Any opinions on references to the effects of using a municipal water supply which has been chlorinated?
My Ricki Carroll book usually says to re-hydrate, or dilute stuff in non-chlorinated water.
This and also any cheese that has curds washed during the cooking phase.
Does it really make any difference?
thanks;
HOPPY
Eh, somewhat tough call, but leaning toward myth that all chlorine needs to be removed from water. Municipal water per federal standards has about 4 ppm chlorine. That should not be high enough to kill off a colony, nor severely interfere with the rennet. However, municipalities differ not only in chloride ppm, but also other mineral contents, pH, etc. So if your tap water works, then use it. If not figure out another solution.
Some types of coagulants are much more sensitive than others and are inhibited at concentrations of even 2 ppm.
For me, it makes a difference with the rennet. I can not seem to get a clean break with tap water like I can if I had used distilled water. Since I only need a small amount of water to dilute rennet, distilled is convenient enough.
As for washed curd cheeses, I don't have much experience with them, but my only problem was with the rennet, and by the time you start washing the curd, the rennet has pretty much done its job. I would think that using tap water for that would be fine. I wouldn't want to go out and buy gallons and gallons of distilled water to wash the curd anyways.
I agree with linuxboy. If it works, use it. If not, play around with different things until you find something that does.
Chlorine is used in drinking water as a disinfectant, to keep bacteria from growing in the water. You can imagine that it should have the same effect over your cheese, thus slowing it down or disrupting the balance between the different bacteria you are attempting to inoculate. However, as Linuxboy mentioned, adding 1/4 cup water to rennet to a couple of gallons of milk is not enough to destroy it (and also consider that most of the water you add will eventually end up in the whey, not the curd).
The other consideration is a quality consideration. Do you like your city's tap water? Do you drink it? The answer is different from city to city but ass a rule of thumb, you do not put any ingredient that feels poor to your palate inside food you prepare; no matter if it's bad quality chocolate, yogurt, milk, wine or water. Common sense is that having the untasty/smelly water in your cheese for the next few months will eventually affect its flavor profile; just as milk reveals its true identity and qualities in multitudes - sometimes months into the cheesemaking process, your water may do the same.
Lastly, there is a matter of sanitation. Surely you too pay great attention to sanitation of everything before making cheese; molds, curd knife, surfaces, vat/pot, ladle, thermometer, Etc. If you use a no-wash sanitizing liquid like I do (I use StarSan) you would notice that the instructions specifically ask you not to contaminate your sanitized items with tap water. There is no wonder: City tap water often contain an abundance of undesirable bacteria. They stand in towers, go through pumps and flow miles in rusty (Or PVC) pipes under the streets ...just to end up in your plumbing before they make it to the cheese.
Remember that cheese is a hotbed for bacteria - you are actually creating an environment that will encourage bacteria growth and the bacteria from water is no exception...
My best advice is to use filtered water or spring water, or to get your own Britta or Pur filtration pitcher. These actually filter out much more than just chlorine; they stop bacteria and unwanted trace minerals, and they do so with carbon filters which are much like the ash we use in cheese,.
A good cheat if all you have is tap water is to add a tablespoon or so of milk to the water before diluting the chlorine. This will neutralize it.
Quote from: linuxboy on September 25, 2010, 04:19:35 PM
A good cheat if all you have is tap water is to add a tablespoon or so of milk to the water before diluting the chlorine. This will neutralize it.
That's an interesting one I hadn't heard before.
I do know that boiling water will dissipate the chlorine, too, so if you wanted non-chlorinated water for washed curd cheese, you could just boil up a big pot of water and allow it to cool to room temp.
I meant before diluting the rennet. What happens is the milk will "eat up" the chlorine and it will be safe to use with the rennet. Easy and fast insurance.
I just put a filter on my tap and it seems to work very well.
I use this one, it's fantastic; worth every penny:
(http://www.amazon.com/New-Wave-Enviro-Premium-Filter/dp/B000W9Q0GC)