Home Cheese Making, 4th Edition

Thanks to NetGalley, I enjoyed a few weeks access to a copy of Home Cheese Making, 4th Edition by Ricki Carroll. I have yet to try any of the recipes so I can’t say whether or not this book will help you make good cheese, but I can tell you this book is amazing.

Part 1 is all about getting started and begins with a short introduction to the history of cheese, before moving to an in-depth overview of ingredients which spans about 21 pages. Chapter 2 is all about equipment needed, and how to sterilise it. Next follows a deliciously long chapter 3 on cheese-making techniques, with lots of clear photos. It includes plenty of helpful directions, definitions, procedures, and ends with suggestions for storing finished cheese properly.

Part 2 is contains the cheese recipes, divided into the following sub-sections: Fresh Cheese, Soft and Semi-Soft Ripened Cheese, Hard and Semi-Hard Cheese, Blue Cheese, Goat Cheese, Whey Cheese, and Cultured Dairy Products. This last chapter includes recipes for items such as butter, yogurt, ghee, clotted cream, kefir, labneh, etc.

Part 3 is all about how to eat the cheese. Chapter 11 contains tips and techniques for serving cheese including how to create satisfying cheese boards. Chapters 12 through 16 are all recipes that include or complement cheese, from breakfast foods, dips, breads, snacks, soups, salads, main courses to drinks and desserts.

For me this was as close to a perfect how-to book as I’ve ever seen. I wish more subjects were covered in the same way Carroll does here. I will probably never make my own cheese, but I loved this book so much I will be buying a copy for myself anyway.