Hello from Hannibal MO and Question About Acids

[DeejayDebi]

Lennie -

I used all of those for many years and they will make really good cheeses. It is easier however to make many more of the authentic old world styled cheeses with commercial cultures. So the question becomes what are you trying to achieve?

[Lennie]

I'm just playing and practicing until I get my cultures, molds and good rennet. At least I've seen a good curd now, and have a new appreciation for sticking closely to a protocol.  I worked up a double boiler system after scorching some milk on my first attempt, now I'm figuring out how to keep from overshooting target temps.

I need another thermometer to put in the water jacket of the double boiler.

[DeejayDebi]

For mesophilic cheeses you can just use hot tap water to heat with.

[Lennie]

I used hot water the first time, then I saved those 3gal to use again.  I have a 5gal aluminum pot for a water pot and a 3gal enameled pot for my milk.  Its handles sit nicely on the edges of the larger water pot.

Update on last night's batch.  Another possible failure.  With less acid and less rennet (folloewed the instructions this time) the milk didn't set up nearly as fast or as well as the night before.  I may have stirred the rennet in too much, I don't know.  The pH looked better.  Anyway, I was tired so I went ahead and cut the curds and heated them, leaving them in the 108F water for a couple of hours while I went to bed.  I woke up at midnight at got up to drain the whey and hung the curds in cheesecloth.  This morning I put them in a bowl and added salt.  This time the product was very sticky.  I tried microwaving a portion and it still didn't seem to want to melt and be smooth.  It was time to go to work at that point so thats where things stand.

I'll get this eventually, although it may wait for some easier cheeses to be made.  My first shipment of cheesemaking stuff is out for delivery so I'm excited.

[Lennie]

I got my citric acid in today, and the wife brought home a pH meter (I ordered the Hanna and it'll hopefully be here by the end of the week).  Using commercial milk again, it took a little more than 1 1/2tsp of citric to get the milk to 5.3.  I used a whole tablet of junket rennet, I want to save my good stuff for better cheeses.  Its setting up now, will report back.  I'm finishing off a bottle of Italian wine (Dolcetto) that I made from a kit, so results may be affected by this variable.

I've contacted someone who milks goats and have the FFA leader checking into dairy farmers who might sell raw milk.

[Lennie]

I had high hopes but apparently a tablet of Junket rennet isn't very strong because the milk didn't set up for squat!  I let the gallon of storebought milk go about 2 hours then cut and heated anyway, it is mushy and not setting up well even with some additional heating.  I'm bummed but its my fault, I was saving my good supply of rennet and I shouldn't have been so cheap.

[linuxboy]

Is this the same milk as before? If so, I think it's your milk that's an issue. Junket should work fine. I started out making cheese with junket, and so long as the milk was good, I had no issues.

[DeejayDebi]

Yes I agree with Linuxboy. Unless it was very old Junket (it does expire) I have used it for years without problems.

I have found certain brands of milk that have no apparent markings for UHT or ESL that just won't make cheese no matter what. Fortunately I discovered them while trying to make yogurt so it didn't hurt to bad.

I believe Sailor brought out one day that these milks don't have to be labeled but most will have an expiration date longer than a week.

[Lennie]

These curds werew mushy but I went ahead and cooked them and drained.  It is certainly different than previous attempts.  I'm going to go ahead and try heating/stretching them tonight.  If not, its another batch of white cheese rolled with plastic wrap.  I'm enjoying that product almost daily with herbs and cracked pepper.

This was Aldi's milk, I've tried others and had mixed results as well.  I have one more gallon of Aldi's milk, I may give it a go with good rennet in the next few days.  My junket is fairly new and not expired so it may well be this milk.

[DeejayDebi]

well at least you have produced a produce you emjoy eattig - that is a good thing!

[Lennie]

Even better- we hava mozzarella!  The pH meter worked its magic after all!

I took a scoop of the custard-like curds and microwaved them tonight, a lot of whey came out but I kept pouring this off and blending with a plastic spatula.  When I got the stuff to 140F I saw it melt together, and I was able to fold and knead it before making it into a ball and dropping into the ice-cold salt water.

The second half of the batch isn't going the same way.  The whey didn't separate out of it the way the first lump did, I suppose a lot of whey must've drained into the bottom of the curd during its storage in the fridge.  Anyway I'm microwaving it to dry it out and its starting to look like it should as well.

I know now to use good rennet, or make the junket cheese when I have time to let it sit for a few hours.

[Lennie]

Couldn't stand it, in the interest of science I tried that first ball.  Pretty tasty stuff, has the squeakiness on your teeth like a fresh cheddar curd.  Not sure that is right.  I tried melting a slice and it did melt although not quite as nicely as I think it should.  I think I am right on the edge of making a decent mozzarella.

The second ball is still being microwaved, and is just getting dry enough to work.  I don't know that it'll come out right, but I'm encouraged enough to keep at it.

[Lennie]

I finally microwaved the second ball into submission.  It took many heatings but it finally dried up and became smooth and shiny as I kneaded it.  Both of the balls are kind of low grade as far as I'm concerned, but they're tasty (ball #1 is long gone) and they are close enough that I'm thinking I just about have the hang of it.  I get a better curd formed and I'm there.

This was fun!  Now to research my next cheese.

[DeejayDebi]

Sometimes it's a PITA but it will eventually submit! Good job! Most people give up to quickly.