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I am going to be trying my first true chevre cheese...I added cultured buttermilk at 74 degrees, it is ripening right now, I am waiting for the pH to drop a bit, down to 7.0...it started out at 7.5 - as soon as that pH is reached I am going to add .5 drop of rennet (two gallons of milk being used)

Then I am going to incubate it at 72 degrees for 24 hours...or until the pH reaches 4.4-4.6, THEN I will ladle the curds into a mold.

Now, here is my true question...can I use a hard cheese mold to drain the cheese?

Specifically THIS mold http://cdn.nexternal.com/hombre/images/Hard_Cheese_Mold_800g_L.jpg

Or are there too many holes? Would I get too much air drying thus a not as creamy chev? OR would it work?

Any input on the mold or my cheese process please comment away! Thanks!

I would tend to use a mold with fewer holes for chevre, precisely as you stated to preserve its creaminess.  I noticed that your starting pH was above 7, is that normal for raw milk?  Also, that is a very nice looking mold for hard cheese, where did you get it.

I decided to run an experiment! I used 3 different kinds of molds.

The hard cheese mold (which I bought here http://grains-n-beans.com/cart/cheese-making-cheese-molds-baskets-c-26_53.html greatest store EVER)

A quart sized plastic tub I poked sparse holes in with a hot nail

and

A pint sized plastic tub I poked sparse holes in with a hot nail

(I used different sizes to see if the mass of the curd effected the drain-ablity)

They are draining right now! I will post pictures of the results.

PS. I have no idea if that pH is normal, that is what my meter read...I might have it calibrated wrong??

Hurray It worked! It turned out creamy and wonderful. The only difference between the molds was that the hard cheese mold was done in 1/2 the time - the others are still draining...though they do seem to be creamier...

Looks great, congrats and bon appetit!