pH Meters, Again!

[beeman]

There have been a number of posts regarding Ph and meters. At the moment the results seem to be very much 'up in the air'. So, please can we revisit and perhaps form some sort of opinion.
Is Ph measuring viable and valuable? Looking around there seems to be a lot of recipes (from professional sources) with Ph numbers well evident.
I did find another source for economic Ph meters at http://equipment.vista-products.com/index.html with good information on calibration here http://equipment.vista-products.com/Users_Guide_pH.html
Having read the latter carefully there are a couple of points I need help on. There is a 'constant' need to re-calibrate these meters before every use?
They only last for approximately one year, at which time they're toast? At this price I would suggest not expensive, but the more expensive units hardly seem to be cost effective for a small amount of cheese making if they need to be replaced each year as stated on Vista products site.
Regards beeman

[Cartierusm]

You should recalibrate the good ones every month or at least check them with solution.

I have a high end one as I make wine. It was only $70 or so. Calibrating on the good ones is not hard, takes about 1 minute.

This is the one I have, although I didn't buy it here. Its water proof which is necessary.

http://morebeer.com/view_product/18707//pH_Meter_-_Phep_5

These last for years and when they do go you can just replace the sensor, on this model.

As for PH reading and adjusting in cheese making we are still researching it.

[Sing_cheese]

Make sure that the one you buy isw waterproof! I found out the hard way as I drooped mine into a brine bath last week and it was immidiatly fried.  Also look for at least 3 digit accuarcy (e.g., 6.97) as I have tried a cheap replacement with only 1 decimal accuarcy and it is not sufficient for the notes I have been taking and some of the variaces are important as to see the direction and rate of acidification.

[wharris]

My pH meter blues are coming to an end.  (I think)

Littany of issues...
Eratic readings, low battery issues, physically broken, new meter not calibrated...

I now have a new meter, have spare batteries, and now,  a ready supply of calibration fluid.

Damn that was painful

[Cartierusm]

Glad to hear you're all set, I know it can be frustrating when everything goes wrong. For the calibration solution, I think you can save it. When I first got mine I just cut open the calibration pack and put the meter in it and that in a cup so it doesn't fall over, that way you can save the solution. I don't see why it wouldn't save as along as it was sealed.

[Tea]

Beeman in regards to the necessitity of PH readings, there are varied opinions.  Some feel that to reproduce a constant product the reading are important, and that curd/whey readings are necessary to know the readiness of the cheese.  Other feel that cheesemakers have made cheese for century's without the aide of PH meters, and that knowing the curd is more important.
For me my jury is still out.  I don't possess a PH meter, but there are time when I am not getting a cheese to curd up properly, that I would like to know whether the ph is a factor.

So I guess you could say that I am fence sitting, as I am yet to come to a place where I think that a meter is essential or not in cheesemaking.

Hope that made sense.

[wharris]

I will ads this to the pH discussion.

We humans have also given birth for thousands of years without the aid of doctors,  but are a lot more "successful" with them.

hmmmm.

[Tea]

You have personal experience of this Wayne??  Do tell.   :D

[RRR]

I've been on the fence as well. I am beginning to do farmstead cheese at a commercial level. The problem I am running into is, people tend to not want to be surprised. I kind of like the anticipation of wondering what a cheese is going to taste like. Many of my customers want to get the same taste everytime they purchase a certain kind of cheese. I suspect I will need a meter when my goats start to give milk again, so I am looking for the best place to buy, thanks for the update.

[wharris]

:)  not first hand.    But I do have 2 of my own, and was there every step of the way.

The nature of the pH conversation just reminded me of my conversation with our doctor back then.

I was in awe of all the "stuff" required to give birth. ultrasounds, fetal heart monitors,  lots of things that go "Bing".   ;)     
I remember saying to him at the time.  "How in the heck did humans survive for all those millennia without all this stuff?" 

His answer was simply:   "many died"

I'm not sure why,  but I felt there was a conversational parallel here.

[Tea]

I was having more of a giggle at the "royal" use of the words "We humans".  I could just see your wife reading that, and rolling her eye's and saying "yeah right!".   ;)

[wharris]

If memory serves, there where more words that "yeah right!" uddered by her back then!.
But you would be right. that might have even warrented a smack to the back of my head.




(uddered,  oh man i'm on a roll today...)

[Tea]

I was thinking the same thing.  Although after feeding for two years, I am beginning to feel like a cow.  ::)  Actually he's 2 today.  Ahhh the joys of mother hood.

[Tea]

Ok so getting back to PH, we are still yet to determine the absolute necessitity of taking readings.  I wonder if Hoffman remembers the factories taking PH reading during the cheese process?

[wharris]

I will bet my next paycheck that every commercial cheese venture  in the US knows the pH of its cheese at all the important milestones.

I would go a bit further and guess that pH (a key indicator of acidification) would be a condition by which various steps occur.