Pasteurizing Store Bought Milk - Required?

[etruscan]

Hi there,

New to the forums here and planning to try some of the free recipes soon, but I had a question before i started for those with more experience. I am using store-bought milk ( pasteurized&homogenized ) which is Dairyland/Saputo brand ( In northern BC here ) and i sometimes go as far as buying the 'organic' brand which i know isnt really much different ( i think they just add vit. a&d is all )..

So anyways - what im wondering in particular is if the recipes posted on the site assume you are starting with raw milk, and if so, do i obviously skip the initial pasteurization step? For example, im thinking of starting with the Asadero/oaxaca cheese recipe, and it states :

1. Pour milk into stockpot (vat) in double boiler on stove or directly on lowest heater element.
2. Heat milk slowly to 60-65°C/140-149°F and hold at that temperature for 30 minutes to pasteurize, stir slowly so doesn't catch or have cold areas.
3. Turn off heat and allow to cool.
4. When cooled to 35°C/95°F, whisk in diluted Calcium Chloride if using and then whisk in diluted rennet.
5. Cover and set aside for curd to form.
(recipe continues)


So, since im buying store bought milk can i jump right to step 4, raise my milk temp to 35c and carry on with the instructions ? Or is it important to 're pasteurize' to kill any germs that might have been introduced between the store and the pot ?

I know this is probably pretty obvious to most and I apologize if its been covered elsewhere before. Thanks very much in advance for your advice !

Steve

ps - great site and forums, so much to learn in here!!

[MrsKK]

No, you shouldn't have to re-pasturize your milk.  Do be careful in the milk that you buy that it hasn't been ultra-high temp pasturized, as you probably won't have success in making cheese with it.  Unfortunately, most organic milks are UHT pasturized to extend their shelf life.

Welcome to the world of cheesemaking!

[zenith1]

Hi Steve- the recipes found here on the forum are general starting points and can be made with either fresh raw milk or commercial milk. If using fresh raw milk need to develop a relationship with the farmer so that you can trust the quality of his product. It will be up to you to decide if you need to pasteurize the milk based on your comfort level and what you are ultimately trying to achieve in your cheesemaking. There are of course many benefits to using raw milk, and some hurdles to overcome also.

[etruscan]

Thanks for the replies and advice. It seems the milk we get here is not UHT, because i have gotten respectable yeilds thusfar ( i have only made ricotta and a sorta-mozzarella ) and adding calcium chloride hasnt made a noticable impact. I am looking forward to finding a trustworthy source of raw milk however - it seems like the way to go. When i do, i will surely keep this advice re. pasturization well in mind!

Thanks again,

Steve

(will mods close this thread and/or move it automatically ? please feel free to do so, I got the answers i needed! )