How to learn how to cook cheese at home. How to cook cheese: simple and affordable technologies for homemade cheesemakers

05.11.2019 Seafood dishes

Irina Kamshilina

Cooking for someone is much more pleasant than for yourself))

Content

Making homemade, soft or hard cheese at home is an art that can and should be learned. Using natural and affordable ingredients like cottage cheese and milk, it's easy to create a small culinary masterpiece in your own kitchen. This delicate creamy product without preservatives, dyes and harmful additives is an excellent alternative to fabulously expensive imported delicacies. The main thing is to find your own ideal recipe.

How to make cheese at home

Experienced chefs know how to make homemade cheese so that its taste is in no way inferior to its European counterparts. It is prepared from fat cottage cheese, cream and eggs, enzymes and a spoonful of kefir are added to some varieties. The main ingredients are heated over low heat until the whey is separated, which is then drained. The finished mass is thrown into a colander, squeezed or pressed under pressure, stored in closed containers or brine. The shelf life and maturation of cheese differ from those indicated on store labels, although such a delicacy will definitely not stay in the refrigerator for more than a week.

Hard cheese

To make a head of hard homemade cheese, part of the milk is mixed with sourdough, and the rest is brought to 32-33 degrees, and left warm. Sourdough and an enzyme dissolved in water are added to it. The resulting clots are cut into squares and left under the lid. The pot is put on a low heat, the cubes are heated to 38 degrees for about 10 minutes. Part of the whey is drained, replaced with warm boiled water. The cheese mass is heated to 40 degrees for about 15 minutes, separated from the whey, salted and mixed. After that, it remains to compress, dry and allow to mature.

Soft cheese

Soft varieties can be prepared without the use of special enzymes from natural yogurt, homemade sour cream, heavy cream. Combine the ingredients, add salt, spices, herbs to taste. Some types of cheese can not even be boiled, but simply left in a colander with gauze folded in four. With the help of a weight, which is placed on top for 12 or more hours, excess liquid is removed and given a denser but delicate consistency.

Fused

Homemade processed cheeses are spread on toast, used in cold snacks and other dishes. They are made pure cottage cheese, mushroom, mixed with parsley. Any student can handle a simple recipe that includes cottage cheese, eggs, soda and a little sour cream. The ingredients are interrupted with a blender, boiled in a steam bath for 10-15 minutes, spices and fried mushrooms are added. Poured into jars or molds, sent to the refrigerator shelf. Cooking melted cheese, the most delicate, golden and glossy, often takes no more than an hour.

Homemade cheese recipes

Proven recipes with step by step photos explain in detail how to cook cheese. Including such popular and demanded varieties as suluguni, adyghe, rennet, feta cheese, mozzarella and mascarpone. The secret of an ideal homemade product is very simple - before making cheese, you need to buy quality ingredients, as their taste, aroma and consistency depend on them. It is recommended to add salt to the nearest gram, otherwise it will interrupt the taste of the dish or leave an unpleasant aftertaste.

From milk

  • Servings Per Container: 5 Persons.
  • Calorie content: 57 kcal per 100 g.
  • Cuisine: Indian.

The classic homemade cheese recipe is simple and requires a minimum of ingredients. Milk, fresh lemon juice and plain water can be used to make an exotic but delicious Asian dish - paneer. This is one of the most popular types of cheese in India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan. It has an unusual, slightly crumbly texture, does not melt, slightly sour.

Ingredients:

  • fat milk - 6 tbsp.;
  • water - 0.5 tbsp.;
  • lemon juice - 3/4 tbsp.

Cooking method:

  1. Bring homemade full-fat milk to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Boil for 10 minutes.
  2. Mix lemon juice with water, gradually add to milk.
  3. If the main ingredient does not begin to curl, add a little more lemon juice. After 2-3 minutes, remove the pan from the stove.
  4. Fold the cheesecloth in four, put in a colander or sieve. Let the liquid drain.
  5. Rinse gently with cold water to remove the strong lemon flavor. Knead lightly, giving a denser, homogeneous consistency.
  6. Cut into portions.

From cottage cheese and milk

  • Cooking time: 3 hours 30 minutes.
  • Servings Per Container: 10 Persons.
  • Calorie content: 141 kcal per 100 g.
  • Purpose: snack, for breakfast.
  • Cuisine: European.
  • Complexity of preparation: easy.

Homemade cheese is a natural product with a fantastically soft creamy taste and a dense texture that makes it easy to cut with a knife. In order for it to acquire a delicious yellow color, the egg can be replaced with two yolks. It is better to use cow's milk - a ready-made dish made from goat's milk will have a too strong smell, which many consider unpleasant.

Ingredients:

  • fresh cottage cheese - 1 kg;
  • milk - 1 l;
  • eggs - 1 pc.;
  • butter - 100 g;
  • baking soda - 2 tsp;
  • salt - 0.7 tsp;
  • greens to taste.

Cooking method:

  1. Before making homemade cheese from cottage cheese and milk, remove from the refrigerator and soften the butter.
  2. Fill a large saucepan with a liter of milk. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.
  3. Add cottage cheese, cook for 5 minutes over low heat until the whey separates.
  4. Discard in a colander, covered with damp, double-folded gauze. Allow the serum to drain, connect the ends of the gauze. Hang it over the sink without undoing the resulting pouch.
  5. Beat butter with egg, salt, baking soda. There is no need to extinguish it.
  6. Mix the egg and butter mass with the curd mixture. Add finely chopped dill, parsley or other fresh herbs, stir until smooth. Transfer to a saucepan.
  7. Cook for 10 minutes on a steam bath, until the mass acquires a viscous consistency.
  8. Place in a greased container. Press down with a load, put in the refrigerator for 3 hours.
  9. Remove from the mold, cut.

From cottage cheese

  • Cooking time: 4 days.
  • Servings Per Container: 8 Persons.
  • Calorie content: 194 kcal per 100 g.
  • Purpose: snack, for breakfast.
  • Cuisine: European.
  • Complexity of preparation: easy.

It will take 4 days to properly prepare a hard curd delicacy. The main trick is how to boil the cheese and give it the desired consistency. To do this, he must mature and become moldy, which will give him a special, delicate taste and aroma. This product can be added to your favorite homemade salads, for example, the famous Greek. It will easily compete with feta sheep cheese and other elite varieties.

Ingredients:

  • cottage cheese - 500 g;
  • butter - 40 g;
  • sour cream - 120 g;
  • eggs - 2 pcs.;
  • cumin - to taste;
  • salt to taste.

Cooking method:

  1. Cover the homemade cottage cheese with a lid. Leave to mold.
  2. After 4 days, pass the cottage cheese through a meat grinder along with sour cream, caraway seeds, salt.
  3. Melt butter in a deep container.
  4. Transfer the curd mass to the butter, heat over low heat. Stir until smooth.
  5. Beat 2 eggs, add to the curd. Heat again.
  6. Put on a greased dish, leave in the refrigerator overnight.
  7. Cut into portions.

Adyghe

  • Cooking time: 3 days.
  • Servings Per Container: 6 Persons.
  • Calorie content of the dish: 60 kcal per 100 g.
  • Purpose: snack, for breakfast.
  • Cuisine: Circassian.
  • Complexity of preparation: easy.

National Adyghe cheese is made at home from cow, goat, sheep milk. It is widely used in cooking, it is added to vegetable salads, soups, khachapuri, pies, dumplings. Before making cheese at home, it is worth determining how it differs from the classic varieties. This product has a pleasant curdled texture and a unique spicy taste with notes of pasteurization. Moderately salty, may crumble slightly. The second name is Circassian.

Ingredients:

  • pasteurized milk - 3 l;
  • kefir - 1 l;
  • salt - 2 tsp

Cooking method:

  1. Heat the kefir over low heat until the whey begins to separate.
  2. Drain the whey into a bowl. Leave to sour at room temperature for 48 hours.
  3. After 2 days, bring the milk to a boil. Reduce heat, pour in whey.
  4. After 7 minutes, take out the mass that has floated and separated from the serum. Squeeze through cheesecloth. Salt.
  5. Hang over a sink in a gauze bag.
  6. When excess liquid drains, press down with a press. Drain off escaping water. Send to refrigerator.
  7. After 24 hours, remove the press, cut the homemade Adyghe cheese into portions.

Creamy

  • Cooking time: 15 minutes.
  • Servings Per Container: 2 Persons.
  • Calorie content: 292 kcal per 100 g.
  • Purpose: snack, for breakfast.
  • Cuisine: European.
  • Complexity of preparation: easy.

Before making cheese with an unforgettable creamy taste, you only need to buy one ingredient - good sour cream. The fatter it is, the tastier the product will be. It is added to creamy desserts, soufflés, Norwegian rolls with salmon or pink salmon, biscuit cakes and even multicooker cheesecakes. The main advantage of such a cheese recipe at home is that it does not need to be cooked, and the whole process takes a matter of minutes.

Ingredients:

  • sour cream 21-25% - 800 ml;
  • salt to taste.

Cooking method:

  1. Fold the cheesecloth in four, place in a deep plate.
  2. Pour thick homemade sour cream onto cheesecloth. If desired, salt. If you do not add salt, the product can be used for both appetizers and desserts.
  3. Tie the corners of the gauze, hang the resulting bag over the container. The easiest way is to take a saucepan, put a long wooden spoon on top, and tie cheesecloth to it.
  4. Leave for 20 hours or a day while the serum drains.
  5. Transfer to container and refrigerate.

Mozzarella

  • Cooking time: 30 minutes.
  • Servings Per Container: 3 Persons.
  • Calorie content: 67 kcal per 100 g.
  • Purpose: appetizer, breakfast, pizza.
  • Cuisine: Italian.
  • Complexity of preparation: easy.

The picturesque beauty of Italy is not only the Colosseum, spaghetti and the temperamental Celentano. This is also the famous mozzarella cheese, with which various casseroles, salads, pizza, tomato caprese appetizer, homemade lasagna and other dishes are prepared. Real Italian mozzarella is easy to recognize from the photo - it is a small elastic balls immersed in brine liquid.

Ingredients:

  • milk - 1 l;
  • natural yogurt - 125 g;
  • vinegar 25% - 1 tbsp. l .;
  • salt - 1.5 tsp.

Cooking method:

  1. Warm fresh milk with salt, not boiling. The original product is prepared only from buffalo or cow milk.
  2. Add yogurt, mix thoroughly.
  3. When the milk curdles, pour in the vinegar.
  4. Fold clean gauze in four, transfer to a colander. Fix over a bowl or saucepan where the whey will drain.
  5. Drain the milk mixture in a colander. Lift with gauze, squeeze well.
  6. Form tight balls.
  7. Pour the whey into a container or lunch box, dip the balls. Cool down.
  8. Leave in the refrigerator for a day. The next day, drain the leaven. Store homemade mozzarella in a closed container.

Mascarpone

  • Cooking time: 1 hour 45 minutes.
  • Servings Per Container: 5 Persons.
  • Calorie content of the dish: 180 kcal per 100 g.
  • Purpose: snack, for breakfast, base for pastry cream.
  • Cuisine: Italian.
  • Complexity of preparation: easy.

Mascarpone is difficult to confuse with any other product - it has an amazing creamy consistency, it is easily applied to homemade or fluffy American waffles, sweet cakes. You can simply spread a spoonful of cream cheese over your morning toast. Milk of cows or buffaloes is used in the manufacture of a soft delicacy, the home of which is Italian Lombardy. It is added to appetizers, main and even sweet dishes, for example, the most delicate dessert Tiramisu with coffee, cocoa and savoyardi, a photo of which flaunts in the menus of the world's best restaurants.

Ingredients:

  • cream - 200 ml;
  • sour cream 20% - 800 ml;
  • lemon juice - 2 tsp

Cooking method:

  1. Before making homemade cheese, prepare a kitchen thermometer with a dipstick and squeeze out 2 tablespoons of lemon juice in advance.
  2. Mix cream with sour cream. Cream can be replaced with fat milk.
  3. Put the mixture on low heat, stir. Using a thermometer, measure the temperature - it should not exceed 75 degrees.
  4. Add lemon juice. Make sure that the curdled mixture does not boil. Remove from heat.
  5. Put a clean, damp gauze folded in four into a colander.
  6. Discard the mass in a colander, leave for an hour. Wait for excess liquid to drain.
  7. Squeeze gently - the harder you tamp, the less tender and tasty the mascarpone cheese will be.
  8. Transfer to a container. Keep refrigerated.

Philadelphia cheese

  • Cooking time: 40 minutes.
  • Servings Per Container: 8 Persons.
  • Calorie content of the dish: 58 kcal per 100 g.
  • Purpose: snack, for breakfast.
  • Cuisine: American.
  • Complexity of preparation: easy.

Philadelphia soft cheese is adored everywhere, but especially in America, in honor of one of the cities of which this amazing product was named. Rolls, crispy tartlets, homemade pies, berry cheesecakes, marzipan cakes, vegetable gratins, canapes and everyone's favorite rolls with eel are prepared with it. A profitable counterpart to the "creamy foreigner" can be made from ingredients that are easy to find in every refrigerator.

Ingredients:

  • milk - 1 l;
  • kefir - 500 ml;
  • eggs - 1 pc.;
  • citric acid - 5 g;
  • salt - 1 tsp

Cooking method:

  1. Mix milk with a spoonful of salt, bring to a boil over medium heat.
  2. Adyghe cheese made from purchased milk Found a mistake in the text? Select it, press Ctrl + Enter and we'll fix it!

If a few decades ago, almost every housewife made cheeses at home, today many have left this tradition behind, preferring to buy the product in stores. It's time to get back to the right habits and learn how to make homemade cheese, because it has many benefits.

Firstly, this is the natural composition of products without any harmful additives.

Secondly, you can change the recipe, for example, add your favorite spices, herbs and other ingredients. Many are stopped by the complexity of the cooking process, but after reading this article, everyone will be able to make sure that not everything is so complicated.

How to cook cheese from cottage cheese?

You can use a store-bought recipe for this recipe, but homemade cottage cheese is best. You can make completely different types of cheese from this product, but we suggest staying on the option with herbs, since it is an ideal product for breakfast, and it can also be used as a filling for pies and in different dishes.

Ingredients:

  • 1 liter of fat milk,
  • 0.5 kg of fat cottage cheese,
  • egg,
  • 1 tbsp. a spoonful of oil
  • 1 teaspoon of salt
  • a large clove of garlic,
  • Dill.

Cooking method:

How to cook goat cheese at home?

Goat milk is an easily digestible product that is very healthy and low in calories. You can make delicious and healthy cheese from it, which is allowed for allergy sufferers. The output is 400 g of the finished product.

Ingredients:

  • 2 liters of milk
  • 350 g sour cream,
  • 3 eggs
  • spices: salt, dried basil and garlic.

Cooking method:

How to cook processed cheese at home?

Processed cheese is one of the most popular foods. It is loved for its delicate and soft consistency. Such a product is used for making sandwiches, various salads and other dishes. Instead of the suggested spices, you can use other options.

Ingredients:

  • 1.5 kg of homemade cottage cheese,
  • 150 g butter
  • egg,
  • 3 cloves of garlic,
  • greens,
  • 1.5 teaspoons of baking soda
  • 1.5 teaspoons of salt.

Cooking method:

How to cook cheese from cottage cheese and milk at home?

We offer you to learn how to cook Adyghe cheese, which belongs to soft varieties. It is a dietary product that contains many useful substances. To taste, many compare it to feta, but everything is prepared much easier.

Ingredients:

  • 1.1 kg of cottage cheese,
  • 1.1 l of milk,
  • 110 g butter
  • 3 eggs,
  • 1 teaspoon of soda and salt.

Cooking method:

How to cook homemade Philadelphia cheese from milk?

This famous creamy product can be simply spread on bread, and it is also used in many beloved sushi. It can also be used in the preparation of pie fillings.

Ingredients:

  • 1 liter of milk
  • egg,
  • 0.5 l of kefir,
  • 1 teaspoon of granulated sugar and salt,
  • a pinch of citric acid.

Cooking method:

Now you know how you can cook homemade cheese, with completely different and popular varieties.

Having once tasted a delicious homemade product, you will get great pleasure, and you will not want to go back to store-bought milk cheeses.

Shoe workshop Gottlieb Schwarz

What they teach: sewing and repairing leather shoes

At Gottlieb Schwarz, students go from customizing a personal last to choosing a patina shade. Its founder Andrei Zhakevich, who is also a student of the famous Italian shoemaker, conducts classes. Zhakevich talks about the classification of shoes, shows where the pocket is in the boot, explains why a vamp is needed, teaches how to take measurements, design, stitch and paint the sole. All materials and tools are included in the price. The result of the basic course - hand-sewn Oxfords; advanced - derby or loafers.

Andrey Zhakevich, shoemaker, founder of Gottlieb Schwarz:“I became interested in shoemaking six years ago, but then it was in the category of a hobby. However, after working as an apprentice in Italy, I started making shoes for friends and acquaintances - it turned out that they were in demand. At one time, I went to different workshops and asked to take me as an apprentice - they took me, although they made fun of me. There are still very few such places in Moscow, so our course appeared. It is very applied: after training, you will at least stop using shoe repairs - it will not be difficult to change the heel yourself or reflash the sole ”.

Pottery studio "Elephant"

What they teach: sculpt with hands and on a circle

In the pottery studio, you can learn to sculpt everything - dishes, vases, busts. Classes are divided into two types: hand modeling from clay and a potter's wheel. The first is easier, the second will require much more visits and perseverance (from 3-5 lessons). As in the shoe workshop, the students work for the result: all created items can be taken for yourself. The finished products dry on average within a week, then they can be painted and covered with glaze - how engobe painting differs from majolica will also be explained in the studio.

Ivan Zhukov and Irina Smolentseva, founders of the studio:“We discovered pottery for ourselves at a corporate event in Cyprus. Returning to Moscow, we signed up for evening courses. This, probably, would have remained a hobby if that school had not closed for the holidays in the summer of 2015. We decided to open a place where potters can practice on their own and beginners can learn. We have assembled a team of craftsmen, some of whom have been working with clay since 5 years. Pottery and modeling is a very popular leisure activity now. Some visitors come to try, others bring amazing sketches. We make dishes, signs, hookah elements. But craft dishes are still the most popular - even factory-made plates are now made specifically uneven, imitating manual work. "

Forge "First forge"

What they teach: harden steel and forge simple objects

In the smithy at the Flacon one can thoroughly master blacksmithing: in a two-month course, craftsmen explain the structure of the smithy, teach draft, broaching, chopping, torsion, bending and other fantastic things with everyday names. The process is accompanied by the heat of a forge, wearing a leather apron and hitting a vintage French anvil. There is an opportunity to try the ancient craft once, on a weekend: for three hours and 3500 r. the students just have time to forge a spoon or a ring.

Alexey Kupets, blacksmith: The First Forge used to be a shop of knives and daggers that we wanted to learn how to make on our own. We set up the smithy on the Flacon - a well-known and passable place. People just walked by, looked in and asked to teach them too. Now men, women and children from 6 years old come to us to study. And the owners of surnames related to blacksmithing are given a 10% discount. "

School of cheese making Olesya Shevchuk

What they teach: cook cheeses with foreign technologists

“Camembert and Reblochon”, “Gorgonzola and Brie”, “Tomm and Talejo” are the names of weekly master classes at the Olesya Shevchuk School of Cheese Making. In a Scandinavian kitchen, students stretch a caciocavallo, check if mold grows well on a door blue, and watch Camembert develop a mushroom flavor without mushrooms. Students take the cooked cheeses home - some will have to ferment for several more months.

Olesya Shevchuk, the founder of the school:“I got carried away with cheese making against the backdrop of sanctions, took all the existing courses in Moscow and went to Italy to a family cheese factory, where cheese making for me started from scratch. So I decided to open a school of cheese-making according to European standards, where everyone has a personal workplace where you can make cheese with your own hands, take it home and observe all stages of ripening, ask questions to the teacher and correct mistakes in time. Among beginners, the most popular courses on quick ripening cheeses - mozzarella, feta, halloumi, strackino. DIY cheese you can eat in the same week! Professionals gladly attend long-term specialist courses from abroad. It's much cheaper than going there to them. Until the end of the year, we expect technologists and cheese-makers from England, the USA and Canada. "

Theta Brewery craft brewing laboratory

What they teach: brewing beer

Masterclasses at Theta Brewery begin as a math lesson, with only a heady smell and malt crushing. Half a dozen tasks, a couple of graphs - and you can transfer all these grams, ions and seconds to hops, malt and wort. What happens in the end depends on the topic of the master class; it can be a citrus New England IPA, a classic Weizen Beer, or a soft Irish ale. Those who have tried all porters, stouts and lagers within the Moscow Ring Road and can distinguish Baltic Porter Trigger from Black Jack ID Brew in one sip should definitely look here.

Sergey Meshcheryakov, founder of Theta Brewery:“My hobby for brewing began with a love for delicious beer and the realization that Eurolager was not the only beer, even though it filled all the shelves. I believed in the feasibility of the process after home brewing of whiskey. This is how a laboratory with a scientific approach to teaching was born. Master classes have become a popular format - novice brewers often have a headache over terms and scattered information. Most of our visitors are novice homebrewers, but professionals also come: for example, a brewer from Estonia came to evening workshops, who decided to refresh his knowledge and learn more about modern trends in the world of brewing. "

Flappers sewing workshop

The workshop works according to the principle of thematic master classes. Topics include "Skirt", "Shirt", "Lace Lingerie", "Dress in Twiggy Style". Almost everything is divided into two 4-hour sessions. The photo shows the result of the sweatshirt master class of one of the students

Flappers' approach to training is this: even a person with zero experience can be trained in tailoring, design, modeling and fashion sketching in one day, if you let him sew for himself right away. After a one-day master class, students leave with joggers, a sweatshirt or a set of underwear. The most curious are given lectures on materials science and fashion history. The first lesson is trial, and therefore free.

Igor Sychkov, head of the workshop:“We help to master the art of sewing in an almost home environment. Our team is professional and loves what they do - mentors have decades of experience and their own collections. Students who have never held a tailor's scissors in their hands, after one lesson, already have an idea of ​​modeling and construction. The result of a master class or course is a finished thing. Our audience is very diverse: once an 80-year-old mother came with her 60-year-old daughter - they sewed a beautiful skirt for themselves. "

Free Jewelers Workshop Artefactorium

What they teach: work with precious metals, stones and enamels

Here they teach how to melt precious metals, insert precious woods into gold and create ornaments from jewelry enamels. In the classroom, students cast earrings and brooches, set personal seals in silver, prepare molds for rings. There are many specialized courses: the basics of jewelry, and enamel, and hot Georgian enamels, and setting of precious stones. For couples there is a course "DIY wedding rings."

Alexander Efimov, founder of the workshop:“At one time, I mastered various craft skills, but, having tried jewelry, I settled on it. He completed vocational training and began to create jewelry at home. For jewelry work, you still need a special place - you need a special tool, work is going on with an open fire. In the workshop, I began to teach master classes on the basics of jewelry making. Gradually, like-minded people pulled themselves together, and by 2012 the Artefactorium had turned into the “Workshop of free jewelers”.

For many, a cheese plate is simply heavenly semolina and an ideal solution for any table and occasion :) And what about the cheese business? It turns out that this is a great excuse for a woman with a business streak to realize her potential as a gourmet business entrepreneur. The story of our today's heroine of the "" column not only inspires, but excites a) buy the signature cheese "Goat Chka" b) give up everything and find an outlet in which to invest time, energy and brains. Weak?

At 20 years old I dreamed of being an actress :)) I thought for a long time about the answer, because at the age of 20 I was already working, and career advancement exceeded all expectations. Everything was fine and dreamed like this.

Once on a business trip I went to Israel and ended up with a married couple who ran a small farm... We got to them just during the siesta period: we sat on the terrace, drank homemade wine, ate homemade cheese, laughed and had a great rest. And then I thought that this is probably happiness. They are doing what they love, they are happy with their product and are happy with the people who come to them. I was impressed by their rhythm of life, because at that period the rhythm of my life was just frantic.

After graduation, I was invited to work immediately in an agricultural enterprise. I came there to work as a simple accountant and within seven years she became an assistant director of this enterprise... Cool work, constant international business trips, driver. Everything was superb, but without butterflies in the stomach ... There was no joy of self-realization, but there was a constantly growing feeling of discontent, a feeling that something needed to be changed.

In 2012, I moved to Kiev following a lot of love. I was sure that after a good job I would quickly find a job in Kiev, but it didn't work out that way and I spent a year without work. And so what prompted me to start making cheese, so this is a moment of complete despair. I didn’t understand why I needed to wake up in the morning, I didn’t want anything, nothing at all! And then one day I remembered my dream, which was then born in Israel. I went to the market, bought milk and made my first cheese... I had never done this before. Internet, books, memories of past trips to cheese dairies helped ..

You should never be afraid to take risks. It is necessary in a whirlpool with a head, but deliberately... You can unexpectedly discover new horizons for yourself.

ABOUT BUSINESS

I ate the first cheese myself. Then with friends. Then friends of friends began to recommend to their friends and so I got my first clients... They allowed me to experiment with the process, with recipes, giving me money back through purchases. This is how I developed. The cheese dairy completely "tightened" when it began to work out, when customers called and thanked for the work.


Photo: Andrey & Sergey Muzhchil

The most important thing in working with a client- success in small things.

Initially (when the cheese was cooked at home) no there was no investment... During the construction of a cheese dairy, 10% is loan money, and 10% is borrowed money from relatives. The rest are savings + I sold a car and photographic equipment (I was a photographer, and as it turned out, it was once a good investment).

The most difficult in the first 365 days there was work with the staff and the realization that there are moments that cannot be planned :) And you just need to understand this and solve these moments in the order of their occurrence.

Break-even points we reached it when we started working at rented facilities. And they started making money when they opened their own cheese dairy.

The name of my creative gastromaster "Goat Chka" was born long before I started my own business. Once upon a time, my biker friend Ashot and I, back in 2012 (when I had no idea that I would be engaged in cheese, but only dreamed), sat and drank coffee, thinking about what we would call our brand. Then there weren't even prerequisites .., so dream boldly! Dreams have to be unattainable in order for you to achieve what you want. The further you look, the further you jump.

Coming to the commercial level occurred after participating in the Street Food Festival. This became obvious after I cooked cheeses for about two weeks, and then we exhibited and sold everything that was in 3 hours. And when people asked if we would be next time, I understood that in the same conditions I would not give out more cheese. So I came to the point that I need to go to a new level.

For the purchase of serious equipment and there were no funds to open a cheese dairy at that time. I sat on the Internet and walked through small cheese dairies near Kiev (at that time there were only 3 of them). I wrote them letters with an offer to rent their facilities and cook cheese from them. Within an hour I received an answer from one of the cheese dairies - today it is my friend and colleague Sasha Babin ("Babiny Kozy"). He showed me a lot, told me, and so I worked for him for a year.

Opening your own cheese dairy was very scary: it's scary to be responsible for people, for equipment, for milk, for people from whom you take milk ... But on March 12 we started and I opened my long-awaited cheese dairy.

Now, I'm starting a little switch from the process, specifically cheese making, to the market as a whole... I want to feel it deeper. When I was faced with the issue of equipment for my cheese dairy (pasteurizer, racks, molds, etc.), I realized that the Ukrainian market cannot fully provide everything necessary for robots of a small manufacturer, specifically the dairy industry. So I found local "kulibins" in Poltava who work wonders from food steel. I set them tasks, and they did, then (almost "that") that I needed. Now my colleagues are already ordering equipment for me. It turns out that I am not the only one who has come across this (laughs).

Before the shop was launched, it was difficult with raw materials. And also, as an "experienced farmer" I decided to launch a cheese dairy in early spring, when milk is scarce (smiles). But the goal was set - the launch of the cheese dairy in March! At first, I literally drove around people and asked for milk. Now several subsidiary farms give me milk.

Now mine the cheese dairy also plays a social role in the village- people can make money on milk that no one has ever bought from them. At first three people brought us milk, but now it is almost half of the village. Soon we will set tasks with the village council on the topic of how to make the population increase the livestock of KR S (laughs).

ABOUT CHEESES

In my industry, I equate on his teacher of cheese making - the Lithuanian cheese maker Valdas (Valdas Kavaliauskas).


Photo: Andrey & Sergey Muzhchil

My ideal cheese- Stilton. It is blue-moldy, wet, "specifically fragrant" (laughs). I am trying to make cheese that is close to it.

What's the best selling cheese?
- he is not here yet, Tatiana answers ambitiously, — I'm working on it.

The Ukrainian buyer is a gourmet, but geographic location and genetic factors make the tastes of some varieties incomprehensible. Some people write: “You probably didn't get the cheese this time” (laughs). Therefore, I am currently working on an assortment of cheeses: we lay in cheeses with a less pronounced taste and save a couple of types exclusively for gourmets.

We come up with own names for our cheeses... For example, we have "Korolek", "St. Nicholas "," 12 ". All names have their own stories. Sometimes the name is born at one moment, sometimes - months are spent on discussion. ...

Why is cheese delicious in Europe? But because there, for centuries, cheese has been made in small cheese dairies, where cheese makers live their own business, experiment with recipes. I think we are on the right track!

ABOUT EMPLOYEES

There has always been, is and will be a problem with people who cannot do their job, even according to job descriptions. I was faced with a total reluctance of people to break out to some level higher the level at which they are now - they are satisfied with everything and they do not want more. I think that this is a national problem - until we “push” the swamp into which we are constantly being sucked in, nothing will happen.

For example, it comes to me fireman for an interview... I tell him where we have firewood, where to throw them, about the boiler. And then he, such a wardrobe guy, asks in surprise: “ And why should I chop wood?". I was shocked: no, we’ll hang you a “Fireman” sign, put you in the corner in my chair and be glad that we have such a fireman (laughs loudly).

Now I have found my people, I have brought many from the Poltava region. The question with the staff was very acute because I worked non-stop for two months and realized that a little more, and I would not want anything.

Do not hesitate, by the way, voice your concerns to friends and family... I told everyone that there were not enough workers, and thus there were acquaintances of acquaintances who became my team.


Photo: Andrey & Sergey Muzhchil

Learning to delegate my authority other people. It's very hard (laughs). It always seems that you will do it better, and no one else will do it. But when you wake up in the morning and understand that you don't just need to fly out of the house, and you can drink coffee that is no longer cold, you understand that delegation of obligations is not so bad. It is important to find a middle ground - to empower the person, but also to outline your presence in the process.

ABOUT ME

« Megalomania, inadequate thinking and unattainable goals"- this is what an acquaintance said about me, commented on my status on facebook. And what I want to say is that he is almost 100% right. Of course, with megalomania, I do not quite agree, since I am rarely satisfied with the result. It always seems that it could have been done better ..

Inadequacy of thinking is necessary to make your product unusual and always interesting.

I always set myself unrealistic targets and. For example, I dream of receiving a Nobel Prize and am not ashamed to talk about it. On what topic - I don't know yet, but I dream to devote my life to science too.

My motto: "If something is difficult, it means exactly that you are on the right track!"

My s advice for difficult periods in life and business- switch for a couple of days. Make such a refresher.

The job you love- this is when you run around with her like a child. Mentally stroking, talking with her and about her constantly, and so on. If I leave somewhere, I immediately call the employees with questions "how are my cheeses, what is their humidity, what is the temperature, but turn them over, and what are they down there." It is important to find the strength to feed this love.


Photo: Andrey & Sergey Muzhchil

In moments of despair I am stylishly stimulated by faith. I am Orthodox, and communication with God and prayer help me! And I also have this "Ambulance", when everything is gone and soooo very sorry for myself - I watch the movie "Forest Gump" for the 101st time. I don’t know why, but it’s getting easier.

I am very I believe in incident signs... I had such that the boiler caught fire, the "engine" in the car began to boil - everything around began to boil, because we took a crazy start, slept 4 hours a day and, of course, everything was already screaming at us that we needed to stop and rest ...

Women's business is different from men's the fact that we project all our emotions onto the business. There are emotions that have a positive effect: when we love, we are more enthusiastic about our product and during such periods we make big breakthroughs in business. And there are emotions that stop us and do not allow us to move on.

For example, I have such a period now - I take a break for a week to rest. My business is now at this stage that you need to create every day, bring in new ideas and do something that the buyer needs.

Inspire me my future children! But as mentor and first teacher- my first chef Antonets Semyon.

To relieve stress, I reboot: silence, only relatives are nearby, there is nothing to talk about, sweet tea. And since last autumn we have also been hiking in the mountains.

My day begins with coffee + re-reading the news and for 2 minutes I stand "in the bar". Over the past 6 months, I have developed the following regime: at 02:00 - hang up, and at 06:00 - rise. But in this mode, no more than 2 weeks is possible, otherwise there is a risk of "burn out". Then some 8 hours of sleep. And again, 4 hours of sleep.

Smoking won, it seems :) Imbalance in nutrition and I forget to drink a vitamin in the morning - I'm still at war with this :)

Time for family? This is all bad. Relatives are not happy, I am unsatisfied :). Our meetings are always short, but sooooo soulful and filled with joy and love. I am working to ensure that the situation changes over time for my family.

Now in business I get to the level of work where I will already have fun. Perhaps this is wrong from a business point of view, but so far I have it, now I want to switch to family planning and harmonization of life in general.

Tell us, what kind of hard cheese and what manufacturers do you buy? Recently, I have not developed a relationship with purchased cheeses: even if it does not taste like a rubber sole, it does not stay longer than two or three days -, alas, it begins to become covered with completely innocent mold. In general, I'm sad. And when I'm sad, I start cooking - this time, for example, there was homemade cheese, about which my Elder, who hates cheese in general, said: "Mommy, is there more? Very tasty!" In general, I am satisfied. If you are thinking, be sure to try this option - the cheese is delicate, very neutral in taste, but at the same time interesting and characteristic - thanks to the addition of nuts. Talk about the usefulness? So I think that it is not necessary - and so everything is clear. I can't say that everything is done in no time, the recipe requires some effort, but it cannot be called complicated either: everything is accessible and easy, you just have to tinker with the cooking pots. By the way, if it were not for this moment (twenty-five basins, thirty ladles, five strainers, one hundred towels), I would probably make such a delicacy all the time. But, alas, I am lazy, and the abundance of dishes that must be washed after the recipe is killing me. In general, being interested in how to cook cheese at home, keep in mind that you will need to play well with the pots-bowls, but not critical.

Cheese is the Devil "s plaything.
Cheese is the machinations of the devil.
TV series "House M.D."

If you already know how to cook cheese at home, check the recipe anyway - it includes nuts, which makes the finished product very, very special. Delicious, satisfying, meaningful, healthy.


Ingredients:

1 kg of high-quality cottage cheese;

1 liter of fat milk;

100 g butter;

1 tsp salt;

1 tsp soda;

50 g of walnuts;

1 tsp cumin (optional).


We measure out the required amount of cottage cheese - not dry, not old, not sour. Delicious and high quality. We put it in a saucepan.


Fill with milk - fat, farm.


Bring to a boil, boil over low heat for 2-3 minutes.


Cover the colander with a piece of cotton cloth or two layers of gauze, drain the milk-curd mass.


We are waiting for the whey to leave, you can squeeze it out a little.


Melt the butter in another saucepan.


Break the eggs with a fork into a homogeneous mass.


Pour into butter, add salt and soda.


Mix, the mass will begin to foam. We spread the squeezed cottage cheese.


We put the pan in a water bath and grind into a homogeneous paste.


At this stage, you will need to play a little - I usually run out of patience, and I limit myself to simply achieving the plasticity of the mass, without bothering with the fact that part of the curd remains unmelted.


I pour in nuts and caraway, broken in small pieces (lately I like this spice so much that I add it where I can and cannot). We mix. Then, hot, shape the cheese into bars or "sausage", wrap it in foil or put it in molds. The yellow streaks that you see in the photo are my greed: I scraped dried cheese from the bottom of the pan.


We put it in a cool place, after 4-5 hours you can cut and feast on it.


Bon Appetit!