Do-it-yourself guides cover everything from bookshelves made from skis, to delivering a baby and beyond. But how about making your own cheese?
Wine, maybe, beer, yes… but cheddar? A friend once told me that she’d be afraid of poisoning herself, if she tried it. Death by mozzarella- not a pretty sight.
I have to admit that I wasn’t sure at the time exactly how making your own cheese could kill you (maybe the mold), but since she had a PhD and I don’t, I took it to heart.
I put my own plans for homegrown waxy goodness on hold.
So, you can imagine my delight when I recently became curious enough about the subject to Google it on my own (why it took so long, I don’t know.)
What I found was all this: a plethora of companies out there are offering eager-cheesy-beavers (oh, that sounds nasty!) a chance to dive into the dangerous world of DIY cheese making with safety and confidence.
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For the record, my friend isn’t to blame for my delay in discovery and would probably love to try some of the results of these kits on a crunchy cracker or two.
So, if you’re on the lookout for a new hobby, look no further. Boost your snack time with these 4 DYI cheese-making kits:
1) UrbanCheesecraft
UrbanCheesecraft sells its kits on Etsy and offers a wide variety of cheeses to choose from.
Made by Claudia Lucero of Portland, Orgeon, they offer dairy free cheddar, mozzarella, ricotta, brie feta, chevre and fondue kits that are easy to order. Kits range in complexity from mini beginner kits to more advanced ones.
2) Make Cheese Inc.
Make Cheese is selling cheese kits and cheese making supplies all the way from Alberta, Canada.
The website has a lot of information to satisfy your cheesemaking needs, and offers kits for making cheddar, feta, mozzarella, ricotta, and poutine (cheese curds). Delicious.
3) Ricki’s Basic Cheesemaking Kit
Get started making your own farmhouse cheddar, gouda, Monterey jack, feta, cottage cheese, colby, parmesan and ricotta cheeses, with these simple kits.
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The results will give you ten 2-pound batches of cheese. The company gets 4.5 stars out of 5 based on 41 reviews posted on their website- not too shabby.
4) Standing Stone Farms
Standing Stone Farms began selling cheese making supplies and ingredients after years of holding cheesemaking workshops on the premises.
This company says it differs from others in that most other cheese kits are mass produced and sold as mozzarella or cheddar kits specifically, however Standing Stone Farm kits give you a box containing everything you need to make several different kinds of cheese: you choose.
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Why the difference? The reason for this is that many cheeses made at home use the same 1-5 ingredients, and Standing Stone doesn’t feel the need to market them individually. This allows them to offer lower overall pricing, while maintaining a high quality product. And they stand by their word.
“As of November 2015, most of our kits are made and packaged with recycled products,” the website states.
“We are working regularly at offering the best, most organic ingredients we can locate. Our goal is to be the very best producer of home cheese making kits and supplies in the marketplace.”
Good luck in the kitchen, and remember this beginner tip: go for the soft cheeses first. The aged ones are tricky and require near-military precision, so be ready.
Photo credit: MaraZe/Shutterstock
