What is "cool" to a cheese maker

[jbrewton]

Hi all, I am new to cheese making so I am soaking up as much as possible and the forum has been a great help.

My questions is when the instructions say "dissolve x amount of rennet into cool, non-chlorinated water", what is considered cool?  Is room temperature cool enough, or should I refrigerate my distilled water before using?

[Danbo]

Personally I just use boiled water (non clorinated) that has reached room temperature.

:-) Danbo

[Sweet Leaves Farm]

I have a well, so I just use well water at 55 or so degrees. If you use bottled water, or boiled water, room temp ( assuming its less than 75 degrees in your house) should be fine.

[ArnaudForestier]

I keep chilled RO water in the refrigerator. 

Saw this somewhere, and it made sense to me:  I believe the reasoning is that as rennet works optimally somewhere in the '80's, if you add it in warm water and then into milk, you've essentially added in rennet with enzymes kicked to rock immediately; so you risk an uneven floc.  By diluting it in cold water, you keep it in a fairly inactive state and you can better assure a thorough mixing prior to enzymatic activation.

[jbrewton]

ArnaudForestier,

i will try using colder water.  Makes sense.  What does RO mean?

[ArnaudForestier]

Sorry, reverse osmosis water.  Same qualities as distilled, basically.  I go through quite a bit as I use John@PC's fogging system (happy to plug - this thing ROCKS!), and the ultrasonic humidifiers require it. 

[Sailor Con Queso]

I think that you are over thinking a really simple procedure. Just add your rennet to room temperature non-chlorinated water a couple of minutes before you use it in the milk. There is not enough time or high enough temperature to boost the rennet effect. RO water is WAY over the top. Not a bad thing but unnecessary.

[ArnaudForestier]

Each to their own, I suppose, Ed.  I use RO water because it's what I have, and I wouldn't drink our city supply, so wouldn't use it in making cheese, however small the amount used. 

Jbrewton, a majority of sources, you'll likely find, recommend distilled water.  Most important is to use dechlorinated water, however you get this, as chlorine really does wreak havoc. My use of RO water is really just a preference - but then I'm a fairly rigorous purist (i.e., a PITA to many cooks who've worked in my kitchens).

And many do feel the water temp affects the renneting, so prefer to use cool water.  I don't consider it "overthinking" or "WAY" over the top, but again, each to their own.  Good luck.

[Frodage]

I just finished my fifth cheese and have been using tap water. To dechlorinate it, I just leave it out on the counter in a watering jug for several days. It ends up being room temperature, of course, which in Alberta is about 22 degrees C, at least at this time of year. After this discussion, I'm interested to try bottled water from the local grocery store.

[ArnaudForestier]

Frodage, the only issue I see with this is that depending on your city supply, water hardness can disrupt renneting.  I really should have said "filtered" or "spring water," if not using distilled.  Probably negligible and I believe more damaging to pepsin than chymosin (though I can't recall, precisely, and can't recall the source, sorry), but again for me, just one more variable I prefer to eliminate.  Especially at home level, when using such small amounts of water, a gallon of RO water in the fridge lasts months, for me.  At the end of the day, as you're doing, whatever works! 

[amiriliano]

I keep one of these in the garage. I use this water for rennet but also for saline. Cheap and easy.

[Danbo]

I'm lucky to live in Denmark (Scandinavia) where our drinking water is not chlorinated or chemically cleaned. It is just pure and clean water pumped up from the underground - even in our capital Copenhagen.

:-) Danbo

[ArnaudForestier]

Wow, Danbo, that is phenomenal!  Would love to drink it!

I'm mostly French-blooded.  However, I've some Danish blood, Mattsen, in my bones.  Was fortunate to read some of a diary written by an ancestor Mattsen, her account of a covered wagon crossing in the 19th century.  Very much would love to visit your country!

[Frodage]

Arnaud - your description raises an interesting question about the effect of water constituents on the ultimate flavour of the cheese. Is there any effect, or is it really just coagulation efficiency of the enzyme?

[ArnaudForestier]

Hey Jim -

Oh, I'm sure I'm being punctilious about this, just my nature.  We're talking such small quantities, any actual organoleptic effects from using city water wouldn't even likely reach the sensory threshold, I'm almost certain. 

So my real concern with city water is chlorine, and hardness, both of which do actually adversely impact on the rennet's performance.  I don't know its hardness, but I'm sure the spring water such as Amiriliano uses is great; I just happen to have RO on hand because that is how I humidify my cave.  And again, since we're talking such small quantities, keeping a gallon of whatever we use in the cooler seems easy, to me. 

The cooling thing is debatable.  Sailor thinks it's no big deal, I do prefer to use cool for the reason I mentioned.  I tend to think the best thing is probably just to try a few cheeses identical in every other way, and see if you can pick up differences.  That's how I approach stuff, anyway (currently, the use of rennet paste in cheeses other than Italian alpines.  And rennet made from vells).