Cheese Press

Cheese Press

This beautiful and durable classic style cheese press is made in the USA, and built to last for years to come! It's easy to use and maintain, and is a wonderful investment for any cheese maker! The base and pressing boards are made of Maple, the rubber feet protect your counter, and the rods, drip tray, and weight gauge are all stainless steel. A rectangular polypropylene follower is included with the press. 

When pressing, weight is increased by pressing down on the top board. The weight is automatically regulated with stainless steel springs and can be measured using the easy to read pressure gauge, from 0 to 80 lbs. If you're pressing for long periods of time, or the curds are under their first pressing, you may need to come back and reset the press, because as the cheese compresses, the tension of the springs loosens.

With this press you can easily make a variety of delicious hard cheeses including, but not limited to, Cheddar, Gouda, Parmesan and Monterey Jack.

This cheese press comes fully assembled.

Pressing Cheese

Once your curds are molded it's time to press them. Follow your recipe as a guide for how much pressure to apply to your curds. During the pressing phase whey will be expelled and the curds will consolidate. You'll want to have a pan to catch the whey or have a drip tray underneath your mold and directed into a sink. The best way to apply pressure is in a cheese press. 

The initial press typically takes about ten minutes with only a small amount of pressure (refer to your recipe for specifics on weights and time for pressing). Once the initial press is done you'll need to flip your cheese. To do this, remove your mold from the press, take the follower off and gently remove your cheese by lifting up on the edges of your cloth. Gently remove the cloth from your cheese and reline the mold, then flip your cheese and insert it back into the lined mold. Place the small piece of cloth and the follower back on top and begin pressing at the next interval of pressure. For the initial flip your curds will have begun to consolidate but will still be delicate. For each subsequent flip you will notice the curds coming together more and more, this is quite an exciting process! Each time the pressure is increased, first remove and flip your cheese, as described.

Line Mold When Pressing

When pressing your cheese it's important to line your mold with cheesecloth or butter muslin. The cloth will help wick moisture from the surface of the cheese and allow for proper drainage from the cheese mold. Without cloth lining the mold, the cheese may retain too much moisture and the curds may not knit together properly. For a long aged hard cheese, with very low moisture, it is best to use cheesecloth.

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Manufacturer Part Number	E28-PO
Brand	New England Cheesemaking Supply Co.
Length	12"
Width	6.5"
Height	18"
Origin	USA

Check Pressure Gauge

After shipping the pressure gauge may not read '0' as a result of spring compression during shipping. To re-set the press, simply release and remove the top locks and allow the springs to decompress.

Do not store the press with springs compressed.

The springs and pressure gauge strip are designed to work together for proper pressing weight.

Recognizing Proper Pressing Weight

The proper amount of weight for pressing should be specified in each cheese making recipe. However, this can sometimes lead to over or under pressing, due to the final cheese moisture or fat content of the curds.

Excessive cloudy/milky whey or even butterfat leaking with the draining whey or on the cheese surface when turning, are signs of over pressing. Higher fat cheese requires less weight in early pressing stages when butterfat is still in a liquid state.

Under pressing will result in unconsolidated curds in the final cheese. This can be identified with open curd spaces on the rind or excessive open spaces in the cheese body.

A tight smooth rind with open space in the cheese body can be from applying excessive press too soon. This would seal the surface and trap moisture inside. This is usually accompanied by a cheese leaking moisture in the aging room.

We stock this product in our Nebraska warehouse. Most of our shipments are by FedEx Ground or Home Delivery and you should receive your order in five business days or less from ship-out. Click here for more information about shipping.