When making cheese, a variety of specialized cheese-making supplies are used. The cheese press, for example, is used to press a mixture of watery whey and cheese curds through porous cheesecloth, allowing the whey to pass through but the cheese curds to remain. A specialized dairy thermometer, usually clipped to the side of a pot and made of stainless steel, is also commonly used in cheese making. A double boiler is also used to cook milk more efficiently than a regular pot.
The cheese press, a relatively simple contraption that hasn’t changed much over the years, is one of the most important cheese-making supplies. This piece of equipment is used to press the whey away from the curds, which is a watery byproduct of cheese curd production. The usability of a cheese press is determined by two factors: how many pounds of cheese curds it can fit within its mechanism and how much pressure it can exert on its contents.
Cheesecloth is a type of cotton fabric that comes in a variety of thicknesses. Though cheesecloth has a variety of uses outside of cheesemaking, such as straining stock or serving as curtains, when used in conjunction with other cheesemaking supplies, it can aid in the separation of whey from curds, allowing the cheese to mature more quickly. Whey will pass through the cloth, but curds will not. Cheesecloth is typically tied around the substance before it is pressed. Cheesecloth is sometimes used as a protective wrap for certain types of cheese after it has been made.
The dairy thermometer is one of many types of cheese-making supplies that are designed specifically for making cheese. Dairy thermometers differ from other thermometers in two major ways. To begin, most dairy thermometers come with a clip that allows them to be clipped to the side of a double boiler. Second, stainless steel thermometers are used instead of glass in dairy thermometers because glass could break into the mixture during the process.
When making cheese, a double boiler is commonly used to cook the milk. Indirect heat is used to cook in this type of cooking apparatus. A double boiler is made up of two pans, one filled with water and the other set inside it. The reason for using a double boiler instead of a single pot is to prevent milk from sticking to the pan’s bottom.