# Best book or website for soap and cheese



## Tapsmom (Sep 20, 2011)

HI Everyone,
We had to treat our goats with Safeguard back in the Fall. Not wanting to waste the milk, we froze all the milk during the withdrawal period for soap. What have you found to be the best book or website for learning how to make soap and the different methods, etc., 
We are also ready to try our hand at cheesemaking, ice cream, yogurt, etc., this year once the kiddings begin. We milked all three first fresheners last year and from what I've gleaned it looks like we should have much more milk this year :yum:


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## lovinglife (Jun 6, 2013)

Soap Queen, Bramble Berry! Lots of videos to watch.


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## Tapsmom (Sep 20, 2011)

Is that a website or a book(s) or both?


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## cybercat (Oct 18, 2007)

Just do a search for soap making forum. There are a few and the best goes by that name. As far as cheese that is a bit harder. But book wise look for the artisian cheese making.


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## nchen7 (Feb 25, 2013)

youtube Soaping101, and like what Tamara said, the soap making forum.

as for cheese, New England Cheese company. she has a book, and her recipes are easy to follow.


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## lanafana (Apr 22, 2013)

I agree with the already mentioned sites. My favorite is soaping 101, I really love her. It's easy to follow and is very thorough. A good beginners book with a little info about most topics is "the everything soapmaking book" by Alicia grosso. And joining the soapmaking forum is a must. Folks are really nice and helpful like they are here and there's a bit of everything on there. I also follow several YouTube channels and follow soap makers to see different techniques, fails and successes. You definitely need to use the soap calc website if your planning on making your own recipes to make sure you are calculated your oils, water and especially lye properly. It's pretty straight forward. 

I think between soaping 101, soap making forum, and soap calc you'd be off to an awesome start! I hope it works out because it's a lot of fun. 

With cheese, I would make some super easy cheeses with minimal ingredients at first. My first cheeses were only with milk and vinegar which made an awesome paneer or crumbly cheese I used on salads. The New England cheese company is a great resource and I also have the book and agree it is worth buying. It'll get you off to a great start and has things in there for when you advance as well. The website has cheese making "kits" that give you everything you need to start off (ie, slotted ladle, thermometer, cultures, rennet, cheese salt, recipes etc). I know places like hoeggars and other places online have these types of kits as well. They aren't too expensive and take some of the guess work out of making cheese. Have fun!!!




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## CritterCarnival (Sep 18, 2013)

For soaping, I also highly recommend Soaping 101 on YouTube, and http://www.brambleberry.com. Bramble Berry has a good lye calculator too, as well as selling all the scents and colors you will want to add to your stock once you start making soap. WARNING!! Soaping is VERY addictive! :wahoo:

For cheese making, I have to also recommend the New England Cheesemaking Supply Company, http://www.cheesemaking.com/. Lots of good info, kits to start with, and all the different cultures to make every yummy cheese you could imagine!


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## Tapsmom (Sep 20, 2011)

Thanks everyone! Now I have plenty to keep me busy after tax season ends


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## Devin (Feb 6, 2011)

I have 200 Easy Homemade Cheese Recipes book I got at TSC. It also talks about yogurt and butter. I really like this book. There are only about 10 recipes that I will ever use in it, but so far everything has turned out great on the first try. I am just getting started though! MY next cheese project will be goat cheddar or Colby. I haven't decided yet, and my cheese press is not built yet (I've only done soft cheese and mozzarella so far) hubby is making me my cheese press! 

A VERY easy cheese is chevre, and it makes a very nice cracker spread or cheese cake!!!


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## lanafana (Apr 22, 2013)

Devin said:


> I have 200 Easy Homemade Cheese Recipes book I got at TSC. It also talks about yogurt and butter. I really like this book. There are only about 10 recipes that I will ever use in it, but so far everything has turned out great on the first try. I am just getting started though! MY next cheese project will be goat cheddar or Colby. I haven't decided yet, and my cheese press is not built yet (I've only done soft cheese and mozzarella so far) hubby is making me my cheese press!
> 
> A VERY easy cheese is chevre, and it makes a very nice cracker spread or cheese cake!!!


I've only made soft cheese and mozzarella as well. Do you mind sharing your favorite/easiest cheese recipe?

My DH wants me to make hard cheeses but I don't have a press and to be quite honest I am impatient and don't want to wait so long to eat/age it (not to mention I'm horrified it won't turn out well )

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## kccjer (Jan 27, 2012)

You can make a really simple press. Mine us a dowel rod screwed to a piece of plywood cut to size. I then use 5 pound weights (from a weight lifting set) set down over the dowel rod. I have a tupperware canister that everything sets down into. 

Carmen, Oleo Acres LLC, NW Ks


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## CritterCarnival (Sep 18, 2013)

kccjer said:


> You can make a really simple press. Mine us a dowel rod screwed to a piece of plywood cut to size. I then use 5 pound weights (from a weight lifting set) set down over the dowel rod. I have a tupperware canister that everything sets down into.
> 
> Carmen, Oleo Acres LLC, NW Ks


Ohh, Ohh!! Pictures Please?!? My next project when I have goaties in milk again in a couple months is trying some hard cheeses. :dance:


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## kccjer (Jan 27, 2012)

Here it is

Carmen, Oleo Acres LLC, NW Ks


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## lanafana (Apr 22, 2013)

kccjer said:


> Here it is
> 
> Carmen, Oleo Acres LLC, NW Ks


That's awesome!! I need one now. I have to figure out how to make that! What do you use to mold the cheese?

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## kccjer (Jan 27, 2012)

These are the 2 molds I have. It was originally made for the basket one which came in a kit. I bought the other one a couple months into cheesemaking and like it better. 

Carmen, Oleo Acres LLC, NW Ks


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## lanafana (Apr 22, 2013)

Thanks kccjer! Definitely looks doable. What a great idea, and it looks much simpler and just as effective as other ones I've seen. Can't wait to try something like this...thanks again!


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## kccjer (Jan 27, 2012)

Takes up less room on your counter too. I have a whole 3 ft of useable counter in my kitchen so I have to be space conscious

Carmen, Oleo Acres LLC, NW Ks


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## Devin (Feb 6, 2011)

The EASIEST cheese is ricotta. the ingredients are bare bones and easy to get. 1 gal of milk. 1 tsp citric acid. Dissolve citric acid in in 1/4 cup cool water. mix into milk. Heat Milk to 190 degrees F, while stirring gently. remove from heat and let stand for 10 min. ladle curds into cheese cloth and hang for 1 to 7 hrs. Salt to taste, and add cream if you want it creamy. the longer it hangs the drier it will be.

My FAVORITE easy cheese recipe is Chevre.

1 gal of milk
1/4 tsp mesophilic culture powder (Or I have used a 1/2 cup cultured buttermilk)
1 drop liquid rennet
Canning or Kosher salt

Warm milk to about 80 degrees F. Remove from heat. Sprinkle powder culture over the milk and let sit 5 min. *OR* dilute 1/2 cup buttermilk into a few cups of the warm milk and then mix together.

Draw the culture down into the milk using an up and down motion.

Dilute 1 drop rennet into 1 Tbs of water, and mix with the mix using an up and down motion. (point is to not get crazy with the stirring I think)

Cover and let set for 24 hrs.

Drain off excess whey, and put the curd into a cheese cloth and hang for 6 to 7 hrs until you like the consistency.

Weigh the cheese and salt 1% of weight.

Flavor to taste with whatever you want or leave plain.

Its really easy once you get the steps down in your mind. I made it probably 15 times last year and don't even think about it anymore. I have made cracker dip with ranch powder, cracker dip with plain, bagel spread (you can flavor with fruit or syrup), CHEESE CAKE (YUMMY), and alfredo sauce with it. AND you can freeze it for later use.


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## lanafana (Apr 22, 2013)

Thanks devin!


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## CritterCarnival (Sep 18, 2013)

@Kccjer, thanks for the pictures, that's a nifty little gizmo.


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## Tapsmom (Sep 20, 2011)

Rats, Devin I was just at Tractor Supply a few hours ago! Thanks for the tips. I love being able to make something from what we have in the house KCCJER . We made our hand milker from a brake bleeder and it worked like a charm! Now,, just waiting for babies...


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## kccjer (Jan 27, 2012)

Oh...and a word of advice....do NOT use linseed oil to oil the wood on your press. Your cheese will smell and taste like linseed oil. Ick. LOL And I told you wrong...now that I think about it, it's not a dowel...it was the end of a broken broomstick. The board used to make the circle was an old cake board I had and wasn't using any more. 

The easiest cheese I've ever made is the plain old acid goat cheese. 
1 gal of milk heated just to boiling. 
3/4 cup apple cider vinegar or lemon juice added after that. 

I let it set for 20 minutes in the pan to cool a bit and then pour into a butter muslin in a strainer. Let sit for another 20 minutes to drain and cool a bit more. Squeeze as much liquid as you can from the cheese curds. 

Put in a bowl with a tsp of salt and other flavorings (1/2 tsp of chopped garlic with a 1/4 tsp of dill; a couple tablespoons chopped jalapeno; a 1/2 tsp carroway seed; a tablespoon of chopped green onion; those are our favorites). Squish it all together (I use my hands which is why I let it cool down) 

Put into something to use for a mold....I've used a tupperware container but use my cheese mold now and weight it to press together, a coffee cup works, etc. Press it somehow (the original recipe said he used 2 coffee cups but none of mine would work that way. Line it with something before pressing tho or it's heck to get out. Leave in the mold for a couple hours and then wrap and refrig. Let set overnight in the fridge, slice and eat. Bread with butter and a slice of cheese is fantastic! This freezes pretty well too.


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