Author Topic: Hello from down under  (Read 3069 times)

Merlot

  • Guest
Hello from down under
« on: November 30, 2008, 04:19:16 AM »

Good day all, I am from Queensland, Australia and while doing some search in the web about home made cheese I discovered this fantastic site.
At the present time with my wife we are experimenting with Kefir culture and UHT skim milk for two reasons: one is the local climate where the room temperature is from about  25 to 30 centigrade in the house and the other is the difficulties in using UHT milk for elaborating common cheese.
The lower cholesterol content on the skim milk (0.1% fat) is an advantage; it allows us to eat cheese at our hearts content.  ;)
I am looking forward to participate in this forum and exchange ideas.

bundy

  • Guest
Re: Hello from down under
« Reply #1 on: November 30, 2008, 05:27:15 AM »
gday Marlot and welcome i hope you will find this forum of great help as i have.I'm a cane toad from nth qld.as you say temp is no help to us.
Bundy

Merlot

  • Guest
Re: Hello from down under
« Reply #2 on: November 30, 2008, 05:32:03 AM »
Thank you Bundy, I am 25 km north of Bundaberg and I can telling you that today is very hot here.
I have the Kefir milk and cheese on the Waeco portable fridge @ 16 centigrades to try to keep the fresh cheese Ok.
Cheers

bundy

  • Guest
Re: Hello from down under
« Reply #3 on: November 30, 2008, 05:52:51 AM »
bit further north Mackay temp33

Cheese Head

  • Guest
Re: Hello from down under
« Reply #4 on: November 30, 2008, 11:16:48 AM »
Good Morning here in Houston, and welcome to the forum, using skim milk is a good idea for health and while I have never tried it, I understand very tough for making cheese for two reasons, one the minimal fat content and second the resultant lower volumes of cheese per liter of milk. I used to drink Ultra Heat Treated cow's milk (super long shelf life, no cooling required) when in young 20's and working in northern Canada where we had no access to fresh milk. As you say, difficulties in using UHT to make cheese, so why are you, is access to pasteurized or preferably fresh milk a problem?

Merlot

  • Guest
Re: Hello from down under
« Reply #5 on: November 30, 2008, 08:06:33 PM »
Thank you Cheese Head for your warm welcome.
Regarding UHT milk I am using it to see the possibilities of using this type of milk for Kefir cheese making by people in remote areas.
I will do a couple of batches and then stop because the nutrition value of the UHT is not as good as the fresh milk.
I have to drive 22 km to get to the near supermarket and I prefer use pasteurized milk which produce a cheese with better flavour and texture.
It is getting harder to get pausterized only milk. The common milk in Australia is pasterized and homogenized milk which have the fat treated to produce a more even spread of the fat on the milk but not very good for the elaboration of cheese.
Fresh milk from the cow or goats is out of question in this region.
Cheers

Tea

  • Guest
Re: Hello from down under
« Reply #6 on: November 30, 2008, 08:09:28 PM »
Good morning Merlot, welcome to the forum. I too hail from QLD and actually live across town from Bundy.
As you say, temps are a bug bear at times, but where there's a will there's a way.  Bundy has got himself a great cave set up, which is posted here somewhere, while I, for the moment, am still using the esky.

It you do a search here on UHT milk, you will find that there have been a number of discussions on it.  I know my my book says that UHT milk can be used successfully, but I haven't had much luck with it.  I have learnt that I would rather pay a little extra for good milk, than throw 10ltr down the drain.
Mungulli milk is an excellent milk.  It is pasturised but not homogenised, and they also have a skim milk version.  As Cheese head pointed out though, skim will give you a lower yield, so don't get disappointed.
Anyway, great to have you here.

Merlot

  • Guest
Re: Hello from down under
« Reply #7 on: November 30, 2008, 08:17:24 PM »
Thank you Tea for your informative and warm welcome.
You are correct, UHT milk is not suitble for "normal" cheese. I am using it for kefir cheese.
From where you get the Mungulli milk ?
I read your pots about your cave project with a temperature controller. I am planning to do something simmilar because the good and accurate wine coolers cost more than AUS $ 800.00. The cheap type are not accurate.
king regards

Merlot

Tea

  • Guest
Re: Hello from down under
« Reply #8 on: November 30, 2008, 08:32:09 PM »
I purchase it from a local corner store, as I have think they only supply the little people and not the supermarkets.
Do a search here on Mungulli, Cheese Head did a google search when I posted what milk I use, and he mentions in there where the milk originates from. That's how he found out that I live somewhere on the central coast of QLD.
Used to have some Kefir a few years ago which got me into cheese making, but I wasn't having much success and the family didn't like it, so I passed it on to a friend.  Have often thought I should try again.

Merlot

  • Guest
Re: Hello from down under
« Reply #9 on: November 30, 2008, 09:19:54 PM »
Thank you Tea,
I will look in the corner stores in Bundy, here in Moore Park Beach only the Pauls milk is available.
Kefir is more that 10 times better that yoghurt having more than 41 beneficial bacterias and also keep very well at room temperature.
The first batch of cream cheese base using UHT skim milk looks very good.



Tea

  • Guest
Re: Hello from down under
« Reply #10 on: December 03, 2008, 07:33:57 PM »
Good morning Merlot.  I was wondering how the UHT cheese turned out, and whether you have managed to find the mungulli milk yet?