Stuart's American Style Neufchâtel - Using Junket Brand Rennet?

[Stuart]

Hi guys
I'm going to try to make neufchâtel again for my family while I'm visiting them! The first batch was a flop because I didn't put the rennet in last. Since I didn't expect to mess up I didn't bring extra tabs with me, so I had to get junket rennet at the grocery store to use...

Isn't junket rennet weaker? What's the ratio of junket rennet to more proper rennet tabs, such as those available from cheesemaking.com? Or is it 1 to 1 basically and I can proceed as normal? I don't have time to mess up again!

Thanks in advance.

[Cheese Head]

Stuart, I haven't used them and sorry I don't know, but if you search the forum for "Junket" on the homepage you'll get several hits and one should have what you need.

I understand that different milk types need different amounts.

[DeejayDebi]

Stuart -
I have used Junket for years it works well. One tablet of Junket rennet is equivalent to 20 drops of single strength liquid rennet.

[MrsKK]

I've been making Neufchatel using Junket rennet - I use 2 gallons of milk and 1/2 tablet (cultured with 1 cup clabber or you could use buttermilk).

Let us know how it goes for you.

[Stuart]

I used 1/4th tab of junket with 1 gallon of milk, using my regular recipe, and didn't get a good set at all. It went right through the cheesecloth. I normally use 3/4th tab of rennet from cheesemaking.com. The instructions that came with the junket said to just use 1/4th tab but I should have just used my regular amount. Very frustrating!

[DeejayDebi]

Anytime you change recipes and ingredients there's a huge learning curve! Don't get discouraged it's all about learning.

All recipes and equivalents are based on a generalities. Your milk will be somewhat different your eye for measuring will be different. That's one of the good things about making small batches we can afford to experiment with a small investment!

[Captain Caprine]

Hi Stuart,
Your problem may not be the Junket at all but the degree to which you have acidified your milk.  When you are making Neufchatel if you over acidify and clabber your milk you will have a runny set.  Are you using store bought milk (could be a calcium chloride problem)?  I have tried many different rennets over the years and found junket to be adequate but not the greatest.  My favorite is actually the powdered calf rennet I get from Steve the cheese maker.  I know some don't like animal rennet but I find it to give the most consisten hard set.
Good luck.
CC

[DeejayDebi]

I agree that animal rennets give the best set.  Sometimes with Junket you may find you need to use more than the recommend amounts - especially as it gets older. It's all experimetation.

I have not tried the powdered rennet yet. Just liquid from a local Brew Shop (which is from NE Cheese) and Junket. I made cheese for years without ever finding anything besides Junket.  Now all my Brew Suppliers sell rennet too.

[Stuart]

Captain, how would I have over acidified the milk? I added 1/8th tsp CaCl2 to the gallon of store bought, pasteurized vitamin D whole milk.

I usually don't get a great curd set but it's not runny like that was. I put it in the cheese cloth and after a few seconds it just came dripping through.

It's funny that the experimental chocolate Neufchâtel came out, but not this, when I made it at the same time. I'm going to make a post about that chocolate cheese soon. I've got like a half pound of it and no idea what to do with it!

You guys are great.

[DeejayDebi]

It's funny that the experimental chocolate Neufchâtel came out, but not this, when I made it at the same time. I'm going to make a post about that chocolate cheese soon. I've got like a half pound of it and no idea what to do with it!

You guys are great.

Chocolate cheese cake? 

[Stuart]

It's funny that the experimental chocolate Neufchâtel came out, but not this, when I made it at the same time. I'm going to make a post about that chocolate cheese soon. I've got like a half pound of it and no idea what to do with it!

You guys are great.

Chocolate cheese cake? 

Yeah that's the only good use of it I can think of. I'm going to post the recipe/results in a thread here tomorrow. I'd like to someday try making a hard chocolate cheese.

[DeejayDebi]

I actually brought some back from my last trip to Wisconsin and my sister loved it. She is a chocolaholic though.

Bet it would make a lovely cream cheese cake frosting too. Or a cream cheese dip for fruits, A whipped topping for pie ... lots of good things!