Comprehensive two-volume set offers clear directions and photos, teaches traditional and professional methods of making the finest artisan cheese
Cheesemaking has quickly become one of the most popular hobbies in North America, yet many individuals spend a lot of time and money struggling to get good, consistent results.
Enter Merryl Winstein, cheesemaking consultant and educator. In her newly released two-volume set, Successful Cheesemaking®, Step-by-Step Instructions & Photos for Making Nearly Every Type of Cheese, she offers a vital reference for the home cheese maker as well as the commercial artisan.
As a teen, Merryl Winstein traveled to Denmark alone to visit her Girl Scout pen pal and discovered the wonders of artisan cheese. Later, she learned to recreate those great European cheese flavors while raising her well-known dairy goats next to Barnickel Park in Webster Groves, and teaching others the art of making artisan cheese in her hands-on workshops (www.CheeseMakingClass.com).
The culmination of eight years of writing, research, travel, and attending professional cheesemaking classes in Vermont and Europe, Successful Cheesemaking® answers questions not covered in other books or media. She did all the design, photography, and indexing herself.
This thoroughly researched book progresses from the milk itself through renneted and non-renneted cheeses, grouped by each cheese family such as Traditional Bandaged Cheddars; Alpine/ Swiss (Comte, Emmental); Washed Curd (Havarti, Gouda); or Stretched Curd (Mozzarella, Burrata). Winstein explains how varying acidity, salt, moisture, and ripening create great cheese flavors and textures while offering clear, detailed, and easy-to-follow instructions illuminated by more than 800 of her own photos.
Winstein comments, “At 630 pages, my book “Successful Cheesemaking® finally answered most of my own questions.
At that point I stopped writing. It shows you the traditional and professional ways of making the finest cheeses of cow’s, goat’s, or sheep’s milk using simple home equipment. I meant it to be just 50 pages, but now it’s a comprehensive yet easily understood, almost encyclopedic manual. I’m happy to say, my book preserves the legacy of fine cheesemaking for the home cheese maker, dairy science classroom, and the commercial artisan.”
“One of the most in-depth and informative works on the subject, these volumes perfectly blend practicality, science, and creativity.”
—Publishers Weekly/Booklife
“A massive wealth of knowledge for dedicated cheese-making students.”
—Kirkus
Successful Cheesemaking®, Step-by-Step Instructions & Photos for Making Nearly Every Type of Cheese. www.CheeseMakingClass.com. Available: amazon.com, and wholesalers Baker & Taylor, Brodart, Emery-Pratt, Follett’s, and Library Bound (in Canada).