Hello,
We get our milk from our own cow so the milk is very fresh. We home pasteurize it, too.
When I add rennet to the milk, I get a decent set/clean break on the curd. My cheese often comes out a bit rubbery in the end and I recognize that curd size, cooking , and agitation all determine moisture content in the final cheese. I try and be as consistent to the recipes in this regard to rule out variables.
I do NOT add CaCl to the milk prior to renneting. I'm wondering if doing so would have an effect on final moisture content?
My thought is that by having a firmer curd, it will help retain more moisture.
Thanks for any help.
Dave
You are right, it will make the curd release whey a little slower. But practically this does not make a dramatic influence to the moisture content.
Thank you Linuxboy. Do you think the fact I home pasteurize without using CaCl makes a difference in the final moisture content?
Not material. Your other factors (rennet amount and set time and temp and agitation) all contribute much much more.