My Procedure

[Cartierusm]

So I'm in the middle of refining my procedure. I thought it would be useful to some of you.

Take temperature of Milk.
Add tap water 4 degress F higher than that of the milk to the boiler.
Put milk in Pan take PH reading.
Fill boiler with water up to fill line, to completely surround pan.
Let acclimate for 2 minutes.
Turn heating element on position 1, for eveyone this would of course be different. I just adjusted it over a period until the milk temp only rose 2 degrees every 5 minutes. Once you know the position I just marked it with a pencil.
Heat milk up to 86 degrees F. Remove pan from boiler. Add cold water to boiler to bring temp down to 86 F, as it will be about 4 degrees higher than that of the milk.
Once all the water is mixed in the boiler and its 86 remove a pitcher of water or else it will over flow when you put the milk pan back in.
Then put the milk pan in and boiler up with water to surround the pan.
Then turn on the Electronic temperature control set to 86.
Take a PH reading.
Add Starter.
And so forth, this way you get exactly the temp you need.

[SalMac]

Hi

Can you claify the way you are adding water. What volume temp etc

Sal

[Cartierusm]

I thought I explained it in the first post, but I'll clarify.

I have a heating element in my bottom (boiler) pan. So when the milk get to the correct temp for the cheese I'm making the boiler water will be about 4-5 degrees hotter than the milk. So I remove the pan with the milk in it and set it aside. Then I take cold tap water and add it at about 2 cups at a time, there is a thermometer in the water bath and a recirculating fountain pump, and since the water is being stirred by the pump the temperature gauge will say what the actual temp is without me having to stir it. So I keep adding small amounts of water until the water bath temp comes down to what the milk temp is. Then I put the milk pan back in and add my starter. That's it.