Monterrey Jack Questions

[steffb503]

I have read on here that the recipe for this cheese wants the rennet to be added to salt water. I have Margret Morris's book and 200 cheese recipe book. Neither of them call for adding rennet to salt water first.
Can someone direct me to I guess the proper way to make Monterrey Jack?

[awakephd]

Hmm ... I've never heard of adding rennet to salt water. Curious, indeed. Can you point me to the thread(s)?

[steffb503]

Hmm ... I've never heard of adding rennet to salt water. Curious, indeed. Can you point me to the thread(s)?

In the recipe files
http://cheeseforum.org/articles/monterey-jack-cheese-making-recipe/

[cbenner33]

I believe this is adding salt to diluted rennet, not necessarily rennet to saltwater.

Rather than adding the salt to the pot (or after) this recipe is calling for the salt to dilute with the rennet prior to adding it to the pot.

[steffb503]

I get that but no other Monterey Jack recipe calls for this.

[mikekchar]

Weird.  Personally I wouldn't do it.  I can't think of a single reason that you might want to dilute your rennet with salt water (and that's a lot of salt!).  It's a weird recipe anyway.  The defining characteristic of a Jack cheese is that you wash the curds with cool water (like a traditional Colby), so this is pretty weird. 

Well, let me rephrase that....  I'd be tempted to try this recipe just to see how it worked :-)  However, I would not take this as an example of a classical Jack recipe.

[awakephd]

I'm with Mike and the others - I have grave doubts about this recipe. But of course, anyone who has never had a completely molded cheese and discovered the delights of camembert would have grave doubts as well ....