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Migraines and Rebels – Starting to Wrap Things up.

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As of Saturday my Rebel Reblochon are now two weeks old.  They are stinky, soft (too soft maybe) and have been washed daily for almost 2 weeks.  The one thing that ARN has in the wash is Ivory Linens.  This will give a nice cream colour to the rind.  I have seen the ivory develop and not the pink/orange of the other linens.  The Geo has been held in check for the most part.   This is a  story about what can happen when you have a blinding migraine and your cheese brain takes over for your regular brain.  So sit back and listen to the amazing tale of craziness of my weekend…. Continue reading →

Guest Post: MILK IN CHEESE From Luke Dolby From cheeseandyogurtmaking.Com

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Recently I was contacted by Luke Dolby from Cheeseandyogurtmaking.com about the possibility of having guest post on the site.  After some deliberations I decided have Luke be our first guest blogger, as his topic was on milk and the importance of it with cheese making.  I will include a little about cheeseandyogurtmaking.com and Luke at the end of his post, here is the usual disclaimer

Disclaimer – Much To Do About Cheese and Ian Treuer have not been compensated or paid for the following post.  The opinions express are that of the writer and are not necessarily those of Much To Do About Cheese or Ian Treuer.

MILK IN CHEESE by Luke Dolby Continue reading →

It was time to heat the milk in my vat.

Some Times The Vat Makes the Man – My DIY Cheese Vat

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I have been asked by many readers both here and on the Facebook Page, about my Roaster Vat that I use for my cheese making.  I have to say that it was one of the best things I have ever DIY’d.  I have finally taken some pictures of how to set it up and now it is time to share how I use it.

DISCLAIMER TIME:  THESE OPINIONS AND INSTRUCTIONS ARE THOSE OF MUCH TO DO ABOUT CHEESE AND IAN TREUER, WHAT I AM ABOUT TO DESCRIBE IS NOT WHAT THE MANUFACTURER HAD INTENDED FOR THIS PRODUCT.  THIS WILL VOID YOUR WARRANTY AND COULD IN SOME CASES CAUSE HARM TO THE USER.  MUCH TO DO ABOUT CHEESE AND IAN TREUER DO NOT ASSUME RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY HARM, PERSONAL INJURY OR DAMAGE TO PROPERTY CAUSED BY FOLLOWING THESE DIRECTIONS.   DO SO AT YOUR OWN RISK.

That being said are you ready to learn how I have used a perfectly good Electric Counter Top Roaster, that my sister-in-law gave me, as my cheese vat? Continue reading →

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Washed Rinds, Cheese Making and Interviews-What a Week That Was!

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It has been a busy week here at Much To Do About Cheese’s World Headquarters and out at Smoky Valley Artisan Cheese, a week of working at my day job, a week of cheese making, cheese washing, cheese interviews and prepping product for market too.  As I type this I literally ache from the lifting and washing wheels of cheese and from bending over a vat for several hours.  It is a good ache, one that I will definitely get use to.  So where to start?  How about with the my Rebel Reblochon…. Continue reading →

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A Rebel Reblochon – Changing things up by accident.

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First and foremost, I want to apologize for the lack of content this past month or so.  In order to work with Smoky Valley Artisan Cheese, I had to make a tough decision about my other employment.  So after 20 years as a Reserve Officer with the Canadian Forces (working with the Canadian Cadet Organization) I decided to “retire”.  It is not as simple as just deciding to quit and never show up again.  It has been quite time-consuming as I had commitments that I had to fulfil.  I have one more day in uniform and then things will even out.  Thank you to those that have still been coming by and checking out the site.  I am starting to get back on track so the whey will flow.

The Rebel Reblochon

I love Reblochon, I love the gooey paste, I love the rind, I love the smell, the taste.  But what is a Reblochon Continue reading →

Cheese Making Class for May 19 has been postponed

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I regret to announce that our class for this Sunday (May 19th) at Smoky Valley Artisan Cheese has been postponed due to unforeseen circumstances. All booking will be transferred to our next session on June 30th. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me

I love the marbling.

First Official Weekend as a Cheese Maker at Smoky Valley Artisan Cheese!

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This past weekend I took my first steps on my journey as a “Professional” Cheese Maker, and spent two days making cheese an hour outside of Edmonton at Smoky Valley Artisan Cheese.  Saturday was a semi-firm cheese day and Sunday was a Brie day (thankfully I was not the lead on that make).  All my pictures are from the make on Saturday and a few from Sunday, unfortunately I did not get any pictures from the Brie make as I was the student and I was more focused on learning the Smoky Valley way of making the Brie.  Here is how my weekend went: Continue reading →

Want to make cheese but don’t know how? Keep Calm & Get This eBook!

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Keep Calm and Make Cheese v4Do you want to learn how to make cheese at home?  Are you having problems trying to pick a book to use as your beginner book?  Well keep calm and get the eBook by Gavin Webber from Littlegreencheese.com and Greeningofgavin.com, called “Keep Calm and Make Cheese: The Beginners Guide to Making Cheese at Home” Continue reading →

Never Wishy-Washy about Washed Rind Cheeses – Cheesepalooza Challenge #10

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I love cheese, I love all kinds of cheese, I have issue with blues, but I generally love all kinds of cheese.  I have a special place in my heart for washed-rind/smear-ripened cheeses.  I love the stink, I love the flavour, I love the effort in looking after the cheese with the washing regiments.  I can understand why Trappist Monks often used washing cheese as part of their prayer/work cycle, it is relaxing and a great time for reflection too.  So when I recommended washed rind cheeses for the 10th Challenge for Cheesepalooza I did it with the hopes that everyone would enjoy them the way I do. Addie did a nice write-up on Valerie’s Acanadianfoodie.com and it can be found here.  But what are Washed-rind/Smear-ripened Cheeses? Continue reading →

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Camembert 2 – Ian 0 or How the Cheddar Saved the Day

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Some times you come across something that can humble you, for years it has been Mozzarella for me. Now I have another and it is Camembert. I have posted about my earlier failure to make a Camembert for my Mother’s visit this past weekend. I tried again, and I thought things went well. The make was better, I used better milk. The draining and flipping regiment was better still. I had a decent cheese at salting. Continue reading →