How do you keep it at 86 degrees? Is it just general?
What kind of molds do you use after it's made? Can you use just a regular container?
This isn't exactly related to cheese, but how long is fresh milk good for? What about if you use it in cheese or yogurt? Does it last longer then?
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Not 100% sure how it helps you get a warmer fridge... I thought I remembered reading you plugged your fridge into THAT...but it doesn't look like it has a place for that.
ETA I found it in the comments that this one works that way! Yay~ I need to Bookmark that page.
Rachel Whetzel said:
Don't try hard cheese until you have a proper cheese cave or other space for aging at 55 degrees. I just saw one of those beverage refrigerators for somewhere around $179 at Sam's Club. They used to run $300-400, so I never considered one, but they will hold at 55. Most refrigerators won't go higher than the low 40s for safety reasons.
Rachel Whetzel said:
I really want to try Parmesan!! One of my FAVES.
You don't have to hold it at 86 degrees after adding the culture. It just sits at room temp.
They have cheese molds on cheesemaking.com. Mine are nine years old and still in perfect condition. I tried drilling holes in old yogurt containers, but they're made for single use, so after using the two or three times, they fell apart. If you're willing to drill holes in a heavy duty plastic container, you could try that. You need a lot of holes though, or the cheese won't drain properly.
Fresh milk, mozzarella, chevre, and other fresh cheeses usually last about 1-2 weeks before going bad. Yogurt lasts a long time, but it does not reculture well as it gets older because the cultures start dying. If you want to reculture it, you should make fresh yogurt every 3-4 days for best results. Aged cheese (cheddar, gouda, parmesan, etc) last for years and years and never really go bad; they just keep getting better.