Calcium chloride is needed when the milk used for cheesemaking has been pasteurized or homogenized. During processing, the chemical structure of milk is changed, sometimes drastically. Those changes include a slight decrease in calcium levels within the milk. Calcium is necessary for proper curd formation. By adding calcium chloride to the milk before adding the coagulant, calcium levels are restored. Calcium chloride is commonly used in making some goat cheeses, which can have a less firm curd due to the natural homogenization of goat’s milk.
Ash, sometimes called activated charcoal, is a food-grade charcoal used on some soft cheeses to neutralize the surface of the cheese, creating a friendly environment for the growth of Penicillium candidum. Your cheese will usually develop a blue-grey, mottled rind with a nutty texture and a strong creamy flavour. I often use it with goat’s cheese.
Lipase is an enzyme used in cheesemaking to create a stronger or sharper flavour. It also helps to develop a distinctive aroma. Lipase powder is used often in Italian cheeses such as Parmesan, provolone and fontina.
Mesophilic direct-set culture are used for soft-ripened and fresh cheeses including Brie, Camembert, havarti, Gouda, Edam, feta, blue and chèvre.
Thermophile Type B starter culture can be used to make a variety of Italian-style cheeses, including mozzarella, romano, provolone and grana.
Penicillium candidum – white mould powder – is used to ripen and flavour Brie, Camembert, Coulommiers and a variety of other French goat’s cheeses. It produces a nice white bloom on the surface of your cheese.
Penicillium roqueforti is a type of mould spore used for making blue cheese. The spores start growing from the outside in, creating a white crust on the cheese before infusing the interior and producing a soft, creamy consistency with a distinctive aroma. It provides the characteristic appearance of the cheese, contributing to fast growth rate, the strong blue-cheese flavour, blue-green colour and creamy consistency.
Propionic Shermanii produces the characteristic aroma and flavour associated with Swiss, Gruyère and Emmental-style cheese.
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For strainers, filters, testers, mats, thermometers, curd knives, cheese irons (for testing aged cheese), pH and acidity testers, cheese cloths/muslin, cheese-wrapping paper, sanitizers, gloves, and various other useful pieces of equipment, such as cheese presses and moulds and the Kilner butter churner.
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Black, red and natural waxes.
Assorted knives for hard and soft cheeses, graters, cutting wires, boards, cheese curlers and slicers and cheese preservers for storing your cheese in optimum condition. Cheese bakers, raclette makers and fondue pots. Specialist ingredients such as black truffle.