestion is maybe there is a more appropriate sized can (or object) to put it on, since it obviously leaves some part of it unpressed.

>>18089896
>>18089910
when I saw the first pic I thought this was some kind of troll. how does cheese go from looking like a drum of dirty concrete to edible?

>>18094004
no. fuck no
I got memed into this shit by a bunch of people. Mice don't give a fuck about about peppermint oil.

Could you melt some wax in a metal bucket to coat the cheese wheel instead of the fat layer?

I have done no research, but mold has deep roots. Couldn't it reach the cheese before you cut it off?

>>18091154
Try to find or make something that fits the size of your container a little better so you're pressing all of it evenly, but other than that what you're doing works fine.

Good stuff OP.
What are some resources for making cheese at home? Something I've always wanted to try.

Bump.

Interesting cheese thread, I like seeing things made from scratch.

This thread made me want to try some new cheese. Made a small cheese board. Got some Cooper Hill chive and onion cheddar and blue stilton. Paired with some cherries, strawberries, and prosciutto. Might try some fig spread with the stilton on some crackers too.

>>18102594
Based. I got some truffle manchego recently and had with local raw honey. Delicious.

>>18102594
Forgot pic

>>18102649
Nice!

>>18102700
That looks awesome. Cheese boards are based.
Try pears with the Stilton, if you get the chance. Pears and veined cheese is an unfathomably delicious pairing.

>>18090767
I too have a sex dungeon but mine is more spacious

>>18089850
Make your own cooking thread or shut the fuck up.

>>18102772
But my sex dungeon is cheese-themed. Every Thursday I have the missus tie me up and pour molten Swiss on my nipples.

>tfw no cheese dungeon

>>18102778
God I wish that was me

>>18093171

interesting

>>18099714
It is appalling to look at, I'll fully admit. The first wheel of Cheddar I did also got molded like that, and I had to scrape it every week, but eventually lost the battle. But, when I fully washed it and removed all the mold, it was perfectly fine. The cheese near the rind had a peculiar pungency similar to Brie, but the whole thing was perfectly edible.
The mold is super dry, and dusts off with a mere brush. The fact that it's not a "wet" mold makes me think that it's not penetrating past the oil seal.
Works for me -- I just leave them to get completely covered in the stuff now.

>>18102765
Christ, pairs and blue cheese might be the best fucking thing in the world. Based.

>>18102842
Pears. I'm retarded.

>>18089754
nice thread, blessed be the cheesecave

im also in the position of making cheese (mostly unaged cheese, i make lots of paneer and steeped versions of it) but don't have access to raw milk - what do you use to curdle yours? the curds look better than anything i've made, mine are smaller and more fluffy than smooth

thanks in advance cheeseanon

>>18102700
Sitting here at 1am after realising I was hungry, standing in front of the fridge and not finding anything appealing, just dying at the sight of that spread.

>>18102911
Do you use a coagulant for yours? I use extra strength Animal rennet. Only stir in for 30 seconds and still the milk.
Let it sit for an hour. Works like a charm.
If raw milk isn't available, then regular milk is fine. You just have to make sure it is NOT ultra-pasturized. Regular pasteurized is fine. Use extra calcium chloride and rennet.

Why is it so fucking hard to get raw milk in America? The government can suck my cock.

>>18103321
no i don't, its typically like 'farm cheese' except i use live yoghurt to curdle mine (i find lemon juice gives a much worse texture and flavour). will try using rennett and adding cc! the farm cheese type paneer is a bitch to fry and the store bought stuff tastes like shit and rubber so hoping this will give me a better texture for frying, without having to give money to big cheese.

thanks!

Cheese update!
I honestly didn't think the thread would live this long. Good times.
It's been so humid lately. So I decided to air-dry the cheddar an extra day. You can still see some of the lighter, damper sections. It's most dry to the touch.
Gonna oil-seal it tonight, and then into the blessed cheesecave it goes, to live its live out happily until next March.

>>18105393
It looks beautiful!

>>18105393
How much does the final product weigh? I'm gonna guess one and a half pounds.

i love you cheese man

Thank you Cheezus

>>18105937
I think you're dead-on. I always use the same recipe, and the first one did weight out 1lb 8 or 9 ounces.

>>18105964
>>18105975
>>18105486
Right back atcha, fellas

>>18105976
Nice. Visual cheese estimation success.

>>18089754
Bumping the best thread ive seen in a long time

>>18107018
Appreciate it. I'll be sad when it does eventually get archived. After I oil-seal the cheese, there's not gonna be much else for me to discuss.
I'll definitely do another Cook-a-long thread next time I make something nice. Those threads seem to be getting more popular.

>>18107145
make a new thread next march when the cheese is ready to be released

>>18105393
Really nice cheese and original thread anon, this board really needed some fresh air. I'm hoping to see the update next march!

>>18105393
Based thread is based.

>>18105393
OP of the based cheese lair I kneel. Any chance you could cram that up my ass?

>>18105393
i-i-is this what being a parent f-feels like? It’s like cheese bro fertilized this thread with a strong load of cheddar genes and we all birthed this together ;_;

If the cheese cave works for cheese, what about meat? Have you tried?

>>18091154
I have exactly the same setting for when I do kefir cream cheese. Just less weight and it strains while being in the fridge.

>>18107489
I'm strangely erect now. What a fun mixture of words.
And yes, smol child
>I didnt make the cheese
>WE did.... together

>>18107592
Yeeeaa, I'd be nervous with meat, desu.
As seen in my dizzying video tour of the cave, the cheese are kept in semi-seal styrofoam containers. I dunno if I would trust meats being out in the open. I guess i could install some makeshift meathooks and affix them to the wood above, which is literally the bottoms of the stairs,
Imagine
>guests come over
>stomp up and down the stairs too much
>"knock it off, you're gonna mess up my secret meats"
>what did he mean by this

>>18089910
Beautiful.

You're a cool dude, OP, solid thread, entertaining read, quality OC.
>>18091739
kek

>>18105393
I'm looking forward to your next thread cheese bro.

>>18107774
dry aged meats are hella easy, especially if you get temps that low in there
i'd just suggest installing a fan to circulate the air and test if sourcing that circulated air from outside the cave raises the temp dramatically

>>18091718
>Yeah I don't even browse here normally but I noticed this board is pure cancer and literally none of you can cook a box of mac and cheese to save your life so I figured I'd show you how it's done.
>>Yeah I don't even browse here normally
Are you really going to shit on this board, as a tourist? I get where you are coming from but /ck/ is a diamond in the rough.

>>18089754
If you’re gonna go through so much effort, why use the cheapest of cheap milk you can find?

>>18110016
He's right though. It's hard to stay on /ck/ for long. Here's the threads
>fast food
>snacks
>alcohol
>webm thread where we recycle the same 50 webms from reddit
>occasionally, a couple times a year, a thread like this where somebody makes food

>>18104059
You could become a rancher

>>18110016
Sheeeitt man, I hope you didn't think that post was actually me. I adore /ck/, even with all its weird memes and goofy arguing. I'm just contributing in my own way.
>>18110175
I guess, in my own backwards way of thinking, if I make a great/decent product using subpar ingredients, then the process is truly successful.
Besides, the bacteria don't give a fuck about the quality of milk
>lactose
>lactic acids
>casein
If they have those, they're chilling. Bacteria aren't picky.

>>18110244
Ah, don't forget
>does nothing in your path
>for me it's the McChicken
>not my problem
>let me guess you NEED more
>the heat of the shitpost cooks the thread
>etc etc
I honestly like the memes, in moderation. I've been a long long time lurker, but only recently started putting stuff on here, in similar threads like this. Fun way to pass the time. Y'all been making me laugh too, which is appreciated.

>>18093171
Why not just use a wire rack instead of a bunch of disposable skewers?

>>18111246
Metal has an odd effect on moist/damp cheese.
It's probably not all metals, but instead of checking which ones do, I use wood.
>galaxybrain.zip

>>18111438
I noticed the cheese youtuber guy you linked vacuum seals his cheese, seems much simpler than the styrofoam and hanging and mold maintenance. Have you ever tried that method?

>>18110836
>I hope you didn't think that post was actually me
Why don't you get a tripcode? It would actually be helpful for longer, in depth threads like this.

>>18111444
The youtuber guy seals *some* of them. It's a tradeoff, especially with sharp cheeses like OP's cheddar that require a lot of aging.

https://cheesedigest.com/how-to-preserve-cheese-through-vacuum-sealing/

>>18111573
>encouraging tripping
No, let the idiots stub their proverbial toes. That post was barely above
>ps OP here I huff farts

>>18111773
He's already namefagging, what difference does it make if he uses a trip? This isn't /soc/ or /r9k/. Nobody will care.

>>18111773
A thread like this would be part of the 1% of time where a tripcode would actually be appropriate.

>>18089813
how long do you think we could keep it up if we only gave it a bump on page 10, i have seen threads stay up for 10 days so i thinking 1 month is possible
OR we could make a cheese making general

Resident hebrews, does the basement cheese monger strike fear into your blackened hearts?
Inquiring minds need to know!

>>18091665
>Nobody says No, and nobody comes back to visit -- it's fantastic.
holy based

>>18090486
your parents get murdered and you fall into a well where you get attacked by cheeses and then you become the cheese man and you make a cheese cave as a hideout

>>18111444
>>18111662
I believe he also lowkey runs a shop that potentially sells the cheese or cheese-making supplies. He makes a LOT of cheese, so it makes sense that he would need to seal them and lock them away in mini-fridges for easy maintenance. I could get a sealer and do mine too, but I don't know if I'll even be taking mine past the year mark.
>>18111573
>>18111773
>>18112181
Meh, I've seen tripnames before, but I don't know how to do it. Like stated already, I'm already a namefag, gotta stop while I'm ahead. If trolls go out of their way to mimic the name and shitpost, then I'm probably doing something amazing.
>>18112977
What's the image limit on a /ck/ thread? Is it the same as the rest of 4chan? I don't recall the longest alive thread I've ever seen on here.

>>18113481
As I recall the image limit is 150.

>>18105393
Godspeed

Work kept me too busy to oil-seal on schedule, so we're doing it now! I've never air-dried prior for any longer than 3 days, so it's interesting to see that the outside has continued to darken and harden. Shouldn't effect the final product.
Melting together lard and coconut oil, and gonna paint it on maybe 3 or 4 layers thick.

>>18114255
>refined coconut oil in plastic
Bro...

First coat on. Allow it to dry, flip, repeat, repeat, repeat.
Add this to the list of asinine reasons you didn't get your homework done
>my dog ate it
>had to mow the carpet
>had to water the fish
>had to .. uh.. paint the cheese?

>>18114258
It's a glass jar, silly boy. And it's the only coconut oil I had :(

>>18114266
you ever cuddle with your cheese wheels?

As a slight deviation, throwing together some high-hydration dough. Gonna make some breadbowls, or maybe just leave them as loaves. Haven't decided.
Cheese and bread baking on a blisteringly hot Saturday afternoon. That's max comfy.
>>18114280
Nah. I don't think I've ever cuddled with food before. Hasn't crossed my mind. Only thing that would come close is that I've passed out with my head in a 5-gallon bucket from drinking with my father-in-law. I maybe had a few bottles snuggled with me -- I don't remember.

>>18090767
Holy fucking based

>>18114258
Are you blind or just shitposting?

Big sticky bois. Woulda preferred another hour of fermenting, but they rose up enough.
Into the steam oven they go.
>newcomers to the thread wondering what the fuck I did to the original milk in the beginning

>>18114573

Eating good today, my friends.
Got some leftover Penobscot Bay clam chowder I made last week, gonna be lovely with the breadbowls.
Giving the cheddar about an hour to fully harden.

>>18114577
>>18114691
looks good!

>>18114691
nice looking mini loafs, crust looks perfect
QRD on ingredients?

>>18114266
Is that it for the cheese or is there another step? This was a great thread, OP. I hope you make more next time you have a big cooking project.

may the cheesebaby rest easy in its styrofoam prison

>>18089910
looks good, have you ever tried mixing cheeses Colby Jack or adding things like jalapeno cheddar ?

>>18114266
You sure you’re not coating it with cum?

>>18118069
you should see a doctor

>>18090767
Kekaroo.

>>18090606
Dumb question since it's a hobby but how expensive is making 1 lb of cheddar? Assume that price for the equipment doesn't matter (because it is a sunk cost). I make my own beer and homebrewing is cheaper than buying it 99% of the time so it's easy to justify the loss of an afternoon. Cheesemaking interests me but I'm cheap so if it's way more expensive than buying high quality cheese from the store I'm unlikely to continue doing it after the first attempt.

>>18119801
depends on the type of cheese you're making had how cheap you can get milk
looks like OP made 1.5lbs of cheddar for around $8 to $10 so about on par with regular grocery store chedda
Mozzarella is a good deal

toasting in an epic bread

>>18105393
Very based and nicely done.
When it comes to 'Pasteurised cheese-like product' that Yanks have, I wonder if your milk is also odd and thus your cheese different.
How does your cheese rate next to the 'cheese-like product'?

>>18105393
godspeed anon

>>18120178
unpasteurized cheese is perfectly legal in America as long as it aged more then 6 weeks
using pasteurized milk doesn't real change it much because you can just dd the enzyme back in that gets destroyed while pasteurizing

bump for more cheese

>>18120247
The enzymes do nothing for taste you want the naturally occurring bacteria (lactobacili) and wild yeast for lactofermentation (aka taste). You can't just inject a dead milk with a blend and pretend it's come back to life just because there's millions of bacteria again.

Every microclimate on the planet has its own subspecies of bacteria and yeast in different proportions and they differ throughout the year in composition, proportion and balance.

Because of that it's impossible to make Cheddar outside of Somerset, England. It's impossible to make mozzarella in Northern Italy, where there's lots of buffaloes still working the rice fields near the Piave river for risotto. It's impossible to make Parma ham outside of Parma, together with San Daniele the only hams in the world that don't need to be pickled with nitrite and CAN be heated above 100°C without health concerns.

Surely that's ridiculous? Nope. When the largest brewer in the world, Inbev, bought Hoegaarden beer, they moved the production plant from the town of Hoegaarden to their main production site in Leuven, a mere 20 km away. As a result the beer tasted like piss and they had to move it back to its original site.

The good news: fermentation is one of mankind's oldest tricks to survive and we're only now beginning to understand why. Expect to see A LOT of new, top tier cheeses, cured hams, alcoholic beverages and pickled vegetables in the next 50 years. #themoreyouknow

>>18122071
thought we already had fermentation all figured out by now

>>18091718
Don't shit on this board, homie. we need more cheesers and cheese pictures

>>18122109
that was a faker

>>18122071
spoken like a young boomer not old enough to remember the exquisite taste of Appalachian wild boar that fed exclusively on chestnuts

>>18114309
What's the ambient temp of your kitchen as you're drying this cheese? What about the temp outside? And humidity?
I wonder because I bake bread and would like to save money on cheese / make mozzarella like you did.

>>18122130
I can't believe someone would go online and commit fraud! I got duped

>>18122156
>I can't believe someone would go online and commit fraud!
don't listen to these lairs, everybody on the internet is honest

>>18123117
The only lair I listen to is the cheesecave.

>>18100250
Not op. But I believe cheese is too dense for that to happen. Also hard cheeses are pretty acidic giving them natural antimicrobial properties. It's why only soft cheese are a listeria risk for pregnant chicks.

I bow before you cheese-sama

>>18105393
>March comes
>Cheesed to meet you!

>>18124746
i heard that you sould cut off about 1" inch which is a lot of cheese

Bump.

>>18100250
yea that is a common way, its easier to get a cheap pot and dedicate it to the wax because its a pain in the ass to deal with otherwise.
picrel is $9 and more then big enough for any home made cheese wheel

>>18089754
9d 10 hours, who'd uh thunk

>>18090767
>based cheese nook

>>18093453
needs tomato and basil

>>18129058
Real Cheese Never Dies.

OP, I add to the list of people complimenting you for your good content thread. Your cheese looks fuckin lit.

>>18090767
this cheese cave is also where i jerk and coom it adds flavor