Chevre Making - Noobie Questions

[manimal42]

Hi there, I have the DCI Supreme liquid rennet that is double concentrate.  It says to use 1/2 a tsp for 2 gallons of milk.  When I do that the cheese is usually firm and slightly rubbery.  I was wondering if I use a really small amount, like 1/8th teaspoon or less will that give me a much creamier and soft cheese?  Will it coagulate in the same time or take a lot longer?  Thanks!

[beechercreature]

Do you use the clean break or the flocculation method to tell when the curd has set? If you us the flocc method, you can use the time it takes to get to surface gelling to say whether you're using too much rennet.

[Tomer1]

There are various factors other then rennet which determines the texture of the final cheese.  what kind of cheese are you trying to make?

[manimal42]

I am using raw goats milk and want to make a soft, spreadable fresh goat cheese without doing a 18 hour or long lactic make.  I want to be able to make it in a couple of hours  and am wondering if I can do that with just rennet.  Someone told me add vinegar to get to a ph of 5.2 and then add a couple of drops to make to make it work. 

What is floccuation method?

[Sailor Con Queso]

What's the rush?

Search the forum on Flocculation. Many discussions.

[dthelmers]

I am using raw goats milk and want to make a soft, spreadable fresh goat cheese without doing a 18 hour or long lactic make.  I want to be able to make it in a couple of hours  and am wondering if I can do that with just rennet.  Someone told me add vinegar to get to a ph of 5.2 and then add a couple of drops to make to make it work.

You can make an acid coagulated bag cheese, but you won't get much flavor. I've done those a lot with whole milk to make a quick cheese spread by adding spices. But since you've got raw goats milk, it seems tragic not to make a nice chevre - it's so easy to do, and it tastes so great! I make my cow's milk version by pre-ripening the milk a bit before I add the rennet, then let it go 24 hours, ladle it into a cloth lined colander, then gather up the corners and let it hang another 12-24 hours.

[linuxboy]

Yep, ditto that. If you don't want to wait, then start 1-2 days beforehand for a cheese you want to eat. And then keep it going, making a new batch every 2-3 days so you always have a pipeline of fresh cheese.