Queso Fresco - Squeaky, Recommendations?

[judyp]

I have been making Queso Fresco from Ricki Carol's book and has a squeaky texture when I eat it.  I don't like cheese to squeak on my teeth, but I love how fast I can have a block of cheese that I can cut.  Is there a recipe I can use that has a curd that doesn't squeak?  I bought some "Fresco" cheese from the store and it doesn't squeak. 

Thanks,
Judy

[dthelmers]

Pre-ripen your milk with MM100 or Flora Danica. The higher acidity seems to get rid of the squeakiness and also makes it a bit more meltable. I discovered this by accident when trying to make a paneer with more flavor and it melted like mozzarella.

[judyp]

Does pre-ripen mean I add my Flora Danica just after warming the milk to about 86 degrees and let it sit about 45 minutes - 1 hour and then follow the rest of the instructions?  That is great    Thank you so much!!!!! 

One more question, how much Flora Danica would I use?

[linuxboy]

Longer than 1 hour. Closer to 2 or 3 for FD. 1% bulk equivalent addition.

[Friar_Athanasius]

1/8 tsp per gallon of milk is what I follow.

[judyp]

1/8 tsp per gallon of milk is what I follow.

That worked!  I planned on letting it sit 2 hours and got busy (forgot about my cheese) and came back quite a bit later, about 4 hours.  The cheese turned out perfect!  It even melts.  Thanks for your help.