This press is handcrafted to last a lifetime. With this press you can easily press a variety of delicious hard cheeses including, but not limited to, Cheddar, Gouda, Parmesan and Monterey Jack.

DESCRIPTION: The stainless steel mold and drip tray sit on a hard wood base with rubber feet to protect your kitchen counter. Pressure is regulated with a stainless steel gauge measuring from 0 to 80 lbs. Easy to use, this press makes a great addition to your cheese making kitchen. Comes assembled and ready to use.

PRESS INCLUDES: 1-Stainless Steel Mold (2-4lb cheese), 2-Polypropylene Followers, 1-Stainless Steel Pressure Gauge, 1-Stainless Steel Separating Disc, 1-Stainless Steel Drip Tray, 2-Press Locks and A BONUS of 5 FREE Cultures - C1, C101, C2, C201, C33 (a $29.95 value)

Proper Press Weights

The proper amount of weight for pressing a cheese should be to initially follow the cheese making guidelines for the particular cheese. However this can sometimes lead to over or under pressing the cheese due to the final cheese moisture or fat content.

• Over pressing can be recognized by excessive cloudy/milky whey or even butterfat leaking with the draining whey or on the cheese surface when turning. The higher fat cheese also requires less weight in the early pressing stages when butterfat is still in a liquid state.
• Under pressing is the cause of unconsolidated curds in the final cheese. This can be identified with open curd spaces on the rind or excessive open spaces in the cheese body.
• A tight smooth rind with open spaces in the cheese body. Can be an indication of excessive press weight initially sealing the surface and trapping moisture inside. This is usually accompanied by a cheese leaking moisture in the aging room.

When unpacking the press, the scale may not read '0' 

This may be the result of spring compression during shipping. Simply release and remove the locking blocks and allow the springs to decompress. Do not store the press with springs compressed. There is also a small amount of movement in the scale strip and this can be adjusted slightly to the '0' mark by loosening the screw adjusting the strip and re-tightening the screw. Our springs and scale strips are designed to work together for the proper press weight.