The Home Creamery: Make Your Own Fresh Dairy Products; Easy Recipes for Butter, Yogurt, Sour Cream, Creme Fraiche, Cream Cheese, Ricotta, and More! [Paperback]

Kathy Farrell-Kingsley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 18, 2008

You don't need a commercial kitchen or professional training to make your own fresh dairy products. With Kathy Farrell-Kingsley's simple, step-by-step instructions, you'll learn how to easily make yogurt, kefir, butter, piima butter, buttermilk, creme fraiche, quark, sour cream, cream cheese, cottage cheese, ricotta, goat cheese, mozzarella, and mascarpone. 

The Home Creamery also includes 75 delicious cooking and baking recipes that will use and showcase your homemade dairy products. You'll love the Lemon Scones, Buttermilk Pancakes, Cheese Blintzes, Olive and Cream Cheese Toasts, Curried Yogurt Dip, Grilled Cheese with Figs, Mushroom Bisque, Broccoli-Stuffed Shells, Beef Stroganoff, Chicken Enchiladas, Chocolate Sour Cream Cake, Tiramisu, Cherry Cheese Tart, and Pecan Swirls.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Farrell-Kingsley's thorough but unintimidating recipe instructions will enable any reader to make a variety of dairy products, and many home cooks will be eager to try them.”

Library Journal

 

“You won't churn out any award-winning artisanal brie, but you could make a darn fine mozzarella. Kathy Farrell-Kingsley is ready to walk you through the latter (as well as a variety of other easy soft cheese and dairy products) in her recent book, "The Home Creamery." This isn't the book for serious cheesemakers (as in, those who hope to ditch the corporate life for a dairy farm in Vermont), but rather those who enjoy playing in the kitchen or want bragging rights at their next dinner party. The recipes are simple, easy to follow and would be great projects to do with the kids. Cheeses include cream cheese, cottage cheese, ricotta, goat cheese, mozzarella and marscapone. The book also includes recipes for using the cheeses. Farrell-Kingsley also explains how to make yogurt, kefir, butter, creme fraiche and sour cream.”

Associated Press

“Imagine crème fraiche that’s really fresh.  If you’re up for a really fringy pursuit, you can learn to make your own dairy products – butter, yogurt, sour cream, cheeses – from Kathy Ferrell-Kingsley’s new book, The Home Creamery. With this guide, you’re biggest challenge might be finding a source for milk-curdling rennet.”

The Newark Star-Ledger

 

From the Back Cover

Fresh and Easy

You don't need a commercial kitchen or unrecognizable ingredients to whip up fresh buttermilk, yogurt, cream cheese, creme fraiche, mozzarella, goat cheese, and other dairy delights. Simpler-than-you-think instructions encourage you to turn your fresh, sweet milk and cream into cultured dairy products and soft, unripened cheeses.

Enjoy your creamy, homemade spreads and cheeses as simple accompaniments to small bites or light meals, or as starring ingredients in more substantial side dishes, salads, entrees, and desserts. 75 recipes -- from Cheese Blintzes to Chocolate Sour Cream Cake -- bring out the very best in your dairy creations.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 220 pages
• Publisher: Storey Publishing, LLC (June 18, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1603420312
• ISBN-13: 978-1603420310
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 0.5 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #104,668 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #54 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Cooking by Ingredient > Cheese & Dairy

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

80 of 83 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars A good primer, but not a great resource February 3, 2009

By Reader

Format:Paperback

If you've never tried making butter, yogurt, etc. and you just want to learn how to make a reasonable quart of yogurt or marscapone (as opposed to trying to be a diary expert), this is a good and useful book. The instructions are clear and concise, and it doesn't bog you down with too much technical data. After all, showing the kids how to make butter shouldn't require a master's level course in chemistry. If you have illusions about becoming some kind of master craftsman with your homemade ricotta, this book probably will disappoint.

Two things potential buyers should be aware of:
1. About 2/3 of the book is recipes for using basic dairy items. Maybe that's helpful to some, but wouldn't someone wanting to make their own cottage cheese already know what to do with it? The recipes are fairly run-of-the-mill. I didn't see any that I didn't already have in another source.

2. While the font size is large, the font style (the actual lines) is very thin, and the text is in a medium-brown ink against a off-white page. In other words, there is little contrast and it makes for poor legibililty unless you have extremely good vision (which I don't). Even my eagle-eyed spouse found the font color/type annoying and difficult. In addition, the binding doesn't allow th book to lay the book flat unless you break the spine. To publishing houses: How-to and cookbooks should be functional first and foremost. Attractive is nice, but the user shouldn't have to fight to read the font or keep the book open so s/he can work from it.

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars leaves much to be desired April 2, 2009

By J. Carlile

Format:Paperback

I have a lot of cookbooks, and besides making recipes from them, I simply enjoy reading them, getting the author's perspective etc. I bought this book hoping for an in depth introduction to making cheeses at home, plus some tips and tricks from someone who knows what they are doing. And well, this book is just boring. It certainly has easy to follow recipes for the basics -- yogurt, ricotta, butter, farmer's cheese -- but doesn't go beyond this. And the writing is sterile and without character.

Basically, my takeaway message is there is nothing in this cookbook (recipes, directions, witty writing even) that I couldn't easily find elsewhere, and is a boring read. Don't waste your money.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A very good place to start October 14, 2009

By Elaina M. Hancock

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is a good beginners book for soft cheese making. There are lots of easy-to-follow recipes for everything from butter to creme fraiche to mozzarella, just about any soft cheese you can imagine. Another nice quality this book has is that there are usually a few variations for a particular recipe, which comes in handy if you are short on a particular ingredient. I've made several recipes from this book with both cow's milk as well as goat's milk that have all come out well. Some of the recipes are a little confusing and leave a little room for guessing. As with anything, the first time trying a new recipe may be a little awkward, but you'll soon get the hang of it. I would definitely recommend this book to new cheese makers.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Meh... February 28, 2013

By Julie

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I am a bit disappointed to find the overall tone of raw cheese-making negative, as well as a total lack of raw milk techniques. Raw milk is healthier when from a clean, tested source (which is why I pay so much for our milk, and why I am loathe to cook it) so it's frustrating to get this book in the mail only to discover I probably will not use it.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Book is made for the Beginner January 3, 2012

By Nichole Franklin

Format:Paperback

This is an excellent book to get started on milk culturing. Goes over basic cheeses, cultured milk like buttermilk, yogurt, kefir, sour cream, piima milk etc. Plus butter and recipes then to use your cultured milk for!

If you've already been doing cultured milk and cheese than this book isn't going to take you anywhere new. However this book is great to get your feet wet, teach a newbie the ins and outs of culturing, and gives some tasty recipe ideas. A great book!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Made Easy March 27, 2011

By H.S.B.

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I did not know it would be so easy to make your own butter, sour cream, creamcheese etc. This book is a asset to anyone wanting to feel the satisfaction of doing your own thing towards living a healthier life knowing the incredients of the dairy products they consume, rather than just buying off the shelf and stuffing your body with preservatives.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome! January 22, 2013

By Ayn

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is an awesome addition to my collection of "kitchen" must haves. I use this book on a regular basis when making cheese. I actually borrowed it from my girlfriend, who recently wanted it back. I told her she couldn't have it back because it is my "go to" cheese book, so I ordered her a new one!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect for just starting out February 8, 2012

By BarefootinBaptist

Format:Paperback

I have made butter and some cheese before but wasn't exactly sure what I was doing. I bought this book yesterday and I am in love with it. I read most of it last night. It has several how to recipes with great details about texture and tastes. Great explanations. In that back half of the book there are some great recipes that show you how to use your dairy products. I found that to be great. We are getting a milk cow in a couple months (as soon as she freshens) and this book will be valued greatly in my collection.