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Still sounds like a fun cheese, and it appeals to me because I've also been getting into making fudge.

The idea with fudge is to dissolve sugar in cream and then heat it up to soft-ball stage, around 116 degrees celsius (I think - I don't have my book with me to double check those temps), at which point the sugar crystals formed will cool down to a butter-like consistency.

Heat it up much beyond that temperature and the texture of the finished product will be brittle and crunchy. Don't get to that temperature and the texture will be too thin and syruppy.

Not especially complicated - it's all in the temperature control.

With mysost I imagine the process is very similar, since the idea seems to be to boil down the whey so the concentrations of the sweet lactose and galactose sugars become higher and higher and you get to the point where you're not just boiling off water, but you're changing the sugars by boiling them at higher and higher temps until you reach the soft-ball stage.

Quote from: Shane on December 30, 2014, 09:59:56 AM
Thanks. I think I'll pass then. Sounds like Vegemite. Only us Australians are crazy enough to eat it. Speaking of Vegemite, has someone tried incorporating it into a hard cheese make (maybe as a rub)? It goes really well with cheddar. 

Shane

I'm going to dissolve marmite in my brine. Thanks for the idea Shane! 

No problems. Let me know how it turns out. I wouldn't mind trying anothe like that. How will you adjust for the saltiness of the Marmite with respect to the salt level of the brine or are you already close to saturation anyway?

Shane

Another update on this saga. Raw milk is pretty much dead in Victoria. It is now required to have a gag inducing additive added to the milk to prevent consumption. A new article raises concerns for other states. There are promising signs for cheesemakers though.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-02-02/nrn-raw-milk-cheese/6061270

Tim - Did you ever get a reply out of the responsible minister?

Shane

Pity you have to be a multi-million $$ producer to be able to follow those guidelines - Still nothing for us little Guys and Gals.  Try selling cheese you make at home say at a 'Farmers' market - get caught  OOOhhhh its Milk for crying out loud, not crack !!! How many cars kill people Every DAY ?? and we don't ban that. How many die of Smoking induced illnesses ?? - it's still legal.

http://www.health.qld.gov.au/foodsafety/documents/fs-52-rawmilk.pdf

In Queensland, all milk sold (except goats milk) must be pasteurised. Unpasteurised goats milk is permitted
subject to compliance with the dairy scheme which includes strict requirements for testing, appropriate
recall procedures, and labelling. The statement 'Caution— This milk is an unpasteurised product and may
contain organisms that could be injurious to health' is required to be included on the product.

So Goat poop it cleaner is it ??

Raw milk is known to carry several disease causing organisms including:

Campylobacter jejuni (campylobacteriosis)

Salmonella

Listeria monocytogenes (listeriosis)

Escherichia coli

so does seafood and apperntly a range of Resturants

Arrggg !

I think the problem is there is no money in raw milk for the government. Look at alcohol, cars, cigarettes, gambling. They are all huge money spinners for the government despite the human safety implications. Raw milk on the other hand they find it easier to ban rather than finding a workable solution to a perceived problem.

Shane

I find it astonishing that anyone would advocate the addition of a bittering agent to raw milk. On the other hand, if the bittering agent remains in the whey, would the taste of the cheese be affected?

I'm not sure I'd be willing to try. :-) I suspect there isn't actually much milk available with the bittering agent. They were using the bath milk product as a workaround to the ban on raw milk for consumption.

Shane

Why can't we be more like our kiwi friends.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-02-09/raw-milk-vending-machine/6080148

Shane

It was my understanding that cheese was safe to eat when being made from raw milk as long as the cheese is aged at least 60 days.

So I have a question and I'm amazed that no one has asked it.  If there are provisions to made raw milk cheeses - but it is illegal to sell Raw milk for consumption.  Am I allowed to buy raw milk to make cheese ?  If the answer is Yes then is the Farmer allowed to Sell it to me ?  Just sounds like that only 'registered' cheese maker can 'Buy' and farmers only 'Sell' to to them.  -- Doesn't help me I still have to use the same old crap !

-- Mal

No idea Mal. I've only heard of there being one legally sold raw milk cheese in the country. It is a blue, very expensive and I'm not sure it's actually available yet. Where they get the milk from I wouldn't have a clue. It would be nice if there was a registration process for home cheesemaker's to allow it. Somehow I have my doubts that our needs will be in the pollie's minds though.

Shane

Depends on where you are.  In Washington State it is legal to sell raw milk and I buy it on a regular basis but only to make cheeses that I will age for at least 60 days.  I've read that the bacteria that could be in raw milk cannot survive more than 60 days in cheese.

Al - Unfortunately here in Australia we appear to be a bit backwards when it comes to raw milk.

Shane

That's a shame.  I have a farm about 10 miles from me that sells me raw milk for $7.00 USD a gallon and, having tasted it, it's delicious!!!