Cheese in a homemade cheese press

One of the things I wanted to try after getting a milk cow was make cheese! I was encouraged by Wardeh’s post at GNOWFGLINS on homemade raw cheddar cheese, so I tried it. I thought I didn’t have much to lose, after all I’m getting 4 gallons of milk a day. The first time I tried it, I over cooked the curd and it turned ‘corky’. That’s okay! I figured that out and tried again. The second time, all I can say is WOW. Sooooo good!

In one recipe, I started with 2 ½ gallons of milk and that turned into 2 ½ pounds of cheese. All the curds fit comfortably into my homemade cheese press.

Cheese presses are so expensive. I did a little research and decided we could make our own. Hubby made the frame for me. Do you recognize what the cheese mould is? It’s a hamburger press. I found it at the thrift store for 50 cents. I used a crayon to mark a grid on it and a soldering iron to melt the holes. The tray that collects the whey was also from the thrift store, also 50 cents. There are different styles of the same thing out there. Dh drilled a hole in the tray so the whey could flow out. I position a pail, sitting on a stool to catch the whey. A little basic but it works. The frame, dh made for me was made out of material we had, except for the dowel which was $3.40. Total cost of cheese press: $4.40

I can’t wait to try some different cheeses! I don’t know which ones yet, there are so many different kinds!

I’m sharing this post as part of Simple Lives Thursday, hosted by Diana @ A Little Bit of Spain in Iowa, Annette @ Sustainable Eats, Alicia @ Culinary Bliss, Mare @ Just Making Noise and Wardeh @ GNOWFGLINS

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16 Responses

Marg, that is gorgeous! I love your resourcefulness in building your own press and saving all that money. Enjoy the cheese!

Last night I couldn’t fit the milk in the fridge so I stayed up until 11:30 making cheddar. This morning, same story. so I’m making more cheddar and cottage cheese. Gotta keep that milk moving!

Marg

June 2, 2011 at 2:09 pm ∞

Thanks, Wardeh! Your post was a great help. Maybe you’ll have enough cheddar made to actually let some age.

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- Wardeh @ GNOWFGLINS
  
  June 2, 2011 at 2:12 pm ∞
  
  Oh, I do! I’ve been waxing it. The last block I opened was 3 or 4 weeks old and it was delish. Definitely worth the wait!
  
  Reply

My hubby built me the same press and YEP, I use the weights too. It has served me well and I wouldn’t trade it for the fancy ones. I know you will be happy with yours for many, many years. Isn’t the cheddar cheese so awesome?
Happy Cheesemaking!!!!

Oh, I love it! That is just great and so resourceful!

I made a batch of just the squeakers (unpressed curd) for the family to snack on and take in their lunches.

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Love this idea! You are so creative and I love that you used items from the thrift store. Our cow freshens in July, so I am scheming on how to build a cheese press right now. Thanks for the inspiration!