Wiki: Stirring Tools

This Wiki Article discusses Stirring Tools used in different components of cheese making, depending on cheese type. This article is divided into the following sections:

• Stirring Milk.
• Stirring Brine.

Stirring Milk

• Use – Generally the same stirring tool is used at the beginning stages of cheese making to stir milk for several reasons:
  • To minimize hot spots while heating milk.
  • To distribute initial additives such as direct acids, starter cultures, annatto, calcium chloride, and rennet.
  • After cutting rennet coagulated curds to help curds to expel whey and to stop clumping of cut curds.
• Material
  • Food grade plastic or stainless steel.
  • Wooden utensils are not recommend as they harbor and can introduce unwanted microorganisms into the cheese.
• Shape
  • Preferably with holes to aid in diffusion of additives into the milk.
  • Long enough so that tool does not sink below milk when left to rest in vat at an angle (not feasible with large vats).
• Examples – Long household holed spoon or skimmer.

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Stirring Brine

• Use – To stir and help dissolve dry crystalline salt in water or whey when making brine.
• Material
  • Food grade, normally suitable plastic.
  • Wooden utensils are not recommend as they harbor and can introduce unwanted microorganisms into the cheese.
  • Stainless steel is not recommended unless very high quality as it will corrode.
• Shape – Preferably with holes to aid in diffusion of additives into the milk.
• Examples – Long household holed spoon or skimmer.

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