Frustrated

[mhcoach]

Brand new to cheese making. If I watch one more video of people making mozzarella in 30 minutes I will slam my computer into the wall.

I can make great ricotta using vinegar in my sous vide machine. When I get to trying to make Mozzarella, I never get to a clean break stage. First try I hade some old Junket rennent. I used 2 tablets, that didn't work. I figured it was old. Bought a bottle of vegetable rennent from Cheese supplier. 

I started with a 1/2 tsp, no curds coming together. I added another 1/2 tsp. Both diluted in 1/4 cup of water.  I have been using super market milk. I have carefull to not get UHT milk.

Help!

Joe

[mhcoach]

Trying batch #3, added 1/2 tsp Calcium Chloride. Milk is from Costco, I will report on this batch.

Joe

[feather]

Well, don't slam the computer into the wall.

1/2 tsp of a 30% CaCl2 will be good for 2 gallons of pasteurized homogenized milk (not UHT). I hope it works for you.

[mhcoach]

Ok, so try 3 I got a break in the curds even though soft. I pulled a 12 1/8 oz ball. Chilling in the fride I will report on taste & post pics when I get my computer back from the repair shop.

Joe

[feather]

lol, Joe!

I use P&H milk often. I use about 1 tsp of the CaCl2 solution per 4 gallons.
I follow the directions for usage with rennet depending on the kind of rennet I have. Some rennet takes 1 tsp per 4 gallons, some takes 1/2 tsp per 4 gallons (double rennet) and some rennet I use 1/3 tsp per 4 gallons (also called double rennet but it is more like triple rennet).

Usually I get about 1 lb of cheese more or less, per gallon. So 3 gallons might bring you 3 lbs of cheese.

Try a little more CaCl2 solution for your next try. I'm looking forward to seeing how your motz turned out.

[H-K-J]

 

[cheesehead94]

Are you diluting the rennet in cool non-chlorinated water before adding to the milk? And then do you whisk it in an up and down motion to distribute within the mil evenly. If not that might be part of the problem.

[mhcoach]

Thanks all for the replies.

I will try the the suggestions on the next try.

The cheese tasted fine but the consistancy was more like a packaged mozzarella. I will see if it melts today.

Joe

[mikekchar]

I've seen a couple of videos for quick mozzarella and it seems like often the curds are not in solid blocks.  It may or may not matter (and FWIW quite a few people say that a traditional mozzarella make is dramatically better quality than a quick mozzarella, so maybe there is a limit to how good a quick mozzarella can be -- I have no experience either way).  However, it strikes me that the pH that milk curdles at when the temp is 42 degrees C (108 F) is 5.1 -- the very pH that people are trying to hit for stretching.  The buffering capacity of the milk is going to be different depending on the actual milk, its freshness, the season, etc.  So you're kind of walking a tight rope anyway. With a quick mozzarella, it seems that you add the citric acid, then add the rennet.  It is very possible in my mind that if the temp is a touch too high (possibly due to an inaccurate thermometer), or you haven't measured the citric acid perfectly, or there just happens to be less buffering capacity in your particular milk, that the milk could curdle before the rennet has time to fully set it.

However, from experience, even if you curdle the milk with acid the curds will easily form a ball if you squish them together.  If that doesn't happen, then the problem is almost 100% certainly your milk.  There are *many* different temperatures that milk is pasteurised at.  Where I live I can get 63 C for 30 minute (often known as batch or low temperature pasteurisation), 71 C for 15 seconds (often known as high temperature or continuous flow pasteurisation), 125 C for 3 seconds (probably only Japan does this as I've never heard of it before I came here) and 130 C for 2 seconds (flash or ultra pasteurisation).  You will get poor results with anything that is not 63 C for 30 minutes.  Additionally, you will get worse results with homogenised milk rather than unhomogenised milk.

This doesn't mean that you won't be able to make cheese with high temperature pasteurised milk -- you just have to work with a worse curd.  Low temperature pasteurised milk is often quite a bit more expensive than high temperature, or ultra pasteurised milk.  Here in Japan, my unhomogenised, low temp pasteurised milk clocks in at a whopping $12-13 per gallon.  It's worth the extra money IMHO -- and in the US, you will almost certainly be able to find good milk at a much lower price.  Whether or not you can get it at Costco, I don't know...

[mhcoach]

Mike

Thanks, I appreciate the help.

The cheese was rather stiff & a little dry. Unlike what I was expecting. It melted fine but overall definitely wasn't worth the effort.

The Ricotta I made using the Sous Vide method was excellant. Being stubborn as I am I will continue to try.

I think I want to configure a system to make all my cheese using Sous Vide. What I am thinking is using 2 plastic rectangular containers. The smaller one able to hold 6 qts, the larger one able to hold the smaller with room for water to circulate. I saw someone on Youtube using this method. It can make the tempurate issue a breeze. I just wonder if surface area really matters.

Joe

[mikekchar]

The thing about ricotta is that it literally doesn't matter what kind of milk you are using -- you will make good ricotta.  Other kinds of cheese are much more picky.  But I think stubbornness is a definite virtue in this kind of thing.  Keep trying different things.  Change one variable at a time and measure the result.  Eventually you will definitely figure it out!

[mhcoach]

Thanks for the encouragement. I am ready for another round. I went to a restaurant supply & purchased two containers so now I will try using the Sous Vide method. In hindsight I think my mistake was at the cooking the curds stage. We will see what tonight brings.

Joe

[GortKlaatu]

Hey there....I've been busy with other things and haven't been on the forum recently.  So, I just saw your post.


I have to tell you that I believe the idea that Mozarella is a beginner cheese--30 minute or otherwise--is a BIG FAT LIE!


I make all kinds of cheeses with great success and I have to tell you I STILL have the most trouble with Mozarella. 
So my advice to you is:


Quit Mozarella for now and try something else.  Otherwise you will think, "If THIS is supposed to be an easy, beginner cheese, I will NEVER be able to make any other cheeses". And that, my amigo, just isn't true. 

[DougL]

I did the 30-minute mozz, and it took, in fact, exactly 30 minutes. I did not use extra calcium, so it came out more like cream cheese. Tastes great, and rates as a beginner cheese. I need to work on the stretching and folding, which I'm hoping will b fixed by added calcium, and more heat.