I'm Ellen living in what I affectionately refer to as the Swamps of NE Illinois (far Northern Suburbs of Chicago). I'm an avid handspinner and weaver as well as I train my dogs for performance competitions. Obedience, agility, K9 Nosework are just some of the things we train.
A number of years ago I played around with cheesemaking, but only with acid coagulated ones. Now I'm starting again and learning more about the chemical/biological processes behind it. I have a MS in geology, but stable isotope geochemistry doesn't help much with this ;)
I know I need to learn how to brine my feta properly. And move on to other similar cheeses of course my husband likes cheddar ;)
Hi Ellen and welcome! I'd have never guessed there are swamps in Illinois (http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=swamp+ne+illinois&view=detail&id=22A427A792A6AB6DFCFD10FF2CCA8B6D7500C873&first=0&FORM=IDFRIR) . . . there are several brine for ripening cheese in threads in the Brine Ripened (Feta) Board, also there are several Wiki Brine (https://cheeseforum.org/articles/wiki/) articles including one on Brine For Ripening Cheese in.
Have fun making cheese!
PS: I work with a bunch of (soft) rock doctors.
Welcome, Ellen!
(When I made thin sections, those guys could sure eat lots of cheese, but you are right in that a geology degree doesn't necessarily help much in making cheese!)
I think it does. For example, say you're thinking about the flavor development of cheese based on the type of milk and type of fat you have. In geochemistry, you'd be all up in the rock's business, figuring out ratios of C12-C14, O ratios, etc. And this would help with all sorts of investigations. Cheesemaking is similar. You have different types of caseins, and the fraction ratios help to regulate flavor. The types of caseins also control gel strength and functional properties. And you have various lengths of fatty acids, which also control flavor.
You could even go in reverse and abstract details like when the cow was milked and when the cheese was made based on phenolic and other fractions. It's good times. Welcome :)
Ellenspn, be mindfull of Linuxboy, when he says something, he says it with authority :D
Quote from: John (CH) on September 21, 2011, 09:58:02 PM
Hi Ellen and welcome! I'd have never guessed there are swamps in Illinois (http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=swamp+ne+illinois&view=detail&id=22A427A792A6AB6DFCFD10FF2CCA8B6D7500C873&first=0&FORM=IDFRIR) . . . there are several brine for ripening cheese in threads in the Brine Ripened (Feta) Board, also there are several Wiki Brine (https://cheeseforum.org/articles/wiki/) articles including one on Brine For Ripening Cheese in.
Have fun making cheese!
PS: I work with a bunch of (soft) rock doctors.
The swamps up here are actually quaking bogs. There are true swamps down near Cairo, IL. My sig is a tongue in cheek play on the definition :)
Thanks for the links. I now see that the loss of calcium is my problem.
Quote from: darius on September 21, 2011, 10:30:58 PM
Welcome, Ellen!
(When I made thin sections, those guys could sure eat lots of cheese, but you are right in that a geology degree doesn't necessarily help much in making cheese!)
Cheese and sardines are good field food :) not that I ate sardines. I preferred dried beef in a jar.
Quote from: linuxboy on September 21, 2011, 11:07:27 PM
I think it does. For example, say you're thinking about the flavor development of cheese based on the type of milk and type of fat you have. In geochemistry, you'd be all up in the rock's business, figuring out ratios of C12-C14, O ratios, etc. And this would help with all sorts of investigations. Cheesemaking is similar. You have different types of caseins, and the fraction ratios help to regulate flavor. The types of caseins also control gel strength and functional properties. And you have various lengths of fatty acids, which also control flavor.
You could even go in reverse and abstract details like when the cow was milked and when the cheese was made based on phenolic and other fractions. It's good times. Welcome :)
The closest I ever got to organic chemistry was a single petroleum geochem class I took. So I have quite a learning curve. But I'm looking forward to tackling the challenge. That and I'll finally get that pH meter I've always wanted ;)
Quote from: Gürkan Yeniçeri on September 22, 2011, 06:45:13 AM
Ellenspn, be mindfull of Linuxboy, when he says something, he says it with authority :D
I've already seen a number of both of your posts ;) I'm also mindful that cheese has been made for thousands of years so while I want a pH meter my budget can't afford it yet and I'll have to settle for more low tech ways of determining pH.