Author Topic: Brine Recipe - For Romano?  (Read 3789 times)

LadyLiberty

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Brine Recipe - For Romano?
« on: January 26, 2009, 10:32:46 PM »
I was looking at the brine recipe from the Beverage Company, and though it has apparently complete instructions for Feta, I'm not so sure about Romano?  Do I need to be concerned about PH for that?

Offline Cartierusm

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Re: Brine Recipe - For Romano?
« Reply #1 on: January 27, 2009, 10:35:39 PM »
I don't worry about PH in my brine, but wayne does, maybe he'll chime in. I think the reason for PHing your brine is if you have a problem of your cheese 'melting' in the brine.

wharris

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Re: Brine Recipe - For Romano?
« Reply #2 on: January 28, 2009, 12:23:04 AM »
To be clear,  i am open to advice here.  Not an authority...  by any stretch.


Tea

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Re: Brine Recipe - For Romano?
« Reply #3 on: January 28, 2009, 08:48:03 PM »
I'm with Carter, I have never tested the ph levels of any of my brines.

Offline Cartierusm

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Re: Brine Recipe - For Romano?
« Reply #4 on: January 28, 2009, 10:36:15 PM »
I did use a hydrometer other day and it was for distilling and goes very low and it still bottomed out so I guess it's saturated... ;D Problem is that was the brine that "the brick" crumbled into so I had to toss it.

Likesspace

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Re: Brine Recipe - For Romano?
« Reply #5 on: January 29, 2009, 12:35:09 AM »
Hi guys, I know I've posted this a lot, but Lady Liberty might not have seen the information....
I always use my whey for brine.
I never make ricotta or any other whey cheese so it's either pour it down the sink or add salt to it and brine in it.
As I've stated before, I figure the PH of the whey should be pretty much perfectly in line with the PH of the curd and it did in fact stop any melting problems I was having with my Provolones.
After brining in the whey I dump it out.
Salt is cheap and there is always plenty of whey from the next batch.
I do this for all of my cheese that requires brining and I'm yet to have any sort of a problem from using this method.
Hope this helps.

Dave

wharris

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Re: Brine Recipe - For Romano?
« Reply #6 on: January 29, 2009, 12:46:04 AM »
You are right on with the pH,  your method should produce a perfect match.  But I have a question.
Most brine can keep for weeks.. Given the amount of butterfat remaining the whey,  does that impact the lifespan of the brine?  Is that even a concern for you?

Also, do you wipe your natural rind cheeses with that same whey-brine?

Likesspace

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Re: Brine Recipe - For Romano?
« Reply #7 on: January 29, 2009, 12:59:29 AM »
Wayne,
I never save the brine after I use it.
For one thing I would worry about it spoiling if kept for weeks and another is that unless I was making the same type of cheese over and over the PH would probably be much different, between different varieties.
I normally use canning/pickling salt to make my brine and it really is inexpensive...like $3.00 for 5 lbs.
Since I brine in a tubberware container that is only slightly larger than the cheese, I literally get by with 2-3 cups of whey and probably less than a 1/2 lb. of salt.
Since these tupperware containers have a tight fitting lid, the brine flows over the top of the cheese which completely submerges the cheese.
As for brine used for wiping (like swiss) I do use a saturated salt water brine.
The reason is because this process sometimes goes on for weeks and even if kept in the fridge I would be worried about the whey-brine spoiling.
As I said, by using this method I've never had a problem and it's nice to know that my cheeses aren't melting during the brining process.

Dave

Offline Cartierusm

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Re: Brine Recipe - For Romano?
« Reply #8 on: January 29, 2009, 06:01:07 AM »
Dave where do you find the pickling salt. I usually buy the boxes of Diamond Salt, it's cheap but not sure how cheap compared to your price.

zenith1

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Re: Brine Recipe - For Romano?
« Reply #9 on: April 03, 2009, 01:58:13 PM »
 :)you can try this brine recipe that I have used with success- From Jim Wallace(New England Cheese Making)

1 gal h20
2.25 lbs cheese salt
1 tbs cacl
1tsp white vinegar(to correct ph t0 5.2)


brine time -1hr per lb per in of thickness

Offline DeejayDebi

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Re: Brine Recipe - For Romano?
« Reply #10 on: April 05, 2009, 01:30:54 AM »
Brine in a saturated salt brine (80-96% saturated or 20-24% salt) for 3-4 days at 45-50° F.

Whey should be fine for a few weeks in the fridge but if you plan to use it as a brine why not add the salt before storing it? Nothing can live in that kind of environment - it's harsher than a pickle.