Semi-hard and hard cheese

In short

• Semi-hard cheese: 10 L of milk gives roughly 1 kg of cheese; it ripens for 6–12 weeks.
• Hard cheese: the curd is scalded to 40–42 °C (104–108 °F), pressed at up to 25–30 kg, and ripened for at least 60 days, better 3–6 months.
• Brine at 18–20 % salt; roughly 6–12 hours per kilogram of cheese.
• Cheese cave: 12–14 °C (54–57 °F) and 80–90 % humidity, with air that changes.
• 60 days of ripening doesn't make raw milk completely safe. Cheese for pregnant women and children only from pasteurised milk.

What's inside

Chapters

1. What makes cheese hard
2. Equipment: moulds, press, cheese cave
3. Recipe: semi-hard cheese
4. Recipe: Livno-style hard cheese
5. Brine
6. The cheese cave: temperature and humidity
7. Rind care
8. Safety and signs of spoilage
9. When something goes wrong
10. Common mistakes
11. Printable checklist

Worksheets

• Hard cheese calendar
• Yield calculator
• Rennet, salt and brine calculator
• Batch diary
• Ripening record
• Cheese cave inventory