Homemade Cheese Molds

A traditional cheese wheel, cut into pieces

Don't bother buying an expensive cheese mold--a homemade one will accomplish the same task. Using household supplies, you'll be able to make a cheese mold in minutes, complete with liner, drainage and press. Whether or not you want a conventional shape to your cheese, a homemade cheese mold will work.

Find a Container

You can make a homemade cheese mold out of any number of household items. Old 32-ounce yogurt containers can work well, as can an old plastic food-storage container. Avoid using aluminum or copper, because these are reactive metals and they may leach into the cheese. Glass is a good choice if you are able to drill holes in it. A short, squat, circular shape will make a classic-looking cheese wheel, but unconventional shapes are fine, too.

Make Holes for Draining

You'll need to punch or drill holes into your container if it doesn't already have some. This is so that liquid can drain from your cheese as it is pressed and begins to cure. Use nails to punch holes in plastic or a diamond-tipped drill bit to drill into glass. Crudely shaped holes cut with scissors can work if you are using an old yogurt container or similarly thin plastic. Holes should be placed at the bottom and sides of the container.

Use a Liner

The mold should be lined with cheesecloth. Place the cheesecloth into the container. Put the cheese into the container on top of the cheesecloth. Then fold the sides of the cheesecloth up and over the top of the block of cheese, completely encompassing it.

Add a Press

Depending on the recipe you choose, you may need to actively press liquid out of the cheese--gravity can't always do the job on its own. To do this, cut a piece of untreated wood, such as a cutting board, into the shape of the top of the contain you choose. Place this on top the cheese. Weight this down with a water-filled jug, a heavy rock or dumbbell weights.

Farmer's Cheese Mold

Farmer's cheese doesn't need a hard mold as other cheese might. It hangs in a cheesecloth or other clean fabric with a similarly wide weave to give it a round shape, and excess water drips out of the holes of the cloth. To mold balls of farmer's cheese, place a moderate amount of the cheese into a cheesecloth and tie the edges of the cheesecloth together with twine. Hang the cheesecloth from a string attached to a cabinet handle or hook. Let the cheese-water drip into a bowl positioned below the cheese.

Tags: cheese mold, cheese into, cheese wheel, drill holes, homemade cheese mold