If you plan on aging the cheese, make larger wheels to keep it from drying out too much.

Pour into a large stainless steel pan:

Add and stir well:

Cover and let stand at room temperature for 1 hour if using the mesophilic starter, 4 hours if using buttermilk.

Place the pan of cultured milk in a larger pan of hot water, set it over medium-low heat, and bring the temperature of the milk to 86°F. To color the cheese, stir into the milk as directed on the package:

Meanwhile, prepare a coagulant by stirring together until thoroughly dissolved:

Allow the milk to reach 88° to 90°F. Stir in the rennet solution and continue stirring about 30 seconds, then remove the pan from the hot water and allow the mixture to stand, covered and undisturbed, 30 minutes to 1 hour. It should coagulate during this period.

To see if the curd is ready, insert your well-washed finger into the curd at an angle, as if to lift some out. If the curd breaks cleanly over your finger, it is ready for cutting.

Cut the curd lengthwise and crosswise at ½-inch intervals, as shown below, using a long offset spatula or a stainless steel knife. Then cut diagonally at a 45-degree angle. These repeated cuts will divide the curd into small, even bits.

Use a wooden spoon to stir the curd for 15 minutes, using slow movements around the edges and up through the curd from the bottom to top, letting the portion you bring to the surface each time gently recede into the mass. Should there be some large curds, cut them with the spatula or knife into smaller pieces. The curds will begin to shrink in size as they separate from the yellowish whey.

Return the pan to the hot water bath set over low heat and slowly bring the curds and whey to 102°F over a 20- to 30-minute period, stirring every few minutes. Hold at 102°F for 30 to 40 minutes (if needed, take the water bath with the pan of cheese curds in it off the heat to avoid overshooting the temperature), stirring gently every few minutes. The curd is ready for firming when it forms a loose mass in your hand. The individual curds will be wheat berry–sized and the entire mass will look like eggs scrambled over too high heat.

To firm the curd, remove the pan from the hot water and let the curds and whey mixture stand, covered, for 1 hour. During this period, stir every 5 to 10 minutes.

To drain the curd, line a colander with a clean flour sack towel and set in the sink (if desired, place over a bowl to save the whey for another application like Ricotta). Ladle the curds and whey into the lined colander and drain off the whey by lifting the curds in the cloth and rolling the mass from one side of the cloth to the other. Now set the drained curd, still in the cloth, in the colander again. If desired, you may work into it with a well-washed hand:

Form the curd into a ball within the cloth and squeeze out as much whey as possible. Knot the cheesecloth around the ball to form a bag you can hang from the sink faucet and let the cheese drain another 20 minutes.

Just before pressing, you may add flavorings, such as:

Now prepare to press the cheese. As pressing is a drippy business, confine your activities to the sink area. If you have no cheese mold (they can be bought cheaply from cheesemaking supply companies), improvise one by poking holes into the bottom of a 7- to 8-inch-deep cylindrical plastic container 4 to 5 inches in diameter. Place it on a plate or baking sheet. You will also need two thick pieces of food-grade plastic that are just smaller in diameter than the mold (disks cut with a jigsaw from a cheap but sturdy plastic cutting board work well) and something heavy to weight them down (such as a can or brick). Line the mold with a 15-inch square of clean flour sack towel. Transfer the curds to the lined mold, spread them evenly, and fold the muslin or cheesecloth over the top so the curds are wrapped. Put one disk on top and weight it down with the can or brick. As the whey rises and runs or is poured off and the curds compress, place the second disk under the weight to allow pressure to continue.

During the next 20 minutes, increase the pressure by gradually adding weight until the total weight being used equals 25 pounds. This can be done by placing a small wooden cutting board on top of the can and placing weight on top of the cutting board (we have even used heavy books, like the cookbook you are holding in your hands, for this application). Then let the cheese rest in the press for 12 hours in a cool place (if possible, transfer to the refrigerator).

Remove the cheese from the press, unfold the muslin, and place the cheese on a rack. Allow to air-dry, unwrapped and on a wooden cutting board, in the refrigerator for 2 to 4 days, or until the surface of the cheese is dry. Turn the cheese a few times a day so both sides can dry out.

This so-called new cheese will be fairly bland in flavor. To age the cheese and allow it to develop its full flavor, when the exterior is absolutely dry, dip it into a thin coat of cheese wax, available from cheesemaking suppliers, to seal off the air and prevent mold. Date the wrapping with a label. Refrigerate on a rack where the temperature drops no lower than 35°F or in the vegetable crisper, where the temperature is about 40°F. Temperatures above 55°F cause the cheese to spoil. Flavor will develop within 1 to 2 months or longer.

If any surface mold has formed, wipe it off; or if it has penetrated the cheese, cut it out.