I try to give credit where credit is due. Your videos are a delight. This one produced a large batch of cashew cream cheese (that's what I call it); which i split into two portions. One I went on following your creamy Garlic Mozzarella Cheese recipe. Will taste that tomorrow. The other portion I flavored with a bit of red pepper, some garlic, salt and some chopped Kalamata (black) olives. It spreads like a whipped cream cheese with a taste that is close enough to need no explanation :) BTW I made the base cashew cheese using Quinoa Rejuvelac (from another of your videos...
I'm Simon Thank you so much for your kind comment, dear. I really appreciate it. Your whipped cream cheese with red pepper and olives sounds awesome. Perfect for loading on bagels :D Thanks again for sharing your experience. :-)
you can use plain unsweeted vegan yogurt (i use coconut) instead of rejuvelac! Its easier to find in stores, personally. im not sure about measurements, however, and im sure you also have to add some water too.
A little warning here, since we're international: In some countries especially vegan yoghurt does not contain living bacteria. Read on the package to make sure it's a "living" yoghurt before using it for cheese.
QUICK TIP! As I'm naturally impatient I never soak my cashews for 4 hours or overnight as some do, I simply boil them until they become soft and then proceed to blend, it saves me a lot of time, hope this helps!
Hi there! I've made cultured cashew cheese using Miyoko Schinner's recipe and had problems with pink mold. The recipe used yogurt as the culture, and besides that it was just cashews, salt, and water. It worked great for a few months, but one day the batch started growing pink mold - I tried 3 different times and have since given up! Miyoko has said in her videos the mold could be due to cold temperatures, which makes sense because I started having issues after we turned on our AC for summer. Now it's colder so we keep our heater on but I'm wary... So! This time around I'm going to make a rejuvelac cheese recipe and I'm wondering if you have any tips for maintaining a constant, slightly warm temperature? I've heard maybe wrapping in a towel? Should I keep the cheese in a closed container (like a mason jar) while it cultures, or leave it open to air? Thanks for any advice you can give! Love your recipes and videos.
tritawan ruttivut You're welcome! I'm glad you found me :-) Please feel free to let me know if you have any suggestions or requests too. Thanks for your comment, dear.
So I made this. It smelled and tasted a little strange at first, but it went great as the cream component in a creamy tomato pasta dish I made. With what's left, I'm going to keep half and add garlic and chives, and air-dry the other half using the gruyere-style technique :) super interesting experiment so far.
How did you make the cashew cheeseball at 0:17 and what did you use as the outside breading? How long did you let that cashew cheese dry out? Every cashew cheese I've made seems foamy and more like a spread-type cheese :(
There is not breading; it's the dry rind. Check out my air dried almond cheese recipe (vegan Gruyère) to see how I did that. It's the same method for air dried cashew cheese. :-)
Hi Mary! I was wondering...do you think I could use extra form tofu as the base for a cultured cream cheese? I've been looking EVERYWHERE for an answer but can't find anyone who has tried! With your experience and suuuuperior knowledge I was hoping you could give me an idea of if this would work. Love you! from a fellow Canadian :)
It's been years since I experimented with culture tofu and I don't really remember much except it was stinky and I didn't continue. There is a type of Chinese fermented tofu but tastes more soy-sauce-like than cheese.
Hi Mary!! I just made a batch of 50/cashew 50/sunflower seeds .... cultured cheese with garlic and dill and it is AMAZING!! Thanks sooo much for your recipes... the cheese is yummy and extra cheeseee.... with some homemade wholewheat buns... :P
I don't have a fancy blender, but I blend the dry cashews first, then soak them with the rejuvelac for a while, and then blend, a lot quicker cuz I never think ahead!
Could you try making a VEGAN Japanese Souffle Cheesecake? I am attempting one as I speak but in lieu of whether it works or not I'd love to see if it can in fact be done!
I recommend the Moxerella Cheese Sauce recipe on my channel for pizza. This one is better cold, spread on bagels and stuff like that. Once cooked, the "cultured" flavour is reduced.
Hi Mary, I just made this last night. I know you have the creamy garlic using thiis cheese - but I do not have the Kappa Carrageenan. Any other recipes using the cultured cashew?
Hi Mary. Mine is culturing very well, even though I had to add extra rejuvelac to get it to blend well. The texture is good, but the flavor is not. Is there something I could do to make it taste better, maybe add a little salt and or sugar? I don't want it to be sweet, but a hint of sweetness like dairy cheese has might be nice. Thanks.
Hi.. just want your opinion on something :) I'll be making some new cultured cheese soon and I still have a vegan-brie in my fridge (from a known brand which I don't want to name right now ;) ). I was wondering if I could use a bit of the brie as a brie-culture in the cheese I'll be making (with rejuvelac).. What do you think??
I've never tried inoculating a fresh cashew cheese with another cheese product. I imagine that it might work if that brie contains active cultures and if you use enough of it.
I just found some recipes where it is said that it is possible.. I figured this brie-culture is still active because the taste has gotten stronger the last days.. I think it has ripened more.. I'm not sure how much brie to use.. but I'll just try.. It was really hard to not eat all of it! ;)
Thank you for the video. One quick question: I made the recipe and I found my cheese a little bit bitter; any idea why this could be happening? Thank you very much for the comments!
I know this is way too late of a reply. I"m sorry about that! If it is bitter, leave it to ferment longer. The taste WILL change. You can put it in the fridge and it will change more slowly but this is better controlled so you can taste at different stages.
can white miso paste be used instead of rejuvelac? I tried it once and was a complete failure, considering the fuss it takes to make it I am not sure I want to try that again and it just fail?
Omg, I am salivating just looking at your recipes! Wish I found them ages ago, when l was put on no dairy diet and struggled so much with it.. l do happen to have raw cashews, so will try this recipe tomorrow.. would do it today if it weren't so late ;) speaking of which, l am off to soak my nuts :)
I'm culturing my cheese in my instant pot set on yogurt (normal setting). I'll check it after 8 hours and see where it's going. Usually, I just put it out on the counter but we have a Nor'ther blowing in so I wanted a warm place for my newborn. I had just finished culturing my soy yogurt in the pot and decided 'why put it away?' This idea could make cheese making wayyyyyyy faster and it's a great clean enviroment.
squamoza Thank you, my dear. That's very kind of you to say. I hope you enjoy the recipe! I am in the middle of waiting for my rejuvelac to be ready and will be making this again very soon! It's been too long since I've made homemade cashew cheese.
Do you think it would be possible to make a vegan brie? That used to be my favorite cheese and I've not found a vegan alternative. Fermented soybeans are funky, but not the right kind.
Yes! I haven't made one personally but there are recipes online like this one by Miyoko Schinner: articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-01-16/features/sc-food-0111-veggie-cheese-20130116_1_coconut-oil-brie-vegetarian
have you thought about adding a little pureed cauliflower? I have heard that is the flavor behind the taste of camembert or maybe you could try lightly frying some enoki mushroom and then puree that and add it? I wouldn't add much though maybe 1/2 tsp - 1 tsp
hi i made this recipe to use to make a hard cheese. i didnt taste test it at the soft stage, only after it had dried for a few days, and it was quite nice! then i redid the process with sunflower seeds and almonds, and i taste test after the soft cheese had sat out for a couple of days. and they both taste awful! they are very sour and bitter, they look fine but taste rancid. Surely that's not normal? the rejuvelac was older at this stage, having been refrigerated since the first batch. I'd read it keeps in the fridge for a few weeks, the rejuvelac smelled cheesey, not rancid...but maybe it was too old? any help or advice guys?
Hi Mary! I’m not sure if you’ll see this comment or not. But should the cheese grow? I followed all of your steps except I mixed cashews and almonds because I didn’t have enough of either on their own. The “cheese” looks like cottage cheese and has grown in my mason jar... Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Hey, I heard that when culturing your own cheese, everything you use has to be sterilized first or it can make you sick. Is this true? I dont have a dishwasher to sterilize my stuff, can I just use soap and water? Thanks.
Yes that's a good practice. You can put your equipment in a big pot of hot water and bring it to a boil. Let it boil 5 minutes. Then let it cool before setting your stuff on a clean rack to dry. Be careful, don't burn yourself. Make sure what you're using can withstand the heat too (don't melt your plastic containers😂
@@marystestkitchen omg thank you so much for all your help! I just have one stupid question, do I need to sterilize the cheesecloth as well? If so how, I assume it cant get wet as that would introduce mould right? Sorry for all these questions im new to cheesemaking..i love your content by the way, especially your cheese making videos!
Sometimes mine just doesn't culture, I think due to bad rejuvelac, and it ends up tasting like...the only way to describe it is if you've ever touched your tongue to a battery as a kid and it has that strange jolty metallic acid taste. It's driving me nuts trying to figure out what bacteria/yeast is doing that to my cheese when the good bacteria never develop to stop it from happening. It's sort of a fun science question that has been making me so curious
MinakoMadison I’ve definitely had a similar issue where the top layer turns a yellowish color and smells spoiled. I’ve had to toss several batches. I’m not sure if some other bacteria was introduced or perhaps it was too warm in the kitchen where I fermented it but I’m hesitant to try again. Cashews are pretty expensive to end up throwing out a cup or two.
I´ve bought the real sauerkraut from Trader Joes and used it when fresh as a culture starter and it usually works pretty good. Make sure you keep a little left over to re-start another batch. You can also use sunflower seeds and other seeds or nuts, or blends.
I also did that battery thing once as a kid, so I know what taste you mean. But I haven't tried making veggie cheese using rejuvelac yet. Hope this doesn't happen with my vegan cheese and hope that it stops happening to you.
Sort of. The cashew cream will develop gas bubbles as fermentation occurs; that's normal. However, it shouldn't gain as much volume as bread dough would.
@@marystestkitchen thanks for responding hun... and i did it anyway... I used 2 c raw cashews and 1/2 c kefire water that had been in the back for of the fridge for a few mos... fermented in the oven 2 days. It was frothy. Let me tell you 🤣 but IT WAS AMAZZING !! Litterally.!! I added white pepper green onions raw garlic and onion powder, a tsp liquid smoke 😳😳😳 let it set two more days in the fridge In a bowl and upside down to drain excess liquids and kept changing coffee filters as they got wet... 🥰🥰🥰🥰... Thank You for paving the way and saying THERE ARE NO RULES.. lol. I just went for it. I was legit about to order probiotic caps from Amazon when I remembered the kefir.. id been feeding it every couple mos so I didn't lose the grains.. WOW.. so glad I did. My hubby loved it too... wants me to Age some now so I guess I'll go experimenting again. Thank You for sharing your recipies Ms Mary. I've been a silent viewer for years now.. I know you're busy with others. But I had to tell you this one. 🥰👌
@@marystestkitchen i wanted to say... the Kefir water was too strong to be called a cream cheese IMO.... this did not taste the same at all IMO... this was wayy more cheese like.. it had stronger Sour notes like maybe a goat cheese if I remember right... had I added some red miso and red bell pepper for color or nooch flakes. Maybe even would have made an awesome Nacho cheese with the right tweewks.. I just don't want people confused... I do HUGHLY recommend yall trying this tho.. it was soo very creamy... and soo cheesy even the smell was just .. amazing 🥰👌 ..
Gail Spach Counter top if it's just for 4-8 hours. If I don't have time to get to those soaked cashews, I rinse them, fill with fresh de-chlorinated water and refrigerate. I hope that helps :-)
Adding my experience with this - I added a 1/2 cup of rejuvelac to 3/4 cup of cashews soaked and blended. The result: super soft cheese. NOT creamy but 'airy' with many air pockets and almost a foamy lightness. Like a whipped cheese. Weird. But still tasted fine. Do not recommend, however. lol
+Sparks To Fires this is my experience with every cashew cheese I've ever made too, i tried using either rejuvelac or water and the cheese is always too soft. I wonder how she made that ball of cheese at 0:17 because that looks yummy and looks like it would age very well
LuvHorsez I'm also wondering the same. I found some starter cultures specifically for Soy yogurt. They're dry powder and you normally mix it with nut milk. I'm wondering if it'd work to mix the powder with water and use it instead of rejuvenac.
HELP D: I just made this recipe but I don't know if it turned out alright. After 1 1/2 days of fermanting it was slighty tanned on top und it smelled like fresh yeast it also tasted like that not bad just yeasty. Should I toss it? >.
I need to try this. I'm not vegan but I can't eat dairy or really fatty foods, and have to eat a large amount of fiber so cheese made from pureed nuts would be great. I hate the store bought vegan "cheese" because it's mostly oil. It tastes fine but the ingredients seem slightly sketchy.
Instead of covering it with a cheesecloth I just put it in a nut milk bag and let it hang out in my living room. within 2 days the whole top of it was covered with mold. So i had to throw it out. Do you have any idea what this might happened?
Marcus Barjon -Did you salt the exterior of cheese? That's a very important step. Moisture + food + room temp = mold unless microbial action is controlled with something. Salt is what we use in this recipe.- Oops, disregard the above. I thought we were talking about the next recipe in this series. I suspect that in this case the rejuvelac used was not strong enough or just not "alive." Also, when you say let the cheese "hang out" do you mean you had it hanging and the liquid was draining from it? In this recipe, you need the rejuvelac to stay IN the cheese so the lactobacillus can do it's thing. This might be the issue.
Mary's Test Kitchen | Vegan Cooking And p.s. I'm so sorry you put all that effort in and this happened! I'm sure we can figure out what went wrong together!
Yes, let it sit. Then you can see how the flavour naturally develops over a few days. Afterwards, if you want to add things to it, feel free to. But you may be surprised how much flavour it develops on its own :-)
Ah that's the problem. This recipe is cashews and rejuvelac. Rejuvelac is the culturing agent. Nutritional yeast is not a suitable substitution; it's only for additional flavouring afterwards if you like.
The top of mine turned yellow and smells funny :x, but inside it looks just like yours...but i'm afraid to touch any of it...it doesn't smell like normal lol
Thanks for fast reply! It doesn't smell like good funky tho, It smells like...hm..yeast I guess; also not tangy at all. I think I used a bad batch of rejuvelac! I've used this recipe from your video many times and tastes wonderful before so I know this one is...something wrong lol; all in good fun with trial and error ^^
MinakoMadison Oh it sounds like you know what you're talking about! Hopefully this one is just taking it's time. One thing you can do (as long as you don't see mold forming) is wrap it up and stick it in the fridge and forget about it for a month or two. Sometimes cold fermentation will help.
where is good place to get these raw cashews ( assuming they are available in bulk) , I don't believe I seen them in regular supermarkets....Bulk Barn seems overpriced
Rancho vingnola (sp?) has a couple sales a year. They normally have large minimums but during these sales you can buy any amount. I also buy from Superstore. -- only on sale though. Sometimes it's cheaper than bulk barn, sometimes not. I used roasted cashews (unsalted) sometimes too when raw is too expensive.
Oh no! I'm so sorry about that. Are you also allergic to seeds? This same process can be done with seeds like sunflower and pumpkin, though the flavour will develop differently. P.S. Anya from CookingWithPlants has a lovely recipe for nut-free cheese too: Smoked Paprika Vegan Cheese Recipe - Soy & Nut Free!!!
I will be more digestible if you just used the nutmilk, and made it coagulate with lemon juice and salt. The consistensy will also be alot more better, and 'cheese/cream' like. Creamcheeses are eaten with bread. Nuts and starches shouldn't be mixed for digestive purposes. Research food compatibility. There is also recipes here on yt how to make creamcheese from nutmilk :)
This is a base for other cultured cheeses which would not ferment with just lemon juice and salt. However, this is a good idea for more "instant" style cheese :-) thanks for sharing!
Another of your delicious cheeses :-) Looks delicious, thanks for sharing!
Thank you, dearie! I appreciate that!
I try to give credit where credit is due. Your videos are a delight. This one produced a large batch of cashew cream cheese (that's what I call it); which i split into two portions. One I went on following your creamy Garlic Mozzarella Cheese recipe. Will taste that tomorrow. The other portion I flavored with a bit of red pepper, some garlic, salt and some chopped Kalamata (black) olives. It spreads like a whipped cream cheese with a taste that is close enough to need no explanation :)
BTW I made the base cashew cheese using Quinoa Rejuvelac (from another of your videos...
I'm Simon Thank you so much for your kind comment, dear. I really appreciate it. Your whipped cream cheese with red pepper and olives sounds awesome. Perfect for loading on bagels :D Thanks again for sharing your experience. :-)
super delicious!!! super easy ! - I have used black salt and lemon - crazy but good taste! thank u for this recepie!!
Hi Mary! Could I make this with less liquid to make a semi soft cheese, more like a camembert style?
you can use plain unsweeted vegan yogurt (i use coconut) instead of rejuvelac! Its easier to find in stores, personally. im not sure about measurements, however, and im sure you also have to add some water too.
A little warning here, since we're international: In some countries especially vegan yoghurt does not contain living bacteria. Read on the package to make sure it's a "living" yoghurt before using it for cheese.
QUICK TIP!
As I'm naturally impatient I never soak my cashews for 4 hours or overnight as some do, I simply boil them until they become soft and then proceed to blend, it saves me a lot of time, hope this helps!
And takes out most of the Nutrition..
Boiling is more work! To each his own.
:-0
Hi there! I've made cultured cashew cheese using Miyoko Schinner's recipe and had problems with pink mold. The recipe used yogurt as the culture, and besides that it was just cashews, salt, and water. It worked great for a few months, but one day the batch started growing pink mold - I tried 3 different times and have since given up! Miyoko has said in her videos the mold could be due to cold temperatures, which makes sense because I started having issues after we turned on our AC for summer. Now it's colder so we keep our heater on but I'm wary... So! This time around I'm going to make a rejuvelac cheese recipe and I'm wondering if you have any tips for maintaining a constant, slightly warm temperature? I've heard maybe wrapping in a towel? Should I keep the cheese in a closed container (like a mason jar) while it cultures, or leave it open to air? Thanks for any advice you can give! Love your recipes and videos.
Followed from Edgy Veg. Your videos are great. Thanks for sharing vegan recipes!
tritawan ruttivut You're welcome! I'm glad you found me :-) Please feel free to let me know if you have any suggestions or requests too. Thanks for your comment, dear.
So I made this. It smelled and tasted a little strange at first, but it went great as the cream component in a creamy tomato pasta dish I made.
With what's left, I'm going to keep half and add garlic and chives, and air-dry the other half using the gruyere-style technique :) super interesting experiment so far.
How did you make the cashew cheeseball at 0:17 and what did you use as the outside breading? How long did you let that cashew cheese dry out? Every cashew cheese I've made seems foamy and more like a spread-type cheese :(
There is not breading; it's the dry rind. Check out my air dried almond cheese recipe (vegan Gruyère) to see how I did that. It's the same method for air dried cashew cheese. :-)
"And I'm lazy." Awww this is why I love you Mary. :)
yup, it's better to be creative than 'efficient' and unimaginative
Hi Mary! I was wondering...do you think I could use extra form tofu as the base for a cultured cream cheese? I've been looking EVERYWHERE for an answer but can't find anyone who has tried! With your experience and suuuuperior knowledge I was hoping you could give me an idea of if this would work. Love you! from a fellow Canadian :)
It's been years since I experimented with culture tofu and I don't really remember much except it was stinky and I didn't continue. There is a type of Chinese fermented tofu but tastes more soy-sauce-like than cheese.
@@marystestkitchen thank you so much for your reply! I am hoping to give it a shot soon with saurkraut juice...Wish me luck lol. Hope you're well ❤
Hi Mary!! I just made a batch of 50/cashew 50/sunflower seeds .... cultured cheese with garlic and dill and it is AMAZING!! Thanks sooo much for your recipes... the cheese is yummy and extra cheeseee.... with some homemade wholewheat buns... :P
+daniellesoy Nice! I haven't tried with sunflower seeds so that is especially nice to hear. :-) Thank you for sharing your experience
I don't have a fancy blender, but I blend the dry cashews first, then soak them with the rejuvelac for a while, and then blend, a lot quicker cuz I never think ahead!
Yes! I do that sometimes too!
Could you try making a VEGAN Japanese Souffle Cheesecake? I am attempting one as I speak but in lieu of whether it works or not I'd love to see if it can in fact be done!
I am so happy I found your channel! Lots of awesome vids and I look forward to trying this one out, so thank you :)
+TheKateeMeow I'm happy that you found me too! :-) Thanks so much for your kind words. Have fun making your own vegan cheese!
I love this (Y) can such vegan cheese be used on pizza? or you recommend something else to be used for the pizza?
I recommend the Moxerella Cheese Sauce recipe on my channel for pizza.
This one is better cold, spread on bagels and stuff like that. Once cooked, the "cultured" flavour is reduced.
Hi Mary, I just made this last night. I know you have the creamy garlic using thiis cheese - but I do not have the Kappa Carrageenan. Any other recipes using the cultured cashew?
Hi Mary. Mine is culturing very well, even though I had to add extra rejuvelac to get it to blend well. The texture is good, but the flavor is not. Is there something I could do to make it taste better, maybe add a little salt and or sugar? I don't want it to be sweet, but a hint of sweetness like dairy cheese has might be nice. Thanks.
Salt! Certainly, add some salt. The flavour will develop more as time goes on; how long has yours been culturing?
One day, but I will let it go longer. Thanks.
Man I don't know how I missed this one. Thanks so much.
Kari Eats Plants You're welcome :-) Enjoy, my dear
Hi.. just want your opinion on something :)
I'll be making some new cultured cheese soon and I still have a vegan-brie in my fridge (from a known brand which I don't want to name right now ;) ). I was wondering if I could use a bit of the brie as a brie-culture in the cheese I'll be making (with rejuvelac).. What do you think??
I've never tried inoculating a fresh cashew cheese with another cheese product. I imagine that it might work if that brie contains active cultures and if you use enough of it.
I just found some recipes where it is said that it is possible.. I figured this brie-culture is still active because the taste has gotten stronger the last days.. I think it has ripened more..
I'm not sure how much brie to use.. but I'll just try.. It was really hard to not eat all of it! ;)
Thank you for the video. One quick question: I made the recipe and I found my cheese a little bit bitter; any idea why this could be happening? Thank you very much for the comments!
I know this is way too late of a reply. I"m sorry about that!
If it is bitter, leave it to ferment longer. The taste WILL change. You can put it in the fridge and it will change more slowly but this is better controlled so you can taste at different stages.
Please I have a question,is the smell like yeast or I have problems with my fermentation???
Mary do you have a vegan yogurt recipe, love your videos even I began to cook, make food.
can white miso paste be used instead of rejuvelac? I tried it once and was a complete failure, considering the fuss it takes to make it I am not sure I want to try that again and it just fail?
Omg, I am salivating just looking at your recipes! Wish I found them ages ago, when l was put on no dairy diet and struggled so much with it.. l do happen to have raw cashews, so will try this recipe tomorrow.. would do it today if it weren't so late ;) speaking of which, l am off to soak my nuts :)
RealsleepyheadzzZZ Ah yes! The only bad part about culturing your own vegan cheese is WAITING! ahahah
l'm in the middle of doing this right now :) thanks for all the work you do for us!
I'm so shocked, lol so quick to make & cruelty-free :) Definitely gonna give it a try, thank you!
I'm culturing my cheese in my instant pot set on yogurt (normal setting). I'll check it after 8 hours and see where it's going. Usually, I just put it out on the counter but we have a Nor'ther blowing in so I wanted a warm place for my newborn. I had just finished culturing my soy yogurt in the pot and decided 'why put it away?' This idea could make cheese making wayyyyyyy faster and it's a great clean enviroment.
I love your videos will definitely try this one
squamoza Thank you, my dear. That's very kind of you to say. I hope you enjoy the recipe! I am in the middle of waiting for my rejuvelac to be ready and will be making this again very soon! It's been too long since I've made homemade cashew cheese.
Do you think it would be possible to make a vegan brie? That used to be my favorite cheese and I've not found a vegan alternative. Fermented soybeans are funky, but not the right kind.
Yes! I haven't made one personally but there are recipes online like this one by Miyoko Schinner: articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-01-16/features/sc-food-0111-veggie-cheese-20130116_1_coconut-oil-brie-vegetarian
I'll have to try that :) I'll see if I can get it good and funky. Just not Camembert funky. That's too funky.
have you thought about adding a little pureed cauliflower? I have heard that is the flavor behind the taste of camembert or maybe you could try lightly frying some enoki mushroom and then puree that and add it? I wouldn't add much though maybe 1/2 tsp - 1 tsp
Oh, that's a good idea. I'll try that. Thanks for the tip 😋
And i can add whatever i want like garlic powder, salt..?
I just blended cashews with water and keep it out side for one night and it tasted sour and delicious is it ok ?
hi i made this recipe to use to make a hard cheese. i didnt taste test it at the soft stage, only after it had dried for a few days, and it was quite nice! then i redid the process with sunflower seeds and almonds, and i taste test after the soft cheese had sat out for a couple of days. and they both taste awful! they are very sour and bitter, they look fine but taste rancid. Surely that's not normal? the rejuvelac was older at this stage, having been refrigerated since the first batch. I'd read it keeps in the fridge for a few weeks, the rejuvelac smelled cheesey, not rancid...but maybe it was too old? any help or advice guys?
Hi Mary! I’m not sure if you’ll see this comment or not. But should the cheese grow? I followed all of your steps except I mixed cashews and almonds because I didn’t have enough of either on their own. The “cheese” looks like cottage cheese and has grown in my mason jar... Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
+Vweebs Yes! Gases formed by the probiotics will make your cream cheese seem to grow:-)
Mary's Test Kitchen // Vegan Cooking thank you so much!!
Hey, I heard that when culturing your own cheese, everything you use has to be sterilized first or it can make you sick. Is this true? I dont have a dishwasher to sterilize my stuff, can I just use soap and water? Thanks.
Yes that's a good practice. You can put your equipment in a big pot of hot water and bring it to a boil. Let it boil 5 minutes. Then let it cool before setting your stuff on a clean rack to dry. Be careful, don't burn yourself. Make sure what you're using can withstand the heat too (don't melt your plastic containers😂
@@marystestkitchen omg thank you so much for all your help! I just have one stupid question, do I need to sterilize the cheesecloth as well? If so how, I assume it cant get wet as that would introduce mould right? Sorry for all these questions im new to cheesemaking..i love your content by the way, especially your cheese making videos!
Sometimes mine just doesn't culture, I think due to bad rejuvelac, and it ends up tasting like...the only way to describe it is if you've ever touched your tongue to a battery as a kid and it has that strange jolty metallic acid taste. It's driving me nuts trying to figure out what bacteria/yeast is doing that to my cheese when the good bacteria never develop to stop it from happening. It's sort of a fun science question that has been making me so curious
Weird! I've never done that with a battery...lol ;-) I hope you figure it out.
MinakoMadison I’ve definitely had a similar issue where the top layer turns a yellowish color and smells spoiled. I’ve had to toss several batches. I’m not sure if some other bacteria was introduced or perhaps it was too warm in the kitchen where I fermented it but I’m hesitant to try again. Cashews are pretty expensive to end up throwing out a cup or two.
I´ve bought the real sauerkraut from Trader Joes and used it when fresh as a culture starter and it usually works pretty good. Make sure you keep a little left over to re-start another batch. You can also use sunflower seeds and other seeds or nuts, or blends.
I also did that battery thing once as a kid, so I know what taste you mean. But I haven't tried making veggie cheese using rejuvelac yet. Hope this doesn't happen with my vegan cheese and hope that it stops happening to you.
Can it be sweetened to make cream cheese to put on cinnamon rolls?
Hi, I tried this recipe and the cheese tastes like rejuvelac. It's a little acid and I'm not sure if I did something wrong.
Paula Zamora How long have you let it age? As it ages, it will lose both the nutty taste of the cashews and the distinct flavour of rejuvelac.
Great videos!! Can you freeze homemade Rejuvelac? Many thanks :-)
I haven't used previously frozen rejuvelac myself but I've read from other bloggers that it's possible.
Thank you! I will try
Hi!!!
Is it normal that the cheese "grows" like if it was bread dough?
Thanks for the recipe.
Sort of. The cashew cream will develop gas bubbles as fermentation occurs; that's normal. However, it shouldn't gain as much volume as bread dough would.
It didn't grow a lot, just the bubbles you've mentioned, ow I know its normal ;)
Thanks for answering :)
How can cashew spoil in water? Serious question
Do I use a normal lid or just cover it with a cloth? Can I use a normal lid loosely screwed on?
Ya, just cover it loosely should be fine
I will try it as soon as possible, I love creamy cheese :-)
I left it sit on 3 days, on 3rd days (or maybe earlier) it was failed. Top surface of cheese was very mouldy. What I doing wrong?
A Canadian company called Nuts For Cheese makes the best creamiest cashew cream cheese
if i let this sit for more than 2 days, say 5 or even up to a week, would that give it a thicker texture?
It doesn't get much thicker after a week unless you shape it and air-dry it.
Hey, can I use soy yogurt instead? If so, how many to replace the rejuvelac?
I don't know! I've heard of doing that but haven't tried it myself.
Question... would water Keira work for the culture ??
I have not tried using kefir but I have heard of people using it
@@marystestkitchen thanks for responding hun... and i did it anyway... I used 2 c raw cashews and 1/2 c kefire water that had been in the back for of the fridge for a few mos... fermented in the oven 2 days. It was frothy. Let me tell you 🤣 but IT WAS AMAZZING !! Litterally.!! I added white pepper green onions raw garlic and onion powder, a tsp liquid smoke 😳😳😳 let it set two more days in the fridge In a bowl and upside down to drain excess liquids and kept changing coffee filters as they got wet... 🥰🥰🥰🥰... Thank You for paving the way and saying THERE ARE NO RULES.. lol. I just went for it. I was legit about to order probiotic caps from Amazon when I remembered the kefir.. id been feeding it every couple mos so I didn't lose the grains.. WOW.. so glad I did. My hubby loved it too... wants me to Age some now so I guess I'll go experimenting again. Thank You for sharing your recipies Ms Mary. I've been a silent viewer for years now.. I know you're busy with others. But I had to tell you this one. 🥰👌
@@marystestkitchen i wanted to say... the Kefir water was too strong to be called a cream cheese IMO.... this did not taste the same at all IMO... this was wayy more cheese like.. it had stronger Sour notes like maybe a goat cheese if I remember right... had I added some red miso and red bell pepper for color or nooch flakes. Maybe even would have made an awesome Nacho cheese with the right tweewks.. I just don't want people confused... I do HUGHLY recommend yall trying this tho.. it was soo very creamy... and soo cheesy even the smell was just .. amazing 🥰👌 ..
When you soak the cashews, do you keep them in the fridge or on the countertop?
Gail Spach Counter top if it's just for 4-8 hours. If I don't have time to get to those soaked cashews, I rinse them, fill with fresh de-chlorinated water and refrigerate. I hope that helps :-)
Hi, can you use muslin to strain the cheese instead of cheese cloth ty :-)
I haven't tried with muslin but my guess is yes. Good luck, dearie :-)
Very cool!
Looks good. I'll try it. Btw, do you remember what music that is?
Thanks! The piece is called Happy Mandolin and you can find it in the UA-cam creators audio library.
Adding my experience with this -
I added a 1/2 cup of rejuvelac to 3/4 cup of cashews soaked and blended.
The result: super soft cheese. NOT creamy but 'airy' with many air pockets and almost a foamy lightness. Like a whipped cheese. Weird. But still tasted fine. Do not recommend, however. lol
+Sparks To Fires this is my experience with every cashew cheese I've ever made too, i tried using either rejuvelac or water and the cheese is always too soft. I wonder how she made that ball of cheese at 0:17 because that looks yummy and looks like it would age very well
She has a video on that one! It's the "cultured almond cheese - gruyère style" video
Hi, I've heard you can use vegan yougurt instead of rejuvelac, is this true? :)
LuvHorsez I'm also wondering the same. I found some starter cultures specifically for Soy yogurt. They're dry powder and you normally mix it with nut milk. I'm wondering if it'd work to mix the powder with water and use it instead of rejuvenac.
HELP D: I just made this recipe but I don't know if it turned out alright. After 1 1/2 days of fermanting it was slighty tanned on top und it smelled like fresh yeast it also tasted like that not bad just yeasty. Should I toss it? >.
+Myomi1988 that's fine. It will get more cheesy smelling as it continues to ferment.
thank you so much for the super fast reply :D
I need to try this. I'm not vegan but I can't eat dairy or really fatty foods, and have to eat a large amount of fiber so cheese made from pureed nuts would be great. I hate the store bought vegan "cheese" because it's mostly oil. It tastes fine but the ingredients seem slightly sketchy.
Homemade is so much better!
Can I use peanuts too for making this cheese?
I haven't tried that...but it sounds okay!
Instead of covering it with a cheesecloth I just put it in a nut milk bag and let it hang out in my living room. within 2 days the whole top of it was covered with mold. So i had to throw it out. Do you have any idea what this might happened?
Marcus Barjon -Did you salt the exterior of cheese? That's a very important step. Moisture + food + room temp = mold unless microbial action is controlled with something. Salt is what we use in this recipe.-
Oops, disregard the above. I thought we were talking about the next recipe in this series. I suspect that in this case the rejuvelac used was not strong enough or just not "alive."
Also, when you say let the cheese "hang out" do you mean you had it hanging and the liquid was draining from it? In this recipe, you need the rejuvelac to stay IN the cheese so the lactobacillus can do it's thing. This might be the issue.
Mary's Test Kitchen | Vegan Cooking And p.s. I'm so sorry you put all that effort in and this happened! I'm sure we can figure out what went wrong together!
Ok got it! I Should salt when ever I leave the cheese in room temp.
Marcus Barjon oops, please reload the page and read my corrected answer! Sorry, I thought we were talking about a different recipe.
So you let this stay out? What about adding seasoning for taste?
Yes, let it sit. Then you can see how the flavour naturally develops over a few days. Afterwards, if you want to add things to it, feel free to. But you may be surprised how much flavour it develops on its own :-)
Do you have a video on how to make the rejuvelac?
Never mind, I just watched it to the end and saw the link! I'm impatient ;)
Emma Cadman-Willis omg. Emma you KILL ME! hahaha
Loveeeeee videooooo❤️❤️❤️❤️
Tried this and it just tastes like Cashew paste!
Then it hasn't been fermented properly yet. Tell me, what did you use for your culturing agent?
@@marystestkitchen
2 tbs of Nutrional yeast.
Ah that's the problem. This recipe is cashews and rejuvelac. Rejuvelac is the culturing agent. Nutritional yeast is not a suitable substitution; it's only for additional flavouring afterwards if you like.
Can i replace rejuvelac for water kefir?
I haven't tried that so I can't say.
How long does it store for in the fridge?
Basically forever. It will continue to ferment and get more sour in the fridge. Just slowly.
It culters better with filtered water
Makes sense. I'll take your word for it. Tap water was fine for me :-)
The top of mine turned yellow and smells funny :x, but inside it looks just like yours...but i'm afraid to touch any of it...it doesn't smell like normal lol
Yellow is fine; unless it's neon or super bright. It should smell funky. Like cheese smells funky.
Thanks for fast reply! It doesn't smell like good funky tho, It smells like...hm..yeast I guess; also not tangy at all. I think I used a bad batch of rejuvelac! I've used this recipe from your video many times and tastes wonderful before so I know this one is...something wrong lol; all in good fun with trial and error ^^
MinakoMadison Oh it sounds like you know what you're talking about! Hopefully this one is just taking it's time. One thing you can do (as long as you don't see mold forming) is wrap it up and stick it in the fridge and forget about it for a month or two. Sometimes cold fermentation will help.
Hi
Dose this cheese taste like a real cheese ?
Lets be real... no
i watched this for 3 times
Uh thanks! 😁 I hope it wasn't because I was confusing
@@marystestkitchen no this is beautiful 😊
where is good place to get these raw cashews ( assuming they are available in bulk) , I don't believe I seen them in regular supermarkets....Bulk Barn seems overpriced
Rancho vingnola (sp?) has a couple sales a year. They normally have large minimums but during these sales you can buy any amount. I also buy from Superstore. -- only on sale though. Sometimes it's cheaper than bulk barn, sometimes not. I used roasted cashews (unsalted) sometimes too when raw is too expensive.
@@marystestkitchen Thanks for the tips!
Videos like this make me sad that I have nut allergies!
Oh no! I'm so sorry about that. Are you also allergic to seeds? This same process can be done with seeds like sunflower and pumpkin, though the flavour will develop differently.
P.S. Anya from CookingWithPlants has a lovely recipe for nut-free cheese too: Smoked Paprika Vegan Cheese Recipe - Soy & Nut Free!!!
Ohhh, thank you so much for the suggestions!
Great recipe!
Please turn down the music. It’s hard to focus on what you’re saying. Thank you 😊
I will be more digestible if you just used the nutmilk, and made it coagulate with lemon juice and salt. The consistensy will also be alot more better, and 'cheese/cream' like. Creamcheeses are eaten with bread. Nuts and starches shouldn't be mixed for digestive purposes. Research food compatibility. There is also recipes here on yt how to make creamcheese from nutmilk :)
This is a base for other cultured cheeses which would not ferment with just lemon juice and salt. However, this is a good idea for more "instant" style cheese :-) thanks for sharing!
You talk too damn fast and I have no idea what it is that you are telling me to add.
+Whitfield Palmer Lol probably true. Check out the blog post linked for exact measurements,etc.
Go to the settings under the video and slow it down a bit.