We Made Cheese

Today we made cheese. 

It took hours. And it was expensive. But now that it’s over, and it turned out to be edible, and the dishes (so many dishes) are washed, I’m glad we did it. Even if Gemma tasted it and said she didn’t like it.

🤦🏻‍♀️

Because sometimes our children don’t react the way we wish they would. Sometimes we spend 3 hours and $35 making one ball of cheese, and while our children enjoy the process, they might not enjoy the product.

Curds and whey.

I tried the water bath method of heating the curds so we could, as per the kit’s instructions, stretch the cheese “like taffy.” FYI: stretching cheese is not at all like stretching taffy. According to the instructions, the cheese needs to be 135 degrees to stretch, but I found that our cheese needed to be 140 degrees. I recommend microwaving your curds in intervals of 30 seconds until they look like they’re going to cooperate.

While the kit’s instructions made stretching cheese with one’s bare hands look like good times (rubber gloves optional), I’m going to say it’s actually not all that fun to hold a pound of 140-degree cheese. I recommend using two spoons instead. 

At 3 p.m., after washing the pots, lids, cups, spoons, colander, thermometer, and the long knife used for cutting my hot curds, and wiping down the stove, it was time to make a pizza...with frozen dough and store-bought sauce.