Author Topic: Coagulated, Rennet, Cow, Organic UP - Soft Curd  (Read 2561 times)

aspelin

  • Guest
Coagulated, Rennet, Cow, Organic UP - Soft Curd
« on: December 23, 2010, 08:59:41 PM »
I'm new to cheesemaking and on both my third and fourth (most recent) try, I get a runny curd that has to be thrown out.  I am using cultures and rennet from www.cheesemaking.com.  First two cheeses were Colby and Gouda (both Mesophilic) and they set up nicely.  Next I tried a French Tomme and today I tried a Bel Paese. I even doubled the rennet today.  Both of these are Thermophilic.  I am using the same brand/type milk for each recipe so I can get some consistency - Horizon Organic Whole Pasteurized and not Homogenized.

The common denominator seems to be the Thermophilic culture.  How would I know if it has expired?

I look forward to your replies.

zenith1

  • Guest
Re: Coagulated, Rennet, Cow, Organic UP - Soft Curd
« Reply #1 on: December 23, 2010, 09:20:48 PM »
Hi Aspelin and thanks for your first post! Way too many possibilities to guess at without more information. If you post your entire process we can sure take a stab at getting you back on the right bath to successful cheese making.

cheezwhizz

  • Guest
Re: Coagulated, Rennet, Cow, Organic UP - Soft Curd
« Reply #2 on: December 24, 2010, 01:04:19 AM »
 
  Hi Aspelin,

 Are you adding CaCl2 (calcium chloride) to your milk?
When i first started making cheese i had the same problem. Once i started to add the calcium i began to get great sets. I add at a rate of 1/2+ tsp per 4 gals milk and 1/2 tsp veal rennet....You may need to tweek the amounts for the milk your using. But this should give you a starting point......Good Luck !!

MrsKK

  • Guest
Re: Coagulated, Rennet, Cow, Organic UP - Soft Curd
« Reply #3 on: December 26, 2010, 03:46:58 PM »
Are you sure your milk is not UHT pasturized?  I looked at that milk locally and seem to remember it being UHT, which would cause problems.

KosherBaker

  • Guest
Re: Coagulated, Rennet, Cow, Organic UP - Soft Curd
« Reply #4 on: December 27, 2010, 03:42:23 AM »
We had a member of the forum contact Horizon Dairy and ask them if their milk is Ultra Pasturized and the reply was Yes. Here's the link to the thread:
http://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,5635.msg41109.html#msg41109

aspelin

  • Guest
Re: Coagulated, Rennet, Cow, Organic UP - Soft Curd
« Reply #5 on: December 27, 2010, 05:09:41 PM »
Thanks for all your help.  The milk I buy from Horizon is marked "pasturized" vs. the UHT marked milk they also sell beside it.  Same milk worked just fine for my mesophilic cheeses.

I used Calcium Choloride as called for in the recipe. 

I've tried to contact New England Cheesemaking Supply (www.cheesemaking.com) where I bought the kit, but e-mails bounce back and phone number isn't in service.  I was thinking that maybe the culture had expired.

If you have any other ideas just let me know.  In the meantime, I'll hold off on the thermophilics until I can get more cultures and test my theory.

Thanks!
Cheree

KosherBaker

  • Guest
Re: Coagulated, Rennet, Cow, Organic UP - Soft Curd
« Reply #6 on: December 28, 2010, 05:47:52 AM »
BTW what temperature are you adding the Thermo culture at?
Also where did your French Tomme and  Bel Paese recipes come from?

You don't have to throw the milk away BTW. You can make a fresh cheese from it should a disaster strike again. :) Something like Tvorog or even a Queso Blanco/Fresco. Or even just start raising the temperature of the milk to see if you get curds.