Calcium Chloride - When, Amount, & At What Temperature?

[Alex]

Hey Alex,
Let me first correct my Hebrew  Ma Inyanim!  I have just seen your pics on another thread stretching curd. It makes it all a bit more personal now having seen you face. I'm not computer literate so wouldn't know how to post pics here, but If you can get access to a back issue of LA EISHA magazine  December 1996 There is a 4 page article on myself and my ex wife! Might explain a bit more as to why I feel Israeli.
I know the Druze village you are talking about I worked on Moshav Habonim in the Refet for about a year. I can understand Labneh being made from goats milk now you have put a mental picture back in my mind
Not tried Labneh yet as not been able to connect to the web for days and get the recipe but it is on my list of things to do, and soon!   Lahitraot   Q

Hi,
 
I'll look for that journal and about how to upload pics, it's in the FAQ section.

[Walrus]

Hey guys,
quick question - I accidentally overheated my raw milk when rising the temp to 35°C and went up to 50°C before i noticed, after that I quickly cooled it down. Do i have to add calcium chloride, or am I still ok without it?

What is the critical temperature for milk after which calcium chloride has to be added?

Thanks

[Bantams]

Hey guys,
quick question - I accidentally overheated my raw milk when rising the temp to 35°C and went up to 50°C before i noticed, after that I quickly cooled it down. Do i have to add calcium chloride, or am I still ok without it?

What is the critical temperature for milk after which calcium chloride has to be added?

Thanks

You could go either way. Never hurts to add calcium chloride, but sometimes it's needed. I don't think it's necessary here. Think of it as a spectrum - the longer/hotter you heat the milk, the more components start to break down in the milk.  So a brief slight overheating is not as damaging as holding at pasteurization temps.

[Walrus]

I didn't add any CaCL and it coagulated just fine, so 50°C is not a problem yet

[Mike Cross]

I use low temperature pasteurized cow's milk and never add CaCl.  Using rennet paste, I never have a problem with coagulation.  Many of the books recommend CaCl, but once you get a little experience under your belt it's not really necessary.  Avoid unnecessary ingredients if at all possible.

[mikekchar]

To be clear, the amount of CaCl you need is *completely* dependent upon the milk.  You may never have trouble with you low temperature pasteurised cow's milk, but I can tell you that *my* low temperature pasteurised cow's milk will not set a curd without it.  Caldwell even talks in her book about a time when she needed to add it to her *raw* milk!  It's a good idea to do a flocculation test to see what level of CaCl you are likely to need rather than experimenting with entire cheeses :-)  I agree, though, that minimising the CaCl is a good idea.  I also believe that minimising the amount of rennet you use is a good idea.  However, that's about not adding more "just in case".  You need to add the appropriate amount to hit your targets.