Squeeky cheese curds are a chedder-style cheese curd that hasn’t been fully pressed and aged. They are a delicious snack, and really work well as a melting cheese for pizza or poutine! (How can you tell that I’m Canadian?)
Making homemade cheese curds is a good place to start for anyone wanting to experiment with homemade hard cheese, because it involves all the same steps, without the aging process.
This recipe assumes that you have a basic knowledge of how to make cheese, if you are uncertain about any of the steps, or need more information on the equipment and supplies, please read through Cheesemaking 101.
PrintSqueaky Cheese Curds
Squeaky cheese curds are a fresh and simple variation of cheddar cheese. Learn how to make this delicious snacking cheese at home.
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 cups 1x
- Category: Cheese
- Method: Fermented
- Cuisine: Canadian
Ingredients
- 4 Liters of milk
- 1/2 package of mesophilic culture (see notes)
- 1/4 tsp of liquid rennet in 2 tbsp filtered water
- 1/4 tsp of calcium chloride in 2 tbsp filtered water (if using pasteurized milk)
- 1 tbsp salt (non-iodized)
Instructions
- Heat milk to 90F (32C). Stir in the culture and maintain temperature for 90 minutes.
- Stir in calcium chloride, then the rennet, mixing thoroughly.
- Maintain heat and let the milk rest for 45 min to set the curd.
- When the curds show a clean break, cut the curds into 1/2″ cubes.
- Cook the curd by stirring every 5 minutes for the next 1/2 hour, while slowly raising the temperature to 110F (43C).
- Once you have reached 110 F, maintain the temperature and continue stirring every 5 minutes for another 30 minutes, so the curds have been cooked for a total of 1 hour.
- Line a strainer with butter muslin and pour the curds and whey into it.
- Hang the curd in the butter muslin and allow to drain for 30 minutes.
- Twist the muslin tight then press the cheese with 8 lbs of weight for 2-3 hours.
- At that point the curds will have knit into one solid mass. Break them up with your fingers and sprinkle on the salt.
- The curds will be “squeaky” for the first few hours. Otherwise you can store them in the refrigerator and use within 4 weeks.
Notes
- Detailed information on how to make cheese and the ingredients and equipment needed can be found at Homemade Cheese 101.
- The best milk for cheesemaking in non-homogenized, if using homogenized milk then add the calcium chloride.
- You can replace the mesophilic culture with a 1/4 cup of milk kefir or a 1/4 cup of cultured buttermilk. The flavour will be slightly different, but it will still acidify the milk.
Keywords: diy, homemade, poutine, curds
Cheese curds are perfect for melting on poutine, chili cheese fries or pizza. If you want to make a slicing cheese, check out this recipe for an aged farmhouse cheese, which is a simple version of an aged cheddar cheese.
Leave a Reply