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GENERAL CHEESE MAKING BOARDS (Specific Cheese Making in Boards above) => EQUIPMENT - Making Cheese => Topic started by: Cheese Head on July 02, 2008, 12:22:12 AM

Title: Measuring Tiny Quantities (Rennet & Freeze Dried Cultures)
Post by: Cheese Head on July 02, 2008, 12:22:12 AM

The new dried rennet that I bought is very concentrated as my ordered cultures will be. It is very difficult to measure that small resulting in excess rennet and very tight curds or not enough rennet and poorly set curds.

Thus I bought this cheap set of small meauring spoons at local Wal-Mart here in US for USD1.50. Goes down to 1/8 teaspoon / 0.6 cm, I'd of liked smaller.

Has anyone else found anything better?

Title: Re: Measuring Tiny Quantities (Rennet & Freeze Dried Cultures)
Post by: Tea on July 03, 2008, 09:37:33 PM

When at a local Kitchen shop some time back I came across a little gimmick spoon set called  "pinch, dash, and smidgen".  I bought them because the smidgen spoon was tiny, maybe 16th of a teaspoon.  So maybe you might find something similar.
But what I have recently purchased is digital scales, and they measure in both oz and gr, and as little as 0.1g.  It also has a tare option. 
I bought it originally for my soap making, but the idea is that for small amounts, once we visually work out what we want, measure it on the scales, so that next time we have a reference as  to just how much we used.
I put my finger in the pic, so you could see just how small these scales are.  I purchased this one through e-bay for $7.00.
HTH

Title: Re: Measuring Tiny Quantities (Rennet & Freeze Dried Cultures)
Post by: Cheese Head on July 03, 2008, 09:52:03 PM

Thanks tea, forgot to attach picture to my OP, fixed.

I also have a digital scale but larger and thus only goes down to 1 gram or 0.1 ounce and thus not enough resolution to measure my rennet accurately (http://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php?topic=148.msg474#msg474) and I ended up feeling like a drug dealer :o.

Thanks for the finger ;D, without it I'd have never guessed that you could buy scales that small, looks like better idea than my mini spoons. I also saw a couple sets on Amazon labled pinch - dash - smidgen but I couldn't understand that volume.

Title: Re: Measuring Tiny Quantities (Rennet & Freeze Dried Cultures)
Post by: DaggerDoggie on July 03, 2008, 09:52:16 PM

$7 for a digital scale?  Nice score.

Title: Re: Measuring Tiny Quantities (Rennet & Freeze Dried Cultures)
Post by: Tea on July 05, 2008, 09:35:09 PM

Yes I thought so too.  The original one that I was looking at was over $80, and when I saw that this was only $7 I thought it must be a gimmick.  But if it was $7 wasn't much to loose.
I was nicely surprised.