Rennet is an important ingredient in cheesemaking and is the main coagulant used for most cheeses.  If you’re curious about exactly what rennet is and how it works, you can […] The post Which Rennet is for You? appeared first on The Art of Cheese ..read more

  (Animal Rennet, Vegetarian Rennet, Optimization, and more!)   Curds and Whey Remember Little Miss Muffet, who sat on her tuffet, eating her curds and whey?  When we make cheese, our goal is to separate the solid components of milk (casein protein, fat, minerals) into curds and the liquid into whey (water, lactose, whey protein). […] The post What is Rennet and Why Do You Need it? appeared first on The Art of Cheese ..read more

  Most cheeses you’ve ever eaten are made with the same four basic ingredients: milk, culture, rennet, and salt. Sometimes additional ingredients are added, like annatto for color, or a flavor mix-in like chili peppers. However, it’s how we manipulate the four basic ingredients that get us all the wonderful varieties of cheese that we […] The post Basic Cheesemaking Steps appeared first on The Art of Cheese ..read more

  Yes, that’s a horse posing with cheese along with his owner, Karra Markley from Missoula, Montana!  Karra is a lifelong horse lover so when she learned about Caciocavallo she just had to try to make it.  Caciocavallo is a traditional cheese from Southern Italy and it literally translates to “over the horseback cheese.”  It’s […] The post Meet the Cheesemaker – Karra! appeared first on The Art of Cheese ..read more

When it comes to cheesemaking, milk is the key ingredient.  And when I say milk, I mean that white creamy substance that comes from a mammal.  Not the white substance you might squeeze from an almond.  That kind of “milk” is imitating, or substituting for actual milk.  And cheeses made with those milk substitutes aren’t […] The post Milk in Cheesemaking appeared first on The Art of Cheese ..read more

Once you’ve worked hard to produce some homemade cheese, how do you go about evaluating it to determine your success?  There are no real rules here for the home cheesemaker and most of us just say whether we like it or not!  But there is much more to that when it comes to cheese judging […] The post Evaluating your Cheeses! appeared first on The Art of Cheese ..read more

Meet Lorine Bourland from Old Hickory, Tenessee just east of Nashville.  Lorine is an avid cook and teaches cooking classes with a team at her church. She also makes jewelry which she sells at her church’s Art Fair and she loves to travel, too, having gone to the Holy Land and Italy many, many times. […] The post Meet the Cheesemaker – Lorine! appeared first on The Art of Cheese ..read more

Are you ready to make some aged cheeses but don’t quite know how to build a “cheese cave?”  Here are some quick tips and suggestions. Most cheeses age best at a temperature of around 50-55 degrees – much warmer than a regular refrigerator but much cooler than your average room temperature.  There are several ways […] The post Setting up a Home Cheese Cave appeared first on The Art of Cheese ..read more

Just like with cooking, your cheesemaking equipment can be as simple or complex as you’d like. We’ve compiled a list here to help sort through what we’ve found to be the most helpful when you’re getting started, or even if you’re just thinking about getting started!  Many of these items you probably already own.  Some […] The post Beginner’s Guide to Cheesemaking Equipment appeared first on The Art of Cheese ..read more

A lot of people ask us if there is a particular order in which they should take our classes. We try our best to make our classes inclusive, whether you’re an expert home cheesemaker or are just finding your whey (sorry, couldn’t resist!). That being said, you will find it easier to learn if you […] The post Cheeses by Skill-Level appeared first on The Art of Cheese ..read more