Mastering basic cheesemaking : the fun and fundamentals of making cheese at home

229 Pages·2016·9.93 MB·English

by  Caldwell

PRAISE FOR MASTERING BASIC CHEESEMAKING
Gianaclis has taken the craft of cheesemaking and has molded it into
another beautiful tome for cheese lovers. Her straightforward recipes
will guide you through the exciting processes of crafting different
cheeses, starting with the easiest then progressing to the more advanced
recipes. She also shares some extra tips here and there to make the
endeavor all the more successful. Whether you plan to make cheese or
not! Mastering Basic Cheesemaking will help you understand how the
myriad of cheese styles can all begin with one simple ingredient — milk.
Should you attempt to give it a whirl, this book will be like having her
right there beside you as you create your first cheese.
— MAX MCCALMAN, ACS CCP™, author of
numerous books on cheese including
Mastering Cheese: Lessons for Connoisseurship from a Maître Fromager.
“If only I’d known…” words that kept repeating in my mind as I read
Mastering Basic Cheesemaking. This is the book I longed for years ago
when I embarked on my own cheesemaking journey. Not just another
how-to, this beginner’s book is designed to teach. The reader is
seamlessly led through a progression of recipes intended to bring about a
true understanding of what is happening in the vat. This book is all
about success! I love it.
— KIRSTEN K. SHOCKEY, author of
Fermented Vegetables: Creative Recipes for Fermenting 64 Vegetables & Herbs
in Krauts, Kimchis, Brined Pickles, Chutneys, Relishes & Pastes.
Over the last few years, Gianaclis Caldwell has written pretty much
every book you need to start a small-scale artisan cheese business. With
Mastering Basic Cheesemaking, she turns her attention to home
cheesemaking and creates another must-have title. Writing in a way that
demystifies the process and makes it accessible to everyone, Caldwell
takes the reader logically through many different styles of cheese. This is
the kind of book where you don’t realize how much you are learning
until you get to the end and eat your creations. If you can use a
cookbook, this book will show you how to make some great cheese…
and also teach you how you did it.
— GORDON EDGAR, author of
Cheesemonger: A Life on the Wedge, Cheddar: A Journey to the Heart of
America’s Most Iconic Cheese and cheese buyer for
Rainbow Grocery Cooperative in San Francisco since 1994.

Copyright © 2016 by Gianaclis Caldwell.
All rights reserved.
Cover design by Gianaclis Caldwell
All photographs © 2016 by Gianaclis Caldwell, unless otherwise noted.
Printed in Canada. First printing January 2016.
New Society Publishers acknowledges the financial support of the Government of Canada
through the Canada Book Fund (CBF) for our publishing activities.
This book is intended to be educational and informative. The author and publisher disclaim all
responsibility for any liability, loss or risk that may be associated with the application of any of
the contents of this book.
Paperback ISBN: 978-0-86571-818-0
eISBN: 978-1-55092-617-0
Inquiries regarding requests to reprint all or part of Mastering Basic Cheesemaking should be
addressed to New Society Publishers at the address below. To order directly from the publishers,
please call toll-free (North America) 1-800-567-6772, or order online at www.newsociety.com
Any other inquiries can be directed by mail to:
New Society Publishers
P.O. Box 189, Gabriola Island, BC V0R 1X0, Canada
[phone]
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Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication Caldwell, Gianaclis, 1961-, author
Mastering basic cheesemaking : the fun and fundamentals of making cheese at home /
Gianaclis Caldwell.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Issued in print and electronic formats.
ISBN 978-0-9861907-0-4 (paperback).--ISBN 978-1-55092-617-0 (ebook) 1. Cheesemaking. 2.
Cheese products. I. Title.
C2015-906325-6
SF271.C34 2015 641.3’73 C2015-906326-4
INTRODUCTION
HOW TO USE THIS BOOK
PART 1:
THE FUNDAMENTALS OF MAKING CHEESE
1: WHY MAKE CHEESE?
The First Cheesemakers
The Pedigree of a Cheese
What Is Cheesemaking?
2: UNDERSTANDING INGREDIENTS
A Quick Look
Milk
Acid
Cultures
Calcium Chloride
Lipase
Rennet
Salt
Flavoring, Coloring, and Other Additions
3: THE CHEESEMAKER’S TOOLS
Pots, Vats, and Containers
Thermometers
Ladles, Spoons, and Spatulas
Ripening Spaces
Knives
pH Meters
Cloths
Forms and Molds
Colanders and Sieves
Presses
Mats and Racks
Trays and Tubs
Vacuum-sealing Equipment
Aging Spaces
Preparing Cheesemaking Tools
PART 2:
THE FUN OF MAKING CHEESE
4: QUICK AND SIMPLE CHEESES
Steps for Making Quick and Simple Cheeses with Heat and Added Acid
What to Do with the Whey from Quick and Simple Cheeses
Lesson 1: Whole-milk Ricotta
Lesson 2: Mascarpone
Lesson 3: Paneer
5: CULTURED MILKS AND CREAMS
Steps for Making Cultured Milks and Creams
What to Do with the Whey from Cultured Milks and Creams
Lesson 4: Buttermilk
Lesson 5: Sour Cream and Crème Fraîche
Lesson 6: Cultured Butter and Buttermilk
Bonus Recipe: Ghee
Lesson 7: Kefir and Kefir Cheese
Lesson 8: Yogurt and Yogurt Cheese
6: FRESH AND VERSATILE CHEESES
Steps for Making Fresh and Versatile Cheeses
What to Do with the Whey from Fresh and Versatile Cheeses
Lesson 9: Quark, Chèvre, and Fromage Blanc
Lesson 10: Cream Cheese
Lesson 11: Curd Cottage Cheese
7: RENNET-COAGULATED SEMI-FIRM FRESH CHEESES
Steps for Making Rennet-coagulated Fresh Cheeses
What to Do with the Whey from Rennet-coagulated Fresh Cheeses
Lesson 12: Quick Mozzarella
Bonus Recipe: Burrata
Lesson 13: Feta
Lesson 14: Farmhouse Cheese