homemade cheese using rennet tablets

[WoodlandWoman]

I think the reason the cheese is so far into the thread, is because it was originally only a yogurt thread. It just grew!

 

[carugoman]

if it's 'easy-to-follow' recipes and methods,go to www.dairyconnection.com to buy cultures molds and supplies,also follow link in recipe section for Fia's CO Farm. Lots of photos and recipes there.

 

[digitS']

Interesting that there's a "vegetable" rennet! I've been amazed that there's so much power in so little of these enzymes and that's apparently true with both the vegetable and animal types.

The vegetarians at Fias Co Farm have a simple cottage cheese recipe with the vegetable rennet. It is much quicker than the Junket recipe but uses the stove top. The product looks perfectly safe for the chicken-owner's table as well as the chicken yard. Leaving a shallow pan sitting around for as long as 24 hours (Junket recipe) meant, for me, the product went to the chickens. But, the recipe was easy-peasy!

I've always used the Junket tablets because they were available in the supermarket (with the Jello and such). To give you an idea of when I first experienced Junket dessert -

I predate Jello no-bake puddings. And, Mom was known for burning things! No, she didn't use a wood cook stove . . .

Now, this effort to remove some of the liquid from milk for the hens may not be desirable at this time of the year. I'm not sure that they wouldn't benefit from a little more warm water or something since the air is becoming so dry and cold.

Steve

 

[carugoman]

DW is a vegetarian,and as such I use the vegetarian rennet. I prefer the animal rennet,since it takes less to make the same amount of cheese,as you do with the veg. type.

The liquid that separates out is whey. I keep a gallon on hand,cold and flavored with fruit juice,as a protein drink that's better than that caffeinated sugar water,that is sold at the grocer's. Also,whey can be for substituted,one for one,water,in bread recipes. This whey is fine to use with whole grain breads and adds significant amounts of protein to help build the gluten so the bread will be less dense.

Leaving fresh cream,in a shallow pan,overnight on a far corner of the wood stove (after the stove's been banked down for the night,) is called "clotted cream" and is kind of like butter but not. It's good on fresh biscuits in the morning or cornbread at suppertime!

The minimum amounts of cultures and rennet you must order,at first,from "Dairy-Connection",may seem to be a bit much. If kept in the freezer,it really does last a year and I go through a few orders in a year's time.

All y'all take care.