As someone who reviews products for a living, hundreds of emails pass my desk detailing the latest gizmos that need to be on my radar. But it’s not everyday that something immediately piques my interest.
I am often greeted with various items from a variety of well-known brands, including air fryers, stand mixers and juicers – but at the suggestion of the Kuvings Yoghurt and Cheese Maker, I jumped at the chance to put it through its paces.
What on earth is an automatic cheese maker? How does it work? And do I really need one cluttering up my kitchen counter? All very valid questions, all of which I asked myself repeatedly while I awaited the delivery of my precious machine, imagining the perfectly pretty blocks of cheddar and gouda that I’d have stacked in my fridge. I know, it was slightly ridiculous to assume that I’d be able to produce a block of creamy, orange cheddar or the infamous Dutch cheese with a simple mixing and fermentation machine. What can I say, my hopes were high. But it’s not all doom and gloom.
Making fermented foods is an arduous process, which is why they’re often sold at a premium. It makes sense, then, that there’s a sizeable portion of the population who would rather just make their favourite fermented snacks themselves. With the help of automatic fermentation machines such as the Kuvings, the task is supposed to be made far easier, healthier (no added salt or sugar) and perhaps even tastier than your classic shop-bought Greek yoghurt, cheeses, vinegar, pickles and sauerkraut.
My Kuvings device finally arrived, and I got to work studying the accompanying literature. Turns out, in order to make anything fermented, you need a fair few hours of time. From around six to eight hours, to be exact. Can you tell I’m a novice? As a result, when it came to deciding which of the over 100 included recipes and settings that I’d attack – and wait a full six to eight hours to consume – my inner Wallace and Gromit came out. I just had to make some cheese.
Keep scrolling to find out more about the Kuvings Yoghurt and Cheese Maker, and whether this review has a nice and cheesy end.
Buy now - £129 | UK Juicers or via PlanetOrganic
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Key specifications
Dimensions: 18 x18 x 20cm
Motor Power: 44 Watts
Weight Unboxed: 1kg
I was pleasantly surprised by the small size and feathery lightness of this device. As previously referenced, I was concerned that my already appliance-heavy kitchen counter would be overwhelmed by yet another device. But the Kuvings is small, sleek and good-looking enough to live on my counter or fits perfectly in one of my bottom cupboards for when I’m not in the fermentation mood.
User friendliness
Though I did have the help of a handy three-minute video on how to make goat’s cheese feta posted by Kuvings themselves, the device is wonderfully intuitive and easy to use. All I had to do was pop to my local Waitrose to pick up a (thankfully reduced) carton of goat’s milk and a lemon. After combining 800ml of milk and a few squeezes of fresh lemon juice for some extra zest, I gave the ingredients a little mix and popped them into the machine’s inner bowl.
Then, after securing the correct setting for making cheese and pressing start, I was officially (hopefully) T-six hours away from some creamy yet crumbly delicious goat’s cheese feta. As instructed by the lovely Australian lady via Kuvings’ YouTube video, after six hours had passed, I diligently strained my cheese using the included strainer before popping the two items back in the bowl and then into the fridge for three hours (however, after such a long waiting period, this turned into an overnight fridge sesh - the day had escaped me). I was also surprised by just how warm the machine itself got once the initial six hours was up.
The next morning, my alarm went off and I practically raced to the fridge like a little kid on Christmas morning – was my cheese to be a success? Upon opening the container, I could see that the bottom half of the tub, beneath the strainer, had filled with a milky white and yellow substance: this is ‘whey’. The smell that wafted from the tub once I opened it wasn’t the most pleasant but that’s something to be expected when experimenting with fermented foods.
Though the resulting, creamy sphere of cheese wasn’t necessarily the crumbly cube of feta I had imagined, it tasted great, if a little bit strong and bitter. Small portion sizes only. Nevertheless, the machine had worked, and it was all in all an incredibly simple process.
Functionality
I think it’s safe to say that the Kuvings cheese maker certainly works well. Though perfecting the included recipes to suit your personal tastes and preferences will take some time, and the process itself takes even longer to complete. I’m going to safely assume that anyone who has decided they’d like to start making yoghurt and cheese at home has a very put-together schedule. At-home fermenters – beginners and experts alike – are the kind of people who have got their lives together.
I’m yet to embark on any of Kuvings’ other 100 recipes, but my feta-making experience has officially equipped me with the confidence, know-how and faith in the appliance itself to get going with further fermentation.
Buy now £129.00, PlanetOrganic
Verdict
Though it won’t produce the tasty, shop-bought cheese that you’re used to, fermentation connoisseurs will rejoice in the ease with which they can make their favourite cheeses, Greek yoghurt and pickled snacks. We would still recommend indulging in a truly artisan cheese purchase here and there.
Buy now - £129 | UK Juicers or via PlanetOrganic
