Lela Stratton
Whey Station Stainless Steel Cheese Press
The Sausage Maker
The Cheesemaker’s Six Gallon Cheese Press
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More often than not, we only think of the end product as far as cheese is concerned. If more detail is paid, it is to the things that cheese can be used to make. It takes either great love for cheese or an interesting soul to think of the way cheese is made, more so, the equipment that is used to make it.
If you lie in the brackets of the two, this piece will blow your mind. We are going to journey through, cheese presses, the types, the materials used to make them, the weights of consideration before purchase, the features, you think of it, we most definitely have it covered.
Cheese presses are used to expel the extra liquid in cheese so as to allow the cheese curds to knot together in order to achieve a smooth fluffy texture. They are used to mainly make cheddar and other hard cheese.
This equipment tends to be on the higher side on the budget. They are a big investment but worry not, we will go through some ways of making your own homemade one as well. Be your own handy man for a change.
There are a number of cheese pressers that are availed to the current market. To be very honest, there are not very many so we cannot say that there is a very wide room for variety. This however, does not mean that there are no good offers out there.
Below are some of the top five products that have undergone thorough critic before being put in the public domain.
Best Cheese Press List
1
Whey Station Stainless Steel Cheese Press
Do you fancy small compact items? Well this is the press for you buddy. This press has a maximum pressure of fifty pounds (50 lb)
This amount of pressure can allow for the creation of about one and a half pounds of cheese at a go. It also has a rather unique slot from which the byproduct drains from. Ten pounds of pressure are applied with just seven turns of this screw.
These are among the reasons why this product is ranked the best stainless steel cheese press. The price is also very pocket friendly making it available to people from all walks of life. It goes for only one hundred and thirty dollars.
In as much as this is a good cheese press, the amount of pressure that is applied is not the very best in the market but that does not mean that it compromises its ability to produce good texture cheese. Let us just say, pressure is not the highlight of its features.
Pros
Cons
2
The Sausage Maker
Quite contrary to the name, this product is the famous stainless steel Dutch style cheese press. It makes an impressive amount of cheese at a go, I mean five inch molds are nothing to joke with.
To top that up, due to the type of material used to make it. It is easy to clean and is even machine washable. How about that! Convenience at its best.
An extension kit is also made available to the clients. This enables you to press two molds of cheese at the same time, each five inches in terms of length. The good news is that you can substitute those with normal household items.
This press is one of the most hygienic options when it comes to cheese presses. Some alternative presses are made of wood. The cleaning and oiling process of such could be quite tedious and the chances of dirt residues being left on it are quite high.
Cases of food poisoning will lead to the closure of your business if the cheese you are pressing is for commercial use.
Pros
Cons
3
The Cheesemaker’s Six Gallon Cheese Press
This brand is the best when it comes to the protection of your working surfaces. It has rubber feet that ensure that your countertops have no scratches. The press is made of stainless steel. The base is made of food safe plastic.
This gives it a very strong boost on the hygiene sector. This base is made in such a way that all the whey, the byproduct of cheese, is collected is one spot. Despite having to add a tray, this is one of the best deals out there.
The grip is also amazing since the screw is moderately if not nicely sized. One hundred pounds of pressure can be exerted since only a six inch cheese wheel can fit in the rather small cheese press. A free cheese cloth is availed to you on purchase of this product all over the world.
This press is moderately priced, it gives you value for your money, that you can rest assured. The cheesemaker’s six gallon cheese press is not conventionally eye catching but that doe not mean it is hideous per say. It’s a safe four.
Pros
Cons
4
The Ultimate Cheese Press
This is the first choice screw press. The ultimate cheese press is made of maple mood which is then treated with cold pressed coconut oil for protection. There are other types of wood and this press can be purchased treated or untreated.
For those who prefer to buy untreated ones, please ensure you used food safe oils for protection to avoid cases of cheese contamination which can be quite tragic.
This press has some pretty cool features like the two followers as well as the two hoops.
The hoops are seven and six and a half inches in diameter respectively. This enables the press to hold quite a large amount of cheese at a go.
Despite not having a pressure gauge, this cheese press can put in a large amount pressure, I mean it is the best, emphasis on the best part, screw cheese press in the prevailing market. The aesthetics of this brand is astonishing. You might even want to put it out there as an art piece, yes, it is that good.
The whey however has no collection tray.
Pros
Cons
5
Nasco Stainless Steel Cheese Press
This press is made entirely out of stainless steel. Yeah, phew! That is quite a shine we got going here. The cheese press goes ahead to outdo itself by having a pressure gauge or pressure indicator.
Rubber feet have been made part of this equipment. They want your counters to be as good as they found them. The rubber prevents scratches which can destroy the look of a surface or a place even.
The fact that this press is made entirely out of stainless steel means that it is easy to wash. The only down part of this is that it is not dish washable, you have to go analogue on this one. The psychological satisfaction of the cleaning however makes this not so bad and disqualifies it from being termed as one of the main disadvantages.
A four and a half inch mold is part and parcel of this in addition to the fact that it can hold two gallons of cheese. The handle is hard to use as per reviews.
Pros
Cons
Things to Consider Before Purchasing the Best Cheese Press
Before making any purchases, there are a number of things that you need to sit and go through. Here are some of the things to look into when you want to buy a cheese press.
Cost
You cannot spend that which you do not have. That being said, you should have a clear budget limit or bracket. This way you can be able you choose and look through options within that price range.
There are expensive and moderately priced cheese pressers. There is always the option of saving up for your equipment. For things like this the higher the price, the more the features as well as the better the quality.
Depending on the finishing as well as the type of press of your choice, ensure that good material is constant. Good material may tend to incline a little on the higher side but the better the material, the longer the press will last not to mention the ease to clean it.
The cost of press will also vary due to the amount of cheese mold it can hold. Goes without saying that the bigger the capacity the more expensive it is. A small capacity cheese press will cost lesser.
There is something for everybody, just do some research then bag the best deal you got.
The Type of Material
The material that makes a cheese press determines quite a number of things. The durability for starters, anything made out of good material raw material if well used and maintained will last you a longer time as compared to items made out of poor quality materials.
When it comes to cheese presses stainless steel presses are the most preferable due to quite a number of reasons. To start with it is easy to clean and for most of them they are dish washable. This takes the stress all away right?
In addition to this, stainless steel does not rust. The only condition for this is to ensure it is completely dry before storage. Water and air are elements of the atmosphere that make rusting occur.
In the event of elimination of both, rusting cannot occur.
The type of material also determines the weight of the cheese press. Some presses have been made by a combination of materials, wood, ceramic stainless steel and everything in between. This tends to make them heavier than those made out of just one material.
In conclusion, the type of material determines the outward appearance of your cheese press. Stainless steel offers the best looking cheese presses as compared to all other materials.
Ease of Use
Choose a product that is not hard to handle. When a product is easy to use or has simple steps the chances of it staying for a longer time are very high. Here is the simple reasoning behind it, when you can easily use something you do not use force or exert excess pressure on it.
When a product is handled well, chances of scratching, denting, breaking or anything in that scope is very meagre. A cheese press is no different. Get one whose handles are easy to use and if the product cannot be dismembered, it is easy to assemble the pieces back together without much stress.
When a product is easy to use, one can easily delegate the task to someone. If you have to train them how to use it repeatedly, then that product is not easy to use. Easy steps help make work easier thus increasing output with a reduction of input mostly in terms of time.
Ensure that the cheese press you bag has a manual. This will help demystify any troublesome parts or answer any questions you might be having about the cheese press.
Amount of Cheese to Be Pressed
Cheese pressing can be done either large scale for commercial purposes or small scale for subsistent purposes. When making cheese on a large scale you want to choose big cheese presses that have the ability to exert the most amount of pressure attainable so as to be able to make more cheese over less time.
Equipment is designed to make work easier so do not make the mistake of working more than it. Get a cheese press with big molds, a large cheese wheel, a large drip tray to collect all the whey since it will also be in large amounts. Large followers as well as hoops also come in handy.
When producing small scale cheese you need a small compact cheese press. One that can produce just a few pounds of cheese since you do not want to eat the same cheese for too long. There are an array of such presses and they come at very reasonable prices.
The larger the press the more amount of energy used to press in order to exert pressure. Large scale cheese presses can be run mechanically to achieve high levels of pressure.
Amount of Pressure Required to Press the Cheese
Different types of cheese require different amounts of pressure to expel any liquid to achieve the required hardness or softness. As previously mentioned, cheese presses are mainly used to make cheddar and harder versions of cheese. The amount of pressure a cheese press can exert is therefore a key thing to look into before making any purchase.
Some presses, mostly those made to produce cheese on small scale are easy to use as the amount of pressure that needs to be exerted is not too much to ask. Some of them need only fifty pounds of pressure which is very achievable.
Large scale cheese presses need to be mechanically run since they require more than one hundred pounds of pressure. Exerting that kind of pressure continuously is tedious and will in turn reduce output and the input was great, mostly in terms of energy used and time spent.
To top that up, a pressure gauge is nice mostly if you are making cheese off instructions from a book or from the internet. That ensures accuracy to the best level to achieve the best cheese texture. Pressure gauges go a long way when it comes to preciseness.
The Way It Fits in Your Kitchen or Work Area
For the small scale cheese pressers, you will definitely store it in your kitchen. You want something that will fit seamlessly in your kitchen, both in terms of appearance and size of appliances.
In as much as this appliance is supposed to be among the highlight of your kitchen, it is not supposed to all that you can look at in your kitchen. That being said, you need to choose colors that in the same color scheme of the kitchen. Stainless steel is known to blend in the kitchen most because utensils tend to be the same color.
The amount of space it occupies is also a very big thing to consider. If you do not have a lot of space on your kitchen, then a cheese pressure is not among the things you want to put on your kitchen counter. They tend to be quite bulky, even those termed as compact.
Get a cheese press that will not displace other appliances off the counters and will not make your kitchen area look crowded. Proper placing and arrangement will increase the visual appeal of your kitchen.
The Durability of the Cheese Press
Durable product always make you feel like you got the full value of the money you spent on an item. There are several things that make us say that we have a durable product. The one that clicks your mind first is definitely the type of material used to make a product.
Obviously, product made of premium quality material give us premium experiences. Low quality materials will make low quality products which last for a short while before needing repair or worse still replacement.
Secondly, the ease of use will make a product last longer. No force on appliances will enable them to maintain their original outward appearance as well as give you the services you need as well as it looks on your counter. This should be a loud enough call to get something that is easy to handle to save yourself a lot of trouble in the near future.
When equipment breaks down due to poor handling, we blame the producers and the chances of you buying a similar product is low. Also, it robs us off the pleasure of smooth sailing with new equipment.
Lastly, for products that can be disassembled, make sure that they are easy to assemble so that the product does not spoil in the process.
Conclusion
We have learned that cheese presses come in small and large scale levels. They are mainly for making hard cheese. Small scale cheese pressers can be stored in the kitchen on counters while large ones can occupy quite a significant amount of space.
Always put into consideration the type of cheese that you wish to be making so as to know the type of cheese press to bag. The harder the cheese the more pressure the cheese press should be able to exert.
There are also several factors that we need to consider when looking through options of the cheese press you want to buy. Some of these things include, the cost of the cheese press, the amount of pressure needed, the type of material used to make the press, the ease of use, its durability, the amount of cheese to be pressed to mention just a few.
I recommend that you get the Whey Station Stainless Steel Cheese Press.
This product have proven itself worthy of being the best cheese press in the prevailing market. This cheese press is completely stainless steel. It is also very dish washable which means it is easy to clean.
It is very appealing to the eye due to its material. It is very reasonably priced as it retails at one hundred and thirty dollars. The press has a unique tray that drains the whey collected. This means it is a clean job as no dripping occurs.
With just seven turns of this screw, you are able to exert ten pounds of pressure at a go. This makes the pressing process less tiresome and saves time. This press can hold up to one and a half pounds of cheese at once. It is however quite large but can still be placed on the counters of your kitchen.
