Guten Tag! When I was a student radiographer in a hospital far too many years ago, every year the local cheese factory would bring in several 40 pound waxed rounds of swiss cheese for us to X-Ray, because they wanted to find the ones with the best hole formation. They used to enter their wonderful cheese in international competitions, and X-Raying it was the only way to find the prettiest interior without cutting it up! We got to share a cheese for our trouble. Its holes may have been unsuiitable for competition purposes, but it tasted just as wonderful as the best one.
Ruby, what a cool story! I had no idea that's how they use Xrays to check for eye formation for competitions. And a slice for your efforts? That's awesome! Thanks for sharing!🤗
I made this cheese last summer and just cut it on Christmas eve. It was delish! Not terrible holey, but it had a lovely subtle swiss flavor everyone loved. Thanks for the help-- Gavin Weber makes great cheese videos but he vac packed his right away and it didn't make holes because it couldn't breath-- so I particularly liked your post-pressing tips.
Hi Peg! What a treat for your family on Christmas Eve. How wonderful! I am so glad the recipe worked out for you! If you try it again, you could maybe go a little longer with the pre- cave aging time to see if you can get more eyes to develop. Look for the doming to occur, and see if you can get it to dome even more (that means there are holes developing). It's a fun process to work with your environment to get the outcome you want. I'm so glad you enjoyed the video and thanks for letting me know about the outcome. Happy New Year to you and your family! Lisa
I just cut into my Swiss. I was very nervous but, Success! So excited! Now comes they hard part..waiting to taste it! Thank you so much for the leading me by the hand with your video!
I worked for a cheese company. I wasn’t involved making cheese but I do remember when the brought over pallets of cheese to sit for a month at room temperature. It was all covered though so you couldn’t see it.
That's very cool! The higher temperature is what allows the 2nd fermentation to kick in- the proprionic shermani uses the lactic acid to produce proprionic acid and carbon dioxide- which crates the holes we know and love in Swiss cheese. Thanks for your story! Lisa
Great Video! I am going to attempt my first cheese very soon. I am collecting supplies and your video was wonderful! Can't wait to make some great Cheese! :)
As a beginner in cheese making - I started with a swiss cheese, which was xtremely difficult for me, it begun to have wrong spurs (I hope it is the whright word), I had to clean it really every day - but after several weeks the rind was thick enough to resist. After 3 month we tasted it - really good for the very first cheese. Last week I made a cheddar with your recipe and today a gorgonzola and your mozzarella. Lets wait for new results. I love making cheese, it takes a lot of time, but the result is really good, thanks for the cheddar recipe. Christine
Great video - thank you so much. I was looking at doing a large cheese and recently found extra large sized vacuum bags for our foodsaver that are used for turkeys. I haven't tried one yet but I have them ready for when I am bold enough to do a big one like you've done - congrats on that.
We LOVE Swiss Cheese 🧀 one of Caleb's favorites !! Great video and I love the team work !! So excited for the next video ! That cheese cave is looking fantastic 🤤❤
Love the video, very informative can’t wait to give this recipe a try. I have watched other cheese makers vacuum pack there Swiss cheese and it prevents the holes. So it was probably a good thing that you didn’t have a big enough bag.
Thanks! I did end up cutting it in half and vac sealing each piece, but only after I let the culture develop the holes in the cheese. It took about 2 weeks at 70F before the cheese stopped producing the gas that creates them.
Thank you and hand over your hands. Your beautiful and elaborate method in Palestine. We make cheese and are used for pastries and sweets. It tastes very delicious. It is called Akawi cheese and Nabulsi cheese. All foreigners who visit us accept it and eat it appetite. Greetings and bless your hands
My Great Grandmother was from a town in Switzerland were a cousin had said was well known for making Swiss cheese. My dads family if from Switzerland and Great grandmother on my Moms side. Love my family heritage
I've always liked making cheese, and now more than ever I need to learn to make Swiss cheese because I can't find any at the stores... I'm in Colombia. They have Pepper jack, but it's very expensive, and cheddar can be a little hard to come by. Thanks for the video!
So update I did this recipe. My 1st real cheese. And it turned out great so far it’s being pressed as I’m writing this. It was fun so far now the wait lol. I used my sous vide to make it and that was good easy to stay at temp and easyer to heat but was kinda hard to get it to 120 in the 35 time frame. But I just hope it turns out but we will see :). Thanks for your videos
Sous vides are a great way to maintain the temperature. If it took a little longer than 35 min to get up to 120F, I'm sure it will be just fine. Glad you enjoy the videos!
I love your videos. Can I put in requests for parmesan (which I've already asked and you said you would lol) and pepper jack? I've watched others, but I'm sorry, I only trust your methods.
Hi Kim, Thank you for your confidence in my work. I do have Parmesan in edit. I am waiting to shoot the taste test. So stay tuned! And Pepperjack is a great suggestion. Thanks for that!
Okay, I'm a newbie to cheese making... I just secured a local farm for my milk... But.. I have no idea about the equipment needed "ie" type of cheese press or rounds for the cheeses, which is best or your opinion of the various types of cheese press equipment. In addition the different chemicals used to make the cheese... Could you possibly do a show centered around teaching the newbies about the equipment? The reason why you use certain cheese cloths for different cheeses? And lastly.. cheese caves.. which look like a wine refrigerator... I'm so happy I found your channel and I just binge watched a bunch of your videos on cheese making... Thanks again for all your hard work.. Cheese Maid!
Nice! Is it raw milk or pasteurized non homogenized like I use? If it is raw, you can pasteurize it before you make the cheese, and proceed with the recipes. I have links (affiliate links) in the description boxes for equipment and ingredients like the ones I use so you can get a better idea. The press is home made. You can make your own or buy one, your choice. My cheese cave is a wine refrigerator, and it works well for me. I purchased the 3lb mold you see in many of the vids a few years ago, and it is out of stock- permanantly, I think. But I've included some options for you to look at. This recipe uses a large mold that will make a 4-6lb cheese. A good rule of thumb is that one gallon of milk will make about 1lb of cheese so buy your molds accordingly, or you can adjust the recipe size to fit the mold you buy. I provide tips throughout all of the videos, but you are right. I will see what I can do to put together some straight info videos. Ring the notification bell so you can get notified when I upload. I am a one person show, so patience is appreciated! If only I could get YumYum to edit footage..... Thanks for watching. Lisa
@@Cheese52 I grew up in a dairy town.. and there are still of the few dairy farms left and worked on a few as a kid... So I'm getting raw milk... and I know how to pasteurize at home.. because we use to when I was a kid some 45 yrs ago... In addition... we made our own ice cream and butter... My mom was of the mind teaching us how to grow our own food and preserve it plus being able to make product from raw materials such as milk and how versatile it is...Opps... I almost forgot... Thanks for the info... and I'm already subscribed I did that after the first video... And I'm a furniture maker by trade so making that press will be a breeze... I'm thinking I could make molds from wood.. but the HDPE looks like a better choice...
@@davidedgerly Sounds like a wonderful milk source! I am sure in the old days wooden molds were used. You could do some research about the best type of wood to use and how to keep them food safe. For me, I like to use the pre made plastic ones. I like the way I can easily sanitize them. This journey is going to be fun. Happy cheese making!💛🧀
@@Cheese52 Lisa. You’ve inspired my wife and I to attempt to make our own cheese. I am curious about the Cheese Cave too. I’ve read your comments about the wine refrigerator but none of the ones I’ve research, including the one in your link include Humidity control, only temperature control. Conversely, cigar coolers only control the humidity (small range), but not the temperature. I researched the Inkbird, and see how it could control the humidity within the wine frig. However, wouldn’t you also need a humidifier and dehumidifier inside the wine cooler too in order to maintain the proper humidity, if you could expound on that, it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
@@russellsix705 Hi Russell, Great question. I use a wine fridge to control temperature only, because the primary aging method I use is vacuum sealing, so no humidity control is needed. If I need to control the humidity for a particular recipe, I place the cheese in a ripening box with wet sponges (see " How to make Cheddar- Farmhouse Cheddar vid for instructions). An alternative cave option is to use a mini fridge and an ink bird temp and humidity controller with a humidifier. Modern wine fridges vent humidity at about 60% RH no matter what we do, so a mini fridge is a better option for the ink bird control unit option. Choosing your aging method will help you determine the best course for you. Here are my suggestions: Vacuum seal or wax= wine fridge with option to control humidity for a cheese or two in a ripening box. Natural rind, washed rind, oil rub rind, cloth banded = mini fridge with ink bird control unit and humidifier. Hope that helps! Happy cheesemaking :) Lisa
Mhmm. It's true. Many cheeses need time to age to develop the flavor, and some need.more time than others. Parmesan, for example needs up to a year or more to develop the flavor!💛🧀 Lisa
Many viewers ask me where to find the ingredients and equipment used in the recipes. I use New England Cheese Making Supply. You can browse the store here: (affiliate link, which means I make a commision if you purchase) cheesemaking.com?aff=35
Hello Aboubaker, The Cheddar cheese video is complete and uploaded to the channel. Here's the link. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-6tfn4uSgY7Y.html Enjoy! Lisa
I think there is something harder than math 😂 but it needs trouble, it looks great, I will make it even when I don't know the ingredients at all except milk, but I will make it, thanks for the explanation 🧡
It may seem difficult at first, because the ingredients may be foreign. Take a look at the ingredient list in the description box. These are affiliate luns, which means I make a commission if you purchase. It's a great way to read up on what they are and where to find them. Hope that helps! Lisa
Hello, my Brazilian cheese friend! I live in the US, and buy my supplies from here: cheese52.com/redirect.html This is an affiliate link, which means I make a commission if you purchase. This company ships world wide, so they may be able to ship to you! Hope this helps and happy cheesemaking! Lisa
Very good cheese, I regret not being able to do it because I do not get the ferments and culture for Swiss cheese. Best regards from Cordoba, Argentina.
Thank you, cheese friend! Such a shame you aren't able to get the cultures for this cheese ... Do you have a favorite you like to make? Which cultures are you able to obtain in your area?
Sure! Baby Swiss is a washed curd cheese, so it is less acidic than regular Swiss and is milder in flavor. When the whey is removed during the washed curd stage, the food for the bacteria (lactose) is removed. The bacteria growth slows down, which produces a milder cheese.
@@KAFKUBA Yes it is. It can be used as a curd soak just before the pressing stage (which it will often give the cheese an interesting marbling effect) or the whole wheel can be soaked in it after the salting stage and before the drying / aging stage.
CAN YOU ANSWER A QUESTION FOR ME. I HAVE SEEN RECIPES FOR CHEESES WHERE THEY DO NOT USE RENNET, CALCIUM CHLORIDE OR CULTURE IN IT. THEY USE LEMON JUICE AND SOUR CREAM OR YOGURT. DOES THESE TAKE THE PLACE OF THE CULTURE AND CAN YOU AGE CHEESE MADE THIS WAY IN A CHEESE CAVE. I ENJOY YOU'RE VIDEOS. PLEASE RESPOND. I AM NEW MAKING CHEESE.
Hello Garry, I am happy to answer your question. Short answer: No. Long answer: Heat acid coagulated cheeses, such as Ricotta use acid (like lemon juice) and high heat to create the curds. The moisture content is very high so it must be consumed fresh. Yogurt has thermophilic culture and cultured buttermilk has mesophilic culture so they can be used in place of powdered cultures in recipes. If the sour cream was soured by cultures rather than by acid it can be used as well. Cheeses made with just culture will have a very high moisture content. The job of rennet is to separate the whey (moisture) and the curd (solids). Pressure is added to the curds to continue to expel moisture. Rennet coagulated cheeses can be safely aged because they have a much lower moisture content than that of fresh cheeses. As an additional note, rennet coagulated cheese that are destined for the cheese cave are made with cultures so the pH of the cheese is low enough to prevent bad bacteria from flourishing. Calcium chloride's job is to repair the mineral balance of the milk lost during pasteurization, which will help the rennet set a better curd (expel more moisture). Hope the long answer helped you understand the "why". If you are concerned about the availability of the ingredients, know that most cheesemakers purchase their ingredients online. Have a look in the description boxes of the video. I list the ingredients, and where you can purchase them online. So glad you enjoy the channel! Lisa
Lisa, Thank you for sharing your talents with us. You’ve inspired my wife and I to try and make our first homemade cheese. I had a question about the cheese cave. I researched mini refrigerators and wine coolers. However they do not provide humidity controls. I also researched cigar coolers, although they provide humidity control, they do not provide cool enough temperatures. So I was looking at a wine cooler with the Inkbird. If you don’t mind, could you explain how you use the inkbird in conjunction with the wine cooler? I’m guessing you would need to put a humidifier and dehumidifier inside the wine cooler along with the cheese?
Hi Russell! I replied earlier to this question, but it seems it didn't post. I am so sorry! It's an important question, and I want to answer it, both for you and others reading it, so here goes with round two: I use a wine cooler to control the temperature only. Most modern wine coolers vent humidity at about 60 RH (ask me how I know this!) into a tray located on the bottom of the unit. If you are choosing to age the cheese via vacuum sealing or waxing, a wine cooler is a perfect choice because humidity control is not required for these aging methods. Modern wine coolers are not built to handle the humidity range required to age cheese (80-90% RH). Clothbanded, washed rind, natural rind and oil rubbed cheeses require both humidity control and temperature control. I use a ripening box placed in the cheese cave to control the humidity for just the cheese in the box if I am using one of these methods to age it. See my "How to make Cheddar Cheese Farmhouse Style" video for a tutorial on how to set up a ripening box. If you choose to age several cheeses at once using methods that require both humidity and temperature control, I suggest a regular mini fridge with an Inkbird Temperature and Humidity Controller ITC-608T Pre-Wired Dua Unit. You'll need a humidifier as well. There are RU-vid vids out there with directions to help you set it up. Sorry this didn't post earlier, Russell! I am excited for you and your family to begin your cheesemaking journey! Best, Lisa
Hi Lisa! Love your videos!! They have started me on my own cheese making journey. I have a couple of questions. For the Swiss cheese, at what times do you turn the stove off and on? From the video you turn it back on when after the curds have healed but when did you turn it off? I think that may have been cut during the editing. Second question, you added calcium chloride to the brine. Do you add this to all you brines or just for the Swiss? Thanks!
Hello, Cathy, I am so glad you are enjoying the channel and that it has inspired you to make cheese! These are both great questions. 1. Yes, that was cut in editing.🤦♂️There are 2 cooking phases. The first phase has you raise the temp over 10 minutes to 90F. Once you reach the temp, turn off the heat and gently stir for 40 minutes. After that is complete, raise the temperature to 120F over a 35-minute period of time. Turn off the heat and stir for 15 minutes. 2. Yes, calcium chloride should ve added to all brine to prevent calcium from leaching out of the cheese and into the Hope that helps and happy cheesemaking!
This is a real project I told you in a past why don't you open Factory for cheese all the best lady and I don't have to tell you that to keep making a cheese 100 + 1% you will
Sure! Many home cheesemakers use raw milk for their cheeses. It provides unique flavors found only in the area in which the animal lives (terroir). You can find a detailed discussion and well designed comparison chart of the benefits and drawbacks of raw milk, thermized milk, pasteurized milk, etc in my new book, Confident Cheesemaking, found at www.cheese52.com. Hope that helps and happy cheesemaking! Lisa
Hi Susan, Yes! We combined our curds to make one cheese. Another option would have been to use a larger pot (I didn't have one, so I enlisted help from a friend and shared the bounty). Lisa
@@Cheese52 my 15 year old son and I have made cheddar and gouda with the help of your videos. Haven't tried any yet they are still aging. I like the looks of this Swiss too!
@@rickross199 Yes! Just fish out the any little cheese bits, boil it then store in the fridge for future use. You may want to add a little more salt. Happy cheesemaking!
I made some Cheddar cheese but it’s getting mold. Is that ok. Also do you vacuum seal cheddar to age it? Thank you. This is my first time making cheese. You make it easy.
Hi Patricia, Yes, you can just wipe it off with white vinegar. And yes, I vacuum seal cheddar. You can see the technique in this Cheddar video: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-6tfn4uSgY7Y.html. Hope that helps! Happy cheesemaking! Lisa
This is a good question. Once I achieve the target temp at the cooking stage, I remove the heat. Milk has an amazing ability to retain heat for a long while.
Yes, absolutely! Raw milk is often used in cheese making, and many cheese makers use pasteurized, homogenized whole milk. Just stay away from ultra pasteurized milk- it kills all of the bacteria, so it is not suitable for cheese making. Hope that helps!
Oh, another Swiss question about vac sealing: I tried and it just squished the holes so that when I reopened the bag, it wasn't as nice looking as before I sealed it. I have two vac settings -- dry, which takes more air out (I used this), and wet, which takes less air out. Any suggestions? Thank you so much for all you do.
Hi Steve! If you have a wet setting, you could use that. It is a slightly gentler seal. I'm so glad you find the channel helpful. Happy cheesemaking! Lisa
