Coagulation, Rennet - Flocculation Time Method Discussion, Flocculation Time Fast, Recommendations?

[T-Bird]

I began my first colby last sunday. This is the first time that I was going to use the flocculation point, floating bowl etc. method. I had chosen my multiplier as 3 and was ready to go. I was also trying making cheese out of powdered skim milk and whipping cream (as per schmindling). I used meso A from leener's as a culture, 1/2 rennet tablet (also from leener's)  dissolved in 1/4 cup water with a small amt cheese salt added. At 5min after adding the rennet I lowered the bowl into the milk to show my wife that it would indeed spin and not sink like she said, and it would not spin. Flocculation was begun! I checked for a clean break at 14 min.( since I didn't know exactly when flocculation began, I cheated on the short side of 3x5) and it was there. I cut at 14 min. My questions are multiple. 1) has this happened to anyone else- rapid flocculation2) if so did your cheese turn out 3) is this to be expected when you use powdered milk and cream in combo to make cheese. The rest of the recipe went well, the cheese is in the shrink wrap and looks good after 5 days of drying at room temp.

[Sailor Con Queso]

You should shoot for 10-12 minutes for flocculation, so add less rennet.

[T-Bird]

I have always used 1/2 tab rennet because that seemed to be a common amt. to use for a 2 gallon batch of milk in recipes. This is, however, the first time that I have used powdered milk and also the first time that I have tried to measure flocculation point.I take it you don't think that the milk type had anything to do with the rapid flocculation. How about the addition of a small amt of cheese salt to the water used to dilute the rennet, haven't done that before come to think about it.