Author Topic: John's Cheese #051 - Feta #6  (Read 3592 times)

Cheese Head

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John's Cheese #051 - Feta #6
« on: October 16, 2009, 08:58:21 PM »
Previous batch almost used up, time to make Feta using this recipe with my Dad visiting from Vancouver Canada!

MAKING
  • Oct 16, 2009, 2:30PM:
    • Poured 2 US gallon/7.6 litres of store bought pasteurized homogenized whole cow's milk from fridge into stockpot on smallest gas burner ring on stove.
    • As milk pasteurized, to standardize, trickled and stirred in 1/2 teaspoon diluted CaCl2.
    • Measured ~0.5 gram Danisco's Choozit Brand Mesophilic Starter Culture MM100 onto mini digital scale, tapped off onto top of milk and stirred in.
    • Measured ~0.5 gram Danisco's Brand Mild Calf Lipase onto mini digital scale, tapped off onto top of milk, stirred in.
    • Turned gas on low and warmed and occasionally stirred milk to 90 F/32 C.
    • Set aside for 1 hour for culture to ripen.
  • Oct 16, 2009, 3:45PM: Measured ~0.45 gram CHR Hansen Brand powdered rennet onto mini digital scale, diluted in 3/4 cup cool water, trickled into milk while stirring in thoroughly for 1 minute. Set aside for curd to set.
  • Oct 16, 2009, 5:00PM: Checked for clean break, good, cut curds into 1 cm/0.5 inch cubes and left to rest 10 minutes.
  • Oct 16, 2009, 5:10PM: Stirred cut curds occasionally to ensure don't knit, turned gas on once to add a liitle heat, forgot switched off, measured at 100F, 10F too high! Continued to occasionally stir for 45 minutes.
  • Oct 16, 2009, 6:00PM: Bailed out excess whey, ladled cut curds into 4 camembert hoops on mats on draining board beside kitchin sink. A lot less curds than normal as cooked longer (45 min) and as accidentally increased temp too high mid way through.
  • Oct 18, 2009, 6:15PM: Turned cheeses in hoops.
  • Oct 18, 2009, 6:35PM: Turned cheeses in hoops.
  • Oct 18, 2009, 7:00PM: Turned cheeses in hoops.
  • Oct 18, 2009, 8:00PM: Turned cheeses in hoops.
  • Oct 18, 2009, 10:30PM: Turned cheeses in hoops.
  • Oct 19, 2009, 6:00AM: Turned cheeses in hoops.
  • Oct 19, 2009, 10:30AM: Placed in fresh 2 liters of ~16% NaCl table salt brine with little CaCl2 & little white vinegar and placed in fridge to age.
  • Oct 27, 2009, Age 11 Days: Cut open one of feta's, crumbly, nice piquant taste, too salty as in ~16% brine.
  • Mar 25, 2010, Age 5 Months: Finally broke and started eating 3rd feta, still crumbly, nice piquant taste, again still slightly too salty as in ~16% brine.

NOTES
  • Next time 1 gallon of brine is adequate for 2 US gallon batch of Feta.
« Last Edit: March 24, 2010, 10:49:25 PM by John (CH) »

Cheese Head

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« Last Edit: October 17, 2009, 12:01:44 PM by John (CH) »

Cheese Head

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Re: John's Cheese #051 - Feta #6
« Reply #2 on: October 16, 2009, 08:59:02 PM »
Pictures #2 . . .
« Last Edit: March 24, 2010, 10:50:24 PM by John (CH) »

webster37

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Re: John's Cheese #051 - Feta #6
« Reply #3 on: October 17, 2009, 08:15:11 AM »
waitting your pictures 8)

Alex

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Re: John's Cheese #051 - Feta #6
« Reply #4 on: October 17, 2009, 10:49:10 AM »
Wellcome Webster,

Please introduce yourself and experience with cheese makeing.
Pics, John uses to save place for future pics he will attach.

Cheese Head

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Re: John's Cheese #051 - Feta #6
« Reply #5 on: October 17, 2009, 12:28:00 PM »
Welcome Webster, few pics posted now, more in similar threads if you are interested in making Feta, also, in OP there is link to recipe/procedure page, have fun!

Tea

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Re: John's Cheese #051 - Feta #6
« Reply #6 on: October 17, 2009, 08:50:43 PM »
I must say CH, that looks a fine batch of fetta.  Congrats.

Cheese Head

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Re: John's Cheese #051 - Feta #6
« Reply #7 on: October 18, 2009, 01:57:08 PM »
Thanks Tea, I'm still trying to get a harder Fetta, so cooked longer and accidentally at higher temp, resulting curds were more dense, thus reason for larger vacancies on sides.

Offline DeejayDebi

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Re: John's Cheese #051 - Feta #6
« Reply #8 on: October 19, 2009, 03:48:34 AM »
Looks very nice John. How'd you texture come out? Looks very firm.

Cheese Head

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Re: John's Cheese #051 - Feta #6
« Reply #9 on: October 27, 2009, 11:24:11 PM »
Debi, just ate 1/2 one on salad tonight, nice and crumblier than my previous batches, but still not dry crumbly like I'd like.

I think to be crumblier maybe it has to drain out of brine like the ones in the store pictures here.

Offline DeejayDebi

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Re: John's Cheese #051 - Feta #6
« Reply #10 on: October 28, 2009, 02:53:17 AM »
All the feta I have ever eatten was crumbly but very very dry almost salty chalky. I don't think I have ever eatten good feta.

Tea

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Re: John's Cheese #051 - Feta #6
« Reply #11 on: October 28, 2009, 08:19:41 PM »
You need to try the recipe that I posted. 

Offline DeejayDebi

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Re: John's Cheese #051 - Feta #6
« Reply #12 on: October 28, 2009, 11:26:02 PM »
I will one of the days. I have so many recipe to try yet. Sheesh!