pH measurement?

[DougL]

So I'd like to get a little more serious and responsibly measure pH of my mix. I see two options, paper and meter. The meters have a HUGE range in cost, with the cheapest being $20-30 or so. pH paper ain't that cheap, and is sold in rolls (e.g. Duotest) for $20-30. So, what's the difference? Why would I use pH paper for a limited number of tests if I could use a meter for the same cost that would give me infinite (and probably more precise) tests?

Could be that the cheap meters are simply trash. Could be that pH paper can be used for things (like to do a test on a small piece of curd) that a meter couldn't be used for.

What exactly do you get with a more expensive meter that you don't get with a cheap meter? How often do you have to replace electrodes in a meter (which would add to the usage cost)?

Thoughts from experienced cheese makers would be appreciated.

[River Bottom Farm]

Paper isn't as usefull as a meter. The range of measurement you need and accuracy you will want won't be possible with paper.

I bought a cheap meter and it is a pain to use. It isn't accurate unless I constantly mess with calibration and even then I'm not always sure of it. Bite the bullet and get a good one right at the start or you will regret it. As for electrode replacement it isnt a common thing. Most of the time if the meter acts up it is clogged with fats and needs a good cleaning (search on the forum for the how to)

[DougL]

I don't think I need a range of measurement. I'm shooting for pH of 5, so 4-6 will do fine.

I assume there are some reviews of meters here?

[mikekchar]

There is more than one place in the cheese making process where you will want to measure pH.  Unless you are adding measured amounts of acid, it's the culture that is making the milk sour.  The speed it does so depends on temperature, the health and amount of culture you used, the amount of buffering salts available in the milk, the speed that the buffering salts are dissolved out of the casein, and probably other factors.  Many recipes start out with the idea that you add some culture, set the temperature, wait x minutes, etc.  However, the reality is that this is all a proxy for waiting until the pH of the milk hits a certain value (which is often, unfortunately, completely missing in the recipe  )  Because it also depends on so many of those unknowable factors, waiting a certain time at a certain temperature is really just going to get you into the ballpark.  The reason for getting a pH meter is so that you have control over your process instead of performing some magical actions and praying to the cheese gods that it's going to come out OK.

This is not to say that making good cheese without a pH meter is impossible.  It can even be consistent if you control all the other variables in a different way.  Consider that traditionally a cheese maker would be making only 1 or 2 types of cheese *ever*.  They also have their own herd of milk producing animals and complete control over what they eat, when they are milked, etc, etc.  Some traditional cheese makers even make different cheeses in different seasons due to the differences in the milk at different times (i.e., they can't reliably make certain cheeses at some times of the year, because the milk is unsuitable).  You *can* do the same thing, but normally we want to make a variety of different cheeses and we want to make it with standardised milk which we can buy in the grocery store, etc, etc.

I say this with a considerable amount of respect: take a look at Gavin Weber's videos on Youtube.  He usually makes yummy cheese, but he *frequently* makes cheese that does *not* have the attributes of the cheese he's trying to make.  I think this is pretty typical of hobbyist cheese makers.  If you don't mind that (and I think he doesn't mind it!) you can take a pretty relaxed attitude towards a lot of things.  But if you are trying to nail a particular style, then I think a pH meter is going to be a godsend.

Note: I don't have a pH meter right now

[pastpawn]

I have this meter.  I've used it a LOT for cheesemaking and highly recommend it.  It seems very stable, reproducible results, easy to calibrate, and has a nice flat sensor that works perfectly for cheese.  You can easily clean it up with soapy water, and since the electrode bulb is protected, you don't worry about breaking it.  BTW, if you want a pH meter to last, make SURE you store it exactly as the instructions say - in the case of my meter, the electrode needs to be stored in the 4pH solution.  The cap has a sponge in it that I make sure is saturated with 4pH cal solution when I put it away. 

Also, I'll add a link for the bulk calibration solutions I use. 

These are Amazon links, I apologize if it's not available where you are. 

Extech pH Meter:  http://a.co/d/cm6aN0L
Cal Solution Set:  http://a.co/d/9IhOHB4

[River Bottom Farm]

The range is usually a problem with strips because you need to be accurate (two decimal places is pefered) so to get that acuracy with strips means you need more than one range of strips to make the correct color changes visible

[TravisNTexas]

I have this meter.  I've used it a LOT for cheesemaking and highly recommend it.  It seems very stable, reproducible results, easy to calibrate, and has a nice flat sensor that works perfectly for cheese.  You can easily clean it up with soapy water, and since the electrode bulb is protected, you don't worry about breaking it.  BTW, if you want a pH meter to last, make SURE you store it exactly as the instructions say - in the case of my meter, the electrode needs to be stored in the 4pH solution.  The cap has a sponge in it that I make sure is saturated with 4pH cal solution when I put it away. 

Also, I'll add a link for the bulk calibration solutions I use. 

These are Amazon links, I apologize if it's not available where you are. 

Extech pH Meter:  http://a.co/d/cm6aN0L
Cal Solution Set:  http://a.co/d/9IhOHB4

That's the same meter that I bought recently.  Have not used it on cheese yet, but have tested pool water several times and compared the results with titration.  It's an accurate and easy to use meter and I'm pleased with it.

Thanks for the cal solution link Andrew.  That's a better price than what I found.

[Frodage4]

Extech pH Meter:  http://a.co/d/cm6aN0L

I don't yet have a pH meter, but when I do get one, it will be this same one. Scasnerkay recommended it to me and if it's good enough for her, it's good enough for me. I've seen some lab quality pH meters that seem to have similar specs but 3 or 4 times the price.

[DougL]

OK, so I guess the lesson is that cheap meters are trash.

But I'm looking at the  Hanna HI98103 Checker® pH Tester. Good name, and only thirty bucks. Anyone have experience with it?
https://hannainst.com/hi98103-checker-ph-tester.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIg8Xhlt-23gIVk4SzCh1_OAL4EAQYBCABEgLt2fD_BwE

[TravisNTexas]

I did a search using the string "Hanna pH Tester" and there are a bunch of threads dealing with Hanna testers.  I did not read them, but they are there if you are interested.  Could not find HI98103 in a search.

[TravisNTexas]

I was wrong.  There is one thread that includes that model number > https://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,6917.msg49641.html#msg49641

[stephmtl222]

Consider also the Hanna HI981032.
It is really adapted to cheese making with a conical probe to measure curd pH. Only limitation is to have a 0.1pH unit resolution. Enough for most but a little limiting if you look for 0.01-0.05 pH variations for certain steps.

[cheesehead94]

I have this meter.  I've used it a LOT for cheesemaking and highly recommend it.  It seems very stable, reproducible results, easy to calibrate, and has a nice flat sensor that works perfectly for cheese.  You can easily clean it up with soapy water, and since the electrode bulb is protected, you don't worry about breaking it.  BTW, if you want a pH meter to last, make SURE you store it exactly as the instructions say - in the case of my meter, the electrode needs to be stored in the 4pH solution.  The cap has a sponge in it that I make sure is saturated with 4pH cal solution when I put it away. 

Also, I'll add a link for the bulk calibration solutions I use. 

These are Amazon links, I apologize if it's not available where you are. 

Extech pH Meter:  http://a.co/d/cm6aN0L
Cal Solution Set:  http://a.co/d/9IhOHB4

I have this meter as well, and have always heard great reviews, but I usually seem to have pH issues. Not sure if I got a lemon of a meter, or if the raw jersey milk I use just has some beastly buffering ability. It is probably just the milk.

[pastpawn]

I have this meter.  I've used it a LOT for cheesemaking and highly recommend it.  It seems very stable, reproducible results, easy to calibrate, and has a nice flat sensor that works perfectly for cheese.  You can easily clean it up with soapy water, and since the electrode bulb is protected, you don't worry about breaking it.  BTW, if you want a pH meter to last, make SURE you store it exactly as the instructions say - in the case of my meter, the electrode needs to be stored in the 4pH solution.  The cap has a sponge in it that I make sure is saturated with 4pH cal solution when I put it away. 

Also, I'll add a link for the bulk calibration solutions I use. 

These are Amazon links, I apologize if it's not available where you are. 

Extech pH Meter:  http://a.co/d/cm6aN0L
Cal Solution Set:  http://a.co/d/9IhOHB4

I have this meter as well, and have always heard great reviews, but I usually seem to have pH issues. Not sure if I got a lemon of a meter, or if the raw jersey milk I use just has some beastly buffering ability. It is probably just the milk.

What's the issue? 

I've used this meter on cheese / beer / wine / fermented foods / for canning foods / fish tank / pool.  It settles quickly and (I think) accurately. 

[scasnerkay]

I had a Hanna meter, which was so so. I have been much happier with the Extech mentioned here, and have used it many times. I always check the calibration before use on any make day, and it rarely needs recalibration. I Use soapy water to clean it during a make, and leave it in 4.0 solution during the make.
Occasionally I do a "deep cleaning" and re-boot as recommended on the forum, and on the Extech website, if the readings are not consistent with what my experience suggests things should be like during the make.
By the way, I does seem to get thrown "off" if I forget and leave the meter in soapy water for 30 mins or so.