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Instant Pot Raw Cheddar Cheese

A simple way to make raw cheddar cheese. Recipe adapted for instant pot from The Cheesemaker's Manual by Margaret Morris.
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Keyword: homemade cheddar cheese, how to make raw cheese, instant pot cheese recipe, raw cheese
Total Time: 5 hours 30 minutes
Total Time: 5 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 0
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Author: Victoria Herbert

Equipment

  • 1 Instant Pot
  • 1 colander/strainer
  • 1 long knife
  • 1 slotted spoon
  • 2 small-medium bowls
  • 1 cheese press (optional)
  • cheese wax (optional)

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Pour the raw milk into the instant pot. Press the Sous Vide button and set the temperature to 86℉. Set the time to 4 or more hours. (* see notes)
  • Once the pot reaches 86℉ (there will be a single quiet beep when it does this), sprinkle half of the culture onto the milk and stir well. Let the pot sit for 45-60 minutes.
  • In a separate small bowl, dissolve the rennet in a ⅛ cup of water.
  • After 45-60 minutes, pour the dissolved rennet into the milk and stir well. Let this sit for 30-45 minutes.
  • The curds will be ready to be cut when the curd forms a clean break (**see notes)
  • Once the curds are cut into a grid pattern, cover the pot and press cancel. Press the sous vide button again and set the temperature to 102 ℉ (time should be set to 2+ hours).
  • Let the pot warm up. Then, once its reached 102°, let it sit for another 30 minutes. Stir the curds occasionally throughout this time.
  • After 30 minutes, the curds will have sunk towards the bottom of the pot. Scoop them into a colander/strainer and sit the colander overtop of the pot of whey. The whey should not be touching the colander, but instead be steaming the curds.
  • Leave the pot of whey at 102℉, cover the pot, and let it sit for 60 minutes. During this time, flip the curds over a couple times.
  • Then remove the curds and cut them into strips. The strips should resemble the size of a thick cut French fry (at least a centimeter thick).
  • Toss the curds in a bowl with salt until the curd is thoroughly coated. You can now eat the fresh curd or press and age the cheese to get a traditional cheddar.

Pressed and Aged Cheese (optional)

  • If you have a cheese press, you will use that next. You can also make a homemade press if you don't own a cheese press. See above on how to create one.
  • Line the inside of the mold or colander with cheesecloth then fill the cheesecloth with the curd. Press the cheese for 12 hours flipping it halfway through.
  • After 12 hours, remove the cheese from the mold/colander and let the cheese dry out for 4-6 hours flipping it halfway through.
  • You can now eat the cheese fresh or age it in the fridge for 1-2 weeks. The cheese can be aged for longer if covered in cheese wax. Enjoy!

Notes

*in between steps, keep the instant pot covered. If using the instant pot lid, make sure to press down the venting knob each time to prevent the instant pot from building up pressure. 
**you can test for a clean break by cutting into the curd and separating it slightly. If you see a watery, yellowish liquid between the pieces of curd and the curd is solid, that means you have a clean break. If you see milky fluid and the curd is not solid, then you need to wait a little longer. 
***to properly cut curd, hold the knife vertically so it is perpendicular to the cheese. Cut straight down and then gently drag the knife across the pot from one edge to the other before lifting the knife to make the next cut. You will be making a grid pattern to create half inch cubes of curd.
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