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GENERAL CHEESE MAKING BOARDS (Specific Cheese Making in Boards above) => EQUIPMENT - Making Cheese => Topic started by: humble_servant7 on November 18, 2009, 09:58:22 PM
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Can someone please explain to me why pH equipment is important.
I went on Ricki Carrol's Cheese site, but she didnt REALLY explain why it is that you may need pH equipment.
And secondly, How do you use it?
And what for?
The cheesemaking books themselves dont even tell you the target ideal pH range in the first place.
*holding head in stress*
I dont get it.
Someone please helpme.
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Well, I would say a Ph meter is not strictly necessary. I personally don't own one and I have made many successful cheeses by just following the recipe and guessing how much acid has been produced.
That said, I plan to buy one soon. It would be helpful to be able to take consistent notes and adapt recipes according to acid production. Right now I can't measure the Ph, so sometimes I end up with too much acid production.
Also some cheeses, especially mozzarella, are very difficult to make at all without knowing the Ph.
So starting without a Ph meter won't hurt you, but if you're looking to improve and make a more consistent product, you're better off getting one eventually.
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Well said, Gboyd. I will add from experience, if you keep making cheese or stay on this forum for long you are likely to get one eventually. If you haven't read the articles on the main page -http://cheeseforum.org/Making/Making.htm (http://cheeseforum.org/Making/Making.htm)- I would highly recommend them. A lot of good info there that will answer a lot of questions.
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Well, I would say a Ph meter is not strictly necessary. I personally don't own one and I have made many successful cheeses by just following the recipe and guessing how much acid has been produced.
That said, I plan to buy one soon. It would be helpful to be able to take consistent notes and adapt recipes according to acid production. Right now I can't measure the Ph, so sometimes I end up with too much acid production.
Also some cheeses, especially mozzarella, are very difficult to make at all without knowing the Ph.
So starting without a Ph meter won't hurt you, but if you're looking to improve and make a more consistent product, you're better off getting one eventually.
Okay, I understand.
But how exactly does it work, if one doesnt even know the pH level required to know that the cheese has acidified enough?
Catch my drift?
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I know what you are saying - most recipes will not indicate what pH targets you need to hit, so a pH meter is useless. Margaret Morris' book has an Industrial Cheese Recipes section that has pH targets that can be adapted to home cheese making. This forum has posts that identify pH targets for cheddar. If you have questions about pH targets for other recipes, somone on this forum will know.
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I've posted pH targets before for many cheese styles, but they're not consolidated in one place or table. This will hopefully change after Debi is done with her book. In general, there are only 2-3 big targets. One is at whey drain, the other at brining/salting.
If you have specific questions about a cheese or need direct guidance on a recipe for pH targets, you can always post them :)
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Humble_Servant7,
To complicate the matters further, there is also the titratable acidity thingy. I am trying to get some more info on this as well but looks like no takers there yet. See my post here (http://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,2586.0.html)
The whole key point of making cheese is the process of acidification and the type of cheese you are producing depends on it. It is like engineering the milk into cheese and you need measurement devices to understand what the bacteria, temperature, time and pressure is doing for the acidification. Check out this doco here (http://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,2438.0.html) from late James Aldridge and his explanation of acidification. Acidification should be controlled at many stages and recorded if you don't want to waste your efforts and time.
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As GBoyd stated, a ph meter is not necessary to make cheese. I made cheese for about 3 years without one and most times I turned out something that was acceptable, to pretty darn good.
Now having said that I will now say that, in my opinion, a Ph meter is as necessary as a cheese pot or cheese press because it is the key to moving from acceptable cheese to great cheese. This I've found is especially true in swiss and cheddar varieties.
I'm still a novice when it comes to using a Ph meter but like Linuxboy said, Ph is especially important at two points in the make. If you hit these two points there is a good chance that you will turn out a nice cheese.
Now of course there are a lot of other variables that come into play but hitting the proper Ph points is something that is very very important.
I'm personally at the point where I will not make cheese without a Ph meter, in fact I have a spare on hand just in case my current one would happen to give out. When I first started posting on this forum I made a post that said I did not think they were a necessary piece of equipment but I've since changed my mind.
As I said a few seconds ago, you can make cheese and if all goes well you can make a nice cheese without a meter. What's hard is duplicating that nice cheese in future batches.
Hope this helps.
Dave
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Frustrated; I checked 2 drug stores and 1 hardware store for pH test strips, and no luck.
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Try a homebrew store like Wine Craft. Should be $6 or so for a 100 pack.
http://www.beerinfo.com/atlbeer/homebrew.html (http://www.beerinfo.com/atlbeer/homebrew.html)
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I think I have bought every cheesemaking product she has except molds...but you are right, she may have it in a different section.
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While the strips are a start, You will want something more accurate than the strips before long.
To me, the pH meter is as essential as the thermometer.
In other words, You heat the milk, not for X number of minutes, but untill it reaches a target temperature.
The same can be said for the acid production.
You acidify the milk, not for X number of minutes, but until it reaches a target acidity (pH or TA)
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Good clear comparison, Wayne.
-Boofer-
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Wow thanks Gurkan, that article was great. I've been looking for something like this for a while. The acidification information is great. I have made a couple of Gouda's that have been "pasty" and now I understand why. I am going to buy a meter. I never thought I would get so into getting this all right. I have spent the last couple of days making cheeses and then look at my house and think oh my god, I must be nuts getting so involved and I have pots and buckets, whey, big mess, presses of all sorts all over the kitchen. Noone can get in to make lunch!!
Loads of fun
Jude.
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While the strips are a start, You will want something more accurate than the strips before long.
To me, the pH meter is as essential as the thermometer.
In other words, You heat the milk, not for X number of minutes, but untill it reaches a target temperature.
The same can be said for the acid production.
You acidify the milk, not for X number of minutes, but until it reaches a target acidity (pH or TA)
Fair enough, I would have to agree.
Where do you buy a pH meter that is suitable for cheese making?
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Have a look here Divey. I think a few of us here at the forum use this one or one like it.
http://www.extechstore.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=634 (http://www.extechstore.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=634)
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Have a look here Divey. I think a few of us here at the forum use this one or one like it.
[url]http://www.extechstore.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=634[/url] ([url]http://www.extechstore.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=634[/url])
What would you recommend as the best one for getting on that site for around 300 bucks?
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$300 :o Good lord, I paid $50 for mine, and it works just fine. Are you needing to use this for other purposes too?
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I agree with Tea- you can get a good one for around $100.
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thats about what mine cost. (100)
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I reckon a better deal would be $100 on the pH meter, $100 on some cheese moulds, and $100 on cultures, spores, etc.
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I only paid $30 for my first one (which I used for beer not cheese) and it lasted several years until I forgot to add liquid to the cap after making cheese one night. :(
I have to say though ... I have been making cheese for over 30 years without using a pH meter and I only messed up the first crottins I made a few months ago. Partly by going on vacation for 2 weeks and leaving them alone.
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Hi Folks,
First post here. I have been reading a few of the pH equipment threads and I haven't noticed any mention of cleaning your pH probes. At the same time I have noticed mention of problems with probe lifetime, etc. When you are sampling biological materials it is important to clean the proteins and lipids off of the probe tip very regularly. It is a simple procedure and it is outlined about 2/3 of the way down this page (http://foodqa.byu.edu/testing_techniques/manual/appendix/e.html) Proteins and lipids aggregate and block the semi-permeable membrane that is the key to probe function. And since they may be charged themselves they also affect the ionic micro-environment of the tip. At the lab I used to work in the tip was placed into a vial of the urea solution after every session of measuring culture media. Especially important is you are interested in that last 0.01 unit.
Michael
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Thanks Michael- that is something we all should look into.
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Michael....
Welcome to the forum and great first post!
I've also read the necessity of using a cleaning solution on the probe but as yet I have not purchased any.
I do however always "swirl" the probe in distilled water after each test, I make.
Is this enough to keep the protein buildup from happening, in the first place?
My procedure is as follows:
Keep the Ph meter in a small container of distilled water while making cheese. (this is only done while making cheese and after I'm finished I put the meter away with the cap filled with Ph 4.0 solution).
Take a sample of whey from the cheese pot.
Swirl the Ph meter in the distilled water, remove and dry on a clean paper towel.
Place meter in the whey sample and record reading.
Turn of meter and rinse under tap water.
Dry with paper towel and then swirl in distilled water and leave for next use, (usually every 20 minutes or so).
I'm hoping that this procedure will both give accurate readings AND keep the protein buildup from happening on the probe.
Please let me know if I'm correct, when you get the chance.
Dave
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Hi Dave,
Thanks. Your procedure for using the meter sounds great to me, though you don't have to worry about drying the distilled water from the probe before using it for the test. I know some of these probes are much more robust than the ones I was used to using, but the less physical activity they have to endure the better they like it. Kind of like me in that respect I guess. :D
The problem with the proteins, in particular, and the lipids (fats) is that they aren't very soluble in water, they like to stick together and they like to stick to membranes. Since it's generally not recommended, at least that I have seen, to use soaps or detergents on pH probes and you shouldn't spit polish the membranes either, you have to come up with something that does the job in a gentle and neutral sort of way. Urea molecules (found in urine, hence the name) are neutral, but they are sort of funny little creatures. They like to play ring around the rosy with proteins and fence them into a little container they build called a clathrate. You can look it up if you are bored beyond tears. This solubilizes the proteins and allows them to drift away into the water solution and thus clean the membrane. The NaOH solution (sodium hydroxide, Drano) turns the lipids into free fatty acids which are soluble in water as well. Actually it turns them into soap, but the quantities are small. Those are the two main problems I would foresee with whey. This was not a trivial problem with the research grade probes I was using. I had to redo whole experiments where the pH of the buffers I made was off by a point or more, ie. 6 instead of 7, because a previous user had spent an hour or two testing cell cultures or cell culture media and had not cleaned the probe with urea or labeled the meter as contaminated and not to be used without cleaning.
Urea is readily available online or maybe even at a camera shop where they sell developing supplies. If they still do that. I don't think you need the highest grade or even food grade as you will rinse it and any soluble contaminants away from the probe when you rinse it in distilled water after cleaning. And it is pretty much not hazardous. I guess you could water your houseplants with the leftovers if they are looking a little pale.
Hope this helped,
Michael
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I keep a wash jar full of rinse solution. I use the squeeze jar to wash the tip from time to time. Certainly before and after ever batch.
Here is what i bought (http://www.amazon.com/Hanna-Electrode-Cleaner-Solution-500ml/dp/B001TN32XY/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1263088471&sr=8-3-fkmr3)
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Michael, I really appreciate the information. You went into a lot of detail to explain the need for cleaning the Ph probe and that's one reason that I have so much respect for the members of this forum. People are willing to share their knowledge, (in detail), which in the long run makes us all better makers of cheese.
I guess I'll be buying some cleaning solution soon.
Wayne....
Are those all solutions used for cleaning or are some of them for calibration?
If this is what is needed for cleaning, could you please provide a link for purchasing?
Thanks in advance.
Dave
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The cleaning solution is in the wash bottle. The other bottles are my calibration solutions. I think i did include the link.
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Nice setup Wayne. Is that a stirring hotplate in the background? With a titrator over it? I'm envious of the equipment and the space.
That solution looks like it should do the job. I notice the instructions mention immersing the tip in the solution for 5 minutes. I also see it contains a phthalate, which is having a bad rep at the moment.
A couple of general lab comments for other readers. If you have solutions in squeeze bottles or other non-original containers always label them with masking tape marked with permanent marker if they are not dedicated to a use or with permanent marker on the bottle if they are dedicated to a particular use. Do this before you fill the bottle. Saves a lot of woes when you need something in a hurry and you haven't got time to think of which is which. Also, always close your pH standard bottles immediately after you take solution out of them. They absorb CO2 out of the air and the pH drifts over time. Never put anything into the standard bottle itself except a clean pipette. And store all silver containing solutions in a cabinet where they are protected from sunlight and fluorescent lights as they cause the silver to precipitate out. Also, none of these has an indefinite shelf life so order a new batch every year or so. I know this sounds fussy, but in the long run it protects your equipment and the integrity of your data. Who knows, you might discover the worlds next great cheese and want to be able to make it again. :)
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Wayne, you did. I'm dense sometimes. Thanks!
The page is bookmarked. I'll order some of this tomorrow.
Thanks again.
Dave
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Nice setup Wayne. Is that a stirring hotplate in the background? With a titrator over it?
Yes, I have a couple of ring stands that use for TA analysis of my wine. I'm currently working on creating an AO apparatus for determining Free S02, and a still for Alcohol determination.
Good idea on marking wash bottles. Thanks.
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Interesting. Those sound like some fairly demanding procedures. Is that a still for determining how the alcohol tastes? ;)
Michael
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The Still is for determining Alcohol By Volume. (afftects taste and shelf life)
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I found this in a paper that is in the library on this site.
Eleven recommendations for more accurate pH testing
1. Keep the reference electrode chamber filled to the fill port with electrolyte solution. This creates a
slight hydrostatic pressure that helps the solution flow through the junction.
2. Any crystals in the reference component of a combination electrode can cause problems by
clogging the junction. Remove crystals by flushing with warm deionized water.
3. Keep calibration buffers in separate, closed containers at room temperature, and replace them
after a few days of use. Keep reserve supplies refrigerated in tightly closed bottles marked with the
dates they were first opened. Once opened, buffers should be used within two months and must be
discarded if any cloudiness or specks appear in the liquid.
4. After setting 4 and 7 calibration points to bracket the anticipated pH range of the cheese samples,
use an intermediate buffer such as pH 5 to check the accuracy of the calibration. A displayed value
that deviates more than ± .03 pH units from 5 indicates an inaccurate meter setting for the pH 4 or
pH 7 buffer.
5. Before using the absolute millivolt mode of a pH meter to check electrode slope, set the meter to
zero millivolts using a shorting strap or plug.
6. A responsive electrode normally has a slope of ± 50-60 millivolts per pH unit. Given a value for
pH 7 buffer of zero millivolts (neutral — neither acid nor alkaline), the electrode in the example
should have produced a reading of at least 150 millivolts while in the pH 4 buffer.
7. Sample and buffer temperatures should be the same. If the temperature difference between the
buffers and sample is excessive (more than 5°C), recalibrate the meter using the temperature of the
sample as a basis.
8. Blend cheese samples, especially those from recent production, before measuring pH. The probe
will then contact the sample in a location that represents its average composition.
9. Even slow drifting of displayed pH values after 10 seconds of contact with the sample indicates a
problem with the electrode. In the example, the junction of the electrode is probably clogged. While
new meters with automatic endpoint recognition are convenient, they may conceal drifting by
artificially creating a stable reading before the “best” value has been reached.
10. Use a fat solvent followed by an acidic solution to dissolve the film of fat, protein, and minerals
that accumulates on the electrode tip when cheese and other milk products are tested. While a squirt
bottle is good for removing cheese particles, it is ineffective for removing this film.
11. Avoid rubbing the glass or plastic electrode body while drying it, as this may create a static
charge. Simply blotting the end of the probe with a tissue or cloth will remove droplets without
affecting the electrode’s sensitivity.
M
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Michael - Excellent and refreshingly informative posts! You've undoubtedly answered a lot of unposed questions for a lot of readers here. Thank you for that.
Have you joined the cheese making foray?
Wayne - Apparently that rinse is currently not available through the Amazon link. Perhaps it is somewhere else. I haven't looked.
-Boofer-
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I've been using alcohol prep pads to sterilize thermometer (and then let dry). What say you about that Michael?
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Hi Boofer,
Thanks. I'm still in the equipment assembling stage for cheesemaking, though I will hopefully be there in a few days. I did make some cultured butter last night, does that count?
Brie,
Alcohol won't sterilize, but it certainly will disinfect. Either ethyl or isopropyl alcohols should work ok. And my guess is that they are all that is needed.
I am pasting a piece below that seems pretty well informed and explains further.
"True sterilization with alcohol is _NOT_ effective. There is a big
difference between sterilization vs. sanitization vs. disinfection. The
difference from a 12 log reduction in count to a 2 log reduction,
1,000,000,000,000 to 100. Each has its own requirements.
Which do you really have to do? This depends on where the electrodes will
be going. If they are going into a human (brain electrodes), you need
de-pyrogenation (anti-endotoxin) as well as sterility by overkill method
or "F sub-o" (12 log reduction of _Clostridium botulinum_ or 6 logs of
_Bacillus stearothermophilus_ spores).
Alcohol only kills gram positive coccus well e.g. _Staphylococcus aureus_.
BUT, not G+ rods (_Bacillus_, _Clostridium_) i.e. not endospores, not
yeast (yeast like to make alcohol and are tolerant of ethanol but less
tolerant of IPA, about 50 times less tolerant according to my studies),
alcohol will also not mold spores. Gram negative are usually killed if
not in too high bioburden. In fact, low bioburnen (<2 logs) is always
advisable.
50-70% IPA is optimum for Gram + coccus. See also the post by
Andreas.Brune at uni-konstanz.de (Andreas Brune), polio vaccine had a problem
in attennuation for a similar reason (alcohol contant was too high and
protected the viruses).
Do you really need sterilization (unlikely)? Use heat if possible, dry
heat 200C for 2 hours or steam 15 PSIG for 15 minutes or "F sub-o" = 15
minutes at the coldest spot in the load (not just the chamber) .
Sterilization depends on both time and temperature.
Fast bunsen burner "flaming" with alcohol will not be hot enough nor long
enough to sterilize, but will probably be all you really need for
sanitization."
A trick I read years ago that gives a very near sterile product without autoclaving is to soak your equipment, jars or spoons or whatever, in water overnight and then bring the water to a boil and boil for 15 minutes or so. The reason this is effective is that the toughest thing to kill are the spores and the water soak supposedly brings the spores out of their dormant state and therefore makes them suseptible to less extreme treatments than full autoclaving. I think the soak method would make an alcohol wipe more effective as well. I suppose you could just soak in alcohol for small items though I don't know if that would "sprout" the spores or not.
This sort of sterility probably isn't necessary for cheese making, but it might be useful if you are trying to propagate some starter bacterial cultures.
Michael
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There was another recent thread on sanitation here: (http://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,2706.msg22632.html#msg22632)
Apologies to those that have already read it.
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Thanks, Michael--we use the alcohol prep pads at work to disinfect/steralize our thermometers that we test for all of our food; which is why I assumed they would work for my cheese thermometers. I purchase them at Sam's Club for a reasonable price--sold in a bundle of small packets that I keep on my cheese-making counter.
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While we are on the pH equipment discussion, what do you guys/gals think about the miniLab IQ125 (http://www.cheesemaking.com/store/p/97-pH-Meter.html)?
Apparently, the tip is stainless steel, stored dry and does not need maintenance.
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It should save a small fortune on solutions.
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Gurkan - The Hach IQ125 looks to be a better solution than any of the other pH meters with the glass bulb sensor. A little pricier, but probably worth it down the road. I haven't invested in one yet...this may be my answer.
-Boofer-
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I use a lab base unit and buy the electrodes separately. The dairy residues are not an issue if you clean well. I clean with an enzyme solution that breaks down casein and store the electrode upright in a KCl solution. It's overkill, but I replace electrodes once a year or every few years, depending on condition.
If your pH meter has the BNC connector, you don't need to buy an entire unit, just the ISFET electrode. But keep in mind that most ISFET electrodes are matched and calibrated to the unit. There are some exceptions... I think Oakton makes it in their Flexiphet line. Pricey, though, might be cheaper to get a whole new set.
The ISFET type electrodes are very well suited to cheesemaking because they're easier to clean and maintain.
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Gurkan....
I've used Hach products a lot in water treatment and they are a good quality piece of electronic equipment.
I've used their TDS meters and they are both quite accurate and easy to use. I would not be afraid of purchasing a piece of equipment that they sell.
My only suggestions would be to do a google search for sellers of this piece of equipment. You might be able to find it at a lower price than New England Cheese Making Supply.
I could be wrong about that, but it is worth a try.
Dave
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Dave - What I found with a cursory search was that the one offered by New England Cheesemaking Supply is actually cheaper than other sites selling it. Surprising.
-Boofer-
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My PH kit is on the way--thanks for this and many other threads regarding the need and difference in using some sort of kit. I ordered Wayne's suggestion, and will hold him fully accountable :). Can't wait until it arrives!
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Brie....
LOL@ holding Wayne accountable. That was funny.
I also took his advice and ordered one of the Extech PH110.
I got my first one last week and it had a problem and would not calibrate.
I contacted the company and they immediately determined that the meter was faulty and shipped out a replacement that same day.
When the second one arrived I did notice that from time to time I got an error code on the display. The meter did calibrate and seemed to give accurate readings.
Well I again contacted the company, just to make sure that everything was okay and they said that although they were certain that there was no problem with the meter they were going to send me a spare electrode, just in case something happened in the future.
Now I've spent a LOT of time dealing with various companies for my job and I am yet to see customer service that matches what I've found with Extech. In short I don't think you can go wrong buying from this company.
Hopefully this both gives you some piece of mind concerning your purchase and gives Wayne some sense of relief. :-)
Dave
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I ordered Wayne's suggestion, and will hold him fully accountable :). Can't wait until it arrives!
"Oh man, that is way too much pressure!"
(name that quote..)
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Pressure? I am applyijng 100 pounds now trying to make Cantal. In fact, I am sitting on my cheese press, which only goes up to 80 pounds, to make the difference. It's uncomforatable, to say the least. What we do for cheese! PH meter has not arrived--okay to contact you, Wayne, for advice, if needed? You are, indeed, the guru!
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I read the other day on their website that Glengarry won't ship pH meters during the winter as they are frost sensitive. Anyone know why this might be true?
It made me hesitant to order one from anywhere right now.
Pam
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Pam,
I've seen that same information on a couple of different web sites and asked one of the Extech technicians if that could contribute to the problems I've been having.
When the first meter shipped we were having some extremely cold temperatures and when the second one shipped, temps. were only marginally better.
His response was that he did not feel that temperature was an issue with their meters. I still have my doubts though, since it does have a liquid reference solution that could very well freeze if left sitting on a dock or in an unheated warehouse.
Regardless, we are running in the 40's - 50's right now as is most of the east coast states. I feel pretty confident that when my replacement probe arrives, temperatures will not have been an issue at all.
Dave
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Thanks, Dave.
It made me wonder when you said that you were having trouble with your brand new unit. It's still pretty cold here, I may wait a few weeks.
Pam
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With all this high-pressure sales effort, I took the plunge last night and ordered an Extech pH100 from Amazon along with the calibration solution package. It should be here tomorrow. Hopefully this step will put me on the path to improved cheesemaking. ;)
-Boofer-
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I finally got fed up with my Extech pH100, and threw it out yesterday.
I just bought a new Hanna desktop model with BNC connectors.
(just kidding, mine works great. I hope yours does too.)
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Wayne, don't do that! Man, for a moment I thought...uh oh.
What a kidder.
-Boofer-
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God that made me laugh. Sorry, was a bit cruel.
I'm warped sometimes...
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Laughing out loud. That was a classic Wayne.
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Geez--I was about to refuse my shipment, you sick, twisted puppy! I think my person PH went down to three when I read that LOL!
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Okay Wayne, you got me too......sheesh!
Totally uncalled for but admittedly funny.
Dave
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;D There is this little devil in Ohio I meant to warn you about! ;)
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Folks,
Now that I have my PH meter and TA setup up and running, well measuring, and have my processes a little more coordinated I have been looking for a more comprehensive set of PH and TA data points for recipes. I have gleaned some from various texts, sites (e.g., P. Dixon) and from the recipe list but it seems to be ad hoc at best. Is the a more comprehensive list out there that I am just missing or is it just the type of thing that is hit and miss.
Now that I have the setup I can't wait to start doing better documentation but for some recipes it's only time and temp. I guess that's the wonderful thing about experimentation.
Cheers, Steve
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okay--Wayne's (aka sick twisted puppy) PH meter has arrived (Extech PH 110) Part of the initial calibration is to soak the electrode in a PH4 solution for 10 minutes--how is this achieved at the start point (not knowing how to measure the PH)
Christine
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You will need to acquire some pH 4.01 buffer solution. (Some did not come with the unit?)
http://www.extech.com/instruments/product.asp?catid=73&prodid=474 (http://www.extech.com/instruments/product.asp?catid=73&prodid=474)
I would suggest getting small stockpile of pH calibration fluid. You will want to calibrate that pH meter every so often.
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So I went to fire up my shinny new ExTech PH110 and it calibrated fine at 7.0(at least it's convinced it did) and would not recognize any other cal points (4 and 10). I am dubious about it actually calibrating to 7.0 since it is thoroughly convinced everything in the world is neutral. I have tried to reset and recal the unit etc. to no avail. Has anyone had a similar problem with ExTech before I call tech support Mon. I see from the forum there is a lot of flinging of ExTech units.
Thanks
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Steve,
Here is one suggestion.....
Try removing the battery pack (don't remove the individual batteries....just the pack itself).
Press all three buttons and hold them for approximately 15 seconds.
Re-insert the battery pack and then try recalibrating again.
If this does not work, try the above procedure again and if it doesn't work then, you probably do have a problem which tech support will take care of.
Just out of curiosity, was it cold when you received your meter?
I had one that was screwed up and I'm convinced it was because it was shipped during extremely low temperatures. I have no proof of this, but I do suspect it to be the case.
Hope this procedure helps you out.
Dave
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Dave,
I tried the battery pack removal option in an attempt to reset the unit but I didn't press the buttons. I have read about the possibility of units getting screwed up in shipping in the cold so that was a thought. I received the unit in early December but I believe it never sat outside in the cold. I suspect the unit is flawed since when I received it all I had was buffer 7.0 which it indicated it calibrated to fine as it does now (at the time I didn't have any other buffer). It would not detect anything but 7.0 and tech support said to make sure I calibrated with a 4. and 10 despite the fact that the instructions say it will work(not that accurately) with a one point cal.
ExTech is 15 miles down the road from where I work so a little road trip may be in my future. I'll keep you posted
Steve
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All is well with my ExTech PH110 once the techs and I determined the unit was defective. Since ExTech is 15 miles down the road from where I work I got a replacement unit today. I asked the tech about the possibility of these small units freezing in shipment, a theory floated around in a couple threads and he said it in NOT an issue but can be for remote probes that contain a larger volume of electrode solution.
To their credit ExTech was great in both tech support and immediate replacement of the unit.
Cheers, Steve
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Hi folks. I'm brand new here, and new to cheesemaking. It's just a home hobby for me, hoping to have some aged waxed wheels of gouda for Christmas. I have almost everything I need from New England Cheesemaking, and I have a great local raw milk source.
I bought ph strips at my local brew shop for use in making mozzarella. The strips came with a gauge where the colors were only available at every 2.0 of ph - not nearly accurate enough to follow the recipes in Rikki's Home Cheesemaking. (My first serious attempt fell short) So I am looking into a cheaper ph meter, like the ones being discussed on this thread, and I'm only considering the under $50 range. Considering how rarely I would use it, I am not in need of a serious lab.
I doubt I'll make much more mozzarella - I'm more interested in aging some cheddar and gouda. Is pH as vital in these as it is in mozzarella? Would you bother with a meter in my situation? Or should I just try to find better strips?
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Dave - What I found with a cursory search was that the one offered by New England Cheesemaking Supply is actually cheaper than other sites selling it. Surprising.
-Boofer-
For those considering the minilab units, I sourced another supplier that has updated electrodes. Here's the e-mail I received:
Thank you for your email and interest in the ISFET S2K712 pH meter.
We can supply the ISFET S2K712 pH meter and the R2K712 Reference Electrode.
The R2K712 is compatible with IQ120, IQ125 and IQ128 as well as MiniLab pH
meters.
If you have not already done so, please visit http://global.isfet.com/ (http://global.isfet.com/) for
details about these products. Please note a new version has been developed
with a 2 pt calibration function. The accuracy has also been improved. This
information will be available on the website soon.
Pricing is listed below.
1-9 Units 10 or more
S2K712 $199.00 $176.00
R2K712 $ 59.95 $45.00
Payment terms are 50% at time of purchase and 50% upon reciept. Wire
transfer is the preferred method of payment, but you can pay by check or
credit card as well.
http://global.isfet.com/?page_id=1146 (http://global.isfet.com/?page_id=1146)
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I make cheese commercially and I rely on pH meters heavily to track the progress. I check:
-pH of milk before any ingredients added
-pH at "set" (when culture, rennet..are added)
-pH at cut
-pH at draining
-pH just before salting
-pH just after packaging
-pH 5 days after packaging
I need to have a consistent and trackable culture, that's the heart of my cheesemake (cheddar & cottage cheese). I look for trends day to day, week to week and make adjustments as required. pH tells me how well the culture is performing
I know the home cheesemake is different but I need to gather data to make sure day in & day out the make process is about the same.
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cheesehead,
Operational consistancy is what I try for all the time. Someday, when I actually acquire some cheesemaking skill, I would love to sell my cheese.
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I'm not familiar with the extech meters but one of our pH meters had to be calibrated with 4.0 buffer first no matter what - If someone used a 7.0 for initial calibration, it would try to make that read 4.0 - a bit confusing for someone who didn't know that it did that.
I've never bothered with calibrating with a 10 buffer ever...