Author Topic: How critical is milk freshness?  (Read 1286 times)

Groves

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How critical is milk freshness?
« on: January 11, 2017, 09:56:39 PM »
I have tons of things I can do with my raw milk when it's clabbered. No lack.

I'm less experienced with how milk freshness affects mozz or colby or cheddar or parms.

Not that I want to make a habit of it, but I bet there are better and worse cheeses to even attempt with milk that isn't clabbered, but will be in a few more days.

Any ideas?

Offline Gregore

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Re: How critical is milk freshness?
« Reply #1 on: January 12, 2017, 03:21:18 AM »
So your asking what to make with milk that is not fresh but has yet to clabber ?

Assuming the ph is not below 6.3, 6.4 or so  then you can make most cheeses  , but the lower the acid the more likely you will need to use a ph meter and not a time recipe.

Offline awakephd

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Re: How critical is milk freshness?
« Reply #2 on: January 12, 2017, 05:14:37 PM »
Agreed - in general you want to make cheese with the milk as fresh as possible. Assuming we're talking about milk stored in a refrigerator, be aware that cold storage of milk actually does some damage in terms of how it will work for making cheese. And the closer the milk gets to sour / clabber, the more you have an unknown mix of bacteria - not necessarily dangerous, but not necessarily the right flavors.  (There are, of course, cheeses that are made using raw milk, allowed to clabber naturally - but this is done purposefully and in a single episode, not drawn-out over time in the fridge. And even then, most people will add at least some culture to the milk to make sure the desired bacteria dominate.)
-- Andy

Offline Gregore

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Re: How critical is milk freshness?
« Reply #3 on: January 13, 2017, 05:18:21 AM »
One other thing I just remembered , cold storage of milk does not  completely slow down  growth psychrotrophics ( bad guys)   Where as the good bacteria are almost completely dormant.

So don't try to clabber in the fridge , too risky



kakemono

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Re: How critical is milk freshness?
« Reply #4 on: March 20, 2017, 01:55:45 PM »
It is still fine for butter as a last result.

Offline awakephd

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Re: How critical is milk freshness?
« Reply #5 on: March 20, 2017, 03:43:26 PM »
I guess that would be butter than nothing ....

Sorry, just couldn't resist!  ;D
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Offline Gregore

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Re: How critical is milk freshness?
« Reply #6 on: March 21, 2017, 03:10:01 AM »
One could also pasteurize , rather than throwing it out