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SUCCESSFUL CHEESEMAKING®
CONTENTS © Copyright 2017 Merryl Winstein • All Rights Reserved •
2 www.CheeseMakingClass.com
TABLE OF CONTENTS
This is the table of contents for both Volume 1 and Volume 2.
VOLUME ONE, Beginning–p.308
About this book . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-8
Foreword by Ricki Carroll. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-9
Why are the photos in black and white? . . . . . . . . A-10
About metric and English measurements. . . . . . . A-10
Acknowledgements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-12
Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-14
Part 1
BEGINNING
Chapter 1
Cheesemaking overview. . . . . . . . . . . . 2
What is cheesemaking?
Chapter 2
Our cheese origins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
6. Soft or lactic cheese; renneted, hard cheese; historic
method.  7. Modern milk storage; intro to rennet. 
8. Intro to bacterial starter cultures.
Chapter 3
The milk. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
3.1 Clean, raw milk & clean, pasteurized milk . . . . . 10
3.2 The cream. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
3.3 Care, cleanliness, and safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
3.4 Pasteurizing and thermizing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
• more humane?
Why isn’t my cheese working right?
3.5 Bottled supermarket milk for cheesemaking?. . . 19
3.5a) How unheated and overheated milk
and whey proteins interact with rennet. . . . . . . . 22
3.6 Proper milk cooling for better cheese. . . . . . . . . . 25
3.7 Milk handling—it’s important. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
28.  Do not shake milk; keep it cold. Lipase enzymes.
30. Protease enzymes.  31. Psychrotrophic cold-loving
bacteria.  33.  Good bacterial enzymes.
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Chapter 4
Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
4.1 Basic equipment and supplies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
4.2 Thermometers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
4.3 Home cheese vat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
4.4 Cheese mats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
4.5 Cheese wrapping and storage. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Chapter 5
Pressing how-to
and cheese presses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
5.1 Pressing info, molds, hoops, and forms. . . . . . . . 44
5.2 Three cheese presses, & how to build them. . . . . 46
5.2a) Screw-type press . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
5.2b) Wall-hinge lever press. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
5.2c) Dutch lever press. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
5.3 Presses that won’t work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Chapter 6
More questions answered. . . . . . . . . . 57
6.1 Recognizing problem recipes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
6.2 What is rennet? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
59.  Origin of rennet. Rennet’s two jobs:  coagulation;
proteolysis for flavor & texture development.
60.  Different kinds of rennet.  61. Making & testing
rennet.  62. Using & storing rennet. Rennet strengths.
63. Typical amounts used. Is non-animal rennet
6.3 Bacterial starter cultures, other cheese bacteria,
and molds of ripening. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
64.  History, background. Acidification.  66. Two
main types: mesophilic and thermophilic. 66. Stor-
age and usage. Amounts.  68. Flavor.  69. Which is
which? Flavor and texture development in ripening.
2
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6.3a) Chart:  Starter bacteria. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
6.3b) Chart:  Some non-starter cheese bacteria. . 71
6.3c) Chart:  Some cheesemaking molds . . . . . . . 71
6.4 The invention of packaged starter cultures. . . . 71a
6.5 Bulk, premade, starter culture. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
6.6 Acidity, pH, and pH meters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
6.7 Chart of metric and English equivalents. . . . . . 78
Chapter 7
Getting ready. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
7.1 Easy cheeses for busy days. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
7.2 Arranging your milk & equipment . . . . . . . . . . . 80
81. More on safer food handling.
Part 2  9.2 Cultured Buttermilk or soured milk. . . . . . . . . 109
ACID PLUS HEAT:
QUICK, SIMPLE
CHEESES
Chapter 8
The easiest cheeses. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
8.1 Pot Cheese. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Vinegar or lemon Ricotta • Stirred Cottage Cheese
8.2 Queso Blanco or Panir . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Non-renneted, firm cheese, made of pressed pot cheese.
8.3 Sweet, Greek, Feta-style cheese made with
vinegar; plus Mizithra from the whey. . . . . . . . . . . 93
CONTENTS
3
Part 3 
LACTIC-ACID
COAGULATION
With little or no rennet, acid causes the milk to
coagulate or thicken very slowly overnight or
in 5–36 hours.
Chapter 9
Lactic-coagulated milk
products without any rennet. . . . . . . 106
9.1 Explanation of lactic-coagulated
or clabbered-milk cheeses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
9.3 Cultured Cottage Cheese . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
9.3a) Rennetless, firm, pressed, lactic cheese. . . 111
9.4 Sour Cream and Crème Fraîche. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
9.5 Yogurt and Yogurt Cheeses. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
9.5a) Fruit on the bottom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
9.5b) Drained “Greek Yogurt” or Labneh, and
rennetless, firm, pressed, lactic cheese . . . 118
Chapter 10
Lactic-coagulated cheeses
with only a drop of rennet . . . . . . . . 120
10.1 Chevre or Fromage Blanc lactic cheese. . . . . . . 121
Plain, fresh, or herbed.
10.2 Mold or ash-ripened lactic cheeses . . . . . . . . . . 126
10.3 Smoked, Danish, Fynsk Rygeost. . . . . . . . . . . . 132
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5

Part 4 Chapter 12
Lightly pressed, renneted cheese. . . 196
Chapter 14
Renneted, hard-pressed, mesophilic
Ripening treatments described in other chapters:
• White, bloomy, ashed. . . . . . . 126, 148, 188, 211
RENNET- Firm and fresh, or ripened with molds. cheese. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244 • Wrinkled Geotrichum rind. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194

COAGULATED
CHEESES
Rennet enzyme causes the milk to coagulate or
thicken quickly in 10–30 minutes. Renneted
cheese may be mesophilic (made at medium
temperatures), or thermophilic (made at high
temperatures).
Chapter 11
Soft, fresh, renneted cheese . . . . . . . 136
Drained without pressing, or lightly pressed.
Soft and fresh, or ripened with molds.
Mesophilic, made at medium temperatures.
11.1 Overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
11.2 Renneted Feta-style Cheese . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Soft, fresh, renneted cheese finished with salt.
11.2a) Simple Balkan Feta-style. . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
11.2b)  Firm, cut and stirred Feta-style. . . . . . . 139
11.2c) Gorgonzola Dolce-style, or “Cambanzola”-
  style, creamy Blue Cheese. . . . . . . . . . . . 148
11.3 Haloumi and Anari . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Soft, fresh, renneted cheese, pressed and boiled, plus
Anari whey cheese.
11.4 Blue Cheese . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Soft, fresh, renneted cheese finished with blue mold.
11.5 Bloomy-rind Camembert-style & Brie-style. .180
Soft, fresh, renneted cheeses finished
with a covering of smooth, white mold.
194. Brainlike, wrinkled Geotrichum surface.
Mesophilic, made at medium temperatures.
12.1 Farmer’s Cheese, Queso Fresco, & Reblochon
  Style, Unripened and fresh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
12.2 Reddish Reblochon-Style cheese. . . . . . . . . . . 210
Farmer’s Cheese ripened with red bacterial rind.
12.3 Firm, white, bloomy-rind cheese. . . . . . . . . . . 211
Farmer’s Cheese ripened with white mold.
Chapter 13
What happens after adding rennet. . 214
13.1 Review of basic cheesemaking methods. . . . . 215
13.2 Flocculation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
13.3 Waiting & moisture locking time . . . . . . . . . . 220
13.3a) Chart of common flocculation times,
    plus waiting & moisture locking time. . . . . . . 227
13.4 How flocculation & waiting times can make
    your cheese better or mess it up. . . . . . . . . . . . 228
13.5 Clean break and texture at cutting. . . . . . . . . 238
Each kind of cheese has a different clean break.
Made at medium temperatures. • Reddish rind on fresh, pressed cheese. . . . . . . 210
• Smeared rind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 380
14.1 The French Tomme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246
The basic mesophilic method.
    on washed-curd cheeses.
• Salted, dry, clean rind on Kefalotyri . . . . . . . . 410
14.2 Traditional British cloth-bound
• Morge-washed rind
or bandaged Cheddar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268
      on thermophilic Alpine cheeses . . . . . . . . . . 436
  Wine-marbled or herb-marbled Cheddar . . . . . 296
   14.2a) Bandaging and ripening the cheese . . 302 Chapter 17
Washed-curd, renneted,
VOLUME TWO, p. 309–Index mesophilic cheeses. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 342
Curds are rinsed to remove lactose and make a
sweeter cheese.
Chapter 15
Salting of both mesophilic and With damp, pink or orange, sticky, smeared
thermophilic cheeses . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309 rinds, or golden, dry-brushed rinds.
Made at medium temperatures.
15.1a) Dry salting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 310
17.1 Styles like Danish Havarti and Esrom,
15.1b) Brine salting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 312
     and German Tilsit-style. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 343
Chapter 16 Unpressed semi-soft or semi-hard cheese,
Ripening and rind treatments . . . . . 314 with damp, pinkish, pungent, smeared rind,
and irregular mechanical holes.
16.1 A look inside the ripening cheese . . . . . . . . . . 315
315. Protein and fat breakdown cause flavor and 17.2 Danish Danbo:  fewer, smaller eyes. . . . . . . . . 362
texture development.  316. Proteolysis (protein      and Danish Samsoe:  many, larger, round eyes
breakdown).  320. Lipolysis (fat breakdown).  17.3 Smear-ripening northern European cheeses. . 380
322. Short-chain fatty acids, and milk lipases. 17.4 French /Swiss soft, pink, melting Raclette. . . 391
16.2 Ripening and rind treatments. . . . . . . . . . . . . 324 17.5 Gouda-style & Edam-style, with dry, golden,
16.2a)  “Wild” or uncontrolled surface mold  brushed rind. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 392
      ripening. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326
16.2b)  Semi-controlled rind. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 332
16.2c)  Controlled or brushed surface without
      molds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 334
16.2d)  Clean rind, no surface molds at all. . . . 338
     Paracoat • wax • Cryovac or vacuum packing
16.3 Crystals in cheese. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 340
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7

THERMOPHILIC CHEESES Chapter 19

Renneted, stretched-curd,
Made at high temperatures.
thermophilic cheese,
Chapter 18 made at high temperatures
Renneted, hard-pressed, Also called “Pasta Filata” cheese.
thermophilic cheese, Made at high temperatures.
made at high temperatures. . . . . . . . 395
Part 1: THE RECIPES
BASIC THERMOPHILIC METHOD • The starting point for Mozzarella, Scamorza, and
18.1 Explanation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 396 all Pasta Filata cheeses. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 445
18.2 Greek Kefalotyri. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 397 • Wet, soft, balls of Mozzarella. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 448
Basic thermophilic, hard, pressed, renneted cheese • Stuffed Burrata . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 451
with no holes and dry, salt-rubbed rind. • Medium-moisture Mozzarella, and the
Plus flaming the Kefalotyri, 412. drier Scamorza. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 452
ALPINE CHEESES: Hard, pressed, thermophilic
cheeses of the French & Swiss mountains Part 2: STRETCHING & SHAPING
Preliminary melting and stretching. . . . . . . . . . . 468
18.3 Comte-style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 414
   A) String cheese . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 472
18.4 Emmental-style with many large eyes. . . . . . . 442
   B) Mozzarella slices for sandwiches. . . . . . . . . 473
   C) Looped braids. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 474
   D) Saddlebags or moneybags. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 476
Part 3: FINAL STEPS for Stretched Curd Cheese
Cooling, brining, aging, storing, & smoking. . . . 480
Why cheese won’t stretch. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 481
Part 5  Chapter 23
FAQs—
WHEY & CREAM Frequently asked questions . . . . . . . 512
Chapter 20 Chapter 24
Whey cheeses & products. . . . . . . . . . . . 482 Supplies & classes. . . . . . . . . . . . 534 (S-1)
20.1 Hand-ladled Ricotta; Greek Manouri-style. . 483
Simmered whey from renneted cheeses, with added Chapter 25
cream or milk. Process & troubleshooting charts . . 544
20.2 Norwegian Mysost and Gjetost. . . . . . . . . . . . 488 Includes more on washed curd cheese.
20.3 Whey Cream, thin Crème Fraîche,
    and Whey Butter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 489 Chapter 26
Whey sets out overnight until the cream rises. Your own record-keeping charts . . . 562
Can be whipped into butter that is eaten, or used to
Print them out for your use.
glue cloth onto bandaged Cheddar.
Chapter 27
Chapter 21
For further reading. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 568
The cream
21.1 Fresh butter, or cultured Danish-style Butter Chapter 28
    made better with temperature treatment . . . 490 References. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 571
21.2 Clarified Butter—Ghee. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .494
Butter that is boiled, and the solids strained out.
Chapter 29
• Keeps without refrigeration.
Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 572
• Used in East Indian and western cooking.

Chapter 30
Part 6  Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 586
APPENDICES Chapter 31
Chapter 22
About the author. . . . . . . . . . . last pages
• About and contact.
US Department of Agriculture
Farmers’ Bulletins on cheesemaking, • Cheesemaking consultant; workshops.
from the early 1900s. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 497 • Complete cheesemaking kit.
22a) Making Cottage Cheese on the Farm . . . . . . . 498 • Ordering more books.
22b) Making American Cheddar Cheese. . . . . . . . 502
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1 ~ Cheesemaking Overview
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1 ~ Cheesemaking Overview 3

1  ~  Cheesemaking Overview

C HEESE STORES THE MILK HARVEST. In fact, it ’s nearly impossible to keep clean
natural milk from turning into cheese all by itself. Using methods guided by the hands of our
ancestors, cheesemaking yields some of the most delicious, nutritious, varied, and fascinating foods on earth.
Nowadays, the best of traditional methods are being revived and combined with the best of scientific understand-
ing, in a worldwide renewal of home and professional artisan cheese production.
Dairy sheep in Vermont, USA, ready for milking. Dutch Belted cows grazing in the USA.
Cheesemaking is easy and you can do it. With my book like a knowledgeable teacher by your side, you’ll see how all
kinds of cheeses should look, feel, smell, and taste at every step of the way. Soon you and your friends will enjoy your I’ve put the very simplest recipes first, then, step by step, new variations and techniques define each recipe that
own great cheese! follows. By the end of the book you will understand a complete array of traditional and professional cheesemaking
techniques so you can make all your favorites from cow’s, goat’s, or sheep’s milk.

Flocculation, the first sign that the milk is coagulating or Feeling the correct texture for cutting the curd mass.
thickening.

Some of the dairy goats in my urban backyard in St. Louis, Missouri, a large American city. I raised dairy goats for 22 years. The curd mass shows a break. Cutting the curd mass into small cubes.
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1 ~ Cheesemaking Overview 5
b.

c.
First slow stirring of the curds. Faster stirring and heating.

If you’d rather plunge headlong into making your favorite “harder” cheese immediately, go right ahead, because each
recipe stands alone and includes all the needed information. In my opinion, none is more difficult than the others. It’s
simply that some cheeses require more steps or need more detailed attention than others. All of the steps are explained,
confidently and clearly, with photos, in my book. Let’s start now.

a) Pressing the hooped cheese.

b) Alluring texture during pressing.
c ) Rubbing with coarse salt, then ripening the cheese
with good airflow, humidity, and cool temperatures.
d) A finished cheese ready to enjoy.

Testing curds by hand for correct texture & moisture level. Pouring, draining, and hooping the finished curds.
 7
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13.5 ~ Clean Break & Texture at Cutting
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13.5 ~ Clean Break & Texture at Cutting 225
A. For a HARD, DRY Parmesan-style or Comte-style that will age a long time & de- B. For MEDIUM-MOISTURE CHEESES such as the Tomme, Cheddar, Blue Cheeses,
velop rich, sharp, strong flavor, add on a very short waiting & moisture-locking time. Gouda-style, Havarti, or Raclette, add on a medium length moisture-locking time.
• The curd mass should not lock in much moisture.
1) For medium-moisture cheeses, aim for a medium- 5) EXAMPLES: For drier, harder Cheddar that will age
• Hard, dry styles like Parmesan, or Alpine/Swiss styles such as Gruyere or Comte, age a long time—sometimes for years—
length flocculation time, about 15–18 minutes after longer and develop a sharper and more complex fla-
and develop sharp, rich, deeply complex flavors.
adding rennet. vor, add on the shorter moisture-locking time (1.5
• It is counterintuitive that a soft mushy curd mass will turn into a hard, dry cheese, but it’s true. times the flocculation time). This allows less time to
2) Next, add on a medium-length moisture-locking
time of 1.5–2 times the flocculation time. lock in moisture. The dryness of the finished cheese
1) There is a long flocculation time after adding the much surface area, they will contract and squeeze will slow down reactions of ripening, so it will age
extra-small amount of rennet, about 30 minutes for out even more moisture as they are stirred and heat- 3) When the curd mass has trapped just the right slowly, while developing a sharp, rich flavor.
a hard, dry, complex Parmesan- or Comte-style. ed later on. amount of moisture in its protein network, it feels
smooth, somewhat hard, and clearly resists pressure 6) For a softer, moister Cheddar that ripens sooner and
2) Add on only 1/6 of the flocculation time, just a few 4) When finished cooking, the tiny curds will be very tastes milder, add on the longer moisture-locking
minutes, for a very short moisture-locking time. The hard and dry, like bits of rubber eraser or styrofoam. from your palm. It hasn’t separated from the side of
the pot yet, but will separate a little if pushed down time (twice the flocculation time), allowing more
curd mass has hardly any time to lock in moisture. It After pressing, the dryness of the hard cheese will time to lock in moisture. More moisture in the fin-
will be like very soft, wet pudding. slow down reactions of ripening, so the cheese can gently with your finger.
ished cheese encourages the reactions of ripening to
3) Then very gently whisk the curd mass into tiny rice- age a long time while developing a strong, sharp, 4) After the waiting time, cut curd mass into corn- happen more quickly. A moister cheese will develop
sized particles. Because the little particles have so complex flavor. sized pieces, 3/8 -inch (8–10mm). For drier cheese, its flavors more quickly so it will be milder.
cut slightly smaller. For moister cheese, cut larger.
This soft, pudding-like curd mass has had very little time to lock in moisture. It’s a good texture for cutting into curds to make hard, dry Nice texture at cutting for Cheddar, Gouda, or Blue Cheese. Firm resistant springy curd mass doesn’t quite come off sides of pot, and
cheese styles like Parmesan, or Alpine styles such as Comte, Gruyere, or Emmental. there is little or no whey on top.
 8
SAMPLE SPREAD
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14.1 ~ The French Tomme
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14.1 ~ The French Tomme 259
2. Open your hand. Look at
the shape. 3.
Notice everything about it: how
dry (or wet) it looks, how the shape
mounds up high on your hand (or sags
back down). Is there whey running
down your skin, or is your hand rela-
tively dry now, as it should be?

3. Using your two hands,

very slowly break the shape
apart.
The two halves should pop or spring
apart and should neither cling nor
stick together at all.
Feel and watch carefully as you
very, very slowly draw the two halves
apart. Do you feel or see the curds
tugging or clinging to each other, even
a tiny bit?
They should let go freely and not
cling at all, not even a little bit.
If you are not sure if they are pop-
ping apart or are clinging just a little,
try again in another 5, 10 and 15 min-
utes. You will notice a big difference.

Shape breaks open without even a shred of clinginess. See how dry my hand is?

4. Rub the curds apart.

They should easily separate into individual 4.
Although drier than on previous page, curds are still a little too wet to drain. Curds in top right photo are drier and are finally ready.
dryish grains, almost like cooked rice.

PART 3 5. Taste.
HAND TEST for CORRECT MOISTURE LEVEL Curds should feel like thoroughly cooked
and TEXTURE AT DRAINING ~ Tomme scrambled eggs in your mouth, and they may
squeak in your teeth. They will taste dull like
For outstanding cheese flavor, curds must be at the right texture and moisture level before they are drained. This step is so cardboard, because the bacteria have eaten the
crucial that it is hard to emphasize enough. Curds that are not dry enough at draining will make sour, off-tasting cheese. sweet lactose.
Draining the curds before they are dry enough is such a common mistake that many people think it’s normal for
artisan or homemade cheese to taste sour and off-flavored! This is sad, because by just waiting another 15–30 minutes,
you can make cheese that tastes marvelous. And if you are selling, customers will clamor for a great-tasting cheese, but 6. Test the pH at draining.
poor-tasting cheese will be hard to sell. Even your family won’t be that eager for it. The pH tells you the texture, and the texture
When the Tomme curds look like those in the photo, they are nearly the right moisture and texture for draining, tells you the pH.
but are not quite dry enough. After stirring or pitching even longer, the finished curds, (top right photo) are a little drier. When the curds are at the correct texture
and dryness, the whey pH will be 6.1–6.0, and
1. Press a big handful of curds together into a large lump or shape in your fist. it is time to drain them.
a) Feel how the resistant, springy curds push back resiliently against your hand. If the curds become too acidic, at pH 5.9
b) Smell the acidic aroma. or lower, they will start to become stretchier,
c) See and feel how these curds barely meld together anymore. stickier, and more clingy, so drain them imme-
diately before they become even more acidic. The curds rub apart into individual grains almost like cooked rice.
 9
SAMPLE SPREAD
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16.2 ~ Ripening & Rind Treatments
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16.2 ~ Ripening & Rind Treatments 327
~ 16.2a, the WILD RIND ~

1. For a WILD RIND . . . refrigerator, at the warmest setting, 50–55F (10–13C).

Here are four Tommes of different ages ripening
together in their cave, a plastic “pie safe” box from a
supermarket. They would look and smell exactly the
same (except larger), if ripened in a commercial cave.
They rest on cheese mats, for airflow, on a small
plain wooden board that keeps the cheeses off the bot-
tom of the box. A small open jar of water (not shown)
supplies moisture. The lid stays on the box, inside a
The cheeses are turned over daily for at least two
weeks, then every few days, then weekly. These wild
rinds were not brushed off or controlled in any way.
If you make your cheese properly, it will attract and
nourish the right molds, which grow in an orderly pro-
gression. They must look flat and rather dry, like those
in the photos. The whitish, brownish, gray, and bluish
molds should have a musty basement smell.

2. Taste any time after 60 days.
By law, raw milk cheeses meant for sale must be aged
60 days to allow pathgens to die, if they were in the
milk. But don’t wait for a year; taste and enjoy the
cheese sooner. Wax or butter the cut end to keep the
cheese from drying out, then put the cheese back in
the box to continue ripening. It’s good to observe how
the flavor and texture change over time. A cheese that
tastes really bad was probably made wrong, so there is
no point to ripening it further. Just let go of it and start
over.
3. Provide the three required conditions
for ripening: airflow and oxygen,
humidity, and cool temperature.
• air: Open the large box each day to provide fresh
air and oxygen, turn the cheese over, then replace
the lid and close the box to retain humidity.
• humidity:  Keep a little open jar of water in the
box for humidity. A thin layer of condensed water
• About 2–4 weeks old, bottom right:  The smooth new surface grows whitish Geotrichum yeast, and a little blue mold.
droplets should coat the walls of the box. Wipe out
• One to two months, bottom left and opposite page:  Some brownish and whitish molds are starting to grow. the box if there’s too much water.
• Older cheese, top right:  More brown and white mold starts replacing the blue and gray. • cool temperature: Set the refrigerator at its
• About 4–6 months, top left:  Cheese has developed a delicious full flavor and a more rippled surface due to proteoly- highest setting, about 50–55F (10–13C). Refrigerate
sis (protein breakdown) near the rind. These cheeses all ripened together in this box. the box so the cheeses stays cool.
If the cheese or its cave is too dry, inner ripening
reactions can’t progress, molds won’t grow, and the
cheese won’t ripen. It will just dry out. You may revive
a dry cheese by washing it off with water, and increas-
ing humidity in the box.
4. Notice normal vs. abnormal odors.
Don’t be afraid of the musty basement aroma—it is
normal and correct for this type of rind. Even the
strange “cheesy” odor is something you’ll get used to,
the more cheese you make. Molds of ripening add a
flavor dimension that doesn’t exist in the Cryovac-
packed commercial cheeses ripened in plastic. Inside
the moldy surface, cheese stays yellow, fresh, and tasty.
An ammonia odor means the proteins are break-
ing down too quickly. Causes: too much moisture or
warmth, or not enough airflow. Fan out the box daily,
loosen the lid, rinse out and dry the box, check for cor-
rect temperature, and keep ripening. Don’t wash with
bleach. That would kill the molds of ripening.
A horrible rotting odor isn’t right. It comes from bac-
teria of putrefaction. Feed that cheese to the chickens,
and start over.

SUCCESSFUL CHEESEMAKING®
512 © Copyright 2017 Merryl Winstein • All Rights Reserved • www.CheeseMakingClass.com
23 ~ Frequently Asked Questions—FAQs
23 ~ Frequently Asked Questions, FAQs
In my cheesemaking workshops, people ask lots
of questions, I write them down, & here they are.
I’ve grouped them roughly in alphabetical or-
der by topic. Contact me to sign up for a cheese-
making workshop, schedule a talk or consulta-
tion anywhere in the world, order a complete
cheesemaking kit, or ask more questions.
Merryl Winstein
www.CheeseMakingClass.com
A a lot of fat and protein per gallon or liter of milk, is a lot
acid
a-1. W hat consumes lactose and creates
acid?
Lactic bacteria and bacterial starter cultures. (p. 8)
a-2. Why is acid so important in cheese-
making?
Nearly everything that happens in cheesemaking is
related to the increasing amount of acid, and its effects
on texture, moisture level, and flavor. (p. 74)
The right amount of acidity ensures that the curds
have the texture they need at each point during
cheesemaking.
Also, if the acidity is correct on the day after making
cheese, it tells you that the starter cultures multiplied
well and stored up lots of ripening enzymes, which
will be used later to break down the proteins and fats
to develop great flavor and texture.  different varieties of cows, or goats, or sheep, to suit the
SAMPLE SPREAD
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aging
a-3. What is aging? Is it the same as ripen-
ing or cold storage?  known for producing more protein and fat, individuals
After ripening for 3–4 months at about 50F (10C), the
cheese can be aged or stored at a colder temperature,
45F (7C), for fuller flavor development.
alkaline
a-4. What is meant by alkaline? Is that the
same as “base?” (p. 74)
animals
a-5. Which are the best breeds of cows for
cheesemaking?
Brown Swiss, Ayrshire, Milking Shorthorn, and
Canadienne are some breeds that produce milk with
less cryoglobulin so the clusters of fat globules are
smaller. They stay mixed into the cheesemilk better
so the fat is more easily incorporated into the cheese.
Also, the smaller clusters of fat globules are more easily
broken down during ripening, for flavor and texture
development.  That means, longer milking time to milk out more
Holsteins give milk that is low in fat. This milk is
useful for making Alpine cheeses.
Jersey milk has more cryoglobulin so the fat glob-
ules stick together in larger clusters, which rise quickly
into a thick layer of cream that is easily skimmed off for
butter-making. Jerseys can certainly be used for good
cheesemaking, but other breeds would be preferable if
you have a choice.
You can mix milk from different cows, or interbreed
kind of cheese you want to make. The offspring will
have milking traits intermediate between the mother
and the sire’s mother, as far as fat and protein percent-
age, milk quantity, and teat size, shape, and orifices.
Blended milk from cows, sheep, and /or goats, makes
the best-tasting cheese of all.
10
© Copyright 2017 Merryl Winstein • All Rights Reserved • www.CheeseMakingClass.com
a-6. W hich are the best goat breeds for
cheesemaking?
Never judge by breed alone. Although some breeds are
in a herd vary widely.
Goats giving high fat and protein have sweeter milk;
a goaty flavor signals low fat and protein.
a-7. How can I pick the best animals from
the herd for milk production and cheese-
making? What are the advantages of a
smaller cheesemaking herd vs. a large
milking herd?
A small, high-quality herd for cheesemaking, yielding
less work than a big, milking herd, plus raising all the
crops to feed more mouths.
Choose individual animals with long lactations, who
genetically produce the highest percentages of protein
and fat. The more fat and protein, the more cheese
you’ll get per gallon or liter of milk. Don’t just pick the
ones with the highest yield. They may be giving a lot,
but you’ll have more milk to take care of without get-
ting more cheese from it if it’s low in fat and protein.
milk, more clean up, more storage containers and stor-
age space in the refrigerator, bigger cheesemaking pots,
and all without getting more cheese for all your work.
Check milk test records, or records of their dam and
don’t forget to check records for the sire’s dam. That
great prize-winning milker 3 or 4 generations back is
hardly going to influence your animal, although it may
influence the seller’s sales pitch! And by the way, a goat
of a certain color does not give more milk than another;
that’s nonsense.
You can taste the difference in fat and protein from
animal to animal when you go to buy a milker.
You can also refrigerate each animal’s milk in a sepa-
rate little jar and check for the flavor and the amount of
cream at the top the next day and for a few days after-
ward. I did this regularly with my dairy goats, in order
to select the ones whose milk was richest, sweetest, and
kept tasting good for many days.
SUCCESSFUL CHEESEMAKING®
23 ~ Frequently Asked Questions—FAQs
513
antibiotics
a-8. If the animal is taking antibiotics, can
those kill the starter culture that you add
to the milk?
Yes, the culture would be killed. Cheesemilk should not
come from animals that are sick, or being treated with
antibiotics. The sick animal should be removed from
the herd, helped back to health, and then returned to
the milking herd. Milk from sick animals could pass
harmful pathogenic germs into the milk and the result-
ing cheese.
Some people think that antibiotics should never,
ever be used on animals that are temporarily sick. That
would be silly, because it would result in the death of
many animals that could have been cured. The same
applies to humans who are temporarily ill and who are
assisted by the temporary use of antibiotics.
It takes well over a year or two to raise a good animal
from babyhood to milk production. The farmer’s time,
effort, expenses, and commitment to providing food
for you and other people should be respected.
This is a completely different issue than routine use
of antibiotics for animals raised in large-scale, confine-
ment operations. There is a lot of information on that
issue in other books and online.
artisan cheesemaking
a-9. What is artisan cheesemaking?
There are many definitions, but one is the making
of cheese according to traditional time-proven craft
techniques.
a-10. When did artisan cheesemaking end
and begin again, in the USA, and in other
countries?
Home or small-town traditional and commercial
artisan cheesemaking declined during the mid-1900s,
but a worldwide revival has been under way since
about the 1970s.

SUCCESSFUL CHEESEMAKING®
592 © Copyright 2017 Merryl Winstein • All Rights Reserved • www.CheeseMakingClass.com
30 ~ Index
coliform bacteria, 73, 115, 515, 518, see
holes
how to avoid: 519, 520, 558, 573, 574,
580
color: beta-carotene from green plants
turns cow fat golden, 518
whitish color from surface crystals,
340–341
colostrum, 74
comfort of arms and back while
stirring, 83
commodity cheese, 43, 339, 531, 574,
584
complex flavor, see flavor, complex;
ripening
Comte-style, a dry, hard, thermophilic,
Alpine cheese, 6, 30, 45, 58, 66, 71, 77,
117, 119, 168, 215, 222–224, 227, 233,
238, 286, 316. Crystals in 341. 381,
395–396, 414–442, 526, 531, 548, 556,
575, 578, 581
condensation, 14, 174, 332
contamination, 
16, 32, 83, 523, 527–528, 574
controlled rind, 246, 314, 574, 582
cooking the curds, 574
cool climate, 61, 108, 137, 181, 197
cooling cheese overnight in water, 376,
378
cooling the milk, 25–33, 518, 524,
574
cooperative butter making or cheese
making, 71a–71b
copper pot, 414, 416, 540
D. Picking & Co. Copper Kettles,
www.bucyruscopperkettle.com
Cornish Yarg, nettle-leaf-decorated
British cheese,  306
correct texture at cutting; see each
recipe, 233, 275, 319, 400, 452
correctly pasteurized milk,  flocculation, creamy texture of milk,
21, 243, 247
Cottage Cheese, 6, 11, 20, 44, 61, 79,
496, 541, 569
creamed, 88, 111
cultured or ripened Cottage
Cheese, 68, 79, 106, 108, 110–111,
514
old USDA instructions for, 498–501,
Stirred Cottage Cheese, 84–89, 95,
215
cottonseed, feeding of, causes hard,
saturated body fat, butterfat, and
butter, 491, 571
11
SAMPLE SPREAD
SUCCESSFUL CHEESEMAKING®, • Merryl Winstein
www.CheeseMakingClass.com
23 ~ index
creamline milk, 12, 13, 21, 574
Crème Fraîche, 112, 489
Crisco, 303, 304
crockpot, 82
Cryovac, 314, 327, 339, 531, 574, 575
crystals,
crunchy lactate or tyrosine crystals,
71, 73, 271, 276, 307, 310,
340–341, 392, 393, 417, 440, 522,
COWS 528–529, 572, 581
breeds of cows and goats; purposes, fat crystallization in butter, 491
12, 29, 71a, 119, 414–415, 490, sugar crystals in brown whey
512–513, 519 cheese, 488, 584
choosing a good milker, 31, 513, 519 culture, see starters
color, golden in cow’s milk due to culture units; units of activity, 65, 67
beta-carotene, 160, 490, 518 Cultured Buttermilk, 109, 491–492
cream, 12–13, 71a–71b, 490-493 curd washing, see washed curd
don’t shake to mix in, 12 curdknives, 541, Dairy Fab, www.
rises, separates, 12, 13 curdknives.com, see Suppliers section
goat’s cream used to flavor cow’s curdled; clabbered milk, see lactic-acid
milk cheese, 520 coagulation
rennet from veal calf, 59–63
◆
craft mats, see cheese mats
cranberries in cheese, see botulism
CREAM, 
12–13, 21, 71a–71b, 490, see Butter; fat;
fatty acid; milk fat; Sour Cream, 
Butter, 490–493
cream skimmed in morning, 6
add cream for richer cheese, 85, 149,
154, 483, 486, 488, 526
bleach does not dissolve cream, 80
cream on top is not flocculation, 185, Curd knife cutting the curd mass.
248, 272, 399, 447
dissolved by detergent, 80
CURDS
floating clumps of cream, 29–31
see each recipe 
acidity and curds, 74, see Acid,
see each recipe, 217–219, 223, 248
acid level at draining determines
freezing cream, 30, 490
calcium content, see Acid: acid-
goat’s cream used to flavor cow’s milk
calcium relationship. Calcium.
cheese, 520
acid-plus-heat coagulation, 86–89,
lipase in cream from cow’s, goat’s,
96–97
sheep’s milk, 28–30
bounce when curds are dropped on
melts at 86F (30C), 78
floor 164, 166, 251, 355, 369, 403
shaking to mix cream in, don’t! 12, 28
calcium content in curds, see calcium
soak wooden, adjustable strap-mold
clingy, clinginess, 17, 19–20, 23, 42,
in cream, 428
44–45, 122, 188, 219, 243, 256,
uses for cream, 284
259, 280–283, 299, 420, 425, 514,
◆ 516, 547, 549, 558, 565, 573, 574,
580, 581, 584
 12

WELCOME to
CheeseMakingClass.com
MERRYLCHEESE is a cheesemaking virtuoso,
and you can be too.

I am Merryl Winstein, and for 22 years I raised dairy goats and

made cheese in suburban St. Louis, Missouri, USA.

I started loving cheese as a teenager when I traveled alone to

Denmark to visit my penpal and live with her family. There I ate
phenomenal cheeses that weren’t available at home. Those flavors
inspired a lifelong journey of learning and then teaching the time-
honored, traditional, and professional methods for making fabulous
tasting cheese.

I’ve taught a few thousand people how to make delicious, authen-

tic, artisan cheeses of all types, at home or in the cheese making plant.
Whether you’ve never made cheese before, or your cheese needs
improvement, it’s easy to learn the accurate yet simple techniques that
will empower you to make wonderful cheese successfully, whether at
home or in the plant.

Learn cheesemaking:
• Sign up for a cheesemaking class.
• Read my new “Successful Cheesemaking®” book.