1.       Sanitise your work area and equipment really well.

We cannot say it enough, sanitise, sanitise, sanitise! With hard cheeses this is particularly important as you’re leaving them out at room temperature for a prolonged period of time. If any microorganisms have even the slightest chance of getting into your milk through equipment or the general work area, they will do their damnedest to survive. By making sure everything is clean, sanitised and ready to go before you start pouring your milk into the pot, you’re already doing well.

One tip that people don’t often think about is making sure there aren’t any open windows or doors around the area that your hard cheese is draining or drying. With moving air you’re more likely to have microorganisms swirling around the place and landing on your cheese, which is the perfect environment for them to grow.

2.       Use good quality milk

The quality of your milk will have a significant impact on the cheese making process and the final cheese flavour. For hard cheeses it must always be full fat, unhomogenised milk and fresh is best. If you can, try and use more organic brands or local suppliers to increase the likelihood of getting a full, creamy, rich flavour at the end.

3.       Make sure you follow the recipe

Hard cheeses are a bit less forgiving to make, this is why it’s so important to follow the recipe closely. Whichever recipe you are following it will have specific amounts of milk, calcium chloride, rennet and culture and will follow a set time and temperature process. This has all been defined by cheese makers and found to work, unless you are an experienced cheese maker and are ready to start experimenting, we recommend following the recipe.

We do encourage as much experimentation as possible, but we also want you to succeed! With each deviation you make there is a chance of ending up with hard, dry, cracked or crumbly cheese. Make sure you’ve had a few successful goes at the specific cheese you’re making before making any changes.

4.       Cheese pressing tips

Pressing pushes the whey out of the curd to give a smooth, uniform texture to your cheese. The amount of pressure that is applied and the time depends on the cheese and the desired moisture content at the end. Some tips to help get the best results:

- Use a slightly damp cheesecloth to line your mould as this will help it stay in place as you spoon in the curd.

- When transferring your curds to the press make sure you distribute them in an even manner and bang the mould of the press firmly on the bench every so often. This will help move the curd around so it’s more tightly fitted into the mould.

- As each spoonful of curd is added gently pull on the cheesecloth lining to get rid of any little bunches or folds that may have snuck in.

- Always put the disc on top of the cheese, then fold down the cheesecloth lining before pressing, this will ensure an even surface that is being pressed into the curd.

- Be very careful when flipping the curds, they will be delicate and may come apart during the first few turns. Utilise your cheesecloth lining to help with this.

 5.       Store in the right conditions or as close as you can get

Hard cheeses need to be properly dried and aged to develop the full flavour you’re after. Specific temperatures and humidity levels will be given in the recipe, however for the average cheese maker achieving this can be the hardest part. If you’re lucky enough to have a cheese refrigerator, a cool basement/cellar or a cold storage shed then that’s great! If you’re like the rest of us and aren’t so set up the below could be a good start.

- Store your cheese in a maturation box in the coolest place you can find. Line the bottom of the container (can just be a sealed plastic container, make sure it’s clean!) with wet paper towels or put in a glass of water for humidity. Sit your cheese on the cheese mat and put the sealed container in the back of a cupboard or wardrobe where it is likely to stay relatively cool. This method needs to be checked every few days to allow a bit of airflow.

- Use a drawer in your refrigerator, make sure you give it a really good clean first. Line the drawer with paper towels to gain a little bit of insulation and put a glass of water alongside the cheese to give some humidity. If you’re comfortable turning your refrigerator temperature up then put it on the highest setting, but not at the expense of your other food and drinks! The maturing step will take longer as it is probably colder than the recommended temperature.

- If you’re serious about cheese making have a look for a small wine or drinks refrigerator. These can be found second hand relatively cheaply and make the perfect controlled environment for storing your cheese. If it’s not temperature controlled, using a Mad Millie thermometer will work so you know what temperature your cheese is sitting at. Additionally, for humidity putting a bowl or glass of cool water inside will be enough to ensure your cheese doesn’t dry out.

 6.       Trouble shooting tips

Some issues that you might come across and their solutions are below, with cheese making every batch will have slight variations due to the type of milk, temperature of storage or you might have been distracted and left the curds too long. It’s best just to embrace these variations of the creative process, fix what you can and make notes for next time.

- Cracking in the surface of your cheese – multiple possible causes

  • Your storage area isn’t humid enough, causing drying to happen too quickly and the cheese to shrink and crack. To help with this wrap your cheese in a damp cheesecloth. It won’t make the cracks go away but will stop them getting worse. Also place a wet paper towel in the bottom of your maturing box to help increase the humidity.
  • The curds were too cold when put into the press, if they’re not warm enough they won’t knit together properly. It may be too late for this little cheese to be crack-less but remember to follow all time and temperature instructions in the recipe next time.
  • The pressure in the press wasn’t high enough, this has led to the curds not moulding together completely and squashing out any air gaps. Next time make sure you check the press regularly as it will need to be tightened as the size of the cheese reduces under pressure.

- Oil is coming up onto your cheeses surface

Your storage temperature is too high, the oil is the fat in the cheese rising to the surface. Find a cooler spot for it and expect a slightly harder cheese once you get to the eating step.

- Mould has formed on the surface or in the cracks.

Scrape/cut off the unwanted mould and use a salt solution (ideally around 6%) to thoroughly rub the area and the entirety of the hard cheese to avoid further growth. Let the cheese dry completely and then continue ageing it. If you’re concerned, rub with a salt solution every 3 days for a week to reduce the risk. For more info on why this has happened refer to our blogs and FAQs.

- Your cheese is excessively dry

This is due to either insufficient rennet which can happen if you are using liquid rennet; it may also be due to the curds being cut too small or stirred too much causing too much whey to be released. This can’t be fixed now but crumbly hard cheese goes great on a salad!