Some months ago, I wanted to try out the cheese press I built.
I found a great site for supplies and super-specific, descriptive tutorials/recipes with LOTS of photos, New England Cheesemaking Supply Company.
I made their colby cheese, which turned out so good, by the way. Aside from having lots of pans to wash, it was actually easy to make my own hard cheese. I was amazed. Even the kids liked it.
I think the best part for me, next to slicing into the wax and serving it, tasting it, was simply holding the waxed cheese in my hand, turning it over, marveling at it. Patting it. It felt so good, smooth and perfect and solid. Small pleasures are the best, right?
I was very excited when the folks at New England Cheesmaking Company got in touch and offered to sponsor a product giveaway for our readers.
Not everyone has a press for hard cheeses, and not everyone is going to be in the mood for making their own mozzarella, but who can resist:
Mild Yogurt
AND
Not moi, for certain sure.
We’re giving away the first three to one winner and the last four to another winner. Now that may not be entirely fair, but we have seven items and that’s the way the dairy cultures, amigos. We may make you play rock, paper, scissors to see who gets what.
These are all direct set, easy to use cultures and they each come as a 5-pk.
To enter to win, comment on this post and tell us your favorite dairy product.
I know. Tough one, isn’t it? Making you work for it.
ENTRIES ARE NOW CLOSED. WINNERS WILL BE NOTIFIED BEGINNING MONDAY, JULY 16. THANKS FOR ALL YOUR COMMENTS!
I’m currently making a wheel of brie for the first time–It’s all white and fuzzy and ready to age for a month or two!
But my favourite cheese is gorgonzola, I have to admit. It’s so awesome in savoury tarts, salads, roasted beet empanadas–everything! But it’s a hard choice. I haven’t met a non-soy cheese I didn’t like!
Right now loving the blue cheese..goes so well with a spinach and berry salad! A close runner up would be yogurt..the thicker/ creamier the better!!
I read your blog every day and wonder to my self if any of the projects you do would be worthwhile for an old, single woman. Another worry I have is how would I ever do any thing outside with a postage size lot, in the city. in a cc and r governed community. Did the cheese making event make a huge amount? Would it be worthwhile for me to do it? Do you need unpasturized milk? If so where does one get this type of milk? If you think this would be a project for me, I’d love to be placed on the winning list.
Favourite dairy product..I almost wrote cheese-all kinds. But wait, ice cream is a dairy product, and I LOVE ice cream, so ice cream it is!
Favorite dairy item? Only one?!?! 😉 We love home-made ice cream. Cheese is so yummy, too – especially kefir cheese!
Kristine Barr–You are entered, definitely. You don’t need unpasteurized milk. These make manageable batches and the inoculants last for a long time in a cool dry place. I believe a lot of our projects are good for small lots and single folks. I’m glad you are looking!
Have only made mozzarella once and it was so good!
While I’ve made my own soaps and natural cleaning products for years, we are just beginning other ‘homesteading’ projects. We have chickens and a garden and are toying with the idea of beekeeping next year.
Becuase of our garden one of our favorite summertime pleasures is a wonderful caprese salad with fresh tomatoes and basil. I’ve always wanted to try my hand at making homemade mozzerella. Reading your article makes me want to try other cheeses too!
I can’t pick my favorite cheese! are you crazy! If I must I will say chedder.
How can I pick just one favorite dairy product? Like Carolyn, my automatic answer was cheese. I’m going to go with that or else this comment will simply become an internal debate as various other dairy wonderfulness compete for the #1 spot!
Do milkshakes count? Otherwise, cheddar.
Any of the blues: Stilton, Maytag, Roquefort, Danish, Dorset… oh my!
*Favorite* dairy product??
Yogurt, mozzarella, ice cream, butter, sour cream, asiago, provolone, cream cheese, creme fraiche, ……
There is absolutely no way to pick a favorite dairy product. That would be like asking me to pick a favorite child. They are all so different and amazing in their own ways, how can you choose? The one used most often in my kitchen is mozzarella, though. My Jersey-boy Italian hubby LOVES it and we use it in salads, pizza, pasta, egg dishes… the list is endless. I’ve tried experimenting with soft cheese like ricotta, mozzarella at home and have had mixed results, but I’m having a blast. I would love to try yogurt and sour cream etc… Fingers crossed over here, but I’ll be heading over to the New England Cheesemaking Supply Company site to check out their products in the meantime.
I love cheese… any kind of cheese… mmmmmm…. cheese…
Right now I’m really into Greek yogurt. Yum! I also like buttermilk because you can use it to make such delicious baked goods.
Oh, well, just this morning I had a fine bowl of FULL FAT greek yogurt with organic blueberries! I love anything dairy, really…cheese, cream top milk, rich salted butter!
I have only tried to make cheese once, based on your recipe, and I failed due to improper ingredient substitution. I’d love to make cheese again, and succeed this time!
CHEESE!! Maytag blue cheese is my current favorite.
Favorite dairy? Can’t pick. Love cheese, many many kinds. Glass of milk? Yep. Same with kefir and yogurt. Adore butter and sour cream on baked potato. Love ice cream. Whipped cream with fresh fruit. Buttermilk biscuits. Did I leave anything out?
I love all kinds of cheese!! How much fun would it be to make my own! So checking this out!!
My favorite dairy is sour cream. Or maybe cream cheese. And blue cheese. Oh and mozzarella. Love cheese!!!
Just one?! While I love all dairy products…I think I will choose butter as it is versatile and compliments so many other foods. Whew…that was a tough one!
We found a very easy chevre recipe that you cause with raw cow milk as well: http://ediblearia.com/2010/01/29/easy-raw-chevre/ . That is meeting our cheese needs at this point, but we would love to expand our choices.
I used to make all my own cheese! Would be fun to try again!
I just like dairy. The only things we make regularly right now are yogurt and mozzarella, but I’m starting to think about branching out.
My absolute favorite is our raw goat’s milk, still warm from milking, straight into my morning coffee!
I love homemade mozzarella as part of a caprese salad. It’s my favorite!
My favorite cheese is probably Saint Andre, but lately I’ve been enjoying fresh mozzarella with pesto on it. Mmmm. 🙂
creme fraiche and cultured butter…after you’ve had cultured butter it’s hard to go back sweet cream butter.
Well this is just wrong, making us pick just one! they are all so different. I love Stilton cheese. Clotted cream on scones with fresh strawberries. Thick Greek yogurt with honey. Shaved parmesan on spaghetti. I could go on and on and on. Having cucumber raita tonight, homegrown cukes and mint, homemade yogurt. Yum!
My favorite dairy is hands down Ice Cream! but I also love yogurt, provolone, cheddar, mozzarella, parmesan!
I LOVE YOUR BLOG!!!! I am raising my 3 young grandchildren and check your blog daily for new things I can do with them. Soapmaking….rugbraiding……basketweaving….you have it all and you make it easy to follow along with your tutorials. I am hoping to try cheesemaking soon….. we love cheese!!! Mozzarella and farmer cheese are probably my personal favorite cheeses but like all the other comments here…..who can choose 1 fave dairy product?? I am sure the little ones would say icecream or yogurt……..i say CHEESE!!!!!!!!
Fresh ricotta is the best!
Right now I’m loving homemade yogurt and kefir.
Good golly! I agree, this question has caused me to ponder who I truly am and if the meaning of life IS indeed, to eat dairy products. But if I had to pick one, it might be cream cheese…it embodies the richness of cream, the tartness that comes with culturing, and so nice and smooth.
Being from Wisconsin it’s hard to beat fresh cheese curds for me! They are also super easy to make at home!
My favorite dairy product is ice cream! But I’ve been wanting to try making my own cheese for a long time. It sounds so fun!
Sour cream. Or Creme Fraiche is yummy, too.
Favorite dairy product has to be fresh mozzarella. Pretty sure I could live on nothing but that. 🙂
Brie cheese. It’s great with a cup of hot coffee and a slice of toasted baguette, it’s wonderful baked and served with pita chips, or with fig paste and walnuts as a quick snack. I love brie!
Homemade yogurt is a weekly staple here. READY and really wanting to try making cheese next. Currently hooked on a fab goat cheese Gouda .. Now if I could only talk my husband into a goat..
Milk, butter, cheese they are all the best. How could you even pick just one dairy item? Although a sharp cheddar is really wonderful.
To quote my favorite romcom, “I could no sooner choose a favorite star in the heavens!” I love dairy so very much. Lately I’ve really been enjoying homemade ice cream. I’ve been slowly making my way through The Perfect Scoop and the butterscotch pecan is amazing!
Gosh….my favorite changes from day to day! I love all things dairy. Right now, I am eating a lot of Greek yogurt with honey and walnuts.
Only one? Cheese is top, followed by ice cream… I make my own ice cream and have made ricotta cheese… Woul love to try some other types… Favorite cheese? Gouda… Or cheddar… No, Brie… Sigh… Cannot pick!
WOW ,What a great giveaway. I love all dairy but I really love greek yogurt.
Not tough at all. My favorite daily is either Amish Farmers Cheese or homemade yogurt with half half & half & half whole milk. I’ve been enjoying kefir for the last month or so so I enjoy that too.
Hands down, ice cream!
My daughters and I are vegetarians, so we rely heavily on dairy products for our protein, calcium etc. We love it all! One real favorite, though it is difficult to come by, is kefalograviera, a Greek cheese used to make saganaki. Have meant to try making cheese for quite some time–perhaps the time has come!
Hard to pick just one, right now I’m loving smoked cheddar!
Cheesecake counts, doesn’t it?!??!! Hands down my favorite 🙂
I LOVE yogurt…I eat it every day!!! and of course all kinds of cheese…love Bleu Cheese especially!!!! I hope I win!! yummmy!!!!!!!!!
I cannot imagine a day without a cold glass of milk, or half and half in my coffee or maybe an ice cream bar or …….? You get the picture. Give me Brie any day. Thanks for all the wonderful information!!!
Reading these comments was a hoot! I, too, could never choose just one favorite dairy product. Butter is pretty high on the list, but a soft goat cheese with fresh tomatoes and basil is darn tasty. And my raw zucchini salad wouldn’t be the same without shaved parm on top. Then there’s cheddar. And Swiss! Mmmm! Ice cream, yogurt, cream for my coffee…. And people wonder why I daydream of my very own cow. And goat. 😀
I just love dairy…milk, cheese, yogurt! I need a cow especially with 2 teenage sons!
Any cheese. Cottage cheese, pepperjack cheese, colby cheese, mozzerella cheese. I might be part mouse.
Cheese for sure! Aged sharp cheddar or swiss….yummmmmmm!
I’ve been wanting to get into cheesemaking for a while and winning some free culture would be just the kick in the pants I need…
Hard to pick one but it would have to be yogurt.
Cheese takes the cake.
I have been wanting to order from these guys forever!! I absolutely love cheese, particularly stracchino, which I can’t find anywhere around here and which is the reason I want some cheese making supplies!! 🙂
This is too hard! I love ALL of the “made from real milk” things. If I HAVE to choose, oooh, let’s see….aaah… okay, what were the choices again? FROMAGINA! That’ll do.
Thanks!
I love your blog, just recently I have started making our own soaps and cleaning supplies but have not ventured into homesteading yet. I throughly enjoy reading your blog and all the great tutorials and tips you have. Thank you!! Choosing a favorite diary product?!? Close to impossible!! My children and husband would say cheese, as soon as I buy it it disappears!!
Passion Fruit Greek Yogurt!! DELISH!!
My favourite is cheese and I love this goats milk cheese called Monte Enebro from Spain. It can be both pungent and creamy at the same time. MMMMMMMM.
I love all dairy, but yogurt would be my favorite.
Oooh, I love making cheese and would love trying some of these cultures.
Yum ! These look like a lot of fun ! And food ? Oh yea, I hope I win ! lol
cheddar cheese curds and whole milk yogurt!
I LOVE extra sharp cheddar cheese!!!! mmmmmmmm!
I would love to make cheese! My favorite is white cheddar.
I love to make cheese and yogurt. One of my favorite cheeses is Farmer’s Cheese.
I’d have to pick homemade herbed soft cheese as my favorite dairy product! Thanks for the chance to win in the giveaway.
My favorite dairy product is a warm cup of hot chocolate. But I can never turn away from cheese either!
Cheese! Fresh mozzarella and cheddar are my favorites.
My husband does not like cheese….(!)…not allergic…just does not like it. (Yes, I married him anyway. He’s a great husband and father.)
Winning this would be a good way to prove my theory that he just has never had REAL cheese. (He didn’t like whole grain bread, either, until he had a fresh-baked loaf. =)
Yogurt and butter are big at our house. Old-fashioned Irish cheese. And really sharp cheddar.
Kefir is at the top of my list and then anything dairy after that!
A adore cheese making…goat cheese is huge for me but the most commonly used dairy product around here other than milk for my kids is sour cream. I bake with it constantly. I would be lost without it.
We drink lots and lots of milk in our house, but we also love yogurt and cottage
My husband and I often make a simple supper of cheese and olives. Oh, and wine. And maybe a little more wine. I’ve made mozzarella a couple of times, but would love to branch out.
Dairy and I don’t always see eye to eye, but I’ve been dying to make some cheese form the family. I think our favorite is cream cheese. Besides, fromage blanc sounds wonderful!
We drink lots and lots of milk in our house, but we also love yogurt and cottage cheese. My husband can’t get enough cheesecake. It would be such a treat to make our own cheeses.
Favorite dairy product? ALL of them! It’s not coffee without a little sweet cream. It’s not a salad without a little sprinkling of cheese and a dollop of yogurt ranch dressing. It’s not dessert without whipped cream or ice cream. It’s not a smoothie without milk and yogurt. I could go on and on! I seriously need a cow and a couple of goats!
Thanks for posting such a great giveaway!
Cheese! No, wait, it’s ice cream! Cheese/ice cream… I don’t think I can choose between the two most perfect foods as my favorite. 🙂
Yogurt is my favorite dairy product.
I like just about everything diary!
Do any of you remember that ad that runs around Christmas with the little girl surrounded by presents. Her dad asks what kinds of cookies she left for Santa and she says I left him cheese!”
My husband always jokes that should be me. I adore cheese. Soft cheese. Hard cheese. Cow cheese. Goat cheese. I was horrified when I first moved to the US about 15 years ago and realized the grocery store carried American cheese, Swiss cheese, or cheese in a can. Luckily things have much improved.
I like just about every kind of cheese. I use cheese in most of the dishes I prepare. I have been researching how to make cheese at home so my family can become more self sufficient. Thank you for the wonderful post and the cheese making information. I love receiving your emails.
Many years ago my dear mother-in-law, Rosie, would eat cornbread crumbled in buttermilk. Now, I hated buttermilk, but it looked so good I asked her how in the world she could stand the sour milk. She said if I would start with about an inch of buttermilk in a glass, adding the rest sweet milk as she called it, and do that for a week, then increase the buttermilk amount each week I would soon be drinking all buttermilk and liking it. It worked. I LOVE buttermilk now, and also yoghurt, sour cream, and creme fraische! And, I DO add cornbread to a cold glass of buttermilk. None better!
We get a butter cheese from Costco that make the ooey gooiest, yummiest grilled cheese sandwiches.
It’s a hard decision, but I think my favorite must be yogurt. It’s so versatile – you can make cheese with it, frothy summer drinks, mix it with garlic and spices for a dip, mix it with fruit for a snack, or just eat it like it is.
Plus it’s so easy to make!
I love all things dairy and I’ve always wanted to try making something dairy.
Cheese, any kind, I LOVE cheese; does cream cheese count? oh, then there is cream! what about sour cream??? and I just like a good glass of milk too . . . . :0)
Hands down, it’s yogurt. I’ve eaten it at least 3x a week for more years than I will admit to!
Yogurt, hands down! Especially with some strawberries mixed in 🙂
Love these posts – you actually provide links to useful sites. Never made cheese before, but I just might have to try the Fromagina, it sounds so interesting.
Hard cheese. Picking a favorite would be like trying to pick a favorite child, but if you’re going to MAKE me pick a favorite, Dubliner cheese is my favorite treat. I have a round of goats milk cheddar aging right now. It is quite a fulfilling process, isn’t it?
I’d have to say my absolute favorite dairy product is fresh milk straight from the cow! The warm creamy goodness is unparalleled and you can make so many things with it. Fresh milk is the winner for me, hands down.
I love making my own yogurt and have been wanting to try some cheese, but have been very hesitant. I’ll have to check out their website.
please enter me in the drawing…..my favorite is yogurt
I would have to say that I cannot decide my favorite dairy product. We enjoy yogurt, cheese, sour cream, cream cheese, cottage cheese, ice cream, kifer….. Cant get enough!! Thank you for this giveaway. I hope I win!
I drink a lot of organic fat free milk, but I LOVE cheese, esp. sharp cheddar!
Favorite dairy is really hard to pick – probably the sour cream. My Texan loves his food spicy and I couldn’t live without my sour cream to tone it down a notch.
I have recently fallen in love with Greek Yogurt to be healthy. But in any not so healthy given day – I am in love with just about every cheese out there. Brie is another top choice.
That is a hard choice. I guess it is a toss up between cheese and ice cream. But to acutally choose one? I just don’t know.
Tough one, since I like cheese so much, but I think really good butter (preferably with some chives mixed in) is probably my favorite. 🙂
Favorite dairy product…..Love whipped cream! Mmmmm. But favorite cheese has to be ricotta.
This is a tough one! Favorite dairy product is cheese, favorite cheese (this is where it gets hard) parmesan (any smoked cheese is a close second).
We’re fortunate to live just down the road from a certified raw milk dairy farm. I make kefir all the time & have been straining it to make kefir cheese and then using the whey to ferment fruits & vegetables. The fermented blackberries I made last summer have lasted almost an entire year – and OMG – they are Good!
My favorite is Fontina cheese. mmmm!
I’m looking for someone to be a guest blogger on my Old School site with a cheese-making post and I’d love you to consider it. Let me know, ok?
Favorite dairy product? But there are SO many! Hmm… I’d have to say Ice Cream.
Wow! Favorite dairy product…that’s IMPOSSIBLE! I would have to say cottage cheese because it has so much protein and relatively few calories if you get the skim kind. We joke that our son is made of cottage cheese because I ate so much of it when I was pregnant with him!
Butter! My favorite dairy product is butter. Even if I had a jersey cow I couldn’t keep up with my butter consumption! It’s so useful and tasty.
My favorite right now is fresh mozzarella – with fresh tomatoes & basil from the garden, it is my “go to” summer lunch-yum!
Cheese is our household favorite. I prefer a rich chocolate ice cream but my husband prefers milk which he drinks by the quart (in one sitting!). Thank heaven for reduced fat milk!
After chocolate, dairy is my favorite food group! 🙂 We use a lot of sour cream and cheddar for our quesadillas, tacos, casseroles, etc., so I’d have to say those are my favorite.
That’s a difficult decision….I guess I’d have to say mozzarella or cheddar is my favorite cheese….but then ice cream would be my favorite dessert. Now I’m hungry ….
Oh man, that is a hard one! I think my favorite is really sharp British cheddar, the kind where it’s a bit flaky and there are little crunchy tyrosine crystals from the long aging. *sigh*
my favorite dairy product is cheese…and ice cream…and and and….:O)
Ice cream from the 1st time I tasted it.
NO WHEY!! i just ordered my first kit from them this morning! i love all dairy products. but my favorites have to me my moms homemade ice cream and the mozz that i made last week using Ricki’s recipe and ingredients that i got from a local store.
I would have to say that my favorite dairy product is a toss up between Havarti and Provolone cheeses.
Ice cream is my favorite dairy product, but I can’t pass up a good sharp cheddar or a smoked gouda. I just took my first cheese making class a couple weeks ago, making mozzarella. It was so much fun I want to do more. Winning this sure would get me going in the right direction!
I love most dairy products, but I’m going to have to say yogurt, because it has so many possibilities. I fell in love with the thick European yogurt years ago and we finally got it in the markets in the form of Greek yogurt, but I still love to make my own…and eat it with fruit, drain it to thicken it up and add some herbs for a spread, and on to other great things. But I also adore sharp and extra sharp cheddar and smoked gouda and brie and bleu cheese and feta. Dairy in general is just plain good.
My favorite dairy product is ricotta, works well with almost anything!!!
I love cream! (and sour cream, cheese, milk – kinda looks like there’s not much I don’t like)
I’ve actually made homemade ricotta and there’s nothing like it. My next attempt will be mozzarella, but sour cream is on my list, too. Can’t wait to try it on baked potatoes!
Kefir is my favorite, hands down.
satsukirebel AT gmail DOT com
I love sharp cheddar… and of course ice cream! It would be so wonderful to make your own cheese! I have not tried yet, but would love to try my hand at fresh mozzarella. Thank you for the opportunity to win!
I love making yogurt for my little boy. I use butter the most. But my most favorite dairy product is creme fraiche. I made my own to accompany pies for Thanksgiving one year and oh.my.word. Takes it to a whole other level!
I have wanted to make my own cheese, yogurt and buttermilk for a while now. I’ll have to give New England Cheesemaking Supply Company a try!
You made a hard cheese? All I have ever seen is the kits for yogurt and soft cheeses. I have wanted to try for a year or so now-so this contest is my chance to curd ! Did you use your goat milk? My husband is not a fan of goat cheese-but a good hard colby or cheddar will get his attention! This year my girlfriend and I will be canning and cheese making together. She has not been too keen on the dairy project-she worries about cost vs outcome so if we get a chance at the kits-oh happy days! I have always wanted to make my own cheese, but my own sour cream? How neat! I use it weekly and if I have the chance to learn how to make it, even better. Also will be checking out the New England Cheesemaking Supply Co.
Love this blog!
YUM 🙂 is there really more comment needed???
will def be running to their website, but a jump start with a free kit sure would be nice.
fav dairy product????? hmmmm, since i’ve been making my own ice cream (and now can no longer eat store bought), i would have to say a good organic cream….. YUM!!!!! (but, makes me think…. if i make my own cheese, will i EVER be able to buy store bought again???? plz make me a convert 🙂
thanks for all the good info and links
Love that company- they have so many amazing products! My favorite dairy product……manchego!
My favorite dairy product would have to be butter, I think. Cheese in all forms is a very close second though.
I guess my favorite is yogurt I make from organic skim milk. I use it for lots of things. But then there is butter that makes everything taste good! I use Amish butter, but the best I ever tasted was in Paris from a market…fresh with coarse sea salt…on a baguette….and then the cheese…..oh, my! Hard to choose a favorite, for sure!
I want to make mozzarella now.
Oh, oh, oh, pick me, pick me, pick me! Cheese making is on my list of foods to try to make! I have been moving towards making instead of purchasing chemical-laden , long distance traveled items and foods for our personal consumption, including cleaning products, hand and laundry soap, creme fraiche, salad dressings, bread. I’d love to try making cheeses!
Aged gouda. Nothing better than well aged gouda.
Cheese? Who doesn’t like cheese?!? My grandmother used to make her own cheese and it was delicious!
Favorite dairy treat: ice cream
BUT, you can’t live on ice cream. So, in the long run, I love cheese.
Cheddar cheese is the best but yogurt is a close second and can be used in so many ways. I’ve been wanting to try making my own for a long time.
ICE CREAM!!! Cultured dairy- my favorite is Havarti cheese.
Cheese…any kind! We love it all!
I love fresh home made yogurt but I fell in love with home made Creme fraiche a few years ago when a friends took cooking classes and made me a batch. Sadly I never learned to make it myself:(
I live in the dairy state so we love most all of it! I think my favorite would have to be a good, locally made brick cheese. YUM!
My favority dairy product is probably whipped cream.
BUTTER,BUTTER, BUTTER!
Extra-extra-sharp cheddar cheese — the kind that stinks a little and gets oily when you leave it out on the counter for a few hours. That’s my favorite, hands-down.
My family’s favorite dairy product has to be cheese! We eat so much everyday! I wish I could name a favorite cheese but each one is perfect in its own way. I worked at a cheese factory in NM years ago. My favorite cheese to eat fresh off the belt was pepper jack! I’ve actually been wanting to try making our own. I’ve been slowly becoming more and more self sufficient making homemade foods, and cheese is next on the list!
Yogurt is hands down my favorite. It can be used so many different ways, and if you don’t have any sour cream or cream cheese, no worries, plain yogurt can be an excellent substitute. Having said all that, I would love to have it all 🙂
Cheddar or edam
I love pretty much all dairy!! My favorites are cheese and yogurt. This would be awesome to win!! I have never made cheese and would love the opportunity to make it. Thanks!!!
Yum! We are HUGE mozzarella fans!
Yougart has become my favorite dairy product. I love to eat it in dry oatmeal with frozen blueberries. Yum! We have recently gotten dairy goats and hope to breed our little doe and start milking her soon. I hope to try my hand at cheese and lots of yummy things!
Having grown up in the dairy state (Wisconsin), I am fond of most dairy products, aside from the stinkiest cheeses. But, my two current favorites are Horseradish Cheddar and Havarti. I also love goat cheeses, am looking forward to making some myself once my goaties have their first kids next Spring. Thanks for the goat chapter in your book. After reading it, I finally felt brave enough to be the first (only!) goat owner in my Asheville, NC suburb. I love them so much, had no idea how loving, affectionate and smart goats are!
My favorite dairy is sour cream with cottage cheese coming in as a close second.
My favorite would be the old and trusted standby…..butter!
I love goat cheeses with herbs. It can be used so many ways or my favorite, by itself on a cracker. Always a hit with company, looks and tastes great.
My kids love cheese so much, I swear they are mice! I would love to try my hand at cheese making – especially since one of my girls is lactose sensitive, would love to see if I could make it with lactose free milk for her.
Has to be 1% milk. I know, that’s pretty boring, but I drink it every day. There’s nothing else that goes as well with a turkey sandwich or a morning muffin.
Making cheese has been on my learn to do list for awhile now, so this is an exciting giveaway for me, thanks for the opportunity!
Definitely cheese. Now picking a favorite cheese would be close to impossible, but cheese is by far my favorite dairy product.
I DO like sour cream! LOL
My favorite is definitely swiss, but I love them all!
I LOVE cottage cheese with seasoned salt sprinkled on top. However my interest in yogurt, homemade yogurt in particular, has recently been piqued after reading French Women Don’t Get Fat.
Irish cheddar, extra sharp. Yum!
My favorite is sour cream with cottage cheese following closely. I love all cheeses. It seems as those I didn’t care for when I was younger I really enjoy as I get older, perhaps I’m getting wiser too eh? Jane
Blue cheeeeeeez!!!!!
My favorite dairy product has to be yogurt. I love it’s versatility: plain, mixed with fruit, oatmeal, granola, in smoothies, use it for baking, or eliminate the whey and have yogurt cheese.
Cream cheese — lately I’ve been making yogurt cheese, which is pretty close. Delish on pretzels, crackers or flour tortillas.
I’ve tried the 30 minute mozzarella with some success. Eager to move onto a more traditional process.
I really enjoy your blog!!
my favorite dairy product right now is yogurt, simply because it has been so hot that all i want to eat are veggies and dip! but there is nothing like a homemade, handmade cheese and frankly i’d be happy to learn to make any of them.
WOW!! That cheese making is the one thing I always thought about but did not do. YOU ROCK!! Patty
Wow! I think it’s great and an accomplishment that you made your OWN cheese! This is something I want to try and haven’t had the courage. I’ll be checking out your information and site. Kudos and job well done! My favorite dairy is actually 2 – longhorn cheese and buttermilk. The only cheese I don’t like so far that I have tired in Blue cheese – however I do like it in recipes – strange but true! Now I’m off to the New England Cheesmaking Company website! thanks!!
By far, our favorite dairy product is fresh, raw, whole milk. Without this delicious ingredient, none of those other wonderful products would be possible. And by itself, fresh, raw, whole milk is quite amazing. Its taste takes me back to my grandparents house in Minnesota where, as a child, I would drink it freely from the jug that they kept in the refrigerator.
I love all cheese, and I like having a nice mascarpone on hand; you can make an instant creamy sauce with it and it’s great at mellowing out bitter leafy greens, which I eat a lot. And of course you can make dessert with it, too.
Talk about perfect timing! I checked out a book from the library about making your
own dairy products. It would be a joy to be the winner of any of these.
It’s impossible to pick just one! Right now mine is pepper jack. Mmm mmm.
Ooh, I have so many. Right now I’d have to say it’s raw milk goat cheese with garlic & basil from our farmer’s market. Mmm…
I have always wanted to make cheese. Found some recipes to make soft cheeses that I hopefully will try yet this summer. My favorite dairy product is fresh mozzarella. Thanks for the information on the cultures. I will have to check them out.
I’d have to say my favorite dairy product is yogurt. I have one almost every single day! I’m a big fan of most cheeses, too. I’m so impressed that you make your own!
I love fresh mozzarella in a tbm salad
Vietnamese-style yogurt. When frozen and left to just slightly thaw, it’s even better than ice cream. It’s so easy to make at home, too!
That’s a tough one. My favorite dairy product is…cheese. *ALL* cheese.
I tried to get my husband to go vegan with me for a month, 2 weeks, 1 week, 3 days, 1 day. His only reply was, “What about cheese?” We went to the East Village Cheese Shop to celebrate.
My favorite dairy is CHEESE!
extra sharp chedder or goat cheese
Cheese, cheese and more cheese!! Would love to make my own.
Picking a favorite is difficult for us. The yogurt I have in the morning with a drizzle of honey is heavenly, hubby has his with fruit. Later in the day coffee with half and half is hard to beat whether it’s hot or cold. Then there’s the afternoon cheese snack, a bit of cheddar maybe with an apple. Later in the day is fresh mozzarella with a slice of tomato and fresh basil leaf. Yeah, the mozz is probably the hardest to beat with yogurt a close runner up. And we haven’t even gotten to what we do with cottage cheese or sour cream and fresh veggies. YUM! I guess we’re dairy junkies…lol!
Gouda, Brie, ice cream 🙂
I bought a book about making cheese that was great but haven’t been able to buy any of the equipment or ingredience. I could live on cheese and would like to be able to make my own. Yours sounds great and I can appreciate how it made you feel to accomplish making your own cheese. Cheese to you!
We love all cheeses! Cy
favourite is gouda cheese, yummy!!
Greek yogurt!
Cheese a a very important food group! I can’t wait to try to make some of these recipes I am so excited !!!!
ice cream!!!
I’m glad to hear about your adventures in cheese making. I’ve tried making cheese w/goat milk and field expedient utensils (what an adventure) and still had something cheese-ish. Think I’ll try ice cream (my favorite).
Yogurt…hands down!
My favorite is cheese ALL cheese. I would love to be able to make my own.
All cheese! We live in the Midwest after all. I recently had homemade white cheddar from an Amish family recently, best I have ever tasted!
So hard to choose a favorite, but I guess it has to be cheese, cheddar, goat cheese, brie, romano…You name it, I love it!
Congrats on the cheese, There is nothing better than fresh made cheese .
Right now I am on a cottage cheese kick. Cottage cheese with fresh peaches, cranberries is good too.
I love all dairy! My favorites are a tie between a glass of cold, fresh milk or fresh mozerella. My favorite dish is caprese-tomato, mozerella, basil and EVOL. I actually made my first homemade cheese by following the recipe on this site. All it takes is milk, vinegar and a little bit of time!
My favorite dairy product is buttermilk BUT yogurt,cheese and butter are definitely
close contenders.
I’ve pleaded with mu husband to make me a cheese press….he can’t seem to find time. I put together a makeshift, rather shabby-looking one…can with holes in it, plastic lid with a (sanitized) rock on it…oh I’m too embarrassed to describe it, but it made the most lovely semi-hard cheese. I used the calf Rennet I found at a brewing supply store. (We make wine also from our fruit trees and grape vines). The cheese is heavenly, light, lightly salted, and scrumptious with fresh Tabouli, or just eaten with my home-made, dutch oven sourdough bread and sliced ripe heirloom tomatoes from a garden I learned to build on your website. My press is messy and not pretty, so you know I would LOVE to have a nice one, but can’t really afford to buy the commercial ones. So now you have my entry. Thanks for the CHANCE to win, whether I do or not!
Happy Trails, friends!
Nancy
MMM Buttermilk pancakes are AWESOME. I really love the extra flavor of buttermilk in baking.
I make a gallon of yogurt at a time, but still have never tried cheese! I think I have Ricki’s book too : ). Good for you that you made that Colby; cheese is expensive!
All dairy is wonderful, it’s difficult to choose just one. I love cream cheese (not the strained curds that some call cream cheese) and sour cream, especially if it’s Daisy. I actually had some raw cream go sour once, and it was delicious! I love buttermilk and kefir (or fresh whey) for making the fluffiest whole grain breads.
I would love to find some good old fashioned unpasteurized Buttermilk from grass-fed only cows. I grew up on that and raw milk. The difference between that and pasteurized store-bought buttermilk is like night and day. Yes, it makes all baked goodies extra fluffy! I used it in my sourdough and Rye breads for a delightfully different taste. I miss it a lot….sigh.
My favorite dairy product: it’s a tie between ten-year-old cheddar, and homemade cream cheese (cultured, yay! and not just manufactured under high pressure like the store stuff) mixed with basil . . . ahh.
This week my favorite dairy item is sour cream.
We love all things dairy! I always have at least 3 kinds of cheeses as well as a 3lb tub of sour cream. Thanks for the chance!
Buttermilk!
My favorite dairy product ? Oh gosh.. a tie between Greek Yogurt and Kefir. I also love to make fresh whipped cream and creme’ fraiche.
My favorite dairy is cottage cheese. If I had to name a second it would be sour cream.
I dearly love all things dairy. Never a day passes that I don’t drink milk, eat cheese, (my favorite being sharp cheddar) or use sour cream, cream cheese or cottage cheese in my meals every single day. I know they are healthy for my family, and honestly could not survive without them. I serve cheese with crackers or fruit and it doesn’t last long around here. My kids, grand kids and friends all know where the cheese is kept. I have made cottage cheese before and would love to learn to make other cheeses as well. Thanks for the opportunity to enter the giveaway!
I love plain milk in my coffee and I love yogurt ( I make mine on top of the food dehydrator) and I like kefir but it has to be in a smoothie (with fresh mint to compliment the taste) but my favourite cheese. I would love to learn to make that soft cheese. my hubby eats that Vache que rit a lot so any soft cheeese would be a hit in our house
Fresh mozzarella, mmmmmmmmm!
With tomatoes from my garden, of course.
OOOh! I’ve been wanting to try making my own cheese. My favorite product is the smoked applewood cheddar I just bought. Yummy!
How did you make your cheese press? Would love to know…and anyone else out there in cyberspace who wants to chime in….much appreciated.
Kat
Kat–I sort of made it up. Hopefully someday I will perfect it and put a plan on the site. The New England Cheesemaking Co. has a plan for sale, but I haven’t made that one myself. I’m sure it’s great.
I love cheese. My new favourite is called halooumi cheese found in Middle Eastern grocery stores. A tad bit too salty for my taste but sooo delicious…I like to fry a few slices in a skillet and serve with eggs (sunny side up), along with some fresh bread, olives and maybe a mango milk/yogurt smoothie….mmmmmm, the perfect brunch!
I would love to start making my own cheeses. We just moved to a rural New England area from the midwest and I am getting back into making and doing things myself. Fresh mozzarella is my favorite. There is nothing better than just picked tomatoes and fresh mozzarella with some balsamic vinagrette on it for lunch!
I tasted some homemade cheese yesterday made from raw milk. It had to be the best tasting cheese I’ve ever had. It’s worth learning how to make homemade cheese.
Choose just one? Love sharp cheddar cheese. And Feta. And Parmesan. Actually, I always have at least half a dozen different cheeses in my fridge for eating/cooking. Oh, and drink and use lots of milk. Of course, there’s cream for cooking with and making fresh whipped cream (and in my tea when I feel extravagant); sour cream for eating on top of everything and baking with; buttermilk is wonderful in baked goods; yogurt is so tasty and who can resist it in a smoothie; cream cheese is so versatile…..Oh wait, I was supposed to choose just one. Guess I got carried away! ;-D
I love farmers cheese and sharp cheddar… and of course homemade ice cream!!
Glad your cheese making was a success! I love cheese and recently bought a white cheddar with fenugreek in it, it was divine, definitely a new favorite! I could eat that all day!
Love making fresh mozzarella. Have also been making farmhouse cheddar and Gouda.
Yummy.
Milk, cheese, cottage cheese, ice cream! I love it all!
You guys are awesome.
Fresh Mozzarella! Love a little basil with it.
although I’m not a huge dairy fan for the most part, I do love any type of cheese. I could make an entire meal of a cheese plate. (and I may have)
Love your site!!! The best cheese ever is Muenster cheese!!! Delicioso!
Kefir made with raw milk that I get from the greatest farm ever! Sometimes I strain my finished kefir in a coffee filter, and make “pretend cheese”. It is good on crackers.
cheese, cheese and more cheese!! congrats on your cheese, so exciting!! would love to make my own tooooo