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CHEESE TYPE BOARDS (for Cheese Lovers and Cheese Makers) => RENNET COAGULATED - Brine Ripened (Aegean Sea) => Topic started by: H-K-J on November 24, 2013, 11:43:00 PM
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Made feta today, in the bag draining as I Type ::)
I do have a brine question, I saved the whey, I want to make a brine with it, my question is how much salt should I add to it?
I saved a gallon.
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I have been trying to figure that out myself. I make a Bulgarian style of Feta which is creamier and less salty. on my last make, I used a 5% brine solution with the whey from the make and the cheese started falling apart after two or three weeks. For my next make I am planning on going up to 7.5%.
I've seen others on this forum talk about 8-12%. I guess it depends on what flavor profile you're looking for.
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It is a matter of taste to a large degree. I like an 8% solution for pickling feta. Some folks find that too salty, for others that's not salty enough. Roughly 11oz. of salt per gallon of whey will give you about an 8% solution. (310 grams would be more precise.). That can be just shy of a cup if your salt is fine to near 1-1/2 cup if it's coarse.
It's more likely a lack of calcium in the brine rather than the salinity that will cause a feta to dissolve over time. I like to use whey instead of water for this reason. You could add CaCl if using water, but I'm not sure how much.
This post just prompted me to eat a cube of the goat milk feta I made 7/14/13. It is in an 8% whey brine and tastes spot on for my palate. Straight out of the brine the salt spike is quite noticeable, but it doesn't mask the milk or lipase flavors. About as salty as a French green olive or a caper, perhaps a bit saltier than a Calamata. I'll note that I dry salted the whole feta blocks overnight before cutting into small cubes for the pickling brine.
If you do find a feta too salty you can soak it in milk for a while before serving.
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Thank you for the information, that will help when its time for the brine :)
I think the make went rather well for a first timer.
I am still on this kick of trying to get a decent cheese from store H/P milk, after making a Caerphilly last week and experiencing nuclear curd fracture I wasn't sure I was going to do that again, I decided to try a different H/P milk, I went with Meadow Gold this time, all went well except my floc time was only 6.5 min, I used a multiplier of x4, the curd had a very nice clean break and cut real nice, hit the temps and times pretty much right on. 8)
I used this recipe (http://fiascofarm.com/dairy/feta.html), the cheese will hang and drain for 24 hours, get cut into chunks, salted and stored in an ageing container for 3 to 5 day's.
As I said I saved a full gallon of whey for the brine, the cheese will be put in that on Friday.
I used 1/4 tsp. MM-100-101 with 1/8 tsp. TA-61 and 1/4 tsp. calf lipase. :o
Took a few pix of the make just for my cheesy friends :D
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It sounds like it is going great. I have had good luck with p/h milk. I get a little softer curd so I just work with it more gently.
I am just finishing up a blue and I got good curds today. It is draining now.
I am hoping for more mold this time.
Pete
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I like your press H-K-J, it's got a nice finish. Did you build it yourself? Hope your first feta turns out great! A cheese for you for trying something new.
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Thanks guys ;D
Spoons, yup I made it, I had a lot of fun figuring out how I was going to get it together (http://cocker-spanial-hair-in-my-food.blogspot.com/2012/03/building-cheese-press.html)
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I love your blog! Pictures & all ;)
(http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-N0fVZD5VMoA/T2zQTNuVDyI/AAAAAAAAAOM/vZZtf2fUa4Y/s400/STA73847.JPG)
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Cut into chunks, now I will let it stand for like 3 day's, then into the whey brine ^-^
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Looking great buddy. I may have to try this one. ;)
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I was going to put this in the brine on thanksgiving, I thought it was draining still so we waited till today :-\
It tastes very good, the wife really likes it as it is. we will wait for a few days and try it then 8)
I am hoping it tastes as good as looks when it has aged for awhile ;D
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Looks great! Any still left so you can do a taste comparison now that it has aged almost two months?
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Hi karen
this has been very nice, we gave some as Christmas presents along with some Stilton, Caerphilly and Swiss.
everyone said they enjoyed it all, one of their favorites was the Feta.
some were not fans of blue and some not fans of Swiss yet all of them are now fans of feta.
myself at Christmas time my thought was it was a little plain,yet the lipase had started to come on, now at two months it is the best Feta I have ever tasted, not to salty, very creamy, some what crumbly, but not too,
wonderful on salads (we have a Greek shrimp dinner salad we like to make for the holiday's) or on a cheese plate, the wife wants to cook it into something, just hasn't done that yet.
the only tweak I have is add more of the calf lipase to this three gallon make or get one of the stronger types for it.
and yes I would do this make again but I will use whole pasteurized milk instead of H/P. ^-^
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Great looking Press H-K-J. Have you any Idea of the top of your head what the dimensions of it are roughly as I am looking to build one soon. :D :D
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I added a photo to my blog (http://cocker-spanial-hair-in-my-food.blogspot.com/2012/03/building-cheese-press.html) that has a few measurements in it, I will apologize here for the amateurish way I produced it :-[
If you don't see a measurment you might need let me know, click on the pic it will blow up to a size you can read.
(hmmmm maybe I should add this to my cheese press thread on the forum?)
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There's no icon for emphatic nodding, but yes please. :)
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I added a photo to my blog ([url]http://cocker-spanial-hair-in-my-food.blogspot.com/2012/03/building-cheese-press.html[/url]) that has a few measurements in it, I will apologize here for the amateurish way I produced it :-[
If you don't see a measurment you might need let me know, click on the pic it will blow up to a size you can read.
(hmmmm maybe I should add this to my cheese press thread on the forum?)
Thanks for that. That is a rather large press.............................. Just what I want to build >:D >:D
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Hi H-K-J,
Sounds like a big success! One of the ways we like to use a bit of feta is crumbled over chicken pieces (thighs and legs) and then baked in the oven. Yum!
- Jeff
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Jeff that does sound excelent :P