• 2 litres of milk
• 1/3 cup of lemon juice

1. In a large pot, heat the milk to 80 degrees C (175 degrees F). Add about 2/3 of your lemon the juice and stir well.

2. Cover and let the milk set for 15 minutes. What you are looking for is a clear separation of the curds and whey. If the whey, the liquid, is still milky then add more of the lemon juice till it sets
   

3. Pour the curds into a colander lined with cheese cloth.
   
4. Tie the corners of the cloth together and hang the bag to drain for 1 to 2 hours, or until the curds have stopped draining Remove the cheese from the bag and add salt and herbs to taste.
   

I have also used powdered milk and it works just fine, however the yield is less. From 2 litres of milk reconstituted from powdered milk I get just under 200 grams of cheese.
From 2 litres of regular whole milk I get about 450 grams of cheese.

This cheese will store in a covered container in the fridge for 1 to 2 weeks. I have however, never tested this time, as the cheese has always been eaten in my house before the first week was up.

• 4 litres of full cream milk
• 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon Calcium Chloride diluted in 1/4 cup of un-chlorinated water.

  1/4 teaspoon of Calcium Chloride gives a firmer curd. (This can be omitted if you are using farm fresh milk; however, if the curd produced is too soft, try adding Calcium Chloride, even to farm fresh milk.)

• 1 dose Direct Inoculation Mesophilic Starter Culture (a heaped ‘smidgen’ if you have our “Mini Measuring Spoons”)
• 1/4 Rennet Tablet or 1/4 teaspoon of Liquid Rennet dissolved in 1/4 cup of un-chlorinated water.
• 2 tablespoons of Cheese Salt.

1. Mix your Calcium Chloride solution into your 4 litres of milk.

2. Slowly heat milk, using indirect heat, to 30° C

Two stainless steel 'stock pots' with water in the large pot and milk in the small pot makes an effective double boiler, heating your milk indirectly.

3. Add starter culture and stir well. Leave to incubate for 1 hour, maintaining the temperature at 30° C.

4. Add rennet solution and stir in gently using an up and down motion for one minute to ensure that the rennet is evenly distributed. Allow to rest undisturbed for one hour, maintaining the temperature at 30° C.

5. Check for a ‘clean brake’. If the curd is not firm enough leave for another 5 minutes and check again.

6. Once the curd is firm enough and gives a clean brake, cut the curd into 1.5 centimetre cubes. Let rest for 10 minutes.

7. Gently stir the curds for 20 minutes, being careful not to break them down.

8. Gently pour the curds into a colander, lined with your cloth, to drain off the whey. Tie the corners of the cloth together to form a bag and hang to drain for 5 hours. The curds will knit together into a solid mass.

9. Untie the bag and cut the curds into 2.5 centimetre cubes.

10. Sprinkle with cubes with the salt to taste and store in the refrigerator and allow to age for 3-4 days before eating.

I was going to show you this Decor box, available from Woollies for under $10, full of my Feta ... but I ate it ... LOL. Note the grid on the bottom which prevents the cheese from making direct contact with the bottom of the box.

For a different flavour try adding 1/10 teaspoon of lipase dissolved in 1/4 cup of un-chlorinate water at the same time you add the starter culture. Allow the Lipase to set in the water for 20 minutes before using.

• 1 Litre of natural yoghurt
• One tsp of Cheese Salt (or to taste)

1. Line a colander with tight weave cheesecloth and transfer the yoghurt into it.

2. Gather the four corners of the cloth to make a bag and suspend over a bowl to catch the whey which drips through. This whey may be used for bread making, or other cooking.

3. Drain for 12 to 24 hours, or until the whey has stopped dripping from the bag.

4. Remove the cheese from the bag and place it into a bowl and mix in your salt.

5. Store in the refrigerator in a air tight container for up to 2 weeks.