I've been making curd cheeses for a while now and I see that different sources suggest different temperatures to aim for - for ripening, for coagulating, during the removal of the whey. Some recipes ask me to ripen at 88 F , others at 95 F. some recipes ask me to reach 116 F during the stirring while others ask for 102 F. How critical are those temperatures and what is the basis for the particular temperatures indicated in the recipes? How much range will still make a good curd? What might the cool end and hot end of this range be? Thanks
Hey Bernard,
I have made curds in 4 gallon batches, 9 times since 2016 december. I've used all those temperatures, left them out overnight, refrigerated them overnight, and they always turn out, but never squeaky. If I want squeaky, the curds go in the microwave for 30 seconds, then they are squeaky.
Your temperature ranges cover pretty much all the recipes I've seen out there. Seems to me, the higher end temperatures cheddar a little faster than the low end temperatures. They're all good when they are eaten the next day.
Temps will also vary with type of culture you use. Meso vs thermo will take different temperatures to ripen optimally
I use home made kefir as my culture.
Quote from: Bernardsmith on September 03, 2018, 04:11:41 PM
I use home made kefir as my culture.
Kefir has the mesophilic cultures. I'd use the lower temperatures for that kind of cheddar curds cheese.