Author Topic: questions about vinegar coagulated cheeses  (Read 4195 times)

Offline Littlest Goat

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questions about vinegar coagulated cheeses
« on: December 19, 2011, 12:56:06 PM »
Hi
I am just starting out in cheese making.I have some small breed goats so will be using raw goat milk.So far I have made a few direct acid fresh cheeses.Each time the curds have been different.One time I will get large fluffy curd and another time the curd will be small almost grainy.I think I am fallowing the same method and proportions each time but...My questions are:
   1- is it the amount of vinegar and type that is affecting my curd type/size?
   2-is it the temp of milk?How does temp affect forming of curds?
   3-is it the technique of stirring the vinegar into the milk?
   4-how does resting after addition of vinegar affect this?
  5-can I culture the milk before addition of vinegar to create a little more flavor?
   I really like this forum it is loaded with great info and people willing to teach.thank-you

Crystal

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Re: questions about vinegar coagulated cheeses
« Reply #1 on: December 21, 2011, 04:24:30 AM »
Though im sure someone will know more about all this, im sure that all those things affect the curds lol!

Not enough vinegar= not much curds
too hot= smaller/tougher curds
too cold= softer/less curds
technique of stirring probably doesnt have much affect, but legnth of time may (?)
resting... As in after adding the vinegar, but before stirring?

As for culturing, im really not sure, but, im of the idea that the vinegar is used in the same sort of way as rennet, which we usually use after culture in most cheese, so i suppose, in theory it could be done... but please, check first, dont follow my advice! LOL!

Hope that helps, maybe post some pix of your cheese as your making it and afterward so some one can help you better?

GREYtownDWELLER

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Re: questions about vinegar coagulated cheeses
« Reply #2 on: January 15, 2012, 11:46:59 PM »
i have recently started making cheese as well. i have read that a back and forth stirring motion helps to disperse things evenly rather than a circular stirring motion.  theory behind this is that a circular stirring motion creates a vortex, and with the centripetal force liquids being stirred aren't stirred into a homogenous consistency.      my theory is that this only has a substantial difference for large batches. 

thats my 2 cents.  let us know on the results or solutin you find.

dthelmers

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Re: questions about vinegar coagulated cheeses
« Reply #3 on: January 16, 2012, 12:05:23 AM »
I've done a lot of these.
Hi
I am just starting out in cheese making.I have some small breed goats so will be using raw goat milk.So far I have made a few direct acid fresh cheeses.Each time the curds have been different.One time I will get large fluffy curd and another time the curd will be small almost grainy.I think I am fallowing the same method and proportions each time but...My questions are:
   1- is it the amount of vinegar and type that is affecting my curd type/size?
Amount, yes, type, no, IMHO. I've used cider vinegar, white vinegar, lemon juice, and citric acid. 1/4 cup per gallon, add by the tablespoon if it won't curdle.
   2-is it the temp of milk?How does temp affect forming of curds?
I get the best results bringing it just to a simmer
   3-is it the technique of stirring the vinegar into the milk?
I use an up and down back and forth, making a lot of turbulence, then leave it alone to curdle
   4-how does resting after addition of vinegar affect this?
Should curdle up nicely in 5-8 minutes
  5-can I culture the milk before addition of vinegar to create a little more flavor?
Absolutely. Buttermilk or yogurt works well. I like the flavor of yogurt best for making savory cheese dip; Chobani is my favorite brand for this
   I really like this forum it is loaded with great info and people willing to teach.thank-you

tinysar

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Re: questions about vinegar coagulated cheeses
« Reply #4 on: February 18, 2012, 01:46:54 AM »
Hi Littlest Goat,
I too make most of my cheeses from raw goat milk, and have noticed the same variation you talk about. It was driving me crazy - I would make two batches by the exact same method and one would be a perfect chevre & the other would be a dry crumbly mess. Then I started reading this forum a bit and realised that the variation is more likely due to the milk itself, than to any minor differences in method. When using raw milk, it contains a bunch of naturally-occurring cultures which can affect the result if they are not killed off by heating/pasteurising. But even if there IS a heating step, they can still affect the end result because they have changed the pH of your milk - i.e. the milk has started the process of going sour. This is all just a long-winded way of saying that I think older milk can create drier curds, which will not hold together as nicely. This is just a theory though - there may be some other explanation that I haven't thought of. As I have pretty limited milk supply, I tend to just adjust my cheese type to match the milk's properties - so if it's making fat rubbery curds, I'll make mozzarella or paneer, if it's making fine soft curds, I make chevre or feta.
Another tip for using goat's milk is that it can be harder to get nice big curds, than with cow's milk. Sometimes you will need to add quite a lot of vinegar to get decent curd formation, which will make the cheese taste overly-sour if not rinsed. Adding calcium chloride is supposed to help with this - I have never used it (just got my first bottle in the mail today!), but I've also heard that just adding plain salt can help the curds to form too, in cheeses where this is appropriate. I'm not sure if this is backed up by anything, but the reasoning (i.e. that dissolving more stuff in the whey will help to "force" the curds to drop out of solution) sounded plausible. And I salt most of my cheese anyway, so I figured it couldn't hurt.