CheeseForum.org ยป Forum

CHEESE TYPE BOARDS (for Cheese Lovers and Cheese Makers) => RENNET COAGULATED - Brine Ripened (Aegean Sea) => Topic started by: simbiotic on May 17, 2011, 02:28:01 PM

Title: Brine For Aging Cheese In - % Salt?
Post by: simbiotic on May 17, 2011, 02:28:01 PM
I am in need of some help please.
I need the right mixture of salt to water for my fetta brine (the one it stays in ) Mine seems to be too salty .
Thanks
Title: Re: Brine For Aging Cheese In - % Salt?
Post by: KosherBaker on May 17, 2011, 04:13:53 PM
Hi simbiotic.

I use the the University of Guelph (http://www.foodscience.uoguelph.ca/cheese/welcom.htm) recipe, which are intended for professional food production, as my guideline for Feta along with all the Feta related posts from the RENNET COAGULATED - Brine Ripened (Aegean Sea) (https://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/board,69.0.html) board. The university of Guelph Feta recipe (http://www.foodscience.uoguelph.ca/cheese/sectionf.htm) calls for an 8% salt brine once the Feta has been aged and is ready to be brined.
Title: Re: Brine For Aging Cheese In - % Salt?
Post by: Cheese Head on May 19, 2011, 02:13:27 AM
Hi simbiotic, there is no right brine % for aging brine in, it's a personal preference. There's some info in our Wiki: Making Brine (https://cheeseforum.org/articles/wiki-making-cheese-brine/) article on why higher salt % brines are preferable for cheese longevity and safety. However as you've found, using a very high % brine will result in a very salty feta. If you search the forum on word "salty" you will get several hits on this subject.

The best solution is to soak your feta a little milk before consuming to reduce the salty taste. For next batch you could go with a lower % brine like KosherBaker says, FYI I measured store bought brine density here (https://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,6207.0.html).