Buttermilk As Mesophilic Starter Culture - Amount?

[Frumunda]

Ok,I'm using the ice tray frozen buttermilk starter culture for the time being,it's one thawed cube per gallon of milk,is that right?

[wharris]

Short answer:  I dunno. 

Long answer:
i have yet to hear of consistently good results using those.  you did not solicit my recommendations, but I would suggest you go to dairy connection and simply pick up some direct vat innoculated cultures.

They are not very expensive and last a long time and are predictable.

[Cheese Head]

Road Rash, when I used Cultured Buttermilk for mesophilic starter culture, I used 4 ounces / ~ 4 ice cubes per 1 USG milk.

I used them for my first 15-20 cheeses and worked out well. Have since bought manufactured meso culture.

[wharris]

I stand corrected!

[linuxboy]

One enemy of the home cheesemaker is consistency. The big boys have it easier in this regard because there are dedicated quantities, large scales, and bigger equipment to handle the processes.

For us, as much as 1/16 more or less rennet or 5 degree in temp can produce a whole other cheese.

So for frozen buttermilk, it's more challenging to produce the same results. For one, initial buttermilk strength may differ between batches. For another, the time the cubes spend in the freezer may decrease viability.

In the end, these two things can be mitigated by measuring pH and adjusting your process accordingly. But it's still easier to just use the DVI cultures. If you buy the bulk pack and do smaller batches, I would measure the bulk pack out and separate into equal parts so that you can have 1/2 DU or less in a single pack.

For the cubes, use more like 3-4 per gallon.

[Frumunda]

I only used one,that could have had something to do with the way my curds clumped together.I will try four next time!

[davejohn18]

              Definitely, it is good to have this starter cultures.


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