What ingredients are best for the best-tasting chevre?

[narnia]

I am so new to all this....all I have used so far, is the single powder packet for making chevre from New England Cheesemaking.  I want to stay away from microbial rennets, so I want to venture into trying the calf or goat kid rennet.  With either of those two, what type of culture do I need, and what are the best brands?

Thanks in advance for your help!

[Stinky]

From artisangeek.com - which is totally where you should be buying things; it's cheaper and better than most other cheese supply places...

(We recommend Sacco Lyofast MO 030 or Danisco Choozit MA11 for a traditional French flavor and texture. Danisco Choozit MM100 for more buttery flavor, or CHR-Hansen Flora Danica, Biena Aroma B, Sacco Lyofast MW 30 R, or Danisco Choozit Probat 222 for a buttery flavor and aroma with more airy texture and and creamier mouthfeel)

From their recipe.

[Gregore]

Stinky,   those where all starter cultures.....   

But he is right artisan geek has some pretty cool cultures and some very unique Rennets .  Try them out  I am sure you will be pleased.  Are you still having issues with your rennet giving you reactions?

[narnia]

Stinky,   those where all starter cultures.....   

But he is right artisan geek has some pretty cool cultures and some very unique Rennets .  Try them out  I am sure you will be pleased.  Are you still having issues with your rennet giving you reactions?

I believe so.  I quit eating the cheese for a couple of days and felt better.  Then, I tasted a bit of what I made yesterday and I immediately felt weak and achy.

[narnia]

From artisangeek.com - which is totally where you should be buying things; it's cheaper and better than most other cheese supply places...

(We recommend Sacco Lyofast MO 030 or Danisco Choozit MA11 for a traditional French flavor and texture. Danisco Choozit MM100 for more buttery flavor, or CHR-Hansen Flora Danica, Biena Aroma B, Sacco Lyofast MW 30 R, or Danisco Choozit Probat 222 for a buttery flavor and aroma with more airy texture and and creamier mouthfeel)

From their recipe.

Thank you!  With which rennet?

[Stinky]

Stinky,   those where all starter cultures.....   

But he is right artisan geek has some pretty cool cultures and some very unique Rennets .  Try them out  I am sure you will be pleased.  Are you still having issues with your rennet giving you reactions?

I believe so.  I quit eating the cheese for a couple of days and felt better.  Then, I tasted a bit of what I made yesterday and I immediately felt weak and achy.

Eef, that's rough. Has anyone else had the same reaction?

[Stinky]

From artisangeek.com - which is totally where you should be buying things; it's cheaper and better than most other cheese supply places...

(We recommend Sacco Lyofast MO 030 or Danisco Choozit MA11 for a traditional French flavor and texture. Danisco Choozit MM100 for more buttery flavor, or CHR-Hansen Flora Danica, Biena Aroma B, Sacco Lyofast MW 30 R, or Danisco Choozit Probat 222 for a buttery flavor and aroma with more airy texture and and creamier mouthfeel)

From their recipe.

Thank you!  With which rennet?

Calf or kid, calf is the easiest and best, probably. Up to you, no real difference.

[narnia]

Stinky,   those where all starter cultures.....   

But he is right artisan geek has some pretty cool cultures and some very unique Rennets .  Try them out  I am sure you will be pleased.  Are you still having issues with your rennet giving you reactions?

I believe so.  I quit eating the cheese for a couple of days and felt better.  Then, I tasted a bit of what I made yesterday and I immediately felt weak and achy.

Eef, that's rough. Has anyone else had the same reaction?

No.  Not my DH, who tasted the same.  I recovered shortly thereafter.  I ate some from my first batch (that I had made on Monday) today and I felt pretty OK.  Although a little later, I felt congested.  I have become extremely sensitive to mold since eating the cheese and that is why I am wondering which part has the mold...  I have struggled with candida for many years, so really need to avoid mold and fungus as much as I can.  Because of this, I have not had any kind of cheese for over 30 years, until recently, when we got into goat milk.  I bought some chevre from someone that we bought milk from, prior to buying our own goat.  I did fine with her cheese, but then because we bought only 6 oz and ate it over the course of a week, I did not have a reaction to it.  And also, I don't know what kind of rennet she uses.

My cheese...because there was soooooooo much of it, I did pig out on it.  I guess I maxed over my threshold.  I may have easily eaten 3/4 lb in two days...it was sooooo delicious!!     

[narnia]

Stinky,   those where all starter cultures.....   

But he is right artisan geek has some pretty cool cultures and some very unique Rennets .  Try them out  I am sure you will be pleased.  Are you still having issues with your rennet giving you reactions?

I believe so.  I quit eating the cheese for a couple of days and felt better.  Then, I tasted a bit of what I made yesterday and I immediately felt weak and achy.

Eef, that's rough. Has anyone else had the same reaction?

No.  Not my DH, who tasted the same.  I recovered shortly thereafter.  I ate some from my first batch (that I had made on Monday) today and I felt pretty OK.  Although a little later, I felt congested.  I have become extremely sensitive to mold since eating the cheese and that is why I am wondering which part has the mold...  I have struggled with candida for many years, so really need to avoid mold and fungus as much as I can.  Because of this, I have not had any kind of cheese for over 30 years, until recently, when we got into goat milk.  I bought some chevre from someone that we bought milk from, prior to buying our own goat.  I did fine with her cheese, but then we bought only 6 oz and ate it over the course of a week, I did not have a reaction to it.  And also, I don't know what kind of rennet she uses.

My cheese...because there was soooooooo much of it, I did pig out on it.  I guess I maxed over my threshold.  I may have easily eaten 3/4 lb in two days...it was sooooo delicious!!     

[narnia]

From artisangeek.com - which is totally where you should be buying things; it's cheaper and better than most other cheese supply places...

(We recommend Sacco Lyofast MO 030 or Danisco Choozit MA11 for a traditional French flavor and texture. Danisco Choozit MM100 for more buttery flavor, or CHR-Hansen Flora Danica, Biena Aroma B, Sacco Lyofast MW 30 R, or Danisco Choozit Probat 222 for a buttery flavor and aroma with more airy texture and and creamier mouthfeel)

From their recipe.

I heard about Alce Lyobac MCL AR, 0.5-dose.  Has anyone tried that culture?

[narnia]

From artisangeek.com - which is totally where you should be buying things; it's cheaper and better than most other cheese supply places...

(We recommend Sacco Lyofast MO 030 or Danisco Choozit MA11 for a traditional French flavor and texture. Danisco Choozit MM100 for more buttery flavor, or CHR-Hansen Flora Danica, Biena Aroma B, Sacco Lyofast MW 30 R, or Danisco Choozit Probat 222 for a buttery flavor and aroma with more airy texture and and creamier mouthfeel)

From their recipe.

Thank you!  With which rennet?

Calf or kid, calf is the easiest and best, probably. Up to you, no real difference.

Would you mind explaining how it is easiest and best?  Thanks!

[narnia]

Can I use the mesophilic culture to make goat yogurt?

[Schnecken Slayer]

What cultures do you have?
You can make Yoghurt and Chevre with a variety of cultures and each will give its own subtle flavour.
I chose to use calf rennet and Florica Danica with pleasing results in my Chevre and used a mix of two commercial yoghurts as starters to maximise the probiotics in my yoghurt.

[Stinky]

From artisangeek.com - which is totally where you should be buying things; it's cheaper and better than most other cheese supply places...

(We recommend Sacco Lyofast MO 030 or Danisco Choozit MA11 for a traditional French flavor and texture. Danisco Choozit MM100 for more buttery flavor, or CHR-Hansen Flora Danica, Biena Aroma B, Sacco Lyofast MW 30 R, or Danisco Choozit Probat 222 for a buttery flavor and aroma with more airy texture and and creamier mouthfeel)

From their recipe.

Thank you!  With which rennet?

Calf or kid, calf is the easiest and best, probably. Up to you, no real difference.

Would you mind explaining how it is easiest and best?  Thanks!

It's cheap, and considered better than most others because it has residual components which help break down proteins that are absent in other cheeses, and with longer aged cheeses vegetable/microbial rennet can leave a bitter taste because it doesn't have those extra components.

Fun fact: one of the microbial rennets is derived from a strain of e.coli.

[awakephd]

Yoghurt is generally made with thermophilic cultures rather than mesophilic. As Schnecken Slayer has said, use store-bought yoghurt as your starter -- look for a brand with nothing other than milk and cultures if you can find it. I find the Fage 2% plain yoghurt to be an excellent starter.