# Recommended Cheesemaking Kits? Beginner



## firelight27 (Apr 25, 2009)

So I've had goats awhile now, and I made the huge switch from a mixed herd to ALL purebreds last spring. This year I made a huge overhaul from the lower quality animals I could afford at the time to some much more show-quality animals. There is one thing I have yet to do that I've been dying to start...and that is cheese-making. I was really stopped up by the purchase of a double boiler, as I couldn't find any local. When I finally did it was, of course, spendy and my extra funds go to care items for my animals (and this year some show costs for my first doe show.)

Finally got my double boiler in June and the poor thing has just been sitting there. I have a nice cheese-making book I found at Big R but I still feel lost. I wanted to try and start with some kits and wondered if there was anything out there that was recommended. I'd like something that has recipes for several cheeses, the cultures and rennet I will need and some cheese-cloth. Also, can someone point me to a great place to order molds? I don't have a cellar, just some shelves in my laundry room. Looking to start out with Feta is possible. Its HECKA expensive and we love to use it. My recipes all say to brine it, but I've heard not to...I want it to taste like what I buy at Walmart, so what salting/curing method should I use?

I'd also like to make mozarella, cheddar and eventually some jack cheeses.

Besides a double boiler, proper cheesecloth and a pan clip with a thermometer, what other supplies are a MUST? I have a very long knife, although I'm not sure it is what I should have. Sorry for all the questions. I've made Paneer before with vinegar and it was alright.

Also, should I pasteurize the milk first?

I want to make soap as well, and it doesn't sound too complex, but I need some ideas for molds.


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

Hoeggars carries a kit for cheesemaking...Goats Produce too is the book included with it as well as true cheesecloth.....NEVER use that stuff they have in grocery stores, all it is basically, is a gauze bandage and the weave is way too loose for cheese curds. I use sea salt to cure my Feta....which the process is taken from the book I mentioned.

I make all my cheeses with raw milk...I don't/won't drink pasteurized milk and I've had no problems using raw for cheese.

As far as soap molds, for a few years I used various sizes of small cardboard boxes that I lined with plastic and cut by hand, hubby made me a long rectangular mold out of wood and a couple long threaded bolts with wing nuts to hold it together....it holds a 5lb batch of soap and I cut it by hand.
Brambleberry has plastic soap molds at decent prices...I have quite a few of those types too.


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## milk and honey (Oct 31, 2010)

I go to thrift shops and look at everything as a potential soap mold...
I love the Book " Goats produce too" it has great recipes for cheeses... the strong feta is my favorite. Mozzarella was super easy to make... and I found a recipe that I just used for a soft fresh cheese using goat milk and cow cream together - it was REALLY good, but not very goatie.
Some friends who worked in Europe on goat dairies with the goats and making cheese, said that for cheese, they left the milk without cooling it when they were going to make cheese that day. You dont have to have all the equipment... but a good thermometer is important, cheese muslin is really helpful, and I use Kosher salt in mine. I've also made molds from plastic containers that I drilled small holes in.
good luck!


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## RhinoWhite (Nov 17, 2013)

I wonder, if the beginner kits are anyhow useful for someone that plans on getting commercially serious into cheese making? Or can one skip that step?


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## kccjer (Jan 27, 2012)

I got a $40 (I think that's what I paid for it) kit from Ricki the cheese queen. It has an easy to follow booklet, a mold, some cheesecloth and some cultures. Very easy kit to start with. I"ve changed some of the items I use and bought from a different place, but this was definitely a good start. I don't pasteurize my milk before making cheese either. It just has to "cure" longer if you don't. I don't use a double boiler at all. I use a regular long knife to cut the curd (doesn't get very even cut but it works) and a regular large kettle.


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## kc8lsk (Jan 10, 2014)

Molds can be made from cottage cheese containers just drill small holes in them PVC pipes work for presses and you can also use the reuseable coffee filters for stuff like brousse and others that don't need a press I don't use a double boiler either and have successfully made parmesean, cheddar, feta, brousse, darby and a few others that i can't remember off the top of my head. You can do a online search to get your cultures I also make cottage cheese, cream cheese, ricotta, sour cream all from goat's milk


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