What would happen if I took some fresh cottage cheese and put it in a form and lightly pressed it for awhile to drain and firm it up then wrap it and set it in my cheese cave, uh, basement to age? Or any other steps as needed, brining, etc.
Dennis
Sure. Give it a shot. Let me know how it goes. You can just mix whole milk and vinegar and heat it up and make your own curds and whey.
I’m not sure that just pressing and storing your cottage cheese curds will work to turn them into cheddar. Cottage cheese has already had rennet and bacteria added to coagulate it, as cheddar cheese also requires, but according to this recipe you are then supposed to cook, drain, warm, press, and wrap (in wax or larded cloth) the curds in order to get a cheddar.
It sounds like your plan will fail to remove enough residual lactose from the curds (which is what the cooking process is for), resulting in “leaking cheese and a very acid and chalky final cheese.”
I did find a cheese site that addressed this. If you start with freshly made cottage cheese you will end up with what they called “Mexican style cheese”, whatever that is. If you use store bought cottage cheese the added cream will not allow the curds to solidify.
Dennis
Queso fresco. There is also something called “pressed cottage cheese.”. Also, see farmer’s cheese, which is a type of pressed cottage cheese that I commonly see around here. Paneer, and various other fresh cheeses around the world, would probably also fit into thie category, though paneer has a smoother texture, usually. Farmer’s cheese and queso fresco is definitely grainy and crumbly.
Its hard to make hard cheeses like cheddar at home - unless you have access to an unpasteurized milk supply. If you want to make cheese, make friends with someone with cows and goats.
I make both mozzarella and ricotta and the processes are totally different. Ricotta (which is cottage-cheese-like) is heated to about 200 F at which point the protein is denatured. The mozzarella is heated to about 90 F and then rennet added to coagulate. It never comes together if the milk has been overheated, e.g. if it is UP milk. I am not sure about cheddar but it seems unlikely to me.
You can make most types of cheese with pasteurized milk as long as it’s not ultra-pasteurized or UHT (ultra high pasteurized). Adding calcium chloride helps restore the protein structure damaged by pasteurization.
I have no idea if this is true or not, but I do know that “Leaking Cheese” would be a great band name.
Moderator Action
I can honestly say I have never heard the phrase “leaking cheese” before.
In any event, the foodies all hang out in the cafe, so off this thread goes.
Moving thread from IMHO to CS.
Sounds more like a euphemism for dysentery :eek:
–G!