Hi from Adelaide, South Australia

[dierich]

Hi everyone, I'm Di, from the McLaren Vale region in South Australia, a beautiful part of the world! I'm just starting my journey beyond feta and cream cheese which I have been making successfully for a few years now. Had to wait for hubby to finally get me a wine fridge for maturing!  I've got a cheddar, Monterey Jack and Camembert aging at the moment, and second cheddar underway as I type.  I'm looking forward to learning from you all as I. Go.

I have a quick initial question. I have Rikki's Home Cheesema,ING book, but all the recipes refer to a 'packet' of mesophilic starter but I can't find anywhere how much is in a packet! the packet. I have isn't helpful as the instructions just say to use, eg 1/12th of the packet so it's a bit of a guessing game at the moment.  Thank you.

[Kern]

Hi, and welcome to the CheeseForum.  We're happy to see an Australian join us!  Just kidding.  We have so many cool Aussies on this forum that if they ever got off the weight would shift so much that the world would turn and Australia would be a northern hemisphere country. 

Rikki's company, New England Cheese, sells cultures it either repackages or blends in packets.  Most folks on the Forum buy 10 or 50 dose packets of culture made by Danisco, Chr Hansen, Sacco, et al.  Perhaps some of our Aussie members can guide you to purchase sources in your country.

Most folks measure cultures by the teaspoon fraction.  Typically a dose for 8 liters of milk would be something like 1/4 teaspoon (1.25ml).  I don't know if you can apply this to the NEC packets as they may contain added "inerts" to make measuring easier.

[Andrew Marshallsay]

Hi. Welcome on board, Di. Great to see another Croweater on the forum.
I'm at Hallett Cove, so we're nearly next door neighbours.

If you are using Rikki's book and the cultures referred to in there, you may want to go to her website: http://www.cheesemaking.com/recipes/recipedetails.html
Under the SHOP tab you will find details of the New England Cheesemaking Company cultures, including dosage rates. The recipes will also give you some guidance.

As Kern said, most of us buy multi-dose packets and divide them up. I store the culture in plastic vials in the freezer. I also use miniature measuring spoons but if you decide to go down that path, it is worth checking how much they really hold.

If you are using cultures from a different supplier (and I'm assuming you probably will) the dosage should be indicated on the package or be available from their website. Dosage can vary significantly from one culture to another. For this reason the supplier's dosage rate is probably more reliable than the dosages given in recipes.

[Schnecken Slayer]

Welcome Di, As already has been said the packets usually contain information on how much to add.
I purchase mostly from http://www.countrybrewer.com.au/ as they have a store close to me although they do mail-order as well.

-Bill