Urban Cheesecraft

Cheese Making 101

When Claudia Lucero set out to try her hand at cheesemaking, she was surprised at how difficult it was to find supplies and overwhelmed by some of the special equipment that some recipes required. After all, cheesemaking has been going on for centuries! Should it really be this complicated to try in a modern home? None of us has calibrated presses, humidity gauges, and acidity testers in our home kitchens!

After lots of research and perseverance, Claudia refined her own techniques for making fresh cheeses that don’t require aging and can be made at home with little or no special equipment. Now she’s sharing her experience with fellow aspiring cheesemakers.

With an Urban Cheesecraft DIY Cheese Kit, all you need is a gallon of pasteurized milk (not ultra-pasteurized). The kits include the rest of the supplies such as cheesecloth, a dairy thermometer, vegetarian rennet, citric acid, and cheese salt. (Supplies vary depending on the kit you choose.) Just follow the instructions, and in about an hour, you’ll have fresh mozzarella, ricotta, queso blanco, paneer, or goat cheese. Once you get the hang of it, you can have fun experimenting with different spices, shapes, and recipes. Your taste buds will love the effort.

— Ann

• You do not need raw milk to make cheese. You can use regular pasteurized milk from the grocery store as long as it is not ultra-pasteurized or UHT, ultra-heat pasteurized.
• Each kit makes 10 batches of cheese, each about 1 1/2 lbs
• Orders ship on Tuesdays and Thursdays via Priority Mail.

• Paneer and Queso Blanco Kit Includes:
  • Instruction Booklet
  • Fine Cheesecloth
  • Citric Acid
  • Cheese Salt

• Mozzarella & Ricotta Kit includes:
  
  • Instruction Booklet
  • Fine Cheesecloth
  • Dairy Thermometer
  • Vegetable Rennet Tablets
  • Acid Cheese salt

• Fresh Goat Cheese Kit Includes:
  • Instruction Booklet
  • 2 Traditional Goat Cheese Molds
  • Fine Cheesecloth
  • Dairy Thermometer
  • Citric Acid
  • Cheese Salt

• Deluxe Gift Kit includes 3 Kits and makes 5 cheeses:
  
  • Paneer and Queso Blanco Kit 
  • Mozzarella & Ricotta Kit
  • Fresh Goat Cheese Kit