Post Punk Kitchen Forum

Ah, nevermind, I don't have any earth balance. Maybe I'll make that tomorrow.

I haven't made the sharp cheddar, but I stirred in a big spoonful of soft Gruyere when fixing the sauce for mac & cheese today. It was really good!

The gruyere is in the fettucine alfredo and it was *awesome*.

I'm new here and I just bought this book. I made the rejuvelac from quinoa and brown rice, it smells HORRIBLE. Anyone else had this experience? I'm wondering if I'm just sensitive to the funky smell and that's how it should be.

Thanks!
Kate

wattski,

Did you mix the quinoa and brown rice in the same batch of rejuvelac? Did both the quinoa and brown rice germinate (grow tails)? Quinoa usually sprouts in about one day while brown rice can take 4 or 5 days to sprout. If you're going to mix grains, it's better to use grains that will germinate at the same rate. It might be better to start out with a single grain. Quinoa alone is probably the quickest and easiest grain to use, just make sure the quinoa is not presprouted.

Rejuvelac should smell and taste "lemony". Now some also describe the smell as "dirty socks". It should not smell or taste spoiled. If you're in doubt, toss the rejuvelac and start over.

The air-dried sharp cheddar is my new favorite. Holy yum!

Darn it, I just got the book and can't make any of the cheeses I want to make because they all require yoghurt that I cannot get, and haven't had success in making it thick enough to be able to drain it.

I got the book in the mail today! I'm looking forward to trying more recipes, especially the yogurt based ones. I love cashews but they are not very budget friendly. I don't have carrageenan, so for now I'll stick with cheeses that can be made with agar. Oh and the soft Gruyere I made a few days ago just gets better and better.

I made the sharp cheddar and an as-yet-undecided batch of just cashew cheese.

The sharp cheddar... isn't good. It tastes of hairspray...

But the cashew cheese is delightful and I'll probably eat it all before I get around to actually using it for anything.

I made the American Oat Cheese, it just tastes like nutritional yeast, hoping that may mellow out and the flavours mix a little more as it sits in the fridge... Want to try the cheddar, but may go with the quick smoked provolone first.

that's weird Gulliver. i LOVE the sharp cheddar (just had some last night) and there's no taste of hairspray or anything even remotely hinting of hairspray.

I'm guessing it just went nasty through exposure to something. It was okayish until I cooked it and combined it with the thickeners, but then a day later it was really nasty.

i could totally taste the carrageenan when I made it and i found it pretty unappealing. I'm really sensitive to tastes and smells though. I always smell/taste things that are slightly off or weird when other people can't. It's just a lot of thickener in there when most ther recipes that call for agar or carrageenan might call for a teaspoon. I am planning on trying again someday and using much less thickener. I don't really care about texture if it will taste better. I wasn't a huge fan of the sharp cheddar either though, but also, i tend to not like large amounts of nutritional yeast. sigh.

ha! I didnt taste hairspray in my cheddar either, but for some reason, I did not love it. I wanted to, but could not. I did use it to make cheese sauce though. When mixed with other ingredients and some Rotel, it makes a nice cheese sauce. Can't say that I will make it again. I love the cream cheese, brie and gruyere though!

Is the mixture for air dried cheddar supposed to be kind of liquid-y until it's cooked & thickened? I'm sure that I measured everything correctly. I did the first step this morning and will let the mixture culture until Saturday evening. I haven't gotten around to making yogurt, so I used Wildwood unsweetened soygurt.

Hey anyone know if I can replace the rejuvelac in the smoked provolone for plain water? I have the yogurt but no rejuvelac and wanted to make this tonight....

Update: the cheese firmed up just fine after cooking. The mixture was really really hard to stir, and I wasn't sure if I cooked it long enough. I let the block of cheese chill in the refrigerator for about 6 hours, before taking it out to salt and place on a rack for air drying.

I also made a batch of the oat american cheese. I'm not sure I got the cheese thick enough to slice, but I can always use it as a tasty spread if it doesn't firm up overnight.

My book should arrive later this month and I want to make sure I have all the supplies I need to get started!

This is on my shopping list - am I missing anything?
- vegan yogurt
- carrageenan (kappa)
- agar powder
- nooch
- soymilk
- cashews

The place where I get my cashews is a Turkish market. I'm not sure if the cashews are raw, but they don't taste roasted or salted. I use them in all the recipes that call for soaked, raw cashews (like ricotta and vegan mac and cheese), so I'm hoping it is fine in the recipes here. They are definitely cheaper than the organic, raw ones at the health food store. I'd rather avoid those!

Don't forget some quinoa for your rejuvelac!

Got it! I still have some in the pantry.

My only "concern" is the cashews. I can't really tell if they're raw or not. They look raw and don't "taste" roasted, so I'm assuming they are. Is it really bad if the cashews aren't raw? Anyone tried the cheeses with cashews like this?

Any unroasted unsalted cashews are fine. Don't waste your money on cashews that are 'truly raw'. Normal unroasted cashews are more than expensive enough. Do you have miso yet?

Some of the recipes call for miso. Also, you might want to practice making rejuvelac before the book arrives, so you will be one step ahead.

I haven't read through this entire thread yet..but can someone tell me where I might find non dairy yogurt that doesn't contain added sugar? I don't seem to be having any luck.

I use wholesoy which can be found at whole foods, health food stores, grocery outlet sometimes and other places.

I have some miso from the Amazing Oriental, but not sure if it's the right one. Do I need a mellow, white miso? What kind do you use?

Good to know about the cashews! These are expensive enough. 5 bucks for a small bag. I usually stock up and toss them in the freezer. I cherish them!