Milk for Traditional Cheesemaking
Choosing the right milk for cheesemaking can be one of the most important factors in having a successful and tasty outcome. If you’d like to find truly local, minimally processed sources of milk near you, type in your zipcode on this web resource Local Harvest
The brands below have been tested with Urban Cheesecraft kits and book, One Hour Cheese.
Cow Milk
Minimally processed, grass-fed, pasteurized, non-homogenized milk, great for making cheese. Can be found in natural and specialty food stores, including natural food co-ops, independent natural food stores, Natural Grocers, and Whole Food Markets in the Midwest, Rockies, and Southwest.
Found in Fred Meyer’s natural foods fridge. They get milk to you from farmers in your area. There’s a Pacific Northwest co-op for example.
Whole and Lowfat cow milk- found at Alberta Co-op, Bob’s Red Mill, New Seasons. This dairy is right here in Portland, OR and their milk works great.
Pasteurized gallons found at New Season’s and many mainstream super markets- works well and is a local dairy.
Trader Joe's BrandsAll of their milk labeled pasteurized makes good cheese.
Lucerne
Pasteurized gallons found in Oregon and California stores everywhere- has worked great.
Store brand- 1 gallon
On a holiday break in San Diego, CA recently I successfully made mozzarella with this milk. These self-serve stores are in CA, NV, AZ so far.
Any of the better brands found at co-ops are great too!
Out of California, like most glass jug brands, it is good quality milk and works great for making cheese.
Goat Milk
Quarts of this Pasteurized Goat Milk are available in Portland, OR Trader Joes. Lots of proof of other Trader Joes around the U.S. carry it as well. Call the Summerhill’s 1800 number to find a source near you.
Lactose-free & ultra-pasteurized
The purple carton is ultra pasteurized- goat milk. Goat milk is more difficult to work with in general so avoid this overly-processed milk.
If you're desperate and don't mind experimenting, you can try lactose-free milk or ultra-pasteurized cow's milk with Ricotta, Paneer and Queso Blanco. These recipes produce cheese by acid-coagulation. It will not always work and you might get a very loose cheese as a result. If you move on to make these cheeses with rennet or cultures, ultra pasteurized milk will likely not work at all.