calcium chloride- do I need it?

[jaghoss]

Hello everybody,

I'm new to the forum, I hope I'm not starting a new thread for no reason, but I couldn't find what I was looking for. So, here's my question, If my milk is setting up, giving me a clean break in around 40 min after adding (1/2 teaspoon per 2 gal of milk) rennet, is there any reason to use calcium chloride? I am using store bought milk and everywhere I read, people say you should definitely add calcium. I frequently have a problem with ph levels being too low, and have only recently starting monitoring it. So that got me to wondering about the calcium, could it (directly/indirectly) impact ph levels somehow?

[Kern]

32% Calcium Chloride has a pH of 5.54 @ 68F.  Most people use it for P&H milk as the 161F pasteurizing temperature and high pressure homogenization make it difficult for a firm curd to form.  You can get a "clean break" and still have a soft curd that easily fractures. A firm curd always produces a "clean break".  So, the determining factor is not a "clean break" it is a firm curd and that is what the added calcium helps produce.  Does this mean your milk needs it?  I can't answer this without trying your milk.  I make cheese with raw milk, 145F vat pasteurized whole milk (non homogenized) and occasionally rot-gut P&H milk.  I always add calcium chloride.  I may not need it but it doesn't hurt anything to add it and it just might "save" $30-$40 of milk from forming a curd that fractures and ruins the intended cheese. 

[Stinky]

The amount of cacl being added in this situation is not going to impact the pH of the whole batch, at all.

I'd suggest adding it, but the world probably won't end if you don't.

If you do, much cheaper to get a bunch of dehydrated food-grade stuff and saturate a solution.

[jaghoss]

Thank you for your thoughts. I'm making a batch of cheddar tomorrow. I plan to add the calcium, I'll let you know how it goes. I went with the "dehydrated food-grade stuff and saturate a solution" suggestion - thank you.

[Stinky]

Take pictures and post them in a thread for extra credit.

[jaghoss]

After using calcium on my last three batches of cheese (Colby, Edam and Cheddar), I am can clearly see a difference in curd quality and total amount of curd produced. After seeing the difference, I am sold! I was setting a fine curd before, but that's all it was, just "fine" or "ok". From two gal of whole milk I was getting a finished cheese wheel right at two pounds. Now with the calcium, I'm getting basically three pounds. I failed to snap a few pic's of the last few batches. I've never taken pic's of my cheese making before, so I forget.