Feta, Cow - Too Soft, Recommentations?

[george13]

I just experimented making feta with Jersey milk and I am  finding it to be somewhat less firm than my goat feta.  I realize there is more fat so I kept it in its whey (while  stirring) longer than the goat version so as to firm up the curd somewhat.  My finished product remains somewhat soft.  Any suggestions.

[smilingcalico]

How long are you letting it set before putting it in the brine to age?

[george13]

It sits out about 3 days. The pH is around 4.6 4.7 before it goes in the brine.

[smilingcalico]

Gosh, I have a few suggestions which would be totally subjective to the make.  Could you tell me a little more about your recipe, and your equipment (are you making in a large vat, or homemaking in a stockpot?).

[george13]

I used 10 gallons of milk this time, and made two nice sized wheels of cheese, I would guess around 8 lbs. each.  I ussually don't make large quantities, but my neighbor is away, and I'm milking her cow in the interim.  I made the identical size at least twice this summer with goat milk and it firmed up very nice.  This time around, I also put a 2 lb weight on the cheese on the 2nd day for a few hours to help with expeling of more whey.  Perhaps feta is not meant to be of Jersey milk.

[smilingcalico]

I was thinking perhaps you could try cutting the curd smaller. Of course you could also skim the cream off.

[george13]

I'll try the cut variation that with the next batch, I'd hate to remove that beautiful Jersey cream. thank you for your advice smilingcalico.

[sominus]

The feta that I have made has been from store-bought milk but has been, according to my taste testers, nothing short of excellent.  I used a recipe/technique based on the one from Fiasco Farms.  Some learning experiences that really turned it around:

1) Warn everyone in the house that the smell is SUPPOSED to be there.
2) Calcium Chloride not only in the milk (and again, I used store bought milk), but in the brine will help everything achieve the end texture you want.
3) Dry salt the wheels after draining and let them sit for 2-3 days to firm up before going into the brine.

Hope this helps... I'm still VERY amateur at this...

-Michael

[MrsKK]

I made feta from my Jersey cow's milk this summer.  It is very firm and nice and we're still eating it.  I don't recall if I skimmed the milk ornot, though.  I like cheeses that I can use skim milk for, so that I can make more butter.