Discover the Best Cheese Making Classes Near Me
French fromage. Vermont cheddar. Wisconsin cheeseheads. Some places just have a natural association with high-quality cheese. You might have to travel to a French cheese cave to get your hands on the very best quality artisanal bleu cheese, but did you know that with quality ingredients and a little bit of patience, you can make cheese of your very own right in your own home? From a humble ball of mozzarella to an aged cheddar to a stinky bleu, the same basic techniques will allow you to make any cheese you can imagine.
Any cheese is made using the same core ingredients of milk, an acid or a bacterial culture, a coagulant (typically rennet), and salt. The milk itself - be it cow’s milk, goat’s milk, or even a plant-based milk like soy or almond milk - is the base of the cheese, providing the key features of flavor and texture. The milk is modified with an acid or a bacterial culture to change its pH balance and encourage the production of lactic acid. After heating this milk, a coagulant like rennet is added to produce curds, which are cut into blocks and then cooked for a time. Salt is then added to the curds as they are separated from the whey, and the curds are then shaped into their final form, and then, if desired, aged to modify flavor.
Why You Should Learn Cheese Making
It has never been easier to learn how to cook. With popular programming on television networks like the Food Network devoted entirely to food and popular YouTube cooking channels like Binging with Babish commanding millions of subscribers, there is clearly a massive societal interest in the preparation of food by hand.
Cheese making may feel a bit different than cooking over a stove, but it is undoubtedly part of this growing interest in making foods by hand. Sure, you may not see many cheese making competitions on the Food Network, but any popular cooking channel online will surely include some cheese making content. This food making trend is driven by a commitment to hand-prepared foods made with fresh, quality ingredients. Plenty of aspiring chefs have heard the advice to avoid pre-shredded cheeses found at a grocery store, and hand-made cheeses are just the next level of dedication to fresh ingredients.
As part of this larger trend, cheese making may feel like a more specialized practice than what a typical foodie would care about. Fortunately, there are plenty of people who get really invested in their cheese. More than just the larger channels devoted to chefs and generalized cooking skills, there are plenty of blogs and forums like Reddit devoted specifically to cheese making. If you’re a fan of cheese and of doing things by hand, cheese making is a great hobby to get into.
5 Ways to Learn Cheese Making
Learning how to make cheese may feel like a daunting task. When even the more common cheeses like mozzarellas and cheddars seem difficult to make by hand, more complex cheeses like an aged bleu may seem absolutely esoteric. Luckily, there are plenty of options for cheese makers of any level to get the advice they need, and plenty of ways to link up with experienced instructors willing to impart their knowledge to aspiring cheese makers. Consider one of the following options to start making your own cheese:
- A live in-person class is the gold standard for learning how to make cheese. Because cheese making is a hands-on process, the most efficient way of picking up the necessary techniques is from an expert instructor who can provide live demonstrations and guidance through each step of the process while responding to any questions as they arise. An in-person class also provides access to a space tailor-made for cheese making, meaning you don’t have to worry about acquiring the materials or setting up a suitable workspace.
- A live online class can reproduce much of the experience of an in-person class, and is often a great option for those limited by their geographic location or by a busy work or home schedule. An online class provides the same access to an expert instructor who can demonstrate and offer guidance in real-time, with the added flexibility that comes with being able to tune into the class from anywhere. You’ll likely need to provide your own materials and set up your own workspace, but many consider the added flexibility to more than make up for such downsides.
- A more self-directed option for learning cheese making is to follow along with a self-paced, on-demand video tutorial on a website like YouTube. These videos are free to access and provide visual demonstrations of any techniques or steps with which you might be struggling, but they do lack the more guided feedback offered in a formal class.
- For those willing to go down a cheese making rabbit hole on their own time, there are many blogs and forums devoted to cheese making. While these pages provide written instructions and static images rather than a live demonstration, they can offer clear, step-by-step instructions for making cheese in any style, and they also offer some troubleshooting tips.
- Cheese making kits are available on craft websites like Etsy and major suppliers like Amazon. These kits aren’t quite as instructive as an in-person class, but they’re a convenient way to acquire all the necessary materials at once and follow along with a set of pre-written instructions.
In-Person Cheese Making Classes
Murray’s Cheese in Manhattan, reputed to be the oldest cheese shop in New York, opened in Greenwich Village in 1940 and continues to sell cheeses from around the world - including some of their very own hand-made cheeses from cheese caves in Long Island. Murray’s offers robust educational events where they teach basic cheesemaking and cheese pairing techniques.
Murray’s classes mostly focus on pasta filata cheeses, or cheeses made by kneading and stretching fresh cheese curd in hot water. The Mozzarella Making at Murray’s will teach how to use this technique to produce beautiful balls of fresh mozzarella. The class begins with a sampling of several types of pasta filata cheeses with generous pourings of house wines; after tasting, it’s time to roll up your sleeves and get some hands-on practice making cheese from curd. Using the same methods as mozzarella making, but with a few extra steps, Murray’s Burrata Making class can teach you how to transform those mozzarella curds into a buttery ball of burrata, which is a pouch of mozzarella curds stretched out and filled with scraps of mozzarella and a bit of cream. For a burrata with a touch of extra flavor added, Murray’s also offers an Infused Burrata Making class.
For a more general approach to cheesemaking theory, Murray’s also offers a Cheese 101 course. This is a tasting course rather than a cheese making course, so while there are great wine and cheese pairings to be found, don’t expect the same hands-on practice found in Murray’s other classes. However, the class does teach all about how cheese is made. Unlike the previous classes focused on one type of cheese, this introductory course covers six kinds of cheese from six different families, delving deep into the ingredients and stages of cheese making from milk type to rind development.
The Bedford Cheese Shop is another great option for New York City cheeseheads. Established in 2003, the Bedford Cheese Shop has built itself up as a neighborhood institution. The Gramercy location is home to not just a flashy 15-foot cheese case and on-site cheese-aging facilities, but also the Homestead, a private event space where expert cheesemongers conduct classes for aspiring curd nerds.
If you’re looking to make some quality mozzarella, then the Cheesemaking 101: Mozzarella class at The Homestead at Bedford Cheese Shop is a great way to get some hands-on practice. This class begins with tastings of Italian appetizers and wine while soaking up theoretical knowledge about the history and attributes of mozzarella. After this brief bite, it’s time to put that theory to the test with hands-on practice stretching curd and forming it into a perfect ball of mozzarella. Expect to put these pasta filata techniques to the test at home, as you’ll leave the course with a recipe for fresh mozzarella.
The Bedford Cheese Shop also includes an option for those seeking theoretical, rather than hands-on, cheese making knowledge. In their cheese tasting class Cheese 101: Become a Curd Nerd, participants will learn about the techniques that go into making all different sorts of cheese, with a focus on tasting notes and principles for pairing cheese flavor profiles with other foods and beverages - especially wine.
In Midtown Manhattan, CocuSocial, a marketplace for cooking classes that connects food lovers with expert local chefs and restaurateurs, partners with local restaurants and hotels to organize fun, affordable, and accessible cooking classes. At CocuSocial, you can learn how to make Fresh Mozzarella and Burrata by hand in a 2-hour beginner-friendly crash course on cheese making. The class begins with some cheese making theory, as you learn the coagulation process that transforms milk into cheese curds. From curd selection to water temperature to salt usage, expect to learn everything there is to know about the process from milk to cheese. You’ll then put that theoretical knowledge to the test as you make your own balls of mozzarella.
Over in SoHo, Home Cooking New York has been providing intimate, hands-on cooking classes for complete beginners and novice home cooks looking to take their cooking to the next level. Each class features a combination of demonstration-style teaching and hands-on practice, with each participant situated at their own chef’s station around a communal work table. With a max class size of 10 students, topics covering a wide range of techniques and styles, and each class ending in a sit-down meal, these classes offer an incredible environment for picking up new culinary skills.
The Cheesemaking Workshop at Home Cooking New York caters to those looking to learn how to make multiple styles of cheeses. In addition to hand-pulled mozzarella making, this class also teaches how to make a simple creamy ricotta, a buttermilk paneer perfect for Indian-style curries, and a vegan-friendly cashew cheese. The class even covers tips for incorporating these handmade cheeses into delicious recipes, like a crispy mozzarella sandwich and a quick Indian curry, which you’ll make and enjoy in the sit-down meal that marks the culmination of the class.
It’s one thing to learn how to make cheese for cheese’s sake, but some people may want to pair their cheese with wine or use it in a recipe. If you’re looking for tips on how to incorporate your homemade cheese into part of a culinary program, consider a class that covers not just how to make cheese, but how to pair cheese with wine or use it in a recipe like a Neapolitan pizza.
Inglewood, just Southwest of Los Angeles, is home to VPN Americas, the American branch of the Associazione Vera Pizza Napoletana, an international organization started by a group of pizza makers in Naples. This organization is dedicated to the art of pizza making, preserving the tradition of methods and techniques used to make authentic Neapolitan pizza that started in Naples, Italy more than 300 years ago. And the authentic method for making a proper pizza includes making the cheese by hand.
The Regular Pizza Course and the Professional Pizza Course at VPN Americas teach much more than just making cheese, but are a great option for those whose interest in cheese intersects with a broader culinary interest in pizza. As part of the comprehensive hands-on practice offered in these workshops, participants learn how to prepare several different types of cheeses appropriate for pizza usage, including ricotta, fresh mozzarella, smoked mozzarella, and burrata. These classes also include, depending on availability, a 30-minute tour of a local cheese factory where participants can watch the process of producing mozzarella on a larger scale.
Virtual Cheese Making Classes
While an in-person class with an expert cheesemonger is a great way to learn how to make cheese, not every location boasts the same access to an expert cheese maker conducting a class. Fortunately, even those who aren’t lucky enough to have access to a cheesemonger still have options through online cheese making classes. These online options are a great way to get the same expert guidance that makes learning cheese making techniques go as smoothly as possible, but without needing to commute to a far-away location. Be advised, however, that these online classes typically don’t provide materials, and you’ll likely need to track down supplies and equipment on your own.
The current best options for online classes focus on the applications of cheese after it has been made. If nothing catches your fancy, be sure to check back regularly for more options!
Wine and cheese go together beautifully, but with such a variety in styles of both wine and cheese, it takes a truly expansive palate to know how best to pair the myriad options together for a truly tongue-titillating experience. Two sessions of wine tasting with NYC Wine Company’s Islands & Volcanoes tasting class can help take the next step in becoming a genuine gourmand, tasting six wines made out of grapes sourced from vineyards on islands and volcanoes. While this class is focused on wine tasting, it also provides suggestions for cheese pairings; as you enjoy the wines, this online format allows you to enjoy them your own way, so feel free to get some cheese as well.
Aspiring chefs may be more interested in weaving their cheeses into delicious dishes. The League of Kitchens offers several online cooking classes that incorporate different styles of cheeses into a variety of world cuisines. The Greek Online Workshop and the Greek Cooking Online teach classic Greek dishes like spanakopita and Greek salad, both of which require plenty of feta cheese. Just remember that Greek feta is better than French feta! For those who gravitate more towards Latin-American cuisine, The League of Kitchens conducts a Mexican Online Workshop and an Argentinian Cooking Online, incorporating recipes that require ricotta, parmesan, and cotija.
Private Group Cheese Making Classes
Something about cheese, especially when paired with wine, screams refinement. There is no more “grown-up” social gathering than a cheese tasting…except for maybe a wine and cheese tasting. If you’re looking for a refined social gathering, CourseHorse offers live online cheese-related cooking and tasting classes for private groups.
Step into the world of artisanal cheese with CourseHorse’s Virtual Artisanal Cheese Tasting and learn to appreciate cheese in a whole new way. Or if you’re looking for a perfect pairing for your cheese, consider the Virtual Wine & Cheese Workshop for an extra level of refinement.
If you’re looking for something a bit more focused on the process of cheese making itself, CourseHorse still has you covered. You can contact CourseHorse to learn about additional options for cheese making classes, and they will get to work scheduling the perfect event for your group. CourseHorse’s event providers can bring the event to your own office or home space, and customize the content for whatever suits your needs.
Once you’ve booked through CourseHorse, you’ll receive a confirmation within 24 hours, and also your event provider will reach out personally to introduce themselves and to provide additional details about your event. Even if you don’t have a firm headcount at the time of booking, or if your group number changes at any point, there’s nothing to work about. CourseHorse will hold your booking date, and you can easily change your group size after the fact, and CourseHorse won’t finalize payment until you’ve finalized your headcount. Virtual classes are typically conducted on Zoom, but CourseHorse can accommodate other platforms like Microsoft Teams and Google Meets for your convenience.
What Will I Need to Learn Cheese Making?
Cheese making can be divided into four parts, namely acidification, coagulation, forming, and aging, though the simplest cheese recipes ignore the final aging phase. These phases demand a couple of core ingredients: milk, an acid or a bacterial culture, a coagulant (typically rennet), and salt.
The core component of any cheese is milk. Most cheese is made from cow’s, goat’s, or sheep’s milk, but any kind of milk will do. You may have heard, for example, of buffalo or “bufala” mozzarella, made from the milk of Italian buffalo. It’s even possible to make vegan cheese using a plant-based milk like soy milk or almond milk. Different types of milk vary in terms of their starting acidity, fat percentage, and protein content, all of which will influence the final flavor of the cheese. Goat’s milk and sheep’s milk are both slightly more acidic than cow’s milk, which helps to give goat cheese its signature kick. There are some optional ingredients that can be added at this stage to further prepare the milk for cheesemaking. Calcium Chloride, for example, can be added to alter the milk’s calcium content; the more calcium present in the milk, the better its coagulation ability.
Next, the milk needs to be acidified, consuming the milk’s lactose to produce lactic acid. The more acidic the milk becomes, the easier it is for the curds to form in the following phase. This is traditionally done by adding a bacterial culture to the milk, but other acids or vinegars can be used depending on the recipe. The simplest option is to start with store-bought buttermilk, which already has beneficial bacteria. Alternatively, white vinegar can be added to normal milk as a buttermilk substitute.
Once the milk has been properly acidified and heated, a coagulant is added to produce curds. The most common coagulating agent is rennet, which is a set of enzymes that traditionally comes from the stomachs of ruminant animals like cows. The key enzyme is called chymosin, which helps the milk curdle and solidify into curds.
After the curd has had sufficient time to cook, it’s time to drain the why and shape the cheese. At this stage, it is useful to have a cheesecloth; transferring the cooked curd into a strainer lined with cheesecloth helps to drain the whey and to hold the curds together as the cheese is formed. The quickest types of cheeses like mozzarella require only a cheesecloth and hands, but more adventurous cheese makers might want to age their cheeses, in which case hoops, molds, and ripening containers can be used to shape and age a cheese.
Salt is typically added towards the end of the cheese making process, playing a vital role in the moisture, texture, flavor, and rind of the cheese. Salt can be mixed directly into the cheese curds as they are being formed (for cheeses like mozzarella and cheddar), rubbed on the outside rind (for a cheese like a brie), or worked into a salty brine (for a cheese like a feta).
There are some miscellaneous tools that are useful throughout the entire process of cheese making.
- A pH meter, either a litmus paper test or a digital meter, can help monitor the acidity of the milk
- A thermometer is useful in monitoring temperature both while cooking the curds and while aging the cheese
- A spoon for stirring can help the curds cook evenly
- A knife is useful in cutting the coagulated curd
- A colander can help to drain the whey from the curds
- Gloves are especially useful in handling hot cheese, which is necessary for making hand-stretched cheeses like mozzarella
Is it Difficult to Learn Cheese Making?
The difficulty of making cheese depends on the type of cheese. In general, the more steps there are, the harder the process becomes; adding an aging step to the process adds more potential for problems. It may be best to start cheese making with a cheese like mozzarella, which can be eaten immediately after it has been formed. Even with a simpler cheese, it can take a bit of practice to work out the kinks, and some beginner cheese makers may experience difficulties with a cheese that is too rubbery, too dry, too bitter, or just plain flavorless. Some forays into aged cheese can even include disasters like mold. Despite these common setbacks, those with the persistence to keep trying, often with the guidance of a more experienced cheese maker, can reach a state where they’re proud of the delicious cheeses they’ve produced.
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