Date: Mon, 19 Jul 1993 18:55:06 GMT

Cheese is especially difficult to make because of 
the difficulty of finding what is called a starter
--the bacteria culture added to the milk to start 
the curd formation.  It is possible to make cheese
without a starter, but the starter is what gives 
different cheeses their distinctive flavor, and 
without one the cheese almost always ends up 
tasting like pot cheese, more commonly known as 
farmer's cheese or cottage cheese.

To make cheese:  Take a hell of a lot of milk 
(10 gallons will make less then 1/2 a gallon of 
cheese) and cook it slowly on the stove.  For 
flavorful cheese, it is best to use unpasturized 
milk, which is almost impossible to buy and must
be obtained from a cow, or goats milk, which tastes 
good even when pasturized.  As the curds form, add 
a cube or two of rennet, found at most specialty 
stores.  This will cause the curds to coagulate.  
Constantly stirring the curds at this point will 
give you something more like mozzerella, which can
be great.  Instead, let the curds for naturally 
for something more like a jack cheese.  Let the 
curds cook until you are satisfied with your yield, 
and then remove, placing them in cheese cloth and 
allowing them to drain.  Then press into a mold.

Before you begin this adventure, remember that the 
reason there are 1000's of varieties of cheese is 
because there are 1000's of variations on the process 
outlined above.  Whatever the case, good luck--you'll 
need it.

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