Need Help With Cheesemaking

[Rorschach]

thanks you two!!
ok, the milk is at 90 degrees.
I'm using my dehydrator for this, it has instructions for making " generic " cheese in the book, but it wasn't really clear.

about washing the curds, do you mean I need to use clean water and rinse them after they are finished cooking?

Hey Pam, whilst you are buying books, definitely pick up Ricki Carroll's.  She has recipes for every kind.

You want to drain the curds then put them in clean water and cook them again.  Then drain.  That is cheddaring.  It will reduce your yield but it will improve the flavor. 

[SouthEastFarmer]

been wondering... i've used good live culture yogurt as starter for making more yogurt at home, but I've never tried using commercial cheese as starter for cheese.  anyone had any luck with this?  be a nice way to get some of the more exotic culture strains.

[pamela]

EPIC FAIL!!!

Ok, here's what happened.
I inoculated the scalded, cooled down milk with yogurt and held at 90 degrees overnight and next day had a gallon of really lovely yogurt. Great! so far, so good. Next step, add Renet.  I did, followed the directions to the letter. waited, waited some more, waited yet more, waited over 8 hours, no solid mass. No clean break, just sort of liquid plastic like consistency. I was really bummed out but tried adding another renet tablet and waiting another 2 hours. No go.
frustrated at possibly losing a gallon of milk, I warmed the mass, and added lemon juice.
didn't work either.
I put it in the fridge and the cats had a lovely breakfast.

the only think I can figure out that could have gone wrong is that my Renet tablets were too old and had lost their....whatever. Reneteeness.
 
anybody had a similar experience?
I have one more gallon of milk I can use.
Will go to healthfood store tomorrow if I can, and see if they have Renet tablets.
Where else can I buy them?

[pamela]

I am not deterred.
I have a gallon of milk and come hell or high water I intend to make some cheese with it!

ok, here's the question, can I make a hard cheese with a nice flavor without Rennet?
I think my Rennet tablets were too old and that's why it didn't work.
any help will be greatly appreciated.

p.s. to add,
I found this link and wanted to see what you guys think.
It still uses Rennet but I may go ahead and try once more with these tablets.
Maybe I did something wrong last time that kept the Rennet from working properly.

http://biology.clc.uc.edu/fankhauser/Cheese/Cheese_5_gallons/CHEESE_5gal_00.htm

[rbrgs]

can I make a hard cheese with a nice flavor without Rennet?

No. 

It's too hot here to age cheese, but I once made mozzarella while camping out, using yogurt as the inoculant and rennet from the natural food store.  I would have done more, but my ex gave away the cow and split.  

[pamela]

Thanks RB.
I'll see if I can get out tomorrow to town and get some Rennet.
I doubt it though.
I may just make some more of that really tasty soft cheese I made the first time.
It was really good and my neighbor loved it.

p.s.
hate that about the cow RB.
Some people just don't have any sense at all.

[pamela]

ok, good news, I'm still at it!
was able to get to town today and go to the healthfood store and found some liquid vegetarian rennet.
so far now, I've scalded and cooled a gallon of milk and gave it some buttermilk to eat.
It's in the dehydrator set on 90 degrees F and I'll let it sit overnight and put the rennet in it tomorrow.
LOL
rennet in it.
that's funny.

[pamela]

ok, I'm about to get aggravated.
I have floating curds.
not only that, but they completely fell apart!
what is the problem?
can someone offer any advice?

[GoatLady]

Yes, advice, get a different recipe!
The only cheese I leave overnight is fresh goat cheese, chevre.
You are on the right track with the liquid rennet.
CHEDDAR
2 gal. whole goat milk (or cow......NO ultra-pasturized)
1/2 C. buttermilk
1 tsp. liquid rennet
1/2 C. cool water
Warm milk to 88 deg. Stir in buttermilk. Let sit to ripen for 1 hour, keep temp. at 88. Add 1 tsp. liq. rennet to water and stir into milk for 30 seconds. Hold temp at 88. Allow milk to set and coagulate for 45 min.

Cut into 1/4 inch cubes, let rest for 20 min. Sitr gently while increasing temp slowly to 98, over a 30 min. time period. Keep at 98 for 30 to 45 min. or until curds no longer have a custard like interior. Let the curds settle to bottom of pot.

Pour off whey and put curds into a colander and drain for about 10 min. Break curds up into a pot. Add 4 tsp. salt, ,mix well.

Let salted curds set in the pot for 1 hour, stirring every so often to keep the curds separate. Keep warm during this pricess by placing the pot into a sink of hot water. Keep the temp at about 98.

Line a cheese press with cheesecloth, scoop curds into the press and fold over the extra cheesecloth. Place a wood follower on top and press at 15 pounds pressure for 20 min.

Remove from press and turn over. Put back in press and apply 30 pounds pressure for another 20 min. Remove from press. Redress curds in clean cheesecloth and press for another 2 hours at 30 pounds. Lastly remove cheese from press, redress and press at 40 pounds for 24 hours.

After pressing, remove from the press and air-dry several days, until cheese is dry to the touch. Turn several times daily while drying. When dry, coat the cheese with wax.

Age cheese at 45 to 55 degrees with 85% humidity for 2-6 months or longer. The longer the cheese ages the stronger it becomes.

I've been using this recipe for years with excellent results. The finished cheese has the same taste and texture as store bought, sharp cheddar. I highly recommend this recipe. Good luck.

[pamela]

Oh thank you thank you GoatLady!!!
my biggest problem is I don't have a source for fresh milk and am buying milk at the store.
I will definitely try it again with your recipe.
I'll make cheese yet or die trying.

about this last batch.
not only did the curd float but it just disintegrated and there were actual bubbles of gas coming from it.
I did go ahead and strain it and tried to press it but when I took it out it just crumbled apart. Much like the texture of course corn meal.
I want to figure out where I went wrong with this so I don't do it again.
I have one gallon of milk left to experiment with and it MUST work or I may not get another chance.
LOL

[GoatLady]

I haven't run into your experience, yet. So don't know what might have gone wrong. The only cheese I have ever had trouble with is Parmesan. More than 1/2 the time it is a failure. The half that turns out is incredible. Keep trying.

[Rorschach]

Oh thank you thank you GoatLady!!!
my biggest problem is I don't have a source for fresh milk and am buying milk at the store.
I will definitely try it again with your recipe.
I'll make cheese yet or die trying.

about this last batch.
not only did the curd float but it just disintegrated and there were actual bubbles of gas coming from it.
I did go ahead and strain it and tried to press it but when I took it out it just crumbled apart. Much like the texture of course corn meal.
I want to figure out where I went wrong with this so I don't do it again.
I have one gallon of milk left to experiment with and it MUST work or I may not get another chance.
LOL

I've not had any problem with store bought milk.  Just don't buy anything beyond pasteurized.

My project this weekend=build a cheesepress.

[pamela]

oh cool!
good luck with it, you'll have to tell us about it when you get done.
I need to build something better than what I have right now. LOL

oh, and what's beyond pasturized?
I got a gallon of whole milk, just from the store.
is there something I should look for?

[SouthEastFarmer]

homogenized is the stuff that will give you trouble with cheesemaking, the fat won't group together.

[GoatLady]

Some millk is ULTRA-pasturized. Should be clearly labeled. It will not work for cheese.