The Beginners Guide to Cheesemaking

BUY LESS MORE OFTEN “Buy less more often” is an old adage of mine that any cheesemongers who have worked for me will recognize. I mostly use it in reference to buying cheese at the counter, the idea being that I want customers to enjoy their cheese as freshly cut as possible. If you follow this principle when purchasing cheese, you will have a much better tasting experience.

In terms of cheesemaking, what I mean is to buy your milk and make cheese with it as soon as possible. The fresher the milk, the better the cheese—stockpiling milk will not yield good results. There is no shortcut to get you around this fact, so make sure you include your shopping trip when you are mapping out the timing of each make.

TAKE OBSESSIVE NOTES The more you can document while making cheese, the better your future cheeses will be. Everything from the brand of milk you buy to the timing of each cheesemaking step should be noted. You will thank yourself later when you look back to figure out why your cheese developed the way it did.

Especially in the beginning, cheesemaking is mystery solving. You will follow a recipe to make cheese, but the conditions and actions specific to your space and your