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Can anybody explain to me why the Provolone recipe listed on this site requires a curd cook temp of 144 f.
I have researched the effects of temperature on the cultures and understand  that a slow controlled heating to 102 f would be of benefit for the cultures but ramping the heat up to 144 f in 45 minutes in my understanding would deactivate them prematurely.
I have been unable to come up with any beneficial purpose for this higher temp.
After researching this to death I can not find another Provolone recipe calling for this high temp either.
Could somebody with more knowledge shed some light on this for me.
Thanks  Dave

Hi Dave,

Not sure why that recipe would state 144 F. I've seen only mid-1teens.  And just did a batch myself (using a mozzarella recipe I like) and heated to 100 F.

From my experience, heating it make a drier, firmer cheese that ages better. Perhaps someone else will chime in though.

Kristin

I don't know either.  But my best guess is that it's a typo and should be 104.
Susan

Is it for cooking the curds or knitting for stretching?

Hi dttorun I considered your reply

{Is it for cooking the curds or knitting for stretching?}

After digging a bit I found In an old post regarding the provolone recipe where someone recommended;

{ You can add a tsp of citric acid granules to the cold milk, to accelerate the acidity for the stretching}

This would be in line with my understanding that at that high of a temperature there would be little if any culture activity therefore little if any acidification taking place.
Until further acidification takes place you are no closer to your stretch point so I do not believe that to be the reason.

I am a person who likes to understand what I am doing and why I am doing it, it makes things easier to troubleshoot or change if I know and understand what I am doing .
This one has me puzzled if there is an effect this temperature is supposed to cause.
I just want to know what it is so I can take advantage of it or manipulate it to my liking.
Dave

Hi Dave,
I believe you are using the recipe from cheeseforum and I believe the temperature given for heating the curds is wrong (item #9). It can't be 62C/144F.  It should be 40C/104F maximum.
https://cheeseforum.org/articles/wiki-provolone-cheese-making-recipe/

The recipe I have from University of Guelph says max 39C (102F) for cooking and max internal temperature 60C (140F) for stretching.
Tan

Tan I  agree with you that it may be a typo.
Just not sure it is my place to be questioning the work of those with more experience than myself, guess anybody can have a typo.

If it is a typo who is empowered to make the correction so the next person to try the recipe doesn't have to go through what I did to come to this conclusion?

It was educational digging into this.
Dave

Sorry for the typo, fixed, anyone is free to edit our Wiki Articles, see how to here, just PM me for password.