Cheese tips

Here are some cheese-making tips from Mary Karlin, author of "Artisan Cheese Making at Home":

Sterilize your equipment before you use it, including everything that comes in contact with the milk. You can use a solution of 1 tablespoon of Chlorox per 1 gallon of water. Then let air dry.

Always start with good-quality milk. If you like a certain milk, try to stick with it.

To make cheese, you want to use either a raw milk, a pasteurized milk or a pasteurized/homogenized milk. Ultra-pasteurized or Ultra High Temperature (UHT) milk will not make cheese.

Use non-reactive pots - stainless steel or ceramic - with a heavy bottom that holds the heat in. The more efficient your pot is, the more it will hold its temperature.

Stir the milk gently. To incorporate the acid, use a whisk in a gentle, up-and-down movement.

When you ladle, do it gently but quickly. Put the cheese curds side-by-side in the strainer.

Add as little acid as possible to get the job done. If the whey is still white, there's still protein in it. Add the acid pinch by pinch.

— DIANE PETERSON