Once cheese makers get beyond the making of cottage cheese and other soft cheeses, their thoughts turn to the real thing, viz., hard cheeses.

Soft cheeses are easy to make and the simple ones can be made with equipment and materials found in any kitchen. Hard cheeses begin where cottage cheese ends and require some additional equipment and raw materials. The most significant new piece of equipment needed is a cheese press. These can be made by anyone handy with tools or bought from a number of sources. Not particularly liking any of the presses on the market, we made our own which incorporates all the features we find necessary, along with our usual attention to simplicity.

The CHEESYPRESS ®

Our press is designed for 2 gallon batches and includes a unique pressure regulator at less cost then the least expensive press we have seen without a regulator.

Knowing that pressure is key to making consistently fine cheeses, bricks and water buckets just are not reliable enough. Too much pressure and the cheese is too hard and dry. Not enough pressure and the cheese is too soft and subject to spoilage.

For the do-it-yourselfer, the below drawing should provide enough information to fabricate a comparable press. Feel free to copy it for your own use but it may not be offered for sale and CHEESYPRESS is a registered trademark.

1. Plastic threaded knob *
2. Threaded rod, 1/4-20 x 6"
3. Threaded bushing *
4. Wing nut, two places
5. Nut/washer/nut
6. Spring, 50 lbs fully compressed
7. Threaded rod, 1/4-20 X 9", two places
8. Nuts, top and bottom, two places
10. Rubber feet, 4 places
11. Base, polyethylene, 5 X 7 X 1/2
12. Follower, polyethylene, 3.930" X .5"
13. Hoop, PVC, 4" id X 8"
14. Screw Support Arm, Stainless, 1" X 7" X 3/16" *

Everything on the list with the exception of the spring can be purchased from McMaster Carr. They can be found on the web. The follower has to be turned down on a lathe unless you can find something that will fit inside the hoop without machining. Something close to the correct spring can be found at hardware stores but the correct one can only be had by paying a $50 min order with a spring supplier.

The spring is used to indicate when 50 lbs pressure is reached. This is when the coils are fully compressed. Other pressures can be estimated by counting turns or judging the change in length of the spring. The only pressure that is of any consequence is the overnight press at 50 lbs for hard cheese. Lighter pressures are only used at the very beginning and their absolute value is unimportant. Just start out at 5 turns, and increase gradually till the coils are compressed.

The SEESYPRESS ®

We no longer offer this product but the photo is left for discriptional purposes.

For the cheeser who wants to SEE what's going on in the press and with a little more money burning a hole in the pocket, we offer a slightly smaller but transparent version of the CHEESYPRESS.

The inside diameter is 3-3/4" instead of the standard 4".

The CHEESYPRESS II®

For the cheeser who wants to make larger batches, the CHEESYPRESS II will accommodate the curds from a 5 gallon batch.

It is 6" inside diameter and 8.5" tall and pressure is based on a 100 lb spring.