So I bought into a herd share of goats and now have access to raw goats milk (and made my first cheese with the milk - see Montasio post).
I'm not adverse to using raw milk at all, but some of my family members and friends who I share this cheese with can't take that chance due to decreased immune systems. So for some makes I am considering low temp pasteurization.
My question is this: Say I want to low temp pasteurize the milk: 145F for 15-30 minutes then rapidly cool, correct? Any other tips?
Thanks!
Trent
Yes. Minimum 30 minutes at that temp (145 F) to be pasteurised. Then cool down as quickly as possible. I have not done it, but if I was intending to, I would use a chiller similar in design to a beer wort immersion chiller. Basically you buy a 15-30 foot coil (for 5 gallons -- less for smaller amounts) of copper refrigerator tubing. You attach a hose to both sides of the coil. You can either attach one of the ends to a cold water tap, or you can siphon ice water through it.
Here is an example:
(http://brewerspantry.com/image/cache/data/WORT%20CHILLER-780x975.jpg)
You can buy them online, but they are dead easy to make. The important thing is to wash the chiller, and then put it in the pot with the milk *before* you heat the milk. Then you heat the milk, hold the temp and finally run cold/ice water through the chiller. I imagine you can get it down to 90 F in probably 1 or 2 minutes.
There are so-called counter flow chillers, but the extra complexity and need to sanitise everything is not worth it for milk, I think. For making beer, you want to crash cool the wort from boiling all the way down to below 70 F as fast as humanly possible, so the counter flow chiller gives you that extra fast cooling. I don't think it will be necessary for cheese making as you are reducing the temp by only a small amount.
Ahhh yes - my friends who make beer have that apparatus... I can borrow theirs!
Thanks!
Trent
If you're just pasteurizing a few gallons, setting the pot in a sink of cold water is quick enough.
145+ for 30 minutes, and be sure to leave your spoon in the whole time. Make sure you don't have any droplets of milk on the sides or cover (I use a piece of foil so the spoon can stay it).
good advice! Thanks!