The Complete Guide to Making Cheese, Butter, and Yogurt at Home: Everything You Need to Know Explained Simply (Back to Basics Cooking) [Paperback]

Rick Helweg (Author)

Book Description

Series: Back to Basics Cooking | Publication Date: March 22, 2010

Since the earliest human civilizations in the west, milk has been gathered from domesticated animals such as the goat, sheep, and cow to create a wide variety of high protein and tasty foods including cheese, butter, and yogurt. With more than 3,000 kinds of cheese registered to the FDA and dozens of different recipes for butter and yogurt available, many people see great opportunities both to save money and to make a little profit in creating their own milk based products. The secret to making these products all lies in the recipes you have and the steps you take though. This book was written to provide every prospective cheese, butter, or yogurt maker the tools they need to prepare, create, and enjoy their favorite dairy products from the comfort of their home. You will learn everything you need to know about the various dairy products found in cheeses, butter, and yogurt to start creating your own at-home dairy goods. You will learn which ingredients are used for these assorted dairy products and what at-home equipment you will need to start benefiting from your own recipes. You will learn how to clean and care for your equipment, making sure everything remains sanitary and that your dairy products are always safe. You will learn the myriad of basic techniques necessary to understand the dairy product process, starting with raw milk and continuing until you make any number of soft, hard, or Italian cheeses. Dozens of top cheese makers and home dairy aficionados have been interviewed for this book and provided their experiences with dairy products. You will learn from them and this book the basics of creating queso blanco, fromage blanc, ricotta, feta, cheddar, gouda, Monterey jack, mozzarella, parmesan, and many other cheeses in addition to sour cream, yogurt, and butter. For anyone with a desire to start experimenting with dairy products at home, this book is the ideal starting point.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Atlantic Publishing Group Inc. (March 22, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 160138355X
• ISBN-13: 978-1601383556
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #140,473 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #51 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Cooking by Ingredient > Cheese & Dairy

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good Overview of Cheese making, May 15, 2010

By 

Eric Davis "grizz30002" (Bennett, CO USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Complete Guide to Making Cheese, Butter, and Yogurt at Home: Everything You Need to Know Explained Simply (Back to Basics Cooking) (Paperback)

This book covers the basics. Some recipes list all the ingredients, but are missing the specific measurement requirements.
Reading the authors' bio, I not quite sure he is an 'expert' in cheese making. Seems like he just pumped out 'another book' on a topic.
Provides a good list of resources for items, but I found cheaper/better sources via a standard web search.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Really excellent starter book!, July 5, 2010

By 

Jane - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Complete Guide to Making Cheese, Butter, and Yogurt at Home: Everything You Need to Know Explained Simply (Back to Basics Cooking) (Paperback)

I purchased a few books on cheese making at the same time as this one. Just getting back into all of these "back to basics" skills that I played with in the 60's & 70's. My grandson read all the books with me and this was the one that he liked the best of the lot. He is new to all of these ideas and he had no trouble at all following the recipes and the procedures through.

I learned some new things as well, but then I am no expert! Delightfully written, well thought out and easy to follow along.

I also need to add that we've had such good service from Amazon when purchasing our items ... great way to shop for the unusual type items that we like.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is essential for cheese makers, July 11, 2010

By 

Gisela Beutner (Upstate New York United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Complete Guide to Making Cheese, Butter, and Yogurt at Home: Everything You Need to Know Explained Simply (Back to Basics Cooking) (Paperback)

I made my first own cultured buttermilk and used it then for making quark. It worked and was delicious!

The book contains a short introduction into cheese making and gives an idea what is necessary when you start to make your own yoghurt and cheese. The instructions are clearly written and easy to understand. This book contains a few recepies and some hints of how to use the self-made cheese products and what better not to do.

I like this book and would recommend itfor beginners and more advanced cheese makers.