Rennet Coagulated Curds - Shattered

[bevchris]

Hello.  Today was my first attempt at making cheddar cheese.  After I cut my curds they broke up and are now very tiny, almost non existent.  I have left them to see if they form into bigger curds but this is not happening.  Could I have over heated as I placed the pot in a sink of hot water and the temperature rose to 100F within just a few minutes.  I took the pot straight out of the water but perhaps the damage was already done.  If this is not the cause what else can cause the curds too fall apart.  Thank you for your help.

[DeejayDebi]

Sounds like they shattered. I had that happen with ultra pasteurized milk once before I knew what it was. I have only seen this happen to others in mozzarella so I ma not sure why it happened to you. 100 degrees is high for rennet.

But - I have a hint for you with temperature. Check the temperature of the water before you put the pot in. If you keep the water temeperature the same as your target you'll never over shoot the temperature.

[bevchris]

Thank you for your reply.  Shattered is a very good description of what happened to my curds.  I might try a different brand of milk and watch my temperature more closely.