GENERAL CHEESE MAKING BOARDS (Specific Cheese Making in Boards above) > STANDARD METHODS - Making Cheese, Coagulation
Coagulation, Rennet, Tablet, Junket Brand - No Clean Break
BigCheese:
I think milk is generally around PH6.45 before inoculating. Afterword, it is generally good to see some movement before renneting, even if it is very little. The acid production continues until brining and maybe even a little after that.
MarkShelton:
@ atreyablue: Which rennet did you get? I got the BioRen tablets from cheesemaking.com and had nothing but problems with getting a solid curd and a clean break. I e-mailed the owner with my troubles and he sent me a sample of the vegetarian rennet tablets free of charge and I haven't had any problems since.
DennisZ:
I received the liquid animal rennet but haven't tried it yet. I'm starting small with 1 gallon batches.
padams:
I made some queso fresco yesterday, and noticed...I have far less trouble with my curds when I use 2% than when I buy the whole milk that my local dairy produces.
Now, their 2%, I think, is still very rich (there is often cream accumulated at the neck) But for some reason I just get a much softer curd when using whole or adding their cream to the 2%.
Try a batch with skim and see if that helps your curd set, along with the other wonderful ideas here!
EDIT.....1 gallon batches can be frustrating to get such little yield, and a lot of people don't recommend it, but I often make a 1 gal batch when I am trying a new recipe....I even made a 1qt monterrey jack last week!
MrsKK:
I've been very successful using Junket rennet to make hard cheeses - cheddar, derby, and colby - but I also use raw milk. I make it in 5 gallon batches and usually use 4 Junket tablets.
My guess is that calcium chloride would have helped and also that you were stirring the rennet in far too long. I generally stir the rennet in for only 30-60 seconds, very gently, then use the skimmer to stop the swirling of the milk by holding it vertically in the kettle.
When Junket rennet was no longer available to me locally, I ordered powdered calf rennet from www.thecheesemaker.com, as I found that the liquid calf rennet I used when first making cheese got very weak within about 9 months' time. I've been very happy with the results.
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