(Part 2) Reddit mentions: The best cheese tools

The microplane fine grater is one of my favorite tools. Finely grated lemon zest makes so many things super delicious. It's good for grating a little cinnamon or nutmeg into a baking project as well.

I use my fine sieve frequently for baking as well, like when I have to strain pastry cream to help it cool down or get the seeds out of raspberries.

Another favorite baking "gadget" is the cake strip - it prevents the cake from puffing up in the middle. Otherwise you have to cut off a fair sized chunk in order to stack it in layers.

My ultimate baking cookbook is Tartine bakery's - they are great at explaining complicated techniques and everything turns out fantastic.

For Mozarella, you'll want a thermophilic culture because it acidifies more quickly. Otherwise you'll be there all night (and maybe all of the next day too!) Cheesemaking.com recommends ta61 from Choosit but I think thermo B from Biena is popular too.

The reason you can get away without a pH meter is that the starter is souring the milk slowly over time. With quick moz, you add acid directly and so the pH is what that acid sets it at -- it won't shift after that. Some people mistakenly think that rennet sours the milk, but it doesn't -- it curdles the milk using a very different mechanism. When you add acid directly, you have to hope that you got the pH right. Then you make the curds and if you've got it wrong there is nothing you can do. With a starter culture, the milk is slowly acidifying over time. Even when you make the curds, the curds are still acidifying over time. You can just take a piece of the curd, put it in hot water and see if it stretches. If it doesn't, then you wait for 30 minutes or so. If it does, then you are good to go. The starter culture will always acidify the curd through the point where it will stretch. So as long as you test it every once in a while, it will definitely, 100% for sure stretch at some point. When, you won't know. It might take 2 hours or it might take 8 hours (so clear your schedule), but it will definitely happen.

With a starter, a pH meter is still useful because then you have some idea of how long you are likely going to have to wait. If it's gotten down to 5.5, then you know that you'll be able to stretch it soon. Also you don't have to do a stretch test. Once it gets down between 5.1 and 5.3, it will definitely stretch. But you don't need a pH meter because you can just do a stretch test every once in a while (that's how they did it before they had pH meters after all!) With acid, if you don't add the correct amount of acid before you start it just won't work. So you need to have some way to measure the acid to make sure that you got it right. Of course, you can just get lucky with the amount of acid and this happens for a lot of people, but it won't be consistent.

I love this! I had to have that cute little cheese board. Found it on Amazon for a couple bucks cheaper and with prime shpping if anyone is interested. Thanks for sharing, great picture!

> cute rotating hand grater.

https://www.amazon.com/Microplane-39904-Rotary-Grater-Stainless/dp/B01BGSD34Y

like that ? that will be harder to clean . no i mean something like this

https://www.amazon.com/KitchenBasix-Cheese-Grater-Shredder-Vegetables/dp/B01C1Q8LFG/ref=sr_1_7?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1527395665&sr=1-7&keywords=hand+grater&dpID=419SccLWEzL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

or a microplane if you want it super fine

You could invest in a cheap, flat grater. It's a bit harder on the arms, but easy to clean. They also make flat ones with a handle, which is probably easier to use, but the one I linked is most similar to what I have, and it does the job.

Okay, I wasn't able to find NSFW items, but I did find these apple spreaders and this apple cutting board. And this apple scarf could be used in creative ways! (Blindfold, restraint...use your imagination!)

GoTS2DigitalCopy

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Thanks for the contest!

There are a few of them on amazon like this one and this one. They look pretty cool. My cheese grater is just a flat grate with multiple attachments on it.

I played it for while and I'd advice you to spend that $10 on something fun instead, like a nice cheese grater.

Cheese slicer

Bellemain cheese slicer is the best one I have found. Still working after a year and I haven't stretched or broken the wire yet. All stainless steel, the size adjuster stays put and can be tightened with screwdriver or just finger tight, they include a spare wire with purchase.

I use this to cut my mozz for pizza and baked ziti instead of messing around with graters and grated cheese. This allows even cheese distribution and better co trip of cheese placement.

Including a link on amazon if not against rules... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B018MLW8MG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_ypaVBb8E0WRFX

>The key is getting good minced garlic in a jar

I suggest that you look at using a zester (the Microplane style or similar) to get the same or similar effect from fresh garlic.

I recently switched to using a pair of Lemcases that have been effective for cheeses as well as for things like garlic.

Great job on your first try. What store would you go to in the UK if you wanted to buy something like dishes or pots...they may have them. I think it took me around 9 months to find it myself. Also, heres 9 feet of it available on amazon :)

Agreed, an infinitely superior way to slice cheese. I also tried out this bad boy at my parents house, and quite liked it.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000HVDZTU

I've got the old fashioned metal version, and I like to refer to it as "The Love Machine".

We've had that nuance one. It's nowhere near the quality of the professional one. It breaks the string all the time. Best cheese slicer I've ever tried for medium hard cheeses is the Westmark. And I've been through many 😀

I remember my family had this and it worked OK but if money is no object, I think the electric version is way better. I'm not sure if one brand is better than another.

American here - My family always had one of those, but I always preferred our other cheese slicer, similar to this: http://www.amazon.com/Presto-Cheese-Slicer-Fixed-Roller/dp/B003OEFPRC

Personally, I feel that the extra width and space between the wire and the roller allow for slightly better control over the thickness of the slices.

I've been needing to get some cheesecloth for a while now but I keep putting it off. I really want to make homemade yogurt/greek yogurt and need cheesecloth to strain it. I'm working toward making most of my food from scratch. :) Crafty turtle

Yeah, that's not true. They're available everywhere in the US, and I've owned/used several over the years.

Edit: Check out this search from the US Amazon store, there are tons of them available: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dgarden&field-keywords=cheese+plane&x=0&y=0

Some of the nicer ones even let you adjust the thickness of the slice: http://www.amazon.com/WMF-Adjustable-9-Inch-Cheese-Plane/dp/B001C0BB0K

This. I've had a Bellemain one for years. They are great. Metal, adjustable thickness, replaceable wire and only $10.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B018MLW8MG/

Oh man, I looooove raclette! But it's totally a winter food, why have it at a wedding in July? And raclette cheese is so super stinky it seems like an odd thing to want at such a nice event. I have a raclette machine so I've never looked for a restaurant that serves it. I'd suggest buying something like this http://www.amazon.com/Boska-Holland-Monaco-Collection-Raclette/dp/B002VPEF08/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1450801178&sr=8-10&keywords=raclette+machine
and a big old wheel of raclette cheese and having caterer serve it. But again, the whole place is gonna stink!

If you don't fancy the DIY option, just pick up one of these (doesn't have to be that one specifically, just a wire one in general). As a skeptic of "kitchen gadgets", especially single-purpose ones, I was amazed and delighted by how damn well these things work.

A well spent $15

Another $3.

As far as I know it is called a Raclette Grill

Only $449

Or this model for $689

Or the quarter wheel model $289

I bought it at Paper Source in Milwaukee and they have it on their website. But there's a cheaper one on Amazon.

Your grocery store. Or here: https://www.amazon.com/Nouvelle-Legende-Cheesecloth-Cotton-Commercial/dp/B005SW94B6

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001B14ODG/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I'm using this currently. Its a bit pricy but the local farmers market here hasn't had any lately. Of the two packs I bought, one needed to be washed since it had a faint mechanical smell to it. It was gone after a few seconds of tap water (might of come from the plastic bag). Havent needed to open up the second one yet.

Used for cutting softer cheeses as folks have said: raclette, mozzerella, etc

closest I could find

Fellow Alabamian here, just get you some milk, rennet tablets and cheesecloth and you'll be cheesing in no time.

http://www.cheesemaking.com/Recipe_CheeseCurds.html

get yourself one of these bad boys for next time