I've been using the dry calf rennet from The Cheesemaker's website. I bought it as it keeps indefinitely in the freezer. But it seems so darn finicky! I make a lot of cheese, some in 2 gallon batches and some in 4. It seems whenever I'm doing a 2 gallon batch of traditional mozzarella, the rennet doesn't set. I use the recommended dose of 1/16 t for the smaller batch and 1/8 t for the larger. The water I use is boiled and cooled. The milk temp is 88-90 degrees (after a one hour ripening with thermo culture & calf rennet). I've only had this rennet a few months at this point. Is it just me or is this rennet finicky?
I am fairly new to cheesemaking myself, but one suggestion I would make is use distilled water for dissolving your rennet....give that a try and see if you end up with more reliable results.
~Cheers!
Thanks, Scubagirl. I'll try that. If I find this powdered rennet is finicky about water, I'm switching back to liquid calf rennet. I never had a problem when I used it. This powdered stuff just seems, well, finicky.
tnsven, I also use powdered rennet and when I used to make smaller batches, I found it very fiddly to measure small volumes of rennet.
Thus I bought a small scale (https://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,622.0.html) and use weight of rennet rather than volume, which I find more accurate.
That said, when it is used up I think I will switch to liquid.
I bought the powdered calf rennet from The Cheesemaker this past winter and I've been very happy with it. I use 1/8 tsp of it for making a five gallon batch of cheese - mostly mozzarella and colby - and it always sets up nicely within an hour.
I use tap water, but mine is from a well, so no chlorine at all. I also make sure the water is very cool - probably around 50-55 degrees.
What kind of milk are you using? Raw or past/homogenized? If pasturized, are you using calcium chloride as well?
Thanks, John. Sounds like it might not be just me. The directions say to use 1/16th for 1-3 gallons and 1/8 for 4-6, both dissolved in 1/4 cup of water. I suspect when I measure the water, if I'm slightly over 1/4 c on the 2 gallon batch, it may be too dilute. I have those tiny little measuring spoons. I have a scale but don't want to have to mess with it at this point. If I have to go to that much trouble, I'd rather just use liquid. :P
Hi Karen. I'm "KristinS" from KAFC and recognize your "handle". It is Lois' milk I'm using....raw. So it's not a CaCl issue. I too use well water, often boiled and cooled, unless my husband uses the coffee water for something else (as he did this a.m.) I used liquid rennet for a number of years with no problem. And I liked this powdered stuff at first. But it seems more sensitive to temperature & dilution than the liquid.
Fortunately, it worked today for my cheese making class. :) And the moz I had trouble rennetting yesterday turned out fine for the stretching demo, even though it took 2 tries to coagulate.
Kristin
Kristin, I wouldn't think it was the amount of water you dilute the rennet it but rather the amount of rennet, also possibly the milk, also how active your starter is will govern the acidity which aids in getting a good curd set (http://www.cheeseforum.org/Making/Defects%20-%20General,%20Coagulation.htm).
The first time I had a problem, I had done a 4 gallon batch and diluted the 1/8 t of rennet in 1/2 cup of water, not 1/4 cup. I had no set. My (DVI) cultures were purchased in August 2008. I keep them sealed in small jars in the freezer. Perhaps they are getting weak. I no longer have the original packages but they may be more than a year past the date. Still, I have no problems when I use my old liquid rennet....purchased around the same time as my cultures. Perhaps it is time to go shopping. ::)
I have city water and have had no problems just using my Pure Water filter (other than they stopped selling this model) to mix my rennet or lipase right from the tap.
Hey, Kristin! Good to see you here - I don't go to KFC anymore.
When I dilute rennet, I always use 1/4 cup water, no matter how much rennet I'm diluting. I guess because I never saw any directions saying otherwise...silly me?
I'm sorry it's not working out for you. I don't have any suggestions for you, either. I hope you get it figured out soon.
I quit using the liquid because it got weak in between lactations.
Debi - City water! :o I feel for you.
Karen - I don't go to KFC anymore either. The 1/2 c thing was a "I'm not awake enough to do cheese thing." The direction say use 1/4 c. water for 1/16t or 1/8t rennet batches. I did think there was a rennet to water ration that was important but perhaps it is a minimum dilution. And it sounds like you need another cow with a staggered breeding schedule so you don't have that dry period. ;) I can use most of a pint in a year.
Yeah city water not to bad as it goes though. Mostly quite drinkable except mid summer. I have a filter that works very well.
Just an update on this rennet thing. I have switched back to using my liquid calf rennet which is over a year old (yes, I need to replace it and some other items) and have had zero problems. I think it is the powdered rennet.
Kristin