I have made literally hundreds of pounds of hard cheeses like Gouda, Cheddar, Swiss and Colby. They are all good, but I am trying to become perfect. Ha! Yeah, right. But, really, I would like to get my measurements right, because right now I make 10 gallons of cheese at a time and add my DVI culture in teaspoon increments. My Gouda is harder than I would like it to be, and part of that might be because I add too much culture. I use my own raw goat milk. I have read a lot about DCU lately, and although recipes give me the amount of DCUs, I don't know what that means and how it translates! If they talk about 2.6 DCU per 100 liters, how much exactly is that? Do I need to weigh it? But we are talking about teaspoons at a time... How? Help!!!
Also, I have been reading that if you use raw milk, you don't even need cultures. Oh vey, now I am confused...
Thanks, fellow cheese dorks!
Hi,
please read my previous posts here
https://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,4111.msg31636.html#msg31636 (https://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,4111.msg31636.html#msg31636)
https://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,3752.msg29347.html#msg29347 (https://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,3752.msg29347.html#msg29347)
https://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,4649.msg36921.html#msg36921 (https://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,4649.msg36921.html#msg36921)
More info out there that I and others have posted if you search.
QuoteMy Gouda is harder than I would like it to be, and part of that might be because I add too much culture.
Possibly, but not that likely given that you wash out the lactose. Hardness is more about curd moisture level, and also moisture loss during affinage (a 2-yr-old cheese will be more firm than a 2 month old). You are not using a high enough set time (or floc multiplier if you follow floc method), and/or are cutting the curds too small, and/or are stirring too much. All those influence the curd moisture, which then influences the cheese water content.
QuoteI have read a lot about DCU lately, and although recipes give me the amount of DCUs, I don't know what that means and how it translates!
It means you take the packet of culture, say, of 25 DCU, weigh out the net weight, which for Danisco is usually something like 5.1 grams per 25 DCU, and then divide to get the grams per DCU, and use that. Usually, Danisco is consistent among batches, but sometimes the net weight will be 10% more or less.
QuoteAlso, I have been reading that if you use raw milk, you don't even need cultures.
Kind of. If you are certain that the ambient bacteria are enough for your style of cheese, you can use the raw milk as is. It's a very inexact way to make cheese. More often, the whey from the previous batch is used as the starter, or a bulk mother is kept and propagated forward.
I would not make most cheeses by letting ambient bacteria provide acidification for each batch. Instead, I would develop a clabber and propagate it forward and use the clabber as the starter inoculant.
Quote from: linuxboy on December 13, 2010, 03:42:05 AM
Hi,
please read my previous posts here
https://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,4111.msg31636.html#msg31636 (https://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,4111.msg31636.html#msg31636)
https://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,3752.msg29347.html#msg29347 (https://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,3752.msg29347.html#msg29347)
https://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,4649.msg36921.html#msg36921 (https://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,4649.msg36921.html#msg36921)
More info out there that I and others have posted if you search.
QuoteMy Gouda is harder than I would like it to be, and part of that might be because I add too much culture.
You are not using a high enough set time (or floc multiplier if you follow floc method)
Wow, never knew tht Linuxboy.
You would think the opposite would be true in that the higher the floc time, due to the acidity the more whey would be leaked out, thus resulting in an even firmer curd set.
Can you further elaborate on why this isnt so?
I swear i thought the softer cheeses hardly had any floc time at all.
Whey expulsion has little to do with acidity. Acidity development is about cheese texture, calcium, content, knit, and the rate at which rennet can act, which influences the strength of the curd.
Whey expulsion is accomplished by two mechanisms, agitation, and temperature. This is for hard enzyme-coagulated cheeses. Lactic and semi-lactic are different.
In terms of the moisture, it is the rennet amount and set time before cut that determine moisture. Simply put, the more rennet and the longer set time, the stronger the curd. And the stronger the curd, the slower it releases whey. Also, the milk composition makes a difference: more fat = weaker curd.
Soft cheeses have a high floc. Feta, for example is 4x. Brie is 6x.
Oh wow.
thank you. That clears everything up.
Quote from: linuxboy on December 16, 2010, 09:31:34 PM
Acidity development is about cheese texture, calcium, content, knit, and the rate at which rennet can act, which influences the strength of the curd.
can you explain how it affects the rate at which rennet can act, as well as cheese texture also?
I thought the starter was just there to add a flavor component to the cheese.
Yes, rennet sets the fastest at a pH of around 5.4 and a temp of 42C. When you go higher in pH or lower in temp, it steps progressively slower. For example, it might set your milk in 3 minutes at 5.5, and in 15 minutes at 6.5. Rennet is an enzyme, and enzymes have optimum ranges for the rate at which they act.
The cheese texture is about the rate of calcium and phosphorus solubilization. Put simply, there is colloidal calcium in casein, that holds casein fractions together. As the acidity builds up, it breaks up the calcium. And that influences texture. Generally, the more calcium, the less crumbly the cheese. You control calcium solubilization via two ways: knitting the curd at a specific pH (what I call whey drain pH), and brining the wheel at a specific pH (what I call brine pH). At a pH of 5.2, the phosphorus and calcium solubilization are at equilibrium. That's why for most cheeses, you brine at 5.4-5.5, because the acidity will build up a little more, and hit 5.2, so you get that lovely texture.
The starter helps to develop acidity, flavor, and aroma.
And if you want the best of both worlds you can add CaCl, and lots of it. I have watched in shock and terror while commercial cheesemakers have added buckets of starter and CaCl to camembert vats. The curd sets in a matter of 5 minutes and is immediately cut and run. You'd think the resultsing curd and cheese made from it would be aweful, dry and plastic, but it was actually pretty good.
Late reply, but the CFO Website's Glossary (https://cheeseforum.org/articles/glossary/) also has DCU.