Home Dairy by Ashley English

Home Dairy: All You Need to Know to Make Cheese, Yogurt, Butter, & More by Ashley English ISBN-13: 9781600596278 Hardcover: 136 pages Publisher: Lark Crafts Released: March 1, 2011

Source: Borrowed from my local library.

Book Description from Back Cover:
Now you can make your own delicious dairy products, whether you keep milking animals yourself or simply buy milk fresh from the grocer. It's one of the easiest, budget-friendly and most rewarding ways of getting closer to the foods you eat. You'll be able to enjoy delicious whipped butters, healthful yogurt with beneficial probiotics, incomparable cheeses, and sweet ice creams.

Taking a friendly, hold-your-hand approach, Ashley English shares all the nitty-gritty details and learned-from-experience tips discovered on her own dairy-making journey, from the necessary tools to the best possible ingredients. Ashley also introduces you to dairy-makers who chose this exciting homemade lifestyle and offers many of her own kitchen-tested recipes.


My Review:
Home Dairy is a guide on how to make your own cheeses and dairy products. The author provided enough information that a complete beginner can use this guide. It's a very colorful book with lots of pictures (of tools, finished products, etc.) and easy-to-follow and -understand instructions. I was curious about how cheeses are made, and I learned a lot of interesting information. When I saw how easy it is to make kefir, I tried the kefir recipe #2, and it worked perfectly. I felt like I wouldn't have any trouble following other recipes in the book, but I haven't tried any others yet.

The book gave a short history of milk, then discussed the various ingredients and tools used in the later recipes. She gave several methods for making butter and then recipes for making butters (whipped, cultured, compound, browned) and ghee. She then discussed and gave recipes for cultured dairy (yogurt, buttermilk, kefir, sour cream, creme fraiche, quark). Next she discussed the basic cheese-making techniques and gave recipes for beginner's cheeses (queso blanco, cream cheese, mascarpone, feta, paneer, ricotta, cottage cheese, chevre, mozzarella). Then were recipes for advanced cheeses (cheddar, swiss, parmesan, gorgonzola) and how to make a homemade cheese press. Finally, recipes for ice cream, foods that use cheese in the recipes, and body care products that use milk.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.