Post Punk Kitchen Forum

IM SO EXCITED OMG

Actually, I was surprised how little work was involved in making the cashew mozzarella. It's like making hummus from dry chickpeas: it takes a long time, but there is very little active work.

Soak cashews; blend them with rejuvelac; wait for it to ferment; boil agar in water; blend fermented cashews with agar; dump balls of blended mixture in icewater; eat!

That doesn't sound scary at all.

So excited! I think my love affair with Dr Cow is finally over.

I bought a Vitamix in anticipation of this book. I can't wait! Oh delicious vegan cheese, I've waited for you for so long...

I may or may not have ordered a refurb model for the same reason. My common sense (and lack of funds) overrode my need for instant gratification, so I saved about $200 by not grabbing the one in the store and buying it. But now I must wait forever. Or 8-15 days.

which is practically the same thing.
I am saving up (for the rest of my life) for one, but the ninja I have is high powered... it just takes a bit longer.

The ONLY reason I managed is from working my FT internship this summer. I still feel guilty, but I figured it made more sense for me to take the plunge and get the Vitamix that should last forever. My reasoning wasn't *just* for the cheese, but it was the final thing that pushed me over.

that makes sense. :)
and that's true, you can now do tonnes of other things... as well as cheese.

Hopefully this releases early. I have a fridge full of nuts.

Miyoko, if you're still following this, could you let me know what nuts and other supplies I should be on the lookout for? I'm assuming if I find raw cashews on sale I should stock up, but anything else you use a lot of? If it helps, I'll probably jump at aged cheddar, feta (if you have it), and melty cheeses.

In answer to your question, cashews are most frequently used, although some other nuts are as well. For the meltable cheeses, some don't use any nuts at all. Instead, they rely on non-dairy yogurt (there is a recipe in the book for a really thick, rich yogurt as well). Agar and carrageenan are also used, as well as various seasonings that are easy to come by. As mentioned earlier in the thread, rejuvelac and yogurt are the primary culturing agents, as they are readily available or can be made in any home kitchen and don't require spending $20 for a bottle of probiotics. I tried to stick with recipes that could be made universally without extensive equipment (such as a cheese press - I have one at home that I use for some cheeses, but didn't want to make that an essential piece of equipment) except a blender of some sort. Suggestions are made for making cheeses in a regular blender, as opposed to a Vita Mix (or in my case, a Blendtec), but a high-speed blender does indeed make the job easier. Be patient with the cheddar - it is SO much better after a couple of months!

And the look inside feature is up, and it's off pre-order (but not shipping yet). I am now anxiously awaiting its arrival.

Will this book be available for purchase as an ebook, does anyone know?

Are there pictures in the book?

The Amazon preview has a few pages with pictures, so it looks like there are at least a few. I'm anxiously awaiting everyone's reviews once they've tried some recipes. (Also, I'm waiting for someone to buy me a Vitamix, but that might take longer).

My pre-order has shipped!

mine came yesterday! i'm making a grocery list now so I can start making some rejuvelac. I'm a little worried because our AC is busted and it's HOT in our apartment right now, so we'll see how all of the culturing goes. the recipes look easy enough and i'm pretty excited to get started. I didn't see a recipe for blue cheese, which is kind of a bummer.

There are some. Not a ton, but a few full color picture pages. I want to make an awesome cheese board!

You are right - there is no recipe for blue cheese. I had one in there but decided to pull it at the end because I really was not satisfied with it. While the texture was right (crumbly), the flavor tended to dissipate over time. I tried multiple times and couldn't get both the flavor and texture. However, I have a "Cambozola", which is like a soft brie with a blue vein, which is actually pretty good - close enough, in my opinion. That's not in the book, but I may post it to my blog soon. By the time I have a second edition, I'm hoping to have both the flavor and texture worked out!

Miyoko

awesome, thanks, Miyoko. Sorry, for just saying what I am bummed out about instead of also saying that the book looks really great and the recipes are all very exciting.
Do you have any tips for cheese making in super hot weather? Is it very obvious when something has gone bad vs being properly cultured?

In hot weather, the cheese will culture faster. So, if a range such as 24 - 48 hours is given, your cheese will probably be ready in 24. You'll usually know because it will be thicker, with obvious air pockets that will have developed. And then, of course, the flavor will have deepened and gotten sharper. For air-dried cheeses, you'll have to watch them a little closer. I've found (since writing the book), that in addition to the salt on the outside, brushing the cheeses with wine will help inhibit mold growth, even in warm weather (this applies to air-dried cheeses). Hope this helps.

yes! that helps a lot. thank you. I'll definitely post my results and I hope others will, too.

amazon.ca pushed back this from now, to like the middle of september/october :(

So excited it's available now! This book is definitely going to be my next purchase. I hope you guys post porn of what you make!

I got my copy yesterday, too!! :) All the recipes in the book sound delicious and fairly easy! I'm so excited. I'm planning on making everything in this book by next year - my own year of vegan cheese!