Homemade Vinegar Cheese

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There are several quick and easier cheeses to make with fresh goat milk. This simple vinegar  cheese is one of the few, and is perfect for a beginner.

 

Ingredients:

 

  • 2 gallons goat milk
  • 1/2 cup or more vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt

 

 

Directions:

 

  • Heat milk to 185°F in a stainless steel pot.
  • Add vinegar until the milk begins to curdle, approximately 1/2 cup for 2 gallons of  milk. Once the milk begins to curdle, stir well, and cover and let sit with no heat under it for an hour or more.
  • Then ladle cheese curds into a lined colander (cheese cloth) and let drain over another pan to catch the whey. You can stop draining while soft and creamy for a soft spreadable cheese, or drain longer for a drier, crumbly cheese.
  • Mix in approximately 1 teaspoon sea salt to taste  and whichever seasonings you choose: –  Dill, garlic and herbs, green onion —the choices are yours, limitless!
  • Chill and enjoy on breads, salads, crackers, in pasta dishes and more.

 

 

 

Goat milk queso blanco cubes

Click the link Paneer to view the details.

 

More Acid Cheeses Recipes for you. Check it out NOW!

 

Homemade Smoked Provolone Cheese

 

 

What is Provolone ?

 

Pronounced: proh-voh-LOH-nee

If you can imagine mozzarella with a fuller flavor, then you have imagined Provolone. It is a semi-hard Italian cheese, aged for a minimum of six months, and originated in Casilli near Vesuvius  where it is still produced in various shapes as in 10 to 15 cm long pear, sausage, or cone shapes. A variant of Provolone is also produced in Japan and North America.

 

Smoked cheese makes a wonderful addition to sandwiches. Now, you can create this great taste with the step-by-step instructions for the best homemade smoked provolone cheese.

 

Ingredients:

 

  • 4 gallons of raw goats milk
  • 1 teaspoon of type K or KL lipase powder dissolved into 1/3 cup of cool, non-chlorine water
  • 4 teaspoons of citric acid powder dissolved in 3/4 cup of cool, non-chlorine water. Allow this to sit for 5 minutes or more.
  • 1 teaspoon of rennet mixed in 1/4 cup of cool, non-chlorine water

 

 

Instructions making the Provolone Cheese

 

  • Warm 2 gallons of the milk to 86 degrees F
  • Mix in the dissolved lipase powder.
  • Keeping temperature at 86 degrees F, let milk set for 1 hour to incubate.
  • Add the dissolved citric acid to the remaining 2 gallons of cold goats milk. Then, add the cold milk to the 2 gallons of warm milk and bring the temperature to 86 degrees F.
  • Add the dissolved rennet to the combined 4 gallons of milk.
  • Allow to sit for 15 minutes or more. Whey will cover the top of the curds.
  • Now you are ready to cut the curds into 1/2 inch cubes.
  • Allow curds to settle to the bottom of the pot, and then slowly raise the temperature to 115 degrees during a 30 mins time frame while stirring.
  • And now, using a large dipper or stainless pot with a handle, remove the whey from the curds that have settled to the bottom of the pot. Leave enough whey to cover the matted curds.
  • Prepare ice water in a pan long enough for the desired length of your provolone cheese log.
  • Meanwhile, heat the whey that is covering the provolone log that you have begun shaping. Use a cloth that you drained the curds into to turn the log of provolone in the heated whey. Remove the heated whey and the provolone cheese log from the heat. Continue to lift the cloth to aid in shaping the log of cheese.
  • When cheese becomes smooth and firm enough to handle, place the cheese into the ice water. Avoid handling the cheese log as much as possible.
  • Do not rush the cooling process! If you have a wooden mold 3″x3″ and 10″ long, place the cheese log into the mold. After the cheese log chills, remove and rub with iodine free salt and cover with plastic wrap. Place in refrigerator at 45 degrees and redress every two days for 8 or 10 days. If you are going to smoke the provolone cheese, do not uncover the cheese log.
  • After 10 days, wipe the cheese with cool water and pat dry.

 

 

Smoking the Provolone Cheese

 

  • Cold smoke your provolone cheese for approximately 4 hours. You can use small hickory chips, fresh from the woods or small sassafras twigs from sassafras trees.
  • Cold smoking cheese and meat is simple and inexpensive.
  • All you need is a clean metal bottomless garbage can and a soldering iron. Take an average size can of vegetables and partially cut the lid, leaving enough of the lid attached to close the can after filling it with wood chips. Be sure to remove the outside paper from the can, then wash and dry it.
  • Use tin snips to cut a round slot in part of the lid to allow you to put the soldering iron into the can filled with wood chips. Fill the can with small hickory chips or small sassafras twigs and place soldering iron into the can. Place garbage can on gravel and place the can with chips and soldering iron just under the metal bottomless garbage can. If you have a smoker, it will also work just fine.
  • And now, this is what makes it a cold smoker. Take a large box that will cover the top of your smoker and cut a hole in the bottom of the box, about a 6 inch diameter circle. Place the box on top of the smoker making sure that the box will receive all of the smoke. Place a rack a few inches above the bottom of the box and place this rack as far away from the 6 inch diameter hole as possible. This to allow the cheese to absorb the smoke and remain cool.
  • After about 15 minutes, unplug the soldering iron. Check the cheese, and if the cheese is dripping, then remove the cheese, place in a plastic bag and refrigerate.
  • Repeat the process until the cheese starts making a rind. The color of the cheese will have a slight yellow cast. Do not let the rind become too dried out and hard. Wax the cheese after it is smoked, so that other cheeses that are being aged do not become smoked. Age 6-8 months or more from date of being waxed.

 

Enjoy! The best Smoked Provolone Cheese.

 

 

More Hard Cheese Recipes , Check them out!

 

Velveeta

 

 

More related goat cheese recipes;

 

Fried goat cheese on platter

Fried Chevre                                         Baked Chevre Spread

 

 

 

 

HOW Whey Benefits YOUR Skin and Hair?

 

 

Now that you have made your Dill Bread and if you still have a lot of left over whey, firstly, let us get started and experiment it on your skin and hair.

 

Whey, the nutritious liquid left over from curdled milk when the curds are removed. Whey contains the water-soluble proteins, vitamins, and minerals in the milk. And there are many things you can do with this leftover whey. Besides using it in bread baking, soup stock, to cook pasta and in a pinch to ripen your cheese if you are out of culture, you can even drink whey plain or sweetened. When taken internally, whey protein is rapidly assimilated by the body and it provides your body with the complete protein it needs to regenerate and rejuvenate the protein-rich hair and skin cells.

 

Whey can be used on your skin as  cleanser, toner and moisturizer. Whey is gentle and slightly anti-microbial. Recent personal testimonies have stated that whey helps with acne. In fact, it was shown in a cosmetic pre-development research that whey helps lighten skin pigmentation like, age spots. And several commercial skin products have incorporate whey in their skin care products due to its benefits.

 

The simplest way to use whey for skin care is a whey bath. Simply add 1-2 cups of whey to a tub of fresh water. Soak for 10-20 minutes. The acidity of the whey is great for restoring the pH level of the skin, and the whey proteins will help rejuvenate skin cells.

 

For tired eyes, wet a tea bag with cold whey and place over closed eyes. It is best when apply in the morning. In five to ten minutes, you should feel completely refreshed!

 

For any homemade skin care recipes that use water, use whey instead, and when using a dry clay mask, wet your face first with whey.

 

Now that you have a list of whey benefits so, go ahead and make your own whey toner.

 

Why make whey toner?

 

Whey is a fantastic product for the skin, as well as for hair care.

 

Whey toner is one of my favorites  for mornings and it is inexpensive.  Make the night before and store in the refrigerator. Use ice-cold over face for a great way to start the day. Leave on for 5 minutes, then rinse with cool water.

 

If you already have leftover whey from making cheeses, then this is great! Just use about 1 cup of whey to make the tea as per instructions below. But, if you do not, this recipe is a quick way to make instant whey and toner.

  • 1/2 cup Goat milk buttermilk
  • 1 Chamomile tea bag

 

Place the tea bag and the buttermilk in a small, microwaveable bowl. Microwave on high for about 1 minute, or until the buttermilk has separated into “curds and whey,” and is steaming hot, but not boiling.

Strain through a tea strainer into a jar and refrigerate. Use the next morning to make your face feel alive! Additionally, your face will feel incredibly clean, but not dry.

 

 

 

Goat Milk Bath Bombs Recipe

 

Fizzing bath bombs are the perfect way to transform an ordinary bath into a luxury soak to soothe sore, tired skin. A creamy goat milk bath bomb will moisturize dry skin while calming irritations caused by psoriasis, eczema, sunburns and other conditions.

 

Requirements:

 

  • Citric acid
  • Baking soda
  • Goat Whey Powder
  • Vanilla essential oil
  • Almond oil
  • Molds
  • Waxed paper
  • Air-tight container

 

Instructions:

 

  1. Measure 1/2 cup citric acid, 1 and 1/4 cups baking soda and 1/4 cup of powdered goat milk in a bowl. Stir the dry ingredients until combined.
  2. Add 15 drops of vanilla essential oil and 2 tsp. of water to the mixture. Other essential oils that work great with goat milk include musk, sandalwood and jasmine. Add about 5 drops of food coloring, if desired.
  3. Drizzle almond oil slowly into the mixture, gradually adding between 2 and 6 tbsp. Stir the mixture constantly, adding only enough oil as is necessary for the bath bombs to hold together without crumbling when formed into a ball.
  4. Press the mixture firmly into lightly oiled molds, allowing the bath bombs to set for a few minutes before tapping them out onto a sheet of waxed paper. Allow your goat milk bath bombs to dry thoroughly before placing them in an airtight container for storage.

 

What is your favorite scent combination?

 

 

 

How Whey Benefit Your Hair?

 

Whey is an excellent hair care product. Whey nourishes, strengthens and softens hair. You will probably find that after using whey on your hair, it is much healthier and shinier looking. And, because it is slightly acidic, whey helps improve the health of your scalp – where your hair gets its nourishment.

 

There are several variations of uses for whey on your hair. If your hair is not extremely filthy or oily, you can use whey in place of a shampoo to cleanse your hair. Just rub in thoroughly and rinse with cool to lukewarm water.

 

If your hair needs a thorough cleansing than shampoo first, and follow with a whey rinse. Leave on the hair for 5 to 15 minutes, then gently rinse with water.

 

Need some serious conditioning? Wet clean hair thoroughly with the whey, brushing with styling brush to distribute evenly, then let dry naturally. Rinse with warm water, dry and style. You are really going to love how soft and silky your whey-conditioned hair looks.

 

Another of my favorite hair care uses for whey! If you use styling gel, cream or mousse on your hair, try using whey instead. Just spray or comb whey through your wet hair and style as usual.

 

The whey adds great texture and body to hair, and is especially useful for fine or limp hair, because it does not weigh it down like many hair products. Just be sure to keep separating the hairs as you dry, or the hair will tend to clump together, just like gel, cream or mousse would do.

 

Whey is the best heat and humidity-resistant hair styling product that I have come across. Even in an extreme heat index of over 110 degrees F, the whey would hold your hair without collapsing.

 

And, not forgetting, you are getting the benefit of all that protein for your hair as well!

 

 

Want more fun DIY Skin Care recipe?  Also, check out my other soaping recipes.