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Hello.

I am planning on making a mother culture this week with the idea of attempting  Ricki Carroll's fresh french style chevre this weekend.

My question relates to maintaining a temperature of 86 degrees for 15-24 hours after adding the rennet.

I was thinking of putting a bowel/pot with the milk in a cooler filled with 86 degree water. Not sure how long the cooler can hold that temperature. I may have to add more warm water.

Any other thoughts on how to achieve this? Are there ways to make a formed chevre at room temperature?

Thank you so much.

David

That is way too hot for chevre. The French do not culture above 78F (that I have seen). 74-76F is perfectly valid.

Using the cooler method is a great way of doing it in small batches.

Honestly, it'll work at normal 68F room temp, too. Just takes a little longer, and you'll have more diacetyl/gas formation at the lower temps.

You don't need to make a mother culture for chev.  The hold time is so long on it there's not much of an advantage over powder.   I'd use mother culture if I had it but woudn't go out of my way to make it special.  The critical part is actually hitting your pHs.  I think I have posted targets for times before for chev, it's been so long since I've made it I don't recall what I used to use.

Thanks to both of you.

Since I'm just learning and I've got the supplies, I'll give the mother culture a try as well as the chevre (at room temp) and see how it goes.

I made the soft, spreadable chev last weekend. This time I want to try for something I can put in my molds.

I don't have a pH meter yet, though I imagine I'll be buying one before too long.

We'll see how it goes!

Thanks again.

David

Oh sorry, I read that too quickly. I thought you were going to incubate the chevre at 86. I didn't realize you wanted to make a mother first, and then use that to incubate. I guess you could, but I don't think it's really worth the hassle. Maybe if you were making a whole bunch of it. But even then, I wouldn't culture a chevre mother at 86 - it'll have the wrong bacterial mix ratio at the end, unless you're using straight type LD meso culture. Better temp is 76 for chevre mother.

The proper drain for chevre is 4.45 (extreme end)-4.7. 4.6 is a good general target for starting to drain. I agree with Francois on the importance. There's this narrow band, maybe .2, where you get optimal friability, drain speed, curd adhesion, and overall body. To get the right cheese rheology, you have to hit the pH targets. Depends also on your milk and manufacture method, but that's generally the rule of thumb.

Hello again.

The recipe I have for "fresh french style goat cheese" says:

1. heat milk to 86 deg.
2. add rennet
3. cover bowl and leave to set at 86 degree for 15-24 hours or until the milk has coagulated
4. cut curds and spoon into molds
5. drain for 24-36 hours, periodically turn in molds
6. salt the surface and wrap in cheese wrap, put in fridge

It is step #3 that confused me. How to maintain that temperature for that long.

I've since found another recipe that has lower temps. I will try that one.

Sorry about all the confusion.

David

I use that recipe and I heat my milk in a double boiler arrangement.  I turn off the stove when it gets to the temp I want.  Then I just cover it and let it sit in the  water for 24 hrs.   It will gradually cool off which is fine and to be expected.  Since it isn't heated that hot anyway - its the time that it sits and coagulates that is important.  It should look like a yogurt consistency when it is ready to be drained.

Bonnie

Quote from: dgcheese on November 02, 2010, 04:18:11 PM
It is step #3 that confused me. How to maintain that temperature for that long.

One option that might work is to use an Enamel Coated Cast Iron dutch oven. Like the ones Staub and Le Creuset make. Since they are enamel coated they are non reactive. And once heated to 86F (or whatever other temperature) and placed into an oven with the light turned on they will stay at that temperature for quite a long time. The only trick is finding a dutch oven big enough for your make.

These pans are my tools of choice when I make yogurt as they are able to maintain the temperature I warm them up to (115F) in the oven for a very long time.

Excellent suggestions. I will see what I can pull together this weekend. I appreciate all of the input.

David