Knowledge Base > Eric Wynkoop - Ask Me Anything (Office Hours)
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Eric Wynkoop - Ask Me Anything (Office Hours)
This event was on
Tuesday, May 28, 2024 at 11:00 am Pacific, 2:00 pm Eastern
Join Chef Eric Wynkoop in his virtual office as he welcomes all of your questions. This event was created for you and we encourage you to Ask Anything – from cooking techniques to co… Read More.
Question:
![Nancy C](https://d1c8xu194km6ge.cloudfront.net/avatars/1509138/1723749211-IMG_5040_thumbnail.jpeg)
Can you discuss cashews used for sauces, creamer, etc, and how to ferment into harder cheese?
— Nancy Calkins
Answer:
Um, so, you know, for, for most applications, uh, you know, cashews are very simply blended and, um, they can be, uh, soaked. Um, soaking, you know, increases the hydration, uh, you know, which will make them easier to blend, uh, and, um, it can often result in a smoother product, okay? But it also depends on the equipment that you're using. And, um, you know, in terms of, uh, making cheese and, and fermentation, in my experience, um, you know, I, I add, uh, you know, some sort of a, a microorganism that I get from the store. And in this way, it's a controlled fermentation, which is, um, generally what you want, um, in order to minimize the risk of, um, something wild and undesirable, uh, getting into your cheese. Okay? And, uh, you know, this is where I would recommend, uh, that you follow, uh, the suggestions of a recipe or the guidelines, uh, otherwise, you know, of, uh, you know, for this process, um, you know, as, as you, uh, you follow a specific procedure, okay? And at least do that first, uh, so you understand the process, and then you can start to make changes, um, you know, as, as you desire.
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