Questions on Basic Hard Cheese Kit

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• From Tonia S. at 4/23/13 6:00 PM
  • Will cheese starter kits survive without refrigeration for up to 3days during travel ?
  • Yes. They are shelf stable as long as they are not exposed to extreme heat.
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• From Julie at 2/5/13 6:31 AM
  • How many gallons of milk should I have on hand before starting to make these cheeses?
    
  • It depends on the recipe. Most of the recipes call for 2 gallons of milk but the Cottage Cheese and Feta recipes use 1 gallon.
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• From Sarah at 11/9/12 8:07 PM
  • Can you make these cheeses with fat free or low fat milk, or do you need to use whole milk?
  • From the New England Cheesemaking Supply Company: "Yes, skim milk may be used in all our recipes. Follow the recipe, as given. However, your cheese will be drier, your yield will be lower and there will be less flavor. (Butterfat is an important flavor and texture component of cheese. In whole milk, the butterfat (cream) is usually 3.5-4%.)
    
    If you have to use milk with little or no butterfat, you can usually add herbs or spices to your cheese to make it taste better. Also, there are some cheeses, like Parmesan, that are traditionally made with partially skimmed milk."
    
    They have a great FAQ. Check them out! http://www.cheesemaking.com/store/pg/239-FAQ-Cheesemaking-and-Milk.html
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• From Cat at 8/6/12 1:20 PM
  • Is it ok to use raw milk in these recipes?
  • Raw milk is totally fine for making cheese, but you have to heat it to make the cheese, so it won't stay raw. However, starting with raw milk will work just fine.
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• From Susan at 3/2/12 10:49 PM
  • Most of the organic milks at our local grocery are ultra high pasteurized. I have heard that they won't make good cheese. Is this true?
  • Ultra pasteurized or UHT (Ultra high temperature) milks can be problematic for cheesemaking. The high heat the milk is exposed to kills the good bacteria that helps in the cheesemaking process. You may be able to make some of the soft cheeses with Ultra Pasteurized or UHT milk but we would encourage you to try to find local milk or standard pasteurized.
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• From James reed at 3/1/12 3:11 PM
  • it says this hit will make up to eight types of cheeses, if I prefer to can I make all of the cheese in just one or two types or do I have to make all eight types of cheese?
  • You can choose which type of cheese you'd like to make with each different starter included in the kit.
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• From Judith at 2/9/12 5:43 PM
  • I am not able to get raw milk where I live and I was wondering if I could use whole organic milk for the store to make cheese?
  • Whole organic milk is just fine for making cheese.
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• From Alex at 12/8/11 2:05 PM
  • Does this kit need to be kept cold for travel?? Thinking about giving it as a holiday gift, but it will need to be brought on a plane. Don't know how well/convenient it is for traveling, prior to opening.
  • The kit will be fine during travel. Once the gift is given, the cultures should be stored in the freezer until ready to use.
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• From Fawn at 11/24/11 12:16 PM
  • Can you tell me the series name of each culture included in this kit?
  • Mesophilic DS: s.lactis, s. cremoris, malto dextrin
    
    Thermophilic DS: lactose, (ST) streptococcus thermophilus, (LB) lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus, (LH) lactobacillus helveticus
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• From Becky at 9/1/11 8:10 PM
  • Do I need to purchase a cheese press for this starter kit?
  • Technically no. Some cheeses the kit makes (like Feta) don't need to be pressed. Others like Cheddar do. There are ways to press cheese without a cheese press. They're aren't terribly convenient but it is possible. Here's a blog post from one of our affiliates that talks about pressing cheeses: http://gnowfglins.com/2011/01/19/diy-cheese-press/
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