Locked Cheese Making Guide

Twenty Weeks · October 9, 2022

With the teaser of the much-anticipated cheesemaking function being posted in server teasers recently, I figured I'd get ahead of the curve and help all of you understand the fine art of making delicious, calcium-filled cheese.

Foreword

Spoiler

It's important to understand that ''cheese'' is a very broad term referring to a wide variety of delicacies enjoyed around the world. While in its very essence cheese is consisting of a basic set of ingredients, it's the extra added touches like aging, herbs, environment, diet and many other factors that go into the unique flavours of each cheese. Therefore, to truly stand out among cheesemakers you'll want to experiment and create your very own taste sensation through much practice. Do not get discouraged if your first few attempts at making cheese taste rubbery, lack texture or are otherwise imperfect. Patience truly is key!

Requirements

Spoiler

To make good cheese, you'll at least need the following ingredients:

- Milk

- Vat to store milk

- A way to acidify the milk, either directly with acidic injection or bacterial cultures

- A coagulating substance like rennet to bind the enzymes within the milk

- A cheese harp (high level) or knife (low level)

- A way of stirring the vat (Noxious Scythe or Zaros Godsword recommended)

- Colander to drain the whey

- Time, salt and patience

IRONMEN:

- Cow, Goat or Sheep to milk

- Bucket to catch milk

- Food for the animal to produce milk from like grass (those are the green little sprouts outside, Velheim player)

The Process

Spoiler

The first step is to acquire milk, either through natural means or by buying it from other players/the supermarket.

If acquired from the udder, the milk will naturally be at body temperature and ready to be sterilized and used for cheese. If acquired from the supermarket, it'll likely be cold and need to be warmed up first. Once the milk is vatted at a proper temperature, you'll reach the first difficult step in the process:

ACIDITY

To ensure your milk has the right acidity, there's 2 different approaches you can take: Direct acidification involves dumping an acidic substance into the milk to immediately get the right acidity level for your cheese. As this process is abrupt and doesn't leave much time for the milk to bind, this process will result in loose, crumbly cheeses like ricotta and mascarpone. The alternative method is to add a bacterial culture to the vat and store it. Over time, the bacteria will eat up the lactose within the milk and turn it into lactic acid, readying it for cheese-ification! This method is lower intensity for less xp/h.

BINDING

Once your milk has acidified properly, it's time to bind it. This can be done using one of various binders, but for beginners I recommend a rennet consisting of vegetable-based bacteria, buyable from several dairy merchants.

You'll know your cheese is ready to be curled once it's jelly in texture and wobbles around rather than sloshes. If you can press your hand onto the surface and remove it without too much stick you'll know you did it right!

CURD HANDLING

Now that you have your curd, it's time to cut it into cubes. The size and density of these cubes will eventually decide how dry and sturdy your final cheese will be, as smaller pieces retain less moisture. Use a cheese harp once you're experienced, or use your best melee gear early on and cut them nice, small or thick, and then put them in a warm vat with plenty of moisture. It's PIVOTAL to stir properly throughout this process, or you'll risk losing all your hard work to burn! The time needed to stir is dependent on how dry you want your final cheese to be.

Once the whey has been removed from the vat and replaced with water, this will allow your curd to turn more elastic and flexible.

DRYING THE CURD

Now that your curd is proper sized, the next step involves quickly transporting your curd from the vat into a cylindrical-shaped container and mushing it together. The quicker you do this, the better your cheese wheel will look as the pre-existing heat within the curd cubes will allow them to bind together better.

FINALIZING

Now that you have your ''raw'' cheese wheel it's time to add your final, personal touch to the recipe. Adding salt, spices and other ingredients will add flavour to your cheese. At this point, your cheese is ready to be eaten! Though experienced cheese makers will want to let their cheese sit for longer to give it that distinct, well-aged taste.

Thanks for reading this guide on cheese making! I hope it'll help you when this awesome feature gets released, and if Sand ever decides to add butterchurning or other dairy processes, you best believe I'll help you guys then as well!

Best wishes,

Twintig Weken/Honderdveertig Dagen