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GENERAL CHEESE MAKING BOARDS (Specific Cheese Making in Boards above) => STANDARD METHODS - Forming Cheese => Topic started by: steffb503 on March 19, 2011, 10:40:18 AM
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At what temp should the brine be stored?
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Regular fridge temp, I think.
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You can put it in the freezer, it wont freeze since the salt content is so high and you will be minimizing bacterial activity to 0 so no funky odor or flavour development can accure.
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thanks
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Fridge temp is fine.
Most cheesemakers I know keep it in the aging room due to the volume.
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Oude is right. This is only the second dairy I've worked at, but both have kept the brine in the ageing room.
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And what temp u have to sterilize it? and how many time?
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You shouldn't have to sterilize your brine, just strain it after use and keep in a clean container in the refrigerator. I've been making brined cheeses since July of this year (not that long, I realize) and have used the same brine throughout.
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Thank u very much MrsKK
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You are very welcome!
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I've been making brined cheeses since July of this year (not that long, I realize) and have used the same brine throughout.
But you are adding salt and/or adjusting the calcium level with added CACL, correct? As the brine gets used, the cheese extracts salt and calcium which must be kept optimal.
-Boofer-
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Yes, I add salt at the time that I strain the whey after brining the cheese. That way it is ready to go for the next one, right out of the fridge. I also figure that the salt will dissolve better in the room temp brine than it would fresh out of the fridge.
I've never added CaCl to it. My cheese are all raw milk, so I don't use CaCl, unless making for a class with pasturized milk.
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I figured you were clued in, Karen. ;) I just wanted Mix to know that needed to be considered.
-Boofer-
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You should skim, strain and periodically boil your brine. If you don't you can get salt tolerant yeasts living in it and, worst of all, nasties like listeria living on the fat that forms a scum layer. Commercially brine is usually chlorine dosed, constantly circulated and filtered. I look after one factory that can't service brine like that and I make them dump it once a month.
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How often should the home cheesemaker boil the brine?
(I store in frig and use once or twice a week, adding salt to saturation level.)
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Once a month is always a good rule of thumb. Be sure to skim and strain it too. Those chunks and fat globs are where the bugs live.
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Great bit of knowledge Francois- I did not know that commercially they chlorine dose their brine. Filtering them certainly makes sense. Is was wondering if that is a widespread practice especially in cheeses like Parms? I wonder if there is any UV light treatment being used in it's place? I know that in NY the farm markets that sell apple cider in the fall are required to treat it that way(they can't legally sell it untreated anymore). Just another reason to make and consume your own products,whenever possible buy locally, and know the source.
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Newer brine treatment systems do use UV, although I've never seen one in the flesh.
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Thanks for the info. I'll start boiling at the first of every month. I have only brined pressed cheeses and don't seem to have significant sediment or floaters. Won't hurt to strain it though. :)
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Is was wondering if that is a widespread practice especially in cheeses like Parms?
Depends on the size of the plant, but most old school parm makers will keep the brine saturated and will leave it alone. Parms take such a long time to brine that the tanks are usually occupied as the cheeses are rotated through. For those thermo style cheeses, it's actually beneficial to leave the brine alone because it develops halophilic lactobacilli and other flora that may help in some cases with flavor development.
I wonder if there is any UV light treatment being used in it's place?
Same as Francois, I've seen them in newer plants because it's not economical for small shops to do a filter+UV when they can just mix up a new batch or boil. Salt is cheap. Typically, there's a macro filter for large particles, then membrane filter, then in-line UV system. End result is sanitized, clear brine. It came out of the water UV treatment industry, nearly identical equipment.