Post by Lea on May 5, 2006 6:21:58 GMT -5
PASTEURIZATION
using a large pan bring the milk upto the boil Stir frequently until the temperature of the milk reaches 161oF
Once the milk has reached 161oF it must be cooled to the ripening temperature required by the recipe. This is usually between 85 and 95oF. Place the pasteurized milk into a sink of warm water and stir gently until the desired temperature is reached. Add hot or cold water to the sink as need to adjust the temperature.
RIPENING
Cheese starter culture is added to the milk and allowed to acidify the milk for a period of about 45 minutes or according to the recipe. This period is referred to as ripening the milk. Add the starter culture and gently stir it in with a ladle by slowly pumping the milk up and down. Be careful not to pump a lot of air into the milk. It will take about 2 minutes of gentle stirring to mix in the starter. During the ripening stage the bacteria in the starter culture will consume the lactose (milk sugar) in the warm milk and produce lactic acid. The lactic acid will then begin the separation of curds and whey. To maintain the proper temperature during ripening you can add hot water to the sink.
RENNETING
Using Calcium Chloride is optional. Pasteurized milk has it's milk protein altered and if calcium chloride is not added to the milk a poor quality curd will develop.
Renneting Cheese rennet is added to the ripened milk in order to coagulate (solidify) the milk protein into a solid curd. Rennet is always diluted in cool water before adding to the milk. When adding rennet to the milk, stir gently in up and down motions for one minute. Do not stir vigorously.
CUTTING & COOKING THE CURD
The curd is ready to cut when it shows a clean break. Test for the clean break by inserting your thermometer into the mass at an angle then lifting it. The curd should separate and leave an open scar on the surface. If the curd takes longer than 45 minutes to show a clean break, you should add slightly more rennet the next time you make your recipe.
Once the rennet has coagulated the milk into a solid white curd it is ready to cut. The purpose of cutting the curd into equal sized pieces is to drain the whey from the curds. The whey is mostly water and milk sugar (lactose), while the curd contains coagulated milk protein and butterfat.
The curd is cut to increase the surface area of the curd and this increases the movement of whey out of the curd. Cut the curd with a long bladed steel knife which reaches easily to the bottom of the pot. Slice the curd from left to right into 1/2 inch slices as if cutting a cake. Turn the pot 90o and once again cut the curd from left to right in 1/2 inch slices.
Now take a steel ladle and sink it 1/2 inch into the pot and move across the pot at that level. Sink the ladle another 1/2 inch and repeat the process. Keep doing this until you are at the bottom of the pot. Obviously this is not an exact science so now you can use your ladle and knife and gently cut up any oversized pieces.
After cutting the curd into equal sized pieces the curd is ready for cooking. The curd and whey are warmed by placing the pot in hot water and increasing the temperature of the curd according to the recipe. The curd should be heated gradually, no more than 2oF every five minutes. To insure even heating and prevent matting together, the curd should be stirred frequently and gently. If the curd is heating too rapidly simply take the pot out of the water for a while.
DRAINING & SALTING THE CURD
After reaching the proper firmness, the curds and whey are poured into a colander lined with cheesecloth. The colander should rest in a sink or large container to permit the collection of the whey. The curds are properly firmed when they have shrunk in size, are quite shiny, and are firm to the touch and when pressed between thumb and forefinger. They no longer split open with soft curd coming from the interior.
After sufficient draining, the curds are placed in a bowl and one tablespoon of salt is added for each gallon of milk used. A coarse flake salt is better than fine table salt and should be sprinkled on the curds and then gently mixed in. Salting both enhances the cheeses flavor and aids in draining whey from the curd and in the final preservation of the cheese. For people on a salt free diet, however, the addition of salt can be can be omitted and the cheese will still have a fine flavor. At this stage you can also add dried herbs if you like such as caraway seeds or dried sage (as in sage cheddar).
PRESSING THE CHEESE
The curds are placed into the cheesecloth lined plastic mold and put under light pressure to further expel the whey. Both the mold and the cheesecloth should be thoroughly cleansed before using.
When the time comes to press your cheese you will first line the mold with a 18" square piece of sterile cheesecloth. Prepare the cloth by placing it into boiling water for 30 seconds. Remove the cloth with a tongs or spoon and rinse it with cold water. It should then be wrung out and snapped dry. The cloth lining will prevent the curd from being squeezed through the mold. The curd is then placed into the lined mold and the excess cloth is folded over top of the curd. Avoid bunching up the cloth or the cheese will have an irregular surface which allows for the formation of surface mold. As you load curd into the mold be aware that whey will begin draining so place the mold where the whey will not run out on the counter or floor.
The whey that is pressed from the cheese must have a place to collect. The whey catch is placed under the press mold for this purpose. A catch can be any vessel which is made from non reactive materials such as food grade plastic or stainless steel. A more complex whey catch can include a drain spout which removes the whey from around the cheese to a collection vessel. Please note that whey collected from your cheese press should be discarded.
The amount of pressure and time of pressing will depend on the type of cheese being made. Most recipes will start the pressing with a few pounds of pressure and then increase the weight over time. It is also important to note that the cheese must be turned over during the pressing process. This provides for an even pressing and even distribution of what moisture remains n the cheese.
The simplest of all weighting systems is water. For the needs of the home cheese maker it is fine to say that a gallon of water weighs 8 pounds. Therefore, a pint or 16 fl. oz. equals one pound. This method works fine for pressures up to 12 pounds, 1-1/2 gallons of water, providing that the vessel containing the water can be balanced in place safely.
A more workable weight system can be found at a local garage sale or flea market. A collection of weights used for body building will provide all that you need for accurate pressing. Additional weights can be added to the set as necessary. The advantage to this method is a lower overall height on the assembled press which makes the whole press more stable.
Once the press is assembled, weight should be applied gently. Dropping weights onto the press will cause the curd to pack down which can trap whey inside. Place the weights carefully and center them on the follower. Off centered weights will cause the follower to tilt and bind against the wall of the mold.
DRYING & AGING Drying
After pressing, remove the cheese and place it on a clean surface to air dry. The cheese should be turned twice each day until the surface is dry. It can take 1-3 days for a cheese to dry. Be sure to keep the cheese away from any flies that may be in the kitchen during the summer by covering the cheese loosely with a clean cheesecloth.
using a large pan bring the milk upto the boil Stir frequently until the temperature of the milk reaches 161oF
Once the milk has reached 161oF it must be cooled to the ripening temperature required by the recipe. This is usually between 85 and 95oF. Place the pasteurized milk into a sink of warm water and stir gently until the desired temperature is reached. Add hot or cold water to the sink as need to adjust the temperature.
RIPENING
Cheese starter culture is added to the milk and allowed to acidify the milk for a period of about 45 minutes or according to the recipe. This period is referred to as ripening the milk. Add the starter culture and gently stir it in with a ladle by slowly pumping the milk up and down. Be careful not to pump a lot of air into the milk. It will take about 2 minutes of gentle stirring to mix in the starter. During the ripening stage the bacteria in the starter culture will consume the lactose (milk sugar) in the warm milk and produce lactic acid. The lactic acid will then begin the separation of curds and whey. To maintain the proper temperature during ripening you can add hot water to the sink.
RENNETING
Using Calcium Chloride is optional. Pasteurized milk has it's milk protein altered and if calcium chloride is not added to the milk a poor quality curd will develop.
Renneting Cheese rennet is added to the ripened milk in order to coagulate (solidify) the milk protein into a solid curd. Rennet is always diluted in cool water before adding to the milk. When adding rennet to the milk, stir gently in up and down motions for one minute. Do not stir vigorously.
CUTTING & COOKING THE CURD
The curd is ready to cut when it shows a clean break. Test for the clean break by inserting your thermometer into the mass at an angle then lifting it. The curd should separate and leave an open scar on the surface. If the curd takes longer than 45 minutes to show a clean break, you should add slightly more rennet the next time you make your recipe.
Once the rennet has coagulated the milk into a solid white curd it is ready to cut. The purpose of cutting the curd into equal sized pieces is to drain the whey from the curds. The whey is mostly water and milk sugar (lactose), while the curd contains coagulated milk protein and butterfat.
The curd is cut to increase the surface area of the curd and this increases the movement of whey out of the curd. Cut the curd with a long bladed steel knife which reaches easily to the bottom of the pot. Slice the curd from left to right into 1/2 inch slices as if cutting a cake. Turn the pot 90o and once again cut the curd from left to right in 1/2 inch slices.
Now take a steel ladle and sink it 1/2 inch into the pot and move across the pot at that level. Sink the ladle another 1/2 inch and repeat the process. Keep doing this until you are at the bottom of the pot. Obviously this is not an exact science so now you can use your ladle and knife and gently cut up any oversized pieces.
After cutting the curd into equal sized pieces the curd is ready for cooking. The curd and whey are warmed by placing the pot in hot water and increasing the temperature of the curd according to the recipe. The curd should be heated gradually, no more than 2oF every five minutes. To insure even heating and prevent matting together, the curd should be stirred frequently and gently. If the curd is heating too rapidly simply take the pot out of the water for a while.
DRAINING & SALTING THE CURD
After reaching the proper firmness, the curds and whey are poured into a colander lined with cheesecloth. The colander should rest in a sink or large container to permit the collection of the whey. The curds are properly firmed when they have shrunk in size, are quite shiny, and are firm to the touch and when pressed between thumb and forefinger. They no longer split open with soft curd coming from the interior.
After sufficient draining, the curds are placed in a bowl and one tablespoon of salt is added for each gallon of milk used. A coarse flake salt is better than fine table salt and should be sprinkled on the curds and then gently mixed in. Salting both enhances the cheeses flavor and aids in draining whey from the curd and in the final preservation of the cheese. For people on a salt free diet, however, the addition of salt can be can be omitted and the cheese will still have a fine flavor. At this stage you can also add dried herbs if you like such as caraway seeds or dried sage (as in sage cheddar).
PRESSING THE CHEESE
The curds are placed into the cheesecloth lined plastic mold and put under light pressure to further expel the whey. Both the mold and the cheesecloth should be thoroughly cleansed before using.
When the time comes to press your cheese you will first line the mold with a 18" square piece of sterile cheesecloth. Prepare the cloth by placing it into boiling water for 30 seconds. Remove the cloth with a tongs or spoon and rinse it with cold water. It should then be wrung out and snapped dry. The cloth lining will prevent the curd from being squeezed through the mold. The curd is then placed into the lined mold and the excess cloth is folded over top of the curd. Avoid bunching up the cloth or the cheese will have an irregular surface which allows for the formation of surface mold. As you load curd into the mold be aware that whey will begin draining so place the mold where the whey will not run out on the counter or floor.
The whey that is pressed from the cheese must have a place to collect. The whey catch is placed under the press mold for this purpose. A catch can be any vessel which is made from non reactive materials such as food grade plastic or stainless steel. A more complex whey catch can include a drain spout which removes the whey from around the cheese to a collection vessel. Please note that whey collected from your cheese press should be discarded.
The amount of pressure and time of pressing will depend on the type of cheese being made. Most recipes will start the pressing with a few pounds of pressure and then increase the weight over time. It is also important to note that the cheese must be turned over during the pressing process. This provides for an even pressing and even distribution of what moisture remains n the cheese.
The simplest of all weighting systems is water. For the needs of the home cheese maker it is fine to say that a gallon of water weighs 8 pounds. Therefore, a pint or 16 fl. oz. equals one pound. This method works fine for pressures up to 12 pounds, 1-1/2 gallons of water, providing that the vessel containing the water can be balanced in place safely.
A more workable weight system can be found at a local garage sale or flea market. A collection of weights used for body building will provide all that you need for accurate pressing. Additional weights can be added to the set as necessary. The advantage to this method is a lower overall height on the assembled press which makes the whole press more stable.
Once the press is assembled, weight should be applied gently. Dropping weights onto the press will cause the curd to pack down which can trap whey inside. Place the weights carefully and center them on the follower. Off centered weights will cause the follower to tilt and bind against the wall of the mold.
DRYING & AGING Drying
After pressing, remove the cheese and place it on a clean surface to air dry. The cheese should be turned twice each day until the surface is dry. It can take 1-3 days for a cheese to dry. Be sure to keep the cheese away from any flies that may be in the kitchen during the summer by covering the cheese loosely with a clean cheesecloth.