WA Cheese Guild

Annette: Semi-Lactic/Lactic Bloomy Rind Style Howto

pav@wacheese.com (Pav) — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 16:55:57 GMT

We at the Washington Cheese Guild are passionate about cheesemaking of all kinds. And while we appreciate the incredible complexity and innovation of modern, large-scale cheese production, our heart lies with small, farmstead, artisan, and hobbyist producers. To that end, we collaborate with farmers and cheese enthusiasts to try and make cheesemaking fun, easy, and delicious. One recent collaboration has been with local blogger, sustainable foodie, and activist Annette Cottrell at Sustainable Eats. We worked with Annette to create a cheese style that could be made reliably at home, was forgiving on mistakes, and was conducive to a busy life. We came up with a lactic or semi-lactic bloomy rind cheese.

It was a challenging task because the conveniences of even a small commercial operation, such as a central floor drain, are not available to home cheesemakers. We compared some common approaches in designing the cheese to come up with easy solutions. The table below covers some common approaches:

Challenge	Commercial approach	Artisan or hobbyist approach
Natural mold control	Stainless and plastic that’s thoroughly cleaned to minimize contamination Plastic, wax, or natamycin/sorbate Basically, prevent mold, and then kill it if it occurs, or maintain it through labor-intensive work such as brushing and washing	Leave in brine (like for feta) Inoculate cheese with penicillin mold like p candidum or p roqueforti that kills other molds
Flexible make process	Standardize milk to create flexibility up front Pasteurize milk and inoculate with specific amount and culture with defined acidification curve	Use lactic coagulation or semi-lactic whose time to set varies with starter amount and temperature.
Aged taste	Use flavor distillates Use flavor adjuncts Specific mold and culture blend targeted to mature in defined timeframe	Use molds and bacteria that produce enzymes leading to flavor development
Shelf stability	Use preservatives Reformulate recipes to use stabilized mix (meso+thermo cultures) Age and store cold	Age at a cooler temperature to prolong natural cycle of maturation, and store cold.

In the end, we came up with a cheese called Annette, which is a bloomy-rind, lactic or semi-lactic cheese done in the style of many of the French goat’s milk cheeses. We made some deliberate make choices such as pH targets for draining that make this cheese different, to allow for greater flexibility.
This recipe makes approximately 2, 8-ounce wheels that are 4" in diameter and 1.25-1.5" high. It features the following deliberate make choices:

DVI culture for repeatable results
Ash coating to help with rind moisture control and prevent slip-skin
Direct molding with no predraining for ease of cleanup and smoother more delicate paste
Direct inoculation of mold culture into milk
Mold combination is Geo candidum and P Candidum for a more traditional taste and additional mushroomy notes. This is not traditionally French because lactic styles often use just Geo, or will use a P. Candidum along with Kluyveromyces yeasts, or Micrococci like S. xylosus or even strains of B linens. Those are all valid options to produce a different type of cheese or to add nuances and layers to Annette.
Whole milk that is approximately 3.4-3.6% fat. The proper PF ratio is about .8-.9. This is within the range of a traditional camembert style, which has a PF ratio of .85 or lower. Note that a higher PF ratio will result in a more gooey cheese.

Ingredients, Equipment, and Supplies

Quantity	Description
1 gallon	Whole milk
1/8 tsp	Flora Danica DVI. Commercial rate is 1 DCU per 50 lbs of milk.
1 drop (.05 ml)	Single strength liquid rennet, or 1 drop double strength rennet. Calf or kid rennet preferred.
1/32 tsp	P. candidum DVI, such as VS. Commercial rate is 1 unit per 450 lbs milk.
1/160 tsp	Geo candidum DVI, the mild form of Geo, like Geo 13/15. This is a miniscule pinch, 1/5 the amount of p. candidum. Use very sparingly, it is just for additional flavor nuances. If using liquid Geo, it’s less than a drop per gallon of milk.
1/160 tsp (optional)	Kl71. If you want to bring out some earthy notes, add Kluyveromyces. Same rate as Geo or less.
1/160 tsp (optional)	B linens with milky oligopeptide sensory characteristics, or something like Chr Hansen’s BC
2 tsp	Salt, noniodized
1-2 TBsp	Ash.

Pot big enough to contain milk: ~5-6 quarts

Thermometer, 0-212 F.

Ladle

Aging chamber (plastic container)

Small spoons to measure out culture, or gram scale that goes to thousands place.

Plastic drain mesh, base for the mesh that lets liquid through, and catch basin, like a baking pan, for the liquid.

White mold paper or crumpled aluminum foil pieces (10x10”) with pin holes poked in them

Process

Step	Step Time	Time from Step 1	pH Target
Gather all your ingredients and equipment in one place.	N/A	0:00	N/A
Sanitize (clean and disinfect) all the tools by filling the pot with a few inches of water, and putting everything that fits in it, closing the lid and letting it steam for 30 seconds. You can also dip everything in a solution of 1 gal water with 1 tablespoon of chlorine in it. If using chlorine, rinse with water after. Or sanitize using whichever method you commonly use (iodine, no-rinse acid sanitizer, etc)	0:05	0:05	N/A
Pour the milk in the pot and heat on the stove to 85 F. Turn off stove. The high temp is to favor acid development and avoid too much diacetyl. For more diacetyl (buttery flavor), use 75F.	0:30	0:35	6.5-6.6
Add the FD mesophilic culture, as well as the P. candidum and the Geo candidum to the milk. Stir.	0:01	0:36	>6.5-6.6
If using single strength rennet, add one drop to the milk. Stir the milk up and down 10-15 strokes to mix in the rennet and DVI cultures. If using double strength rennet, you can either add in as is (more rennet-induced coagulation, or mix a tablespoon of water with the drop of rennet and add in 1.5 tsp of the solution into the milk. You can use more rennet, but the curd will be slightly different based on the rennet amount. Use more rennet if you prefer a thicker, less lactic curd.	0:05	0:41	6.5-6.6
Wait 6-12 hours, which is when the milk should coagulate. When it has coagulated, take a ladle and ladle the curd into the molds. The curd pieces should be about 2-3” long by 1” high. Meaning don’t scoop curd chunks that are huge. Thinner, longer curds work better because you want them to drain. The size of the curds influences the final moisture content. If there’s too much moisture, the cheese may be very gooey and liquefy. 1 gallon of curds should fill 2 molds. After you scoop everything in, the whey will start to drain. Do not wait longer than 14 hours to scoop curds from the time you added culture, or the cheese will not be as creamy.	9:00	9:41	4.7-4.8
Let the whey drain for 30-60 minutes and flip the molds to invert them. You'll see a nice pattern on the bottom from the draining mesh.	1:00	10:41	4.6-4.7
Let the whey drain again for 60 minutes and flip again.	1:00	11:41	4.6-4.6
Flip 4-6 more times over the next 10 hours for a total of 6-8 flips over 12 hours. Check the cheese to see if it has drained. It should be somewhat firm, like chevre (which is basically what you just made).	10:00	24:00	4.45-4.6
After it has drained, take the wheels out of the molds. They’re still fragile at this point, so be careful. Salt with 1 tsp of salt per wheel, evenly on all sides. Some more moisture will come through from the cheese because of the salt. Leave on a mat for several hours where there’s circulation all around the wheels at about 65F, room temperature.	2:00	26:00	N/A
It is important that the cheese surface dry up as quickly as possible because the white molds are active at this point and if the surface is moist when the spores grow, there is a great chance of slip skin. So let the salt work in for a few hours, and then come back. The surface should be mostly dry. If it is not, use a fan and dry it off. If you do not get the acidity right (pH ~4.8) when ladling curds and wait too long, the cheese will not drain quickly and will weep whey. Start ladling shortly after coagulation to ensure a strong curd.	2:00	28:00	N/A
In addition to fan drying, the other precaution this recipe uses against slip skin is ash. This is optional, but helps to avoid issues when making this cheese at home. If you want, coat the cheeses evenly on all sides with ash. It’s messy; use an old salt shaker or similar device to shake it on. Apply ash after the surface has dried.	N/A	N/A	N/A
After making sure that the surface is dry, put the cheeses in the curing chamber on a mat so there’s circulation all around and put into a 50F fridge or your basement or other cool spot. If the surface is still not dry to the touch, take a small fan and let it blow on the top of the cheese, invert cheese, and on the bottom. If a thin rind that’s a different color has formed, you've dried too much. If it starts cracking, you've dried too much. It doesn't take long to dry out the surface.	N/A	N/A	N/A
Keep in the fridge for 10-14 days, flipping daily. Once there's a bloom of mold all around the cheese and it seems like the rind is stable (takes 7-14 days), wrap in mold paper or roughly crumpled aluminum foil that has many pinholes in it, and place in the fridge at the warmest part where the temperature is 40F-45F. You can also continue to age at 50F, but the cheese will mature faster that way and you need to eat it sooner.	N/A	N/A	N/A
Wait for 4-8 weeks, unwrap, and enjoy. The cheese will start to become gooey from the outside in and the mold enzymes do their work. You can eat as young as two weeks, where you'll get a little gooey cheese around the rind, but it's best when fully ripe.	N/A	N/A	~6.5

Notes

Slip skin. Most likely, surface not dry enough, or humidity too high in curing chamber too early. Humidity should be about 90% to start, and then increase after day 4-5 to ensure a thick bloom of P Candidum. Check on it once a day to air it out, or take out to let it breathe.
Brining. Instead of salting the cheese after it drains you may brine it. Brining has the advantage of creating a slight salt gradient that makes Geo less prolific. It will also produce slightly more evenly distributed salt amounts, and a smoother pH gradient throughout the body of the cheese. To brine, make up a 20-22% brine solution (see http://www.wacheese.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=65), adding a tablespoon of vinegar and a tablespoon of CaCl2 solution per gallon of brine. Then brine the cheese for 15-20 minutes per side. Salting should produce a similar outcome, but if you cannot get a handle on slip skin, using brine is one more tool.
Pre-draining curd if difficulty in reaching curd moisture targets. If you make the cheese in the molds and the cheese winds up too delicate and too moist, you have a few options for remedying the situation. One, you could leave in the molds longer to drain, so you wind up with a drier cheese. And two, you can pre-drain the curd and then pack it into molds to give it shape, or shape by hand. To pre-drain the curd, hang it in a muslin cloth, like you would for draining chevre or labneh, and let it drain until it reaches the right consistency, which is the consistency of chevre. Then pack into molds and let age.

Gouda: Washed Curd Howto

pav@wacheese.com (Pav) — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 16:02:46 GMT

Gouda cheese and its variants, such as Edam are made in the Netherlands. It has the characteristic of being a cheese whose curd is washed with hot water. This is fairly unique for hard cheeses, and the result is a milder, sweeter cheese because washing the curd takes away lactose sugar from the whey and replaces it with water. It's also a wonderful cheese to make because it tasted good fresh and the flavor improves with age. Gouda is rather tricky because it has some nuances in culture selection and during the make. Here are our notes and details for it. It's useful to keep these considerations in mind when making the cheese.

The body is semi-firm to firm.
The final fat in dry matter corresponds to a protein-to-fat ratio of about 1.05-1.1. This means for home cheesemaking 2% milk does not have enough fat and raw or whole milk has too much fat. The appropriate fat content if you cannot figure out protein-to-fat ratio is about 2.5%-2.8% fat. This means using skimmed milk or combining 2% and whole milk to achieve a traditional gouda style.
The cheese has small openings in the body, but they are formed by lactic bacteria that produce CO2 and not propionic bacteria. The typical choice is Lactococcus lactis diacetylactis (along with regular L. lactis). Some makers also like to use Leuconostoc. A classic Flora Danica by itself, such as the one that Chr Hansen makes is not the best choice for the cheese. A better choice is a continental cheese culture. The make here uses Danisco culture because that is familiar to most people, and combines some Flora Danica with a classic MM series acidifier.

Ingredients, Equipment, and Supplies

Quantity	Description
3 gallons	Milk, PF of 1.1. This is about 2.5-3% fat.
1/8 tsp	MM100 or similar
1/8 tsp	Flora Danica or similar
3/4 tsp	Single strength calf rennet. Or use whatever equivalent rennet schedule applies for your concentration. Dissolved in 1/4 cup ice cold distilled water
as preferred	Annatto for cheese color. Usually for 3 gallons this is about 1/16 tsp.
20-24%	1 gallon of brine. Use our table to make it. You can also use saturated if it's already made. But if making a fresh batch use brine a little below saturation.

Pot or vat big enough to contain milk and another pot to heat water.

Thermometer, 0-212 F. pH meter if you have it

Colander with muslin or cheesecloth, spoon for stirring

Cup or bowl that floats, such as yogurt cup.

Wax or vacuum sealer, or cheese paint for aging.

Measuring equipment, cups, spoons

Process

Step	Step Time	Time from Step 1	pH Target
Gather all your ingredients and equipment in one place.	N/A	0:00	N/A
Sanitize all the tools by filling the pot with a few inches of water, and putting everything that fits in it, closing the lid and letting it steam for 30 seconds. You can also dip everything in a solution of 1 gal water with 1 tablespoon of chlorine in it. If using chlorine, rinse with water after. Or use your normal sanitizing schedule (starsan, paracetic acid, phosphoric acid, etc).	0:05	0:05	N/A
Pour the milk in the pot and heat on the stove to 86F. Add the annatto (if using), and culture. Let the culture sit for a few minutes so it becomes hydrated and then stir everything for 15-30 seconds. Use up and down strokes or stir in such a way as to get all the milk from bottom to top mixed in. Let the milk ripen for 30-45 minutes. The pH should drop slightly, by .05-.1 to about 6.55.	0:45	0:50	6.55
Dissolve the rennet in 1/4 cup cold water and stir it in. Add to milk and stir with 10-15 up-down strokes to evenly distribute the rennet. Note the time. Stop agitating, put the cup/bowl to float on top and let it sit. After 10 minutes check the cup by nudging it. When you nudge it and it doesn't move, that's the surface gel point. Note the time it has taken to reach the surface gel point from the time you added rennet and multiply by 3 to get the total time to wait from adding rennet to cutting curd. It usually takes about 10-15 minutes to surface gel and 30-45 minutes total before cutting the curd.	0:40	1:30	6.5
Cut the curd into 3/8" pieces and let it sit for 5 minutes for the curd to firm up and heal. It is very delicate and prone to breaking, waiting helps it to firm up.	0:05	1:35	6.5
After healing the curd, start to stir it gently without heating to create collisions among the curd pieces, which encourages the curds to release whey. stir gently for 20 minutes or until pH is 6.4. pH is the driver, but if you don't have a meter, stirring for 20 minutes is about right. While you are stirring take a little less than a gallon of water and heat it to 130-135F.	0:20	1:55	6.4-6.45
Start washing the curd in three stages. Take a quart (4 cups) of the whey and scoop it out of the pot. Now add a quart of hot water. Stir the curds so that the temperature is distributed. Then stir occasionally for 4-6 minutes. Next take 1.5 quarts (6 cups) and do the same thing: scoop out the whey and replace with hot water. Stir this for 5-8 minutes. And then scoop out another 6 cups and add the rest of the hot water. Stir to equalize the temperature. The temperature should be somewhere around 100-102F. If it is not, heat the pot until it is.	0:25	2:20	6.4
You should notice the acidity start to increase. The pH target for matting the curds and draining whey is 6.2-6.3. After you wash the curds, you need to stir them until you hit the right moisture-in-curd target. there's no great way to measure this at home, so a good rule of thumb is to stir for another 15-20 minutes. After that the curds should be about right. The curds should mat together, but not be too soft and still retain their individual shapes. When you reach this point, drain off almost all of the whey, leaving just a little bit on top of the curds. Let the curds settle for 5-10 minutes under whey.	0:30	2:50	6.25
Next you need to press the curds under whey. This is to eliminate or reduce mechanical openings in the cheese and create an even body. You can do this by pressing your hands into the curds on the bottom, or you can take a piece of cutting board and cut it to the shape of your pot and press it in. Or you can pack the curds into a mold, reserve the whey, and put the mold into the whey and press in the whey.	0:10	3:00	6.2
Pack curds into a mold and press under 4-6 PSI. If you don't have a fancy press, use whatever you can find and what's available. The weight at this point is to eliminate mechanical openings. If you press under whey, they curd has already knit. So this is important, but mostly for presentation. This cheese does stick a little, so if you have this issue, flip repeatedly during the first hour, or spray your cloth/liner with a calcium chloride/vinegar/water solution. Press until the whey pH of the whey running off is about 5.6. If you have no way to measure this, it takes about 4-6 hours at an ambient room temp of 70-72 degrees. Try to keep the room warm, it's important for the bacteria to develop acidity.	~6:00	9:00	5.6
Make up a gallon of brine per the table and brine the cheese for 10-11 hours. This is over 3 hours per lb of cheese. If making a fresh brine, use whey or add a tablespoon of calcium chloride solution and a few tablespoons of vinegar to get the calcium and acid levels to the same levels in the cheese. If you don't, the cheese will leach calcium and get slimy on the outside.	~10:00	19:00	5.5-5.6
Take the wheel out and let it dry off. It needs to be kept at a humidity of 70-80% and a moderate room temp of 55-65. Let it dry for 2-3 days or until it is dry to the touch. After that, you can wax it, vacuum pack it, or paint with a cheese sealant.	N/A	N/A	N/A
Age for at least 4 weeks, preferably closer to 8-12 before eating. The flavor improves with age. You don't need to maintain humidity if it is waxed or vacuum packed. But you do need to try and maintain temperature. If you have no dedicated space, put it in the warmest spot in your fridge, like the vegetable crisper on the bottom, or wherever the warmest spot is. Ideally, age at 50-52F.	N/A	N/A	N/A

Fresh Cheddar Curd: Extended Shelf Life

pav@wacheese.com (Pav) — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 01:28:42 GMT

The past decade has brought about significant research to improving the flavor and texture of fresh cheese products. Most notably, researchers have focused on selecting strains as adjuncts, using nontraditional culture in cheeses, or isolating specific strains that have exopolysaccharide for increased mouthfeel and body. One interesting piece of research has been done by a team in Canada from the Food Research and Development Centre and from the Institut des nutraceutiques et des aliments fonctionnels at Université Laval. In their findings, St-Gelais et al discovered that a cheddar cheese curd with improved shelf life and better flavor could be obtained by using a strain of Lactococcus diacetylactis along with a traditionally thermophilic culture of Streptococcus thermophilus. There's more to the findings, but the gist of it is that S thermophilus at normal cold storage temps of ~35F does not continue to acidify, and heterofermentive bacteria such as L diacetylactis tend to slow down dramatically in terms of their acidifying activity at lower temps, which is not usually true for Lactococcus lactis (the common primary acidifier in cheddar along with L cremoris). L diacetylactis produces diacetyl, which gives buttery notes to curd, and also consumes citrate, which reduces acidic mouthfeel. In the end, the curds produced are better suited to being eaten fresh and lasting a longer time on the shelf than traditional milled cheddar.

The above may seem a little complicated, but it comes down to knowing the nature of bacteria and how they work in curd, and tailoring custom makes to fit your needs. For example, some people prefer a temperate climate, and some love the dry heat of summer. Bacteria are similarly diverse and their activity rates and well-being changes with factors such as temperature.

This make howto builds upon existing research and provides practical guidance for how to make an extended life cheddar cheese curd that has richer flavor than traditional cheddar starter cultures. If you are a home cheesemaker, it is somewhat challenging to obtain the exact individual strands to make this work because it's challenging to isolate a single strain out of a culture without a lab. For you, an acceptable commercial product is Danisco's MD 88 or 89, which has only L ssp diacetylactis. It's easier to obtain single strains of S. thermophilus. Pick a strain with moderate to high acidifying capabilities, or be prepared for a long make because L ssp diacetylactis is usually a slow acidifier.

This process is similar to making regular milled curd cheddar, except that you stop after salting, and the timing is slightly adjusted to account for culture selection. You can fine tune this make to your liking by adjusting times and pH targets. a lower pH at whey drain will lead to a softer cheese, for example. No preripening will lead to more calcium content, which makes for a harder cheese. The below steps create a general, all-purpose curd great for fresh eating. It can be seasoned, marinaded, etc. It also makes a passable substitution for mozzarella curd in a tossed salad. If you do that, cut the curd bigger and target a final higher moisture content, so it is 50%+, like fresh mozzarella.

Ingredients, Equipment, and Supplies

Quantity	Description
2 gallons	Milk, whole, best quality you can find. A poor milk will result in bland curds. Use fresh, raw milk if possible, from a Jersey, Ayeshire, Guernsey for cow or Nubian/Lamancha/Nigerian for goat. The butterfat needs to be close to 4% with high proteins.
1/8 tsp	Streptococcus thermophilus, a mild to fast acidifying strain, preferably with exopolysaccharide properties. Or use 1% bulk equivalent if using bulk starter or pellets.
1/8 tsp	Lactococcus lactis ssp diacetylactis culture, freeze dried. Or use 1% bulk equivalent. Total inoculation is 2% bulk equivalent, split evenly. This is an average balance between the two cultures. You can adjust the ratio. Read the study for possible ideas.
1/2 tsp	Single strength calf rennet. Use ~9 ml 200 IMCU rennet per 100 lbs milk. Or use whatever equivalent rennet schedule applies for your concentration.
2.2% by curd weight	Flake salt, not too coarse. Final salt target is 1.8%. Adjust if necessary to achieve proper salt target. About 2% final is a general safe number. Remember you lose some salt in the whey after salting the curd.

Pot or vat big enough to contain milk

Thermometer, 0-212 F. pH meter if you have it

Colander with muslin or cheesecloth, spoon for stirring

Some sort of way to cheddar the slabs, such as a heated vat, or just pot in a sink of warm water.

Cup or bowl that floats, such as yogurt cup.

Measuring equipment, cups, spoons

Process

Step	Step Time	Time from Step 1	pH Target
Gather all your ingredients and equipment in one place.	N/A	0:00	N/A
Sanitize all the tools by filling the pot with a few inches of water, and putting everything that fits in it, closing the lid and letting it steam for 30 seconds. You can also dip everything in a solution of 1 gal water with 1 tablespoon of chlorine in it. If using chlorine, rinse with water after. Or use your normal sanitizing schedule (starsan, paracetic acid, phosphoric acid, etc).	0:05	0:05	N/A
Pour the milk in the pot and heat on the stove to 86F. It is very important to not overheat. We're targetting the lower end of where L diacetylactis is active to encourage it to make more diacetyl to give better flavor. We're staggering the culture additions to encourage this as well.	1:00	1:05	6.6
After reaching the proper temp, add only the L diacetylactis culture. Do not add the S thermophilus. Mix it in, cover the pot, and let it sit until the pH drops to 6.4-6.45. This may take a few hours. If you don't have a pH meter, this usually takes 2-3 hours.	2:00	3:05	6.4
At the end of pre-ripening, increase the temperature of the milk to 92F and add the S thermophilus and let it sit for another 30 minutes. It needs to wake up. You can omit waiting if using bulk culture. If using frozen pellets, you only need 5-10 minutes. After waiting, dissolve the rennet in 1/2 cup cold water and stir it in. Add to milk and stir with 10-15 up-down strokes to evenly distribute the rennet. Note the time. Stop agitating, put the cup to float on top and let it sit. After 8 minutes check the cup by nudging it. When you nudge it and it doesn't move, that's the surface gel point. Note the time it has taken to reach the surface gel point from the time you added rennet and multiply by 2.5-3 to get the total time to wait from adding rennet to cutting curd. It usually takes about 10-12 minutes to surface gel and 30 minutes total before cutting the curd.	0:30	3:35	6.4
Cut the curd into 3/8" pieces and let it sit for 10 minutes for the curd to firm up and heal. It is very delicate and prone to breaking, waiting helps it to firm up.	0:10	3:45	6.35
The temperature of the milk will be lower by this point if you are making a small batch. This is one recipe where the temperature is not as crucial as pH. But make sure the make room is warm, at least 70 degrees, of there will be temperature gradients, which makes for an uneven curd set. After healing, start stirring the curd gently to encourage it to release whey. Also start slowly heating the curd. Heat it 1 degree F every 5 minutes for 15 minutes while stirring the curd gently. This will firm up the curd. Then increase the temp and over the next 20 minutes bring the temp up to 100-102F. You should notice the acidity start to increase. The pH target is about 6.0-6.1 for this make for when to drain the curd. If you miss the target and there's not enough acidity, but your curd is at the right moisture level, turn off the heat and leave it alone until you reach the right pH. Telling the moisture level is difficult to explain. It's the way the curds feel. They should mat together, but not be too soft and retain their individual shapes. Drain the whey when you hit the pH target.	0:45	4:30	6.0
Drain the whey from the curds in a colander and smush them together with your hand so they mat. You're trying to create a uniform piece. It's not easy to cheddar with a 2 gallon batch, but cut three slabs that are 1-2" high from the curd. Usually the width is 3-5" and the length is something that fits in the pot. stack the slabs on top of each other.	0:15	4:45	5.9
Every 15-30 minutes flip the slabs and rotate them. Or if they have fused cut new slabs from the curd mass. The point is to encourage the whey to run off. Keep the pot in warm water at around 100F. Keep flipping for several hours until the pH if 5.4. You you don't have a pH meter, judge it by the texture and flavor which you would want to eat the curds. These are meant to be consumed quickly, so stop cheddaring when they taste good. They should be creamy, buttery, a little bland because there's no salt yet, squeaky, and yet supple.	~3:00	7:45	5.4
When ready by the pH or taste test, mill the curds with a mill, knife, or french fry cutter, whatever is easiest. Take the salt and salt all the curd in three applications. Salt once, flip the curd to incorporate the salt, wait a few minutes, then salt again, and salt a third time. Keep mixing the curd. Taste it to see if there's enough salt. Add more if necessary. You can also add other spices here.	0:15	8:00	5.2-5.3
You're done. Pack in a container and put it in the fridge. It should last at least a week without a change in quality. To get the squeak again, heat the curds to about 90F.	N/A	N/A	N/A

Congratulations to ACS Winners!

pav@wacheese.com (Pav) — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 19:23:20 GMT

Washington State held its own and our cheesemakers took some top awards. Congratulations to Beecher's Handmade Cheese, Black Sheep Creamery, Estrella Family Creamery, Jacobs Creamery, Mt. Townsend Creamery, Mystery Bay Farm, Samish Bay Cheese, Silver Springs Creamery, and Willapa Hills Cheese.

ACS or Bust

pav@wacheese.com (Pav) — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 23:31:55 GMT

We're so fortunate to have the annual American Cheese Society conference, judging, and festival of cheese right here in Seattle. Registration starts today, and there have been some tours to some of our amazing cheesemakers, such as Gothberg Farms, Estrella Family Creamery, Willapa Hills Farmstead Cheese, Black Sheep Creamery, and Mt. Townsend Creamery just to name a few. We're going all three days to learn, talk, taste, and live cheese -- and promote our local cheesemakers of course. If you're going; we'll see you there.

If the Macbeth Witches Were Cheesemakers

pav@wacheese.com (Pav) — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 04:43:52 GMT

Here's what they'd chant:

Round about the cheese vat go:
Raw milk fresh and white as snow.
Powdered creatures in death’s moan
Ransomed through the frozen zone
Young calf stomach sleeping got,
Mix thou first i’ the charmed pot.

Double, double, toil and trouble,
fire burn and rennet bubble

Calcium chloride, just a flake,
In the cauldron boil and bake;
Pinch of pepsin from a hog,
Save the whey for a hungry dog,
Lipase for an extra zing
Gather up the curds and wring
'till in twain and twixt they cling
For a charm of powerful trouble,
Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.

Double, double, toil and trouble,
fire burn and rennet bubble

Pack the curds into a loaf,
Shape and mold that tasty oaf
Waiting slyly for the dark
T' slather it with salt and marc
Bitter herb of ghostly brew
Stinging nettle, sprig of rue,
Slivered in the moon's eclipse,
Pepper dust and blackened tips,
(Finger o' whiskey for the lips)
Tongue of truth and gift of gab
Make the gruel thick and slab.
Add thereto an enzyme's chaudron,
For the ingredients of our cauldron.

Let the coolbot work its good,
Then the charm is fit for food.

Fresh Mascarpone Howto

pav@wacheese.com (Pav) — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 06:54:29 GMT

Mascarpone (pronounced mah-skar-po-nay, IPA [maskarˈpone]) is a fresh cheese made from cream that has its origins in Italy. If you can afford the caloric intake (it is a triple-cream cheese), it is an amazing taste sensation that works well in parfaits, as a dip for fruit, or to add a depth and body to main dishes like risotto. If you want some ideas on how to cook with it, send us a note and we'll send some of our favorite recipes. It is creamy, buttery, milky, slightly dense, and yet delicate. The acid balance of mascarpone means it retains its sweet cream character while still having more savory note than regular cream or whipped cream. In short, it's a versatile, worthwhile cheese that requires minimal effort.

Mascarpone works best when it has the right balance of acidity and texture, which is achieved by using the best (meaning low heat pasteurized), least-handled cream possible at a butterfat content of 19-25%, and an acid-induced coagulation with a long set time. Like other fresh cheeses, the key is attention to details. Here are some details to consider adapted from commercial practices to help you make the best mascarpone possible:

If you can get it, use tartaric acid. After that, citric works nearly as well. Lemon juice, vinegar, and other similar acids tend to impart harsher tastes. Our recipe here uses tartaric acid. If you can't get the right acid, consider making a cultured mascarpone (howto coming soon).
The best balance of acidity, texture, flavor, and moisture comes when the final pH is 5.80-6.0 You can go to the lower end of the range for higher butterfat cream. Significantly above, and the cream does not coagulate well. Significantly below and the flavor becomes less subtle and more like cream cheese.
Commercially, the cream is standardized to 28% total solids and 19% butterfat. If you're trying to produce artisan mascarpone or introduce an improved version over commercially standardized mascarpone, try to hit those targets. You will usually hit it with Jersey or heritage breeds. Holstein and crosses usually do not have high enough proteins in the skimmed cream.
Commercial mascarpone is homogenized. You can achieve a delicate curd by handling the curd gently.
Dissolve the granular acid in a little water to ensure it's evenly distributed.
When using good cream, you can achieve a cheese that retains moisture better, which means a softer mascarpone.

Overall, mascarpone is made by heating the milk, adding enough acid to help it coagulate, and then draining off the whey.

Quantity	Description
1 quart	Light cream. If all you can get is heavy cream, mix half volume of heavy cream and half volume of half-and-half to try and hit final butterfat of about 20%. Light cream fat % varies, so try a few brands until you find one you like.
1/4 tsp	Tartaric acid. You can find this at most wine supply stores
1-3 TBSP	Water, to dissolve the acid.

Double boiler, or glass container and microwave. Big enough to contain cream.

Thermometer, 0-212 F. pH meter if you have it

Muslin cloth.

Process

Step	Step time	Time from Step 1	pH Target
Gather all your ingredients and equipment in one place.	N/A	0:00	N/A
Sanitize all the tools by filling the pot with a few inches of water, and putting everything that fits in it, closing the lid and letting it steam for 30 seconds. You can also dip everything in a solution of 1 gal water with 1 tablespoon of chlorine in it. If using chlorine, rinse with water after.	0:05	0:05	N/A
Pour the cream in the double boiler and heat on the stove to 185 F. Turn off stove.	0:20	0:25	6.5-6.6
Dissolve the 1/4 tsp tartaric acid in a few tablespoons of water and add to the milk. Stir the milk to ensure the acid is incorporated. Some of the cream will likely form small curd flakes right away. This is normal.	0:02	0:27	5.9-6.0
Let the cream sit for 15-30 minutes to coagulate. It should turn thick, like a custard and should coat the back of a spoon.	0:30	0:57	5.9-6.0
From here, the goal is to drain out the whey by doubling up muslin and pouring the coagulated cream into it, then hanging it to drain. You can also cool down the coagulated cream. If you do this, it gives you some more time before you need to drain the curd. To hang it to drain, take three corners and tie it with the fourth in a stilton knot or take all four corners and tie it with a piece of string or rubber band.	0:05	1:02	5.9-6.0
Let the whey drain for 6-12 hours. Remove from cloth. Enjoy. It does tend to spoil quickly if not repasteurized. Best eaten fresh.	6:00	7:02	5.9-6.0

Progress and Upcoming Articles

pav@wacheese.com (Pav) — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 14:34:05 GMT

It's been a busy start to the week, but we managed to finish the first draft of the WA Cheese Trail brochure and send it off for review. Plans this week are to finish that and also try to finish a cheddar cheese howto and an article on starter culture options and how to manage them in house without having a complicated lab. Lots of work!

No July Classes, but Looking Ahead

pav@wacheese.com (Pav) — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 20:12:09 GMT

Our kitchen agreement has been finalized and signed. Yeah! But, we didn't do it in time to hold July classes. Also, before we start having classes in there, we need to walk through and make sure we understand all the rules and requirements. So all that means we will not have classes in July as planned, but should be able to have one in August, and then get on a regular class schedule. Our preliminary schedule is:

August 22: Beginner cheesemaking class where we cover the basics and send everyone home with some quick fresh cheeses.
September 12: Christmas gift cheesemaking class. We will make Manchego and quince paste for everyone to take home and age. By the time Christmas comes, the cheese will be done and ready for slicing and giving out as homemade gifts. A slice of cheese and a jar of quince paste makes for an excellent gift. This is an intermediate class. All materials provided.
September 26: Mold and bloomy rind cheeses. We will make a basic blue cheese and a traditional camembert for everyone to take home and age. This class is more advanced and we will cover affinage theory and options.

Subject to change right now until we schedule and verify with the landlord. So much is in the works, but it takes time to finish.

Understanding Coagulants

pav@wacheese.com (Pav) — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 15:19:41 GMT

It's important to understand the role of rennet and other coagulants in cheesemaking because they affects cheese from the start of coagulation all the way through maturation during affinage. There's been a huge amount of work in detailing structures of naturally occurring enzymes in rennet, as well as substitutes from GMO fermented sources, microbial sources, and plant sources. Much of that work is more useful to dairy researchers than to cheesemakers. However, the research by scientists such as Dalgleish, Payens, Fox, McSweeney, Giangiacomo, and many others has led to many insights practical for cheesemakers. I try to cover the key aspects of how rennet works, what it is, and how to choose rennet in this article.

Enzymes are complex proteins that catalyze reactions by lowering the activation energy necessary for the reaction to occur. For cheesemaking that means they selectively work on specific amino acids sites that make up proteins in milk. This is important because cheese is composed mostly of fat, protein, and water. The specific sites of cheese casein proteins that enzymes target differ among the enzymes. And this leads to differences in the curd, and later on in the cheese. These are several commonly used sources of enzymes and several enzymes used for cheesemaking, as follows:

From plants. Some parts of the world, such as Portugal, use vegetable-source enzymes for making cheese. The common ones there are cyprosin and cardosin from the cardoon (Cynara), or enzymes from stinging nettle (Urtica) plants. Other vegetable enzymes include papain from papayas, bromelin from pineapples, ficin from the fig tree, and what was called "cheese renning" from lady bedstraw (Galium rerum) plants. These enzymes tend to cause bitterness when used for aged cheeses and should only be used for fresh cheeses.
From ruminant animals. The traditional source of coagulant is obtained from the abomasum of ruminant animals before they are weaned. It has rennin (aka chymosin) and pepsin as the primary enzymes. This is the gold standard of coagulants because it coagulates without excessive proteolysis, meaning the yield is good with few fines, and more importantly during aging the controlled proteolysis does not result in bitterness.
Aspartic proteinase from Mucor miehei or Cryphonectria parastitica. This enzyme is a concentrated byproduct from the normal metabolic functions of M. miehei. It coagulates milk, but cleaves a slightly different part of the k-casein, and also targets different sites in caseins, which tends to cause bitterness, even when used at the right concentrations.
Chymosin produced by fermentation. This enzyme is produced by bacteria, fungus, or yeast that's been genetically modified to synthesize a chemically identical form of rennin.

Coagulant Function and Action

To understand how enzymes work in milk, it's important to understand enzymes and milk and how they fit together. Let's start with milk. Milk consists of various caseins, namely alpha-s1, alpha-s2, beta, kappa, and gamma caseins. These caseins are organized together and form big structures where the insides are mostly alpha and beta caseins, and the outsides are kappa caseins. It's not exactly like having a kappa-casein shell around the other caseins, but that's a helpful analogy. These structures are often called micelles, although strictly speaking, the latest research suggests that they exhibit behavior that is not exactly like other micelles in chemistry. The caseins are held together by colloidal calcium phosphate, and individually are in suspension because a section of the kappa-casein has a charge that enables it to remain hydrophobic in the water.

Enzymes work by having a selective preference to increase the rate of reaction on specific sites in a protein. Proteins are made up of individual amino acids joined together in long chains called peptides. When an enzyme acts on a protein, it helps to cause the breaking of some amino acid bonds, changing the structure of the protein.

Enzymes coagulate milk by destabilizing the casein proteins, which causes them to join together and form a stable gel. That mostly means that when you add an enzyme to milk, it will make curds from milk. The actual mechanism for coagulation is somewhat complicated, but takes place in two phases:

Enzymatic. During this phase, the enzyme works on the k-casein to cleave a portion of it off. After this portion is removed, the casein structures are destabilized and will want to achieve stability by bonding to other structures via calcium interactions. When approximately 75-80% of the casein structures have been cleaved, the milk has destabilized to the point where a soft gel has formed. This point is often called the flocculation or set point.
Aggregation. During this phase, the casein structures join together and form a curd, with the strength of the curd and its ability to retain water increasing with time.

Coagulant Selection

After coagulation takes place, some residual enzyme is trapped in the milk. This is very important because this enzyme does not stop working. Although it works very quickly on k-casein, that is not the only site on caseins susceptible to enzymatic action. Depending on the enzyme, each has selective preference for where it cleaves the as1, as2, and beta caseins. It is this proteolytic action that differentiates the various enzymes. In general, the enzymes have the following effect during affinage:

Animal rennet (chymosin +pepsin). This is the safest enzyme. It has slow proteolytic properties and will break up proteins in a favorable way, acting on alpha proteins to release smaller peptides, that are then free to form complex aromatic and other compounds responsible for cheese flavor.
Vegetable rennet. The various enzymes in plants are invariably not specific enough to be useful for aged cheeses. They will coagulate milk, but are too proteolytic to be useful because they will cause peptides to be released that are bitter even in small concentration.
Microbial rennet (M. Miehei, C. parastitica). This enzyme is useful for fresh cheeses or cheese that will be inactivated by heat. It selectively cleaves (through hydrolysis) a portion of k-casein, and has a tendency to hydrolyze beta-casein to liberate a hydrophobic peptide, which is bitter.
Fermented produced chymosin (FPC). This is a functional coagulant that tries to replicate the action of traditional animal-sourced enzymes but cheaper. It is the most commonly used coagulant today.
FPC+pepsin. As a way to further try to imitate natural rennet, it is possible to buy FPC chymosin with a small amount of bovine pepsin (10-20%). This coagulant produces a nearly identical outcome in terms of cheese flavor when compared to animal rennet, at a cheaper price.

Enzymes affect not only affinage in hard cheese, but also proteolysis of proteins left in whey. This is important especially for large producers because whey becomes a sellable commodity. Microbial coagulant, such as one derived from M. Miehei breaks down whey proteins very quickly, causing damage as soon as 3-4 hours after addition. Whereas, other enzymes, such as animal rennet and FPC have negligible impact on whey proteins.

One other consideration for coagulants is the amount of secondary enzymes that they contain. Microbial-based coagulants tend to have trace amounts of amylase, which is an enzyme that breaks down starch. For cheese this is not usually an issue, but it is for any milk product that contains starch as a thickener, such as cheese sauce or a flavored fermented dairy product.

Clabber Blue Cheese Howto

pav@wacheese.com (Pav) — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 01:02:14 GMT

Clabber is raw milk that has been left to coagulate naturally, using the lactic-acid-producing bacteria found naturally in the environment. Milk is sterile when in the udder, but as soon as it exits, there are many natural bacteria in the end of the teat, in the air, and on equipment. Even regular sanitary practices do not eliminate all bacteria, and so clabber can form.

Making clabber-based cheeses without rennet is challenging because there's not much guidance out there. It's a heritage tradition, much of which has been lost over time. One person trying to resurrect the clabber cheese tradition is Rona Sullivan at http://www.sullivanspond.com/. She makes a variety of cheeses common to the aged lactic curd family, such as pressed aged cheese, seasoned/herbes, and blue. I call clabber cheeses lactic curd cheeses because that's what they are technically. Rona makes a further distinction in saying that clabber cheeses tend to be softer and more delicately bodied than traditional lactic curd cheeses. While this is true, to me it is just one way possible of working with lactic curd.

Lactic curd cheeses, like the ones based on clabber, share the characteristic in common of being made from milk coagulated with only lactic bacteria. There are two dynamics that make this coagulation possible. One, the lactic acid buildup decreases the pH of the milk, and as milk approaches its isoelectric point of 4.6, the proteins precipitate and form a gel. Two, some bacteria strains, especially mesophilic ones such as Leuconostoc and Lactococcus tend to form long chains, which gives a thick body to the gel.

From there, the task of cheesemaking from the coagulated milk is to concentrate the solids and draw the whey out from the curds. This can be accomplished as follows in several different ways.

Hang entire curd in muslin cloth to drain.
Cut the curds and stir, settle, and drain
Cut the curds, heat, and stir, drain
Heat milk before it coagulates to 175F+ to make a heat-acid precipitated cheese, like ricotta or myzithra
Ladle curds into muslin or bags to drain
Use industrial techniques, such as concentration of curd by centrifuge

All these various options for making curds result in different cheeses. The temperature at which clabber sets also influences the curd. We will write up details on making and managing clabber in August. In the meantime, you can try on your own by letting milk set in a warm place until it coagulates, or create an aromatic lactic curd by using a mesophilic DVI starter such as Flora Danica.

This howto covers one variant of clabber cheese, which is a lactic curd blue cheese. It is similar in concept to Roth Kase's buttermilk blue, with variations to allow for home cheesemaking.

Ingredients, Equipment, and Supplies

Quantity	Description
2 gallons	Whole milk, or clabbered milk.
1/8 tsp	P. roqueforti culture. Use the right amount per manufacturer guidelines. Might be less than 1/8 tsp.
1/8 tsp	Aromatic mesophilic starter with Leuconostoc, such as FD or Aroma B. Again use manufacturer guidelines. Should be somewhere around 5-6 DCU per 100 lbs milk (1-1.5% bulk equivalent). Omit if using clabbered milk.
4 tsp	Salt. Use around 2 tsp salt per gallon of milk of flake salt. Taste the curd after salting and use more if necessary, but not more than 1 TBSP per gallon.
1 cup	Pasteurized milk, warmed to 95F
1/2	tsp yeast extract

Pot or vat big enough to contain milk

Thermometer, 0-212 F. pH meter if you have it

Colander, spoon for stirring

Muslin cloth or curd drain bags

4-5" mold, bottomless preferred, like along camembert mold

Measuring equipment, cups, spoons

Ladle to scoop curds

Process

Step	Step Time	Time from Step 1	pH Target
Gather all your ingredients and equipment in one place.	N/A	0:00	N/A
Sanitize (clean and disinfect) all the tools by filling the pot with a few inches of water, and putting everything that fits in it, closing the lid and letting it steam for 30 seconds. You can also dip everything in a solution of 1 gal water with 1 tablespoon of chlorine in it. If using chlorine, rinse with water after. Or use your normal sanitizing schedule (starsan, paracetic acid, phosphoric acid, etc).	0:05	0:05	N/A
Either make clabbered milk by letting raw milk coagulate over 1-2 days naturally in a warm place, or prepare a lactic curd by taking 1/8 tsp DVI starter and putting it into pasteurized or raw milk that's been heated to 75F, and wait for 12-24 hours until it coagulates. For the best lactic curd for blue cheese (softest/smoothest paste), catch it just as it begins to set. If you wait too long, the curd will be firmer, but more flinty, and the blue will be more crumbly. The curd should set in 12 hours with DVI, and about 24 with natural starter. If you have a stable clabber that coagulates in 8-14 hours, add the blue mold mixed into milk now, as detailed in the next step.If the milk is taking a long time to set, it's best to add the blue mold later, not more than 6-8 hours before the milk has coagulated.	12-24	12-24	6.6
While the milk is setting, about two hours before it is done (check pH if you can) take one cup of milk, add the P. roqueforti and yeast extract to it and stir it all in. A canning jar works well. Set it aside and let it sit. This is to activate the mold spores and give them a little extra food in the form of yeast extract. Substitute a 2" cube of blue cheese with a vein in it if you don't have roqueforti culture, and mush it in the milk with a fork until everything is dissolved and you get a slurry.	N/A	N/A	N/A
After you have the lactic curd, cut it with a knife or whisk into about 1" pieces. Add the milk/blue mold slurry. It is ideal to add the blue mold to the milk before it sets, but if you add the mold in the beginning to a slow clabber, it doesn't work as well. It's best to add the blue mold either 6-8 hours before the milk coagulates, or to the pot after it coagulates. The best option for slow clabber is to wait, and then if you have a slow culture add the blue mold slurry 6-8 hours before you know the milk will set. Blue mold likes a more acidic environment and eats the lactic acid, that's why it's best to add when there will be significant acidity soon. Clabber curd is a very different curd than rennet set, but it will be thick and will cut, even if the curds don't seem strong. Start heating after cutting to bring the temperature up. The whey will begin to separate more. Keep heating it until you reach about 95F. Stir gently for 30-45 minutes to help the curds expel whey.	1:00	25:00	4.7
Once the curds have firmed up, take the piece of muslin or a curd bag, put it over the colander, and pour the curds into the bag/cloth. Hang the curds to drain.	N/A	N/A	N/A
Let the curds drain until very little to no whey is coming out, this usually takes 1-3 hours. The curd should be moist, like a good chevre, yet have individual curds. This part is crucial to get proper veining. Without rennet, the curds tend to be softer, and have a tendency to smush down in a mold, which closes off openings in the cheese.	2	27:00	4.5-4.6
Take the curds in the bag and mill them with your hands, breaking them up into 1/2"-1" pieces. Salt the curds at a rate of 2 tsp per gallon milk. Salt evenly. It helps to add half of the salt, mix the salt in by tossing the curds, and salt/mix again.	N/A	N/A	N/A
Pack the curds loosely into molds. Do not press. The curds are delicate.	N/A	N/A	N/A
Turn the mold over every every half hour 2-4 times, then every hour for 2-4 times. By this time, the top and bottom of the cheese will have formed, and you can leave the cheese in the mold.	N/A	N/A	N/A
Leave the cheese in the mold to drain for 2-3 days, flipping 1-2 times every day. Leave the cheese at room temperature.	N/A	N/A	N/A
At the end of 2-4 days, take the cheese out of the mold. It should show some signs of blue mold already. Take a cake spatula or knife and smooth the sides, top, and bottom of the cheese to eliminate openings. It's also possible to reserve some of the original curd (few tablespoons) by not packing all of it into the mold, and use it to fill in pockets and openings. Reserve some curd the first time you make this cheese just in case. with some experience, it shouldn't be necessary after you figure out the way acidity works with clabbered curd, but the first few times the surface will likely have indentations and gaps that need to be filled.	N/A	N/A	N/A
After smoothing, move the cheese into your aging room or chamber. Age for 7-10 days at 55F and 90-92% humidity.	N/A	N/A	N/A
After 7-10 days, pierce holes into the cheese. A stainless disinfected skewer works well for home use. Re-pierce after 3-4 weeks and again after 4-6 weeks to encourage the blue mold to grow.	N/A	N/A	N/A
Age minimum 60 days.	N/A	N/A	N/A

Stilton Approximation Howto

pav@wacheese.com (Pav) — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 22:21:46 GMT

Stilton to me is a magical cheese. It's delectable on its own, as a snack with fruit, as a lunch with a piece of bread, crumbled into salads, or in an entree, such as sprinkled on top of fresh sauteed parsnips. It's not an especially difficult cheese to make, but to make it well requires paying attention to all the little details and using the best milk possible. It is not an instantly gratifying cheese. It takes about five days from start until you can move it to the cave, and at least another 60 days for the flavor and texture to develop. But the effort is well worth it.

Here are our general notes about Stilton:

It can't properly be called Stilton unless it actually meets the DOC requirements, such as the milk has to come from Derbyshire, Leicestershire or Nottinghamshire counties.
The cheese curds need to be dry enough when molding to form mechanical openings. This is usually accomplished by letting the cheese rest without whey overnight, then milling, salting, and packing the curds.
The milk is ripened to let the pH decrease to about 6.4. Bulk (not DVI) starter is often used, leading to a faster pH drop immediately.
The best rennet is single strength calf rennet, added at a rate of about 8 ml per 100 lbs milk.
The cheese is not pressed, but instead is left to acidify for four days before moving it to the aging cave.
Stilton is not cooked to higher temperatures but maintained at 86 F.
The affinage conditions are 54-55F at 90-95% RH.
A natural brown rind forms as the blue mold dies off.
The cheese is smoothed after demoulding to give is a uniform appearance and prevent contamination to the inside

Please note that Stilton is a reserved name and this howto does not make a true Stilton, but a close approximation based on the manufacturing process of Stilton.

Ingredients, Equipment, and Supplies

Quantity	Description
4 gallons	Milk, whole, PF -0.85-0.9 (usually 4.5% butterfat)
1/4 tsp	P. roqueforti culture, mild lipolysis strain. Use the right amount per manufacturer guidelines. Might be less than 1/4 tsp.
1 tsp	Single strength calf rennet. Use ~8 ml rennet per 100 lbs milk.
1/2 tsp	Aromatic mesophilic starter with Leuconostoc, such as FD or Aroma B. Again use manufacturer guidelines. Should be somewhere around 6 DCU per 100 lbs milk (1% bulk equivalent).
1-2 cups	Cream. If your milk is not high in fat, add a little cream to increase the fat content to hit the PF target.
8-9 tsp	Salt. Use around 2 tsp salt per gallon of milk of flake salt. Salt content is 3%-4% commercially. It does vary among makers and batches.
1 cup	Distilled ice cold water, for diluting rennet.

Pot or vat big enough to contain milk

Thermometer, 0-212 F. pH meter if you have it

Colander, spoon for stirring

Muslin cloth or curd drain bags (optional). 4 gallons makes a LOT of curd

Cup or bowl that floats, such as yogurt cup.

Measuring equipment, cups, spoons

Cake spatula/knife

Ladle to scoop curds, and 6-8" mold, bottomless is easiest.

Process

Step	Step Time	Time from Step 1	pH Target
Gather all your ingredients and equipment in one place.	N/A	0:00	N/A
Sanitize (clean and disinfect) all the tools by filling the pot with a few inches of water, and putting everything that fits in it, closing the lid and letting it steam for 30 seconds. You can also dip everything in a solution of 1 gal water with 1 tablespoon of chlorine in it. If using chlorine, rinse with water after. Or use your normal sanitizing schedule (starsan, paracetic acid, phosphoric acid, etc).	0:05	0:05	N/A
Pour the milk in the pot and heat on the stove to 86F. It is very important to not overheat. The mesophilic culture include bacteria that produce diacetyl and CO2, and that bacteria favors lower temperatures and cannot compete well at the normal 88-90F of mesophilic bacteria such as Lactococcus.	1:00	1:05	6.6
After reaching the proper temp, add the DVI culture and P. roqueforti mold culture. Ripen until pH is 6.45, which is about 60-90 minutes. Adjust this time when using bulk culture, because it takes less time.	1	2:05	6.45
Dissolve 1 tsp rennet in the 1 cup ice cold water. Add to milk and stir with 10-15 up-down strokes to evenly distribute the rennet. Stop agitating, put the cup to float on top and let it sit. Aft er 8 minutes check the cup by nudging it. When you nudge it and it doesn't move, that's the surface gel point. Note the time it has taken to reach the surface gel point and multiply by 4 to get the total time to wait from adding rennet to cutting curd. It usually takes about 15 minutes to surface gel and 1 hour before cutting.	1	3:05	6.45
Either cut the curd into 1" pieces or ladle it into muslin bags. Ladling produces a softer cheese, but is more of a pain to deal with. Cutting the curd helps the curds to release whey.	0:15	3:20	6.3
Commercially, the curd is cut, then let heal for 5-10 minutes, then stirred to help the curds release whey. If you are using this method, it is important to keep a careful eye on the curds, especially if you don't have a pH meter. If the pH is high, above 6.4, the curds will have a tendency to mat. So you need to stir them to prevent matting. There will be a tipping point when you do not need to stir often, which usually takes about 30 minutes. Settle the curds under whey until whey pH is about 6.0, and drain the whey. This stirring and settling process usually takes about an hour.	1	4:20	6.0
Drain the whey from the curds, leave in the pot, cover them to prevent contamination, and leave for 6-8 hours (overnight). During this time, the acidity will increase, and pH will decrease to 4.6.-4.8. You may need to press the curds lightly and figure out a way to drain the whey. The curds should be fairly solid, acidic, and not too dry or too wet after 6-8 hours. If you mold the curds and have too many crevices on the surface, that's too dry of a curd. It's a delicate balance to achieve a soft paste, yet have opening to achieve the blue veining. The process in this howto should work for most people, but adjust for your equipment if necessary.	6	10:20	4.6-4.8
Mill the curds into smaller pieces (1/2"-1"). Salt the curds at a rate of 2 tsp per gallon milk. Salt evenly. It helps to add half of the salt, mix the salt in by tossing the curds, and salt/mix again.	0:10	10:30	4.6
Pack the curds into molds. Do not press.	N/A	N/A	N/A
Turn the molds over every 15 minutes four times, then every half hour four times, then every hour for 2-4 times. By this time, the top and bottom of the cheese will have formed, and you can leave them in the mold.	N/A	N/A	N/A
Leave the cheese in the mold to drain for 4 days, flipping 1-2 times every day. This is at room temperature.	N/A	N/A	N/A
At the end of four days, take the cheese out of the mold. It should show some signs of blue mold already. Take a cake spatula or knife and smooth the sides, top, and bottom of the cheese to eliminate openings. It's also possible to reserve some of the original curd (few tablespoons) by not packing all of it into the mold, and use it to fill in pockets and openings.	N/A	N/A	N/A
After smoothing, move the cheese into your aging room or chamber. Age for 7-10 days at 55F and 90-92% humidity.	N/A	N/A	N/A
After 7-10 days, pierce holes into the cheese. A stainless disinfected skewer works well for home use. Re-pierce after 3-4 weeks and again after 4-6 weeks to encourage the blue mold to grow.	N/A	N/A	N/A
Age minimum 60 days.	N/A	N/A	N/A

Achieving Custom Crafted Outcomes with Blue Cheese

pav@wacheese.com (Pav) — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 18:15:56 GMT

One of the oldest cheeses made (Pliny wrote about it in the first century) is a type containing Penicillium roqueforti fungus that creates a distinctive blue veining, piquant flavor, and strong aroma. Blue cheese is made from many types of milk and has multiple variations in flavor, texture, and appearance. The texture and mouthfeel vary from crumbly and slightly acidic, to smooth, spreadable, and creamy. It is commonly molded into a cylinder shape ranging from 6 to 12 inches in diameter and 6-20 inches in height. The rind may be a natural, blue rind that dies off and turns a brown color, as in the case of Stilton, or without a blue rind, as in the case of Gorgonzola, or even wrapped, as in the case of Valdeon.

The decisions you make in crafting a custom blue cheese work together to contribute to the final sensory and texture profiles. And these are many decisions possible, starting with the milk composition, all the way to the room temperature at which it's served and consumed. Thankfully, there are predictable outcomes you can achieve by making decisions at key points, such as milk acidity at adding rennet and draining whey, and manner of salting. I'll cover major decision points, and their resulting outcomes, as well as minor tweaks you can make to achieve a specific flavor profile. Most of the time, the minor tweaks are variations in the major points, such as salting to a specific salt level to balance out fat content, creaminess and blue taste. This article covers the individual tradeoffs for making blue cheese to give you a solid understanding in the decisions possible.

General Process Flowchart

It is helpful to start right away with how blue cheese is made. Even with all the variations, some aspects are constant for traditional soft blue cheese. If you're after specialty creations, like a gouda cheese with blue mold, then there are, of course, differences. In general, blue cheese is made by heating milk to the temperature conducive to mesophilic bacteria growth, adding the bacteria starter, introducing the blue fungus either to milk or to curds, draining off whey from the curds, and putting them in a cylinder shape. Figure 1 shows a more comprehensive diagram of this process. Please do NOT use the flowchart to make a cheese, it is just for illustration. See the individual howtos for information on making specific blue cheese styles.

Figure 1. Flowchart of blue cheese manufacture

The figure doesn't cover all the various variations out there (this is an overview article after all), and omits some steps for finishing, such as adding yeast culture and yeast maturation, as well as rind washing for gorgonzola. I'll try to cover those specifics in individual make notes for each style. When you look at the figure, don't be intimidated because one of the wonderful aspects of blue cheeses is that if you screw everything else up, but the milk is inoculated with mold spores, and the curds are acidified enough to a pH below 4.8, you should still get an acceptable cheese, assuming maturation and affinage are done right. That approach of saving mistakes shouldn't be practiced commercially, of course, but don't be discouraged if something doesn't go exactly as planned. Take notes, and try to do better next time :)

Now let's go over what the figure does cover. All the labels in the gray boxes, such as Milk Preparation and Coagulation cover categories for the major decision points that influence how your cheese will turn out. And the individual boxes cover common tasks that must be completed while making cheese. The categories represent possibilities for major variations, and the tasks represent possibilities for more minor variations and fine-tuning.

Milk Preparation

Blue cheese texture is determined in good part by the milk quality and composition. This is the first major decision point. The major components in milk you can change are the whey proteins (by adding concentrate), the fat content (by adding or removing cream), and the protein content (by adding dry milk). Changing the fat and protein percentages are fairly common practices commercially to standardize the milk and make consistent cheese. In the artisan world, it is more common to change only fat, either by skimming fat from milk, or adding cream back in. The changing of protein and fat also changes one important indicator that affects the final cheese fat content, and curd moisture, the protein to fat ratio or PF.

Increasing the fat content in milk past its normal range of 3.2-3.8% increases the tendency of the curds to retain whey. That is, milk with more fat makes for a softer curd, which is very slow to release whey. Softer curd that retains more moisture tends to make for a cheese with higher moisture, especially if the curd is not drained well before it is packed into molds. A higher moisture cheese has the potential to age faster, which is not always advantageous. It also tends to be softer and more spreadable. So overall, to make a more spreadable or softer blue cheese, one option is to increase the fat content of the milk by adding cream.

There are other options possible to alter milk before adding rennet. One other one is milk pre-ripening, during which some culture is added to pasteurized milk to introduce additional sources of flavor compounds. This is a fairly common practice for soft mold cheeses, such as brie, blues, and camembert. It is used mostly commercially because of the added cost and expense of pasteurizing twice.

One trick used to help create openings in the cheese to create veining is to use a mesophilic culture that is heterofermentive and produces CO2, such as Leuconostoc mesenteroides.

Coagulation

The acidity level of the milk when you adding rennet and the time from adding rennet to the time you cut the curd are two important decision factors in making blue cheese. The acidity level is important because it coincides with the amount of starter added earlier, and the time spent in ripening the milk to activate the starter. Normal milk has a pH of about 6.6. Most blue cheeses are renneted at a pH of 6.4-6.5. If the pH is too high, the rennet is not as effective and the milk takes longer to set. If it is much lower, then the bacteria are active, or too much starter has been used, or the milk is off, or too much time has gone to ripen the milk. A slightly acidified milk also retains moisture better because the acid degrades calcium, making the casein proteins more likely to retain water.

After adding rennet, the next aspect to consider is the strength of the curd when cutting it. This is crucial to obtain the proper final moisture content of the cheese. A strong curd that sets for a long time after adding rennet retains moisture better than a weak curd that has not set for long. It may seem counterintuitive, but the longer a curd sets, the stronger the coagulum gel becomes, and it is less likely to release moisture from within that coagulum.

A good way to determine when to cut, especially without years of experience, is to use a multiplier method in combination with timing the point when the surface gels. Rennet coagulates milk in two phases. The first phase is when the rennin cleaves about 75% of the k-casein protein, which enables the other caseins to bond together. And the second phase is when those proteins actually initially bond and form a weak gel. The transition point happens very quickly, and that's when a surface gel forms. If you measure the amount of time it takes from when you add rennet to when a surface gel forms, it is possible to use a multiplier to determine when to cut the curd. The time it takes for the surface to gel varies with the milk, which itself varies with the lactation period, time of year, feed, etc. By using a method to time the initial surface gel and a multiplier, you can be fairly sure that the coagulum strength is the same regardless of the milk.

To use a multiplier method with the surface gel point, measure the amount of time it takes from when you add rennet to when the surface gels, and then multiply that time by a multiplier. Blues use a 4x multiplier. A useful method to determine the surface gel point is to float a sanitized bowl that floats on top of the milk and nudge it. When you nudge it and it doesn't move, the surface has gelled. This usually takes 10-15 minutes. To determine the point of cutting the curd, multiply the time to surface gel by the multiplier. For example, if it takes 10 minutes for the surface to gel, with a 4x multiplier, you will wait 40 minutes total from the time you added rennet to the time you cut the curd.

Curd Cutting

After the curd is ready to cut, either by observing the strength visually through experience or by using a surface gel method with multiplier, it may be cut. This is relatively straightforward, with the decision point being how big to cut the curd. Bigger curds retain more moisture. A curd cut to 1" will result in a more moist cheese than curd cut to 1/2". However, this also depends on the protein solids in the milk and the length of time you take to stir the curds. For example, late lactation milk has more solids, and usually may be cut to larger curd size and cooked for less time. Mid-lactation milk, on the other hand has lower solids, and you may need to cut the curd to smaller size and cook longer.

For blue cheese, a 1" curd size is about average. Many blue cheese styles heal the curd for 5-15 minutes, which means letting it sit in the vat to firm up after cutting and before stirring. Healing increases curd strength and tends to increase yield. Commercial vats often use shorter or no heal times because it takes so long to cut the curd that it heals while being cut.

Curd Cooking

Cooking manner, temperature, and duration vary greatly among the blue cheeses. For example, Stilton curds are stirred and left to settle under whey, whereas gorgonzola curds are cut and put on a conveyor belt, where they drain. Generally, the manner of draining should fit with the rest of the choices to fit a specific target moisture content. For example, to get a more moist cheese, you can cut the curds larger and cook shorter or for a dryer cheese, cut them smaller and cook longer. Generally, blue cheesecurd is not heated, or barely heated, and stirred to get to the final moisture target.

Whey Draining

Whey draining is relatively straightforward with blues. There are variations, like for commercial gorgonzola manufacture (moved on conveyor), but overall, the whey is drained completely and the curd left to acidify, or left under the whey to acidify. The important part is that the curds need to be strong enough to not seep out much whey by the time they are packed.

The acidity in the curd at time of whey draining is also very important. A higher acidity (lower pH) when draining whey means the curd has lower calcium levels and has greater water retaining capacity. Both are important to the final texture. Higher calcium levels make for a more solid cheese that is not as soft when cut. This applies to all cheeses. Cheeses with higher calcium levels than blues include most hard cheeses. Blue cheeses vary in their approaches. For stilton and roquefort, the pH is lower, approaching 6.0, or lower. For gorgonzola, it is high, 6.3-6.4. Gorgonzola differs because it uses a thermophilic starter such as L acidophilus that acidifies to lower pH than mesophilic starter.

Curd Knitting

Curd knitting is crucial for blue cheese because this is how the veining is formed. Curds need to be dry enough when they come together to allow for mechanical openings to form. This is usually accomplished by waiting for them to firm up, and sometimes helping by salting the curds lightly with .8% salt. The salt also helps the Penecillium mold to grow.

Molding

Molding for blue cheeses is as simple as putting the curds into molds with a scoop. The size of molds differ, with a general cylindrical shape being the norm. Stilton has a higher height than width, others tend to be more even. French and Italian blues tend to be wider than they are tall.

Pressing

In general, blue cheeses are not pressed with a weight or pneumatic press. They are left to form under their own weight, flipping them repeatedly for even draining.

Salting

Blues have a salt content between 1.5 and 5%. Higher fat cheeses, such as Stilton, tend to have higher salt content. In general, a 2-3% salt target is suitable. The home equivalency is about 2 teaspoons per pound of cheese, or a little less.

It is worthwhile to note that the manner of salting has a lot to do with the final rind approach. One approach to salting is to not salt the curds, but heavily salt the rind, to a point above 10% where P roqueforti mold does not grow. A heavy exterior salting establishes a gradient where the salt slowly works its way into the cheese, and the rind remains moldless. It's useful for creating a clean rind without mold, which can then be covered in foil, such as for gorgonzola.

So in general there are three ways to introduce salt: brining, dry salting the rind, or salting the curd and then packing it. Brining in general is not used for blue cheese. Salting the curd is used for Stilton, and the rest are generally dry salted after forming. The salting schedule of the rind differs among the variants. Some producers salt heavily at first to produce a rindless blue, and some salt over 2-4 days to allow the salt to penetrate and create a basic rind.

Affinage

The maturation process for blues is absolutely crucial to producing a proper cheese. In general, blues are left to acidify for several days in their molds before moving them to the cave. Stiltons are smoothed to create a uniform surface. Gorgonzola undergoes two days of yeast ripening before being moved to the aging room. Other blues are left in the mold at ambient temperature to allow the blue mold to take hold, and are then moved to the aging room. I cover individual affinage approaches for each style in the individual howtos.

The three key aspects for affinage are temperature, humidity, and air exchange. The best conditions are like the ones in natural caves, such as the ones used to make Roquefort. In those caves, the temperature remains 55F, the humidity is generally 90-95%, and the air volume is exchanged about 5x per hour. Imitating as much of these factors as possible is crucial.

One good way to accomplish blue cheese affinage at home is to use a modified refrigerator and a plastic container as an affinage chamber. This creates a micro atmosphere where you can regulate temperature via a thermostat and regulate humidity and air exchange by taking out the container as necessary 6-10 times per week to allow air exchange and maintain humidity below saturation.

We Have a Kitchen!

pav@wacheese.com (Pav) — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 23:32:11 GMT

It's been in the works for a long time, but today we reached a verbal agreement with Creative Kitchen Works in Renton to rent a fully equipped kitchen Sunday nights, with advance reservation. It's a fantastic, new facility with a lot of elbow room for everyone, sinks, prep tables, and an industrial dishwasher for cleaning up. This means we can finally have a dedicated space to hold regularly scheduled classes and offer more advanced workshops. Perhaps best of all, we are now able to have dedicated make stations for everyone. That means you can make cheese alongside our instructors and take it home at the end of the class. Guild members, this means we can have cheesemaking parties and buy bulk raw milk! If we can sign the final agreement early next week, we should be able to have the first class July 25th. More updates to come soon...

Making Tvorog (Творог) with Buttermilk

pav@wacheese.com (Pav) — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 22:44:00 GMT

Back in the day before refrigeration and modern industrial practices, people who raised dairy animals had to preserve the milk and make it last as long as possible. When cheesemaking came about, regions developed their own specialties, often driven by geography and knowledge that was passed on. In the Slavic countries, hard cheeses were not usually made from the milk, like they were in the Alps. And the soft cheeses were not as sophisticated as they were in France. Most of the cheese made during the middle ages was made without rennet, by letting the milk coagulate naturally from the development of acid that lactic bacteria produced. This lactic curd was then heated, drained, and eaten fresh or used as an ingredient in cooking.

Homemade tvorog differed drastically among home producers due to the differences in bacterial strains, milk, and production methods. Some was harder and could even be pressed and aged, some was closer to chevre, and some resembled a thick sour cream. Eventually with the advent of industrial processes, it was standardized to be a cultured milk product with the lactic curd cut and water drawn away via centrifuge, so that it fit a specific composition profile.

Nowadays, it is easy to make tvorog at home. It is one of the simplest cheeses to make. It is made like a chevre, except after the milk has acidified and coagulated, the milk is heated to about 110F to help separate the whey from the curds, and then the cheese is drained. Modern practices use some rennet to make tvorog, but it may be made without.

Ingredients, Equipment, and Supplies

Quantity	Description
1 gallon	Milk
1 quart	Buttermilk. If you make your own buttermilk, make it with a culture that has both Leuconostoc and ssp diacetylactis (such as FD). This is crucial to achieve a buttery taste.

Pot big enough to contain milk: ~5-6 quarts

Thermometer, 0-212 F. pH meter if you have it

Colander, spoon for stirring

Piece of muslin cloth (available at crafts/fabric stores)

Towel or warm spot, or some way to keep container with milk warm.

Process

Step	Step Time	Time from Step 1	pH Target
Gather all your ingredients and equipment in one place.	N/A	0:00	N/A
Sanitize (clean and disinfect) all the tools by filling the pot with a few inches of water, and putting everything that fits in it, closing the lid and letting it steam for 30 seconds. You can also dip everything in a solution of 1 gal water with 1 tablespoon of chlorine in it. If using chlorine, rinse with water after.	0:05	0:05	N/A
Pour the milk in the pot and heat on the stove to 100F. Add buttermilk and stir. Check the temperature. If the buttermilk is cold when you add it, the temperature will drop. Heat it back up to 95-100F.	0:40	0:45	6.6 before buttermilk, 6.0 after
Take the pot of cultured milk and put in a warm spot or wrap with a towel. The idea is that it should be at least 75F at all times and no more than 100F. The oven on low is too warm. Making it during the summer helps because ambient room temperatures are usually enough.	N/A	N/A	N/A
Wait for 6-12 hours until the milk coagulates. Depending on the bacteria strains in your buttermilk, it may be thick, to the point of curd, or thin and runny. Either type of coagulated milk works, but the final tvorog consistency and taste will differ. If you want to make consistently good tvorog, use a freeze-dried commercial culture, or find a brand of buttermilk that you like. It is also possible to use cultured sour cream as a starter instead of buttermilk.	7:15	8:00	4.7
After the milk has set, put the pot back on the stove and start heating it slowly. Stir occasionally while heating to help equalize the temperature and to prevent scorching. Heat the milk until 110F. It will start to separate at around 95 to 100F into curds and whey. For a softer tvorog, heat to lower temperature, such as 95F, and/or for less time. Heating and stirring the curds helps them to release whey and dries them out.	0:30	8:30	4.5-4.6
Once the curds have firmed up, which takes 10-20 minutes after you reach 110F, take the colander, put it in the sink, and drape the muslin over it. Pour the curds and whey into the colander so that the muslin cloth catches it. Form the muslin cloth into a bag by taking three corners and tying them together with the fourth corner. Alternatively, tie each of the two corners together	0:15	8:45	4.5-4.6
Hang the bag of curds to drain, or squeeze them together and leave in the colander, then place a plate over them and put a weight on top of the plate, such as a gallon of water.	0:05	8:50	4.4-4.5
Let the curds drain for 2-4 hours, or until they reach the desired level of dryness.	~2:00	11:00	4.4-4.5
Serve fresh, lightly salted, sweetened with sugar or preserves, with cream mixed in, or in cooking, such as to make lenivye golubtsy or nalistniki.	N/A	N/A	N/A

In this process, what you've done is made buttermilk, and then made curds by heating the milk. If you are in a hurry, you can use store bought buttermilk, and heat it until it separates and makes curds and whey.

Tomme: Washed Curd Howto

pav@wacheese.com (Pav) — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 05:42:02 GMT

When making Tomme, sometimes you may want to bring out the sweeter, nutty notes that are usually present in Basque and Pyrenees cheeses, especially ones made from the rich sheep milk. The easiest way is to make the cheese the same way, with raw sheep milk :). But there are other options as well. Part of what gives that flavor is nonstarter lactic bacteria (bacilli) that are naturally present in the milk. You can try to imitate the flavor by adding a clabber culture as an adjunct, or by adding small amounts of DVI thermophilic culture.

Another option is to remove lactose from the whey. Removing lactose by washing the curd is especially beneficial when using goat milk. Goat milk naturally has more shorter chain fatty acids than cow milk or sheep milk. When enzymes break them out from triglycerides, they create a characteristic goaty "tang". To help remove that tang, you can wash the curd.

The basic Tomme howto includes directions for how to wash the curd. For ease, the full instructions are included here.

Ingredients, Equipment, and Supplies

Quantity	Description
3 gallons	milk, not ultra pasteurized. At least 2%. Whole fat milk makes for a richer cheese.
1/4 tsp	Heaping 1/4, more like 3/8 tsp DVI culture. Use MA4000 or similar. Flora Danica, CHR Hansen’s and CSK gouda cultures also work but the flavor is different.
3/4 tsp	CaCl2 solution (optional)
3/4 tsp	Single strength rennet, or 3/8 tsp double strength, dissolved in 1/4 cup cold water

Pot big enough to contain milk: ~12-15 quarts

Thermometer, 0-212 F. pH meter if you have it

Long knife that reaches to the bottom of the pot and optionally, whisk

Colander

Paint strainer bag (1 gal size) or cheesemaking cheesecloth (not from the grocery store)

Empty yogurt cup or other small container that floats

Clean kitchen sink

Container big enough to contain 2 cups liquid

Ladle and gloves

Process

Step	Time from Step 1	pH Target
Gather all your ingredients and equipment in one place.	0:00	N/A
Sanitize all the tools by filling the pot with a few inches of water, and putting everything that fits in it, closing the lid and letting it steam for 30 seconds. You can also dip everything in a solution of 1 gal water with 1 tablespoon of chlorine in it. If using chlorine, rinse with water after.	0:05	N/A
Pour the milk in the pot and heat on the stove to 88 F. Turn off stove.	0:45	6.6-6.7
Add the DVI culture and let it ripen the milk for 30 minutes at 88 F. pH should decrease slightly (.02+). If needed, add CaCl2 diluted in 1/4 cup cold water.	1:15	6.5-6.6
Add rennet dissolved in 1/4 cup ice cold distilled water, stir up and down 15 strokes (4-5 ml double strength per 100 lbs milk, 7-8 ml single strength per 100 lbs milk, convert according to your rennet activity).	1:15	6.5
Wait for flocculation, multiply by 3.5 to get total ripening time from the time you added rennet. Time to flocculation target is 12-18 minutes. Use more or less to try and hit the target the next time if you're off a little.	2:00	6.5
Cut into 1/4 inch cubes, let rest 10 minutes.	2:10	6.5
Raise the heat from 88 to 92F over 15 minutes. If your starting temp is not 88, then raise it 4-5 degrees from the starting point. When you raise the temp, stir gently to help the curds release whey. The curds are fragile. The whey should separate enough to where you can draw off enough whey to equal 1/3 of the total milk amount. If it doesn't, keep stirring to help the whey come out.	2:25	6.4
While the whey is separating, heat a volume of water equal to one third of the milk volume. Heat it to 130F.	N/A	N/A
Draw off a volume of whey that is half of the total whey amount you will draw off. Meaning a volume that's 1/6 of the volume of milk. Add the same amount of water to the pot and stir gently for 5-10 minutes so the curd firms up. Then draw off the other half of the whey (another 1/6) and add the rest of the water. The final temp should be 100F.	2:40	6.4
If concerned about temp, add the heated water in three stages so you hit 100F. Then stir the curds until they are the right texture. You can tell this by pressing a tablespoon of curd in your hand. It should mat together slightly and be somewhat firm.	2:50	6.3-6.4
Drain in vat or warm colander. Let curds mat and press slightly under whey.	3:00	6.35
Put into a cheesecloth lined mold. This cheese sticks, so soak the cheesecloth in pH 5.2 whey beforehand or spray with vinegar.	3:00	6.35
Press under own weight turning at 15 min, 30 min, and 1 hour increments. When you turn, unwrap it from the cloth to help prevent it sticking, and then rewrap again. The cloth helps to give the cheese an even surface so it can form a proper rind.	4:00	Varies
Press until pH is 5.4 or overnight.	16:00	5.4
Brine in an 18-22% brine 3-4 hours per lb of cheese.	26:00	5.2-5.3
Leave at 55-65 degrees for a day at ~70% RH for the outer rind to dry a little before moving to the cave.The rind should be dry to the touch.	N/A	N/A

Why do you call your cheesemaking guides howtos and not cheesemaking recipes?

pav@wacheese.com (Pav) — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 22:39:57 GMT

This is a deliberate choice we make according to our philosophy of cheesemaking. To Washington Cheese Guild, it is vital that people have replicable successes from the very first time they make cheese. This idea underlies the detailed notes we post, the step times, pH markers, and generally everything else we try to put in to our content. To us, the word recipe implies something flexible. A pinch here, a pinch there, an extra several minutes of cooking here, and so on. That may work for making something forgiving like soup, but it doesn't work in cheesemaking.

In cheesemaking, you are managing the subtleties of a very complex organic substance-- milk. And there are so many variables to deal with: temperature, rate of heating, curd size, milk protein and fat levels, rennet strength, acidity level and development... and changing any one will have a cascading effect on the rest of the process, possibly making for a completely different cheese. The process and measurements need to be precise, more like baking than regular cooking.

Baking is a good analogy, especially for those familiar with commercial baking "recipes". Commercial howtos for baking list ingredients by weight, often in grams. They eliminate the variability of volume measurements when different amounts of flour and other ingredients fit into various volumes, depending on the flour. It's similar for cheesemaking.

So we want to emphasize the importance of controlling the process, while having fun with it and exercising your creativity to make the best cheese you can. Therefore, we call our notes and instructional guides cheesemaking howtos.

Using a Beer/Wine Hydrometer to Measure Brine Salt Level

pav@wacheese.com (Pav) — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 14:45:50 GMT

The salinity of your brine is an important consideration when making cheese. For soft cheeses that are brined, such as feta, the salinity of the brine when you keep the feta in brine determines the saltiness of feta when you eat it. With an oversalted feta, sometimes you must resort to using tricks such as soaking it in milk beforehand. For hard cheeses, it is a similar story. Make a brine that's saturated, and the cheese takes the salt in very slowly because the outer rind becomes saturated, loses moisture, and will slow down the rate of salt uptake. Similarly with low concentrations in the 16% range, the cheese takes longer to get to the right salt level. All of this introduces variability in your process and makes for different outcomes because salt level is crucial to cheese quality.

Brine salinity also affects commercial makers who often use saturated brine because when the cheese uses salt, the salt concentration in the brine decreases. Brine that is kept at lower than full saturation is susceptible to pathogens. Even at full saturation listeria can develop. All this means that knowing the exact salinity of your brine is crucial.

There are a few ways you can use to measure salinity:

Buy an expensive salometer ($20-$30), which is a sort of hydrometer specially marked for degrees
Buy a cheaper used (Craigslist anyone?) or new beer and wine hydrometer. The popularity of homebrewing has made these hydrometers commonplace. They're about $10 new.
Buy an electronic salt meter. Even more expensive than a salometer, these use probes like a pH meter to measure salinity. It's also possible to use a refractometer.

Of these options, we prefer the cheapest, the regular hydrometer. But it only comes with markings for Baume and/or specific gravity. To help you get to the right level, we've developed a chart that lists the various conversions for brine at 60F.

Sodium Chloride (Salt) Brine Table for Brine at 60° F in US Gallons

Salometer Degrees	Specific Gravity	Baume Degrees	% NaCl by Weight	Lbs/Gal NaCl	Lbs/gal H20	Gal H20/Gal/NaCl	Lb NaCl/Gal H20	Freeze Point F
0	1	0	0.000	0	8.328	1	0	32
1	1.002	0.3	0.264	0.022	8.323	0.999399616	0.022013216	31.75
2	1.004	0.6	0.526	0.044	8.317	0.998679155	0.044058194	31.5
3	1.0055	0.85	0.792	0.066	8.307	0.997478386	0.066166847	31.3
4	1.007	1.1	1.056	0.089	8.298	0.996397695	0.089321764	31.1
5	1.009	1.35	1.320	0.111	8.292	0.995677233	0.11148191	30.8
6	1.011	1.6	1.584	0.133	8.286	0.994956772	0.133674149	30.5
7	1.013	1.85	1.848	0.156	8.28	0.994236311	0.156904348	30.25
8	1.015	2.1	2.112	0.178	8.274	0.99351585	0.179161711	30
9	1.017	2.4	2.376	0.201	8.268	0.992795389	0.202458636	29.65
10	1.019	2.7	2.640	0.224	8.262	0.992074928	0.225789397	29.3
11	1.021	3	2.903	0.247	8.256	0.991354467	0.24915407	29.1
12	1.023	3.3	3.167	0.27	8.25	0.990634006	0.272552727	28.8
13	1.0245	3.5	3.431	0.293	8.239	0.98931316	0.296165069	28.5
14	1.026	3.7	3.695	0.316	8.229	0.988112392	0.319801677	28.2
15	1.028	3.95	3.959	0.339	8.222	0.987271854	0.343370469	27.9
16	1.03	4.2	4.223	0.362	8.216	0.986551393	0.366934761	27.6
17	1.032	4.5	4.487	0.386	8.209	0.985710855	0.391595566	27.3
18	1.034	4.8	4.751	0.409	8.202	0.984870317	0.415283102	27.0
19	1.036	5.05	5.015	0.433	8.195	0.984029779	0.440027334	26.6
20	1.038	5.3	5.279	0.456	8.188	0.983189241	0.463796776	26.2
21	1.04	5.55	5.543	0.48	8.181	0.982348703	0.488624862	26.0
22	1.042	5.8	5.807	0.504	8.174	0.981508165	0.513495473	25.7
23	1.044	6.1	6.071	0.528	8.167	0.980667627	0.538408718	25.5
24	1.046	6.4	6.335	0.552	8.159	0.979707012	0.563433754	25.3
25	1.048	6.65	6.599	0.576	8.152	0.978866475	0.588435721	24.9
26	1.05	6.9	6.863	0.6	8.144	0.97790586	0.613555992	24.4
27	1.052	7.15	7.127	0.624	8.137	0.977065322	0.638647167	24.1
28	1.054	7.4	7.391	0.649	8.129	0.976104707	0.664887686	23.7
29	1.056	7.65	7.655	0.673	8.121	0.975144092	0.690154414	23.4
30	1.058	7.9	7.919	0.698	8.113	0.974183477	0.716497473	23.0
31	1.06	8.2	8.162	0.722	8.105	0.973222863	0.741865022	22.7
32	1.062	8.5	8.446	0.747	8.097	0.972262248	0.768311226	22.3
33	1.064	8.75	8.710	0.772	8.089	0.971301633	0.794809742	22.0
34	1.066	9	8.974	0.797	8.081	0.970341018	0.821360723	21.6
35	1.068	9.25	9.238	0.822	8.073	0.969380403	0.847964326	21.3
36	1.07	9.5	9.502	0.847	8.064	0.968299712	0.874729167	20.9
37	1.072	9.75	9.766	0.872	8.056	0.967339097	0.901441907	20.6
38	1.074	10	10.03	0.897	8.047	0.966258405	0.928323102	20.2
39	1.076	10.25	10.294	0.922	8.038	0.965177714	0.955264494	19.7
40	1.078	10.5	10.558	0.948	8.03	0.964217099	0.983181071	19.2
41	1.078	10.75	10.822	0.973	8.021	0.963136407	1.010241117	19.0
42	1.082	11	11.086	0.999	8.012	0.962055716	1.038401398	18.7
43	1.084	11.25	11.35	1.025	8.003	0.960975024	1.066625016	18.3
44	1.086	11.5	11.614	1.05	7.994	0.959894332	1.093870403	17.9
45	1.088	11.75	11.878	1.076	7.985	0.958813641	1.122220163	17.5
46	1.09	12	12.142	1.102	7.975	0.957612872	1.150778182	17.1
47	1.092	12.25	12.406	1.128	7.966	0.956532181	1.179259854	16.7
48	1.094	12.5	12.67	1.154	7.957	0.955451489	1.207805957	16.2
49	1.096	12.75	12.934	1.181	7.947	0.95425072	1.237620234	15.8
50	1.098	12.9	13.198	1.207	7.937	0.953049952	1.266460375	15.4
51	1.1	13.34847	13.461	1.233	7.928	0.95196926	1.295209889	15.0
52	1.102	13.60848	13.725	1.26	7.918	0.950768492	1.325243748	14.5
53	1.104	13.75424	13.989	1.286	7.908	0.949567723	1.354300455	14.1
54	1.106	13.9	14.253	1.313	7.898	0.948366955	1.384485186	13.7
55	1.108	14.15	14.517	1.34	7.888	0.947166186	1.41474645	13.3
56	1.11	14.4	14.781	1.368	7.878	0.945965418	1.44614166	12.8
57	1.112	14.6	15.045	1.393	7.867	0.944644573	1.474628702	12.3
58	1.114	14.8	15.309	1.42	7.857	0.943443804	1.505124093	11.8
59	1.116	15.05	15.573	1.447	7.847	0.942243036	1.535697209	11.4
60	1.118	15.3	15.837	1.475	7.836	0.94092219	1.567611026	10.9
61	1.12	15.55	16.101	1.502	7.826	0.939721422	1.598346026	10.4
62	1.122	15.8	16.365	1.529	7.815	0.938400576	1.629368138	9.9
63	1.124	16	16.629	1.557	7.804	0.937079731	1.661544849	9.4
64	1.126	16.2	16.893	1.584	7.793	0.935758886	1.692743744	8.9
65	1.128	16.45	17.157	1.612	7.782	0.93443804	1.725101002	8.4
66	1.13	16.7	17.421	1.639	7.771	0.933117195	1.756478188	7.9
67	1.132	16.95	17.685	1.668	7.764	0.932276657	1.78916847	7.4
68	1.135	17.2	17.949	1.697	7.756	0.931316042	1.822152656	6.8
69	1.137	17.45	18.213	1.725	7.744	0.92987512	1.85508781	6.0
70	1.139	17.7	18.477	1.753	7.733	0.928554275	1.887881029	5.2
71	1.141	17.9	18.74	1.781	7.721	0.927113353	1.921016449	4.9
72	1.143	18.1	19.004	1.809	7.71	0.925792507	1.954001556	4.6
73	1.145	18.35	19.268	1.837	7.698	0.924351585	1.987339049	4.0
74	1.147	18.6	19.532	1.866	7.686	0.922910663	2.021864169	3.4
75	1.1495	18.85	19.796	1.895	7.678	0.921950048	2.055425892	2.8
76	1.152	19.1	20.06	1.925	7.669	0.920869356	2.09041596	2.2
77	1.154	19.35	20.324	1.953	7.657	0.919428434	2.124145749	1.6
78	1.156	19.6	20.588	1.982	7.645	0.917987512	2.159070765	1.0
79	1.158	19.8	20.852	2.011	7.633	0.91654659	2.194105594	0.3
80	1.16	20	21.116	2.04	7.621	0.915105668	2.229250754	-0.4
81	1.162	20.2	21.38	2.069	7.608	0.913544669	2.264804416	-1.0
82	1.164	20.4	21.644	2.098	7.596	0.912103746	2.300176935	-1.6
83	1.167	20.7	21.908	2.128	7.586	0.910902978	2.336143422	-2.3
84	1.169	21	22.172	2.159	7.577	0.909822286	2.372990893	-3.0
85	1.171	21.2	22.436	2.188	7.584	0.910662824	2.40264557	-3.7
86	1.173	21.4	22.7	2.217	7.551	0.906700288	2.445129917	-4.4
87	1.175	21.65	22.964	2.248	7.542	0.905619597	2.482278441	-5.0
88	1.178	21.9	23.228	2.279	7.532	0.904418828	2.519850239	-5.5
89	1.18	22.1	23.492	2.309	7.519	0.902857829	2.557434765	-3.3
90	1.182	22.3	23.756	2.338	7.505	0.901176753	2.59438561	-1.1
91	1.184	22.5	24.019	2.368	7.492	0.899615754	2.632234917	1.85
92	1.186	22.7	24.283	2.398	7.479	0.898054755	2.670215804	4.80
93	1.188	23	24.547	2.43	7.468	0.89673391	2.709833958	7.95
94	1.191	23.3	24.811	2.461	7.458	0.895533141	2.748083669	11.1
95	1.193	23.5	25.075	2.491	7.444	0.893852065	2.786814616	14.4
96	1.195	23.7	25.339	2.522	7.43	0.892170989	2.826812382	18.3
97	1.197	23.9	25.603	2.552	7.416	0.890489914	2.865838188	21.6
98	1.2	24.2	25.867	2.57	7.409	0.889649376	2.888778513	25.5
99	1.202	24.4	26.131	2.616	7.394	0.887848223	2.946449554	29.8
100	1.204	24.6	26.395	2.647	7.38	0.886167147	2.987021138

Ricotta: Whole Milk Howto

pav@wacheese.com (Pav) — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 01:12:55 GMT

Ricotta means twice-cooked in Italian because traditionally it was made from the leftover whey of mozzarella making, and was cooked to a higher temperature the second time. Ricotta made this way is terrific, but it requires making a traditional mozzarella or similar pasta filata cheese. A quicker way for more instant gratification is to use whole milk and make a whole milk ricotta.

Ingredients, Equipment, and Supplies

Quantity	Description
1 gallon	At least 2% milk. Whole milk makes for a richer cheese.
1 cup	Heavy cream (optional for richer cheese)
1/2 tsp	Salt. Or more/less. This is to taste. (optional)
1/3 cup	Vinegar. Might need a touch more or less, depends on milk

Pot big enough to contain milk: ~5-6 quarts

Thermometer, 0-212 F. pH meter if you have it

Colander and slotted spoon

Paint strainer bag (1 gal size) or cheesemaking cheesecloth (not from the grocery store)

Process

Step	Time from Step 1	pH Target
Gather all your ingredients and equipment in one place.	0:00	N/A
Sanitize all the tools by filling the pot with a few inches of water, and putting everything that fits in it, closing the lid and letting it steam for 30 seconds. You can also dip everything in a solution of 1 gal water with 1 tablespoon of chlorine in it. If using chlorine, rinse with water after.	0:05	N/A
Pour the milk in the pot and heat on the stove to 190-200 F. You need to heat slowly or use a quality pot because milk can scorch. Use the microwave if you prefer.	0:35	6.5-6.6
Add the 1/3 cup vinegar and stir it into the milk for a minute. Stop stirring. In 2-5 minutes, you should see curd forming. Wait 10-15 minutes and let the ricotta sit to coagulate.	0:40	5.7-5.9
Pour the entire mix of curds and whey into a colander with cheesecloth or a draining bag in it. Make a ball around the curds and gently press them. Let the curd mass drip whey for a few hours until you like the consistency of the ricotta. Unmold from colander and cloth, and put into a container. Mix in salt if you like ricotta with a little salt.	2:00	5.7-5.9

Panir (पनीर) Howto

pav@wacheese.com (Pav) — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 00:53:11 GMT

Traditional panir is made from water buffalo milk, which has much higher protein levels and twice the fat of cow milk. It is closer to sheep’s milk in that regard. However, you can approximate real panir with regular milk by adding a little bit of cream. Low-fat panir is also fantastic by itself as a snack or in food.

Ingredients, Equipment, and Supplies

Quantity	Description
1 gallon	At least 2% milk. Whole milk makes for a richer cheese.
3/4 cup	Lemon juice. About 2 lemons. This is about 180 ml/6 fl ounces.
1/2 cup	Water
1 tsp	Salt. Or more/less. This is to taste.

Pot big enough to contain milk: ~5-6 quarts

Thermometer, 0-212 F. pH meter if you have it

Colander

Paint strainer bag (1 gal size) or cheesemaking cheesecloth (not from the grocery store)

Process

Step	Time from Step 1	pH Target
Gather all your ingredients and equipment in one place.	0:00	N/A
Sanitize all the tools by filling the pot with a few inches of water, and putting everything that fits in it, closing the lid and letting it steam for 30 seconds. You can also dip everything in a solution of 1 gal water with 1 tablespoon of chlorine in it. If using chlorine, rinse with water after.	0:05	N/A
Pour the milk in the pot and heat on the stove to 170F. Turn off stove. . You need to heat slowly or use a quality pot because milk can scorch. Use the microwave if you prefer.	0:35	6.5-6.6
Take 1/2 cup water and add to the lemon juice. Pour the lemon juice into the heated milk and stir for 10-30 seconds until it is integrated.	0:40	6.5-6.6
Wait for 10-15 minutes for the milk to coagulate.	1:00	6.4-6.5
Pour the entire mix of curds and whey into a colander with cheesecloth or a draining bag in it. Make a ball around the curds and gently press them. Salt the curds with ½ tsp to 1 tsp salt, according to preference.	1:00	5.2-5.4
You now need to press the cheese to expel more whey and to fuse the curds better. You can do this by putting a weight on top of the ball of curds, such as by putting a plate and filled milk jug on top, or putting the curd between two cutting boards, or a similar arrangement. Press in the sink for easy cleanup	1:00	5.2-5.4
Wait for 2-4 hours for the curds to fuse and the whey to drain. Remove the cheese and enjoy.	4:00	5.2-5.4

Fresh Chevre Howto

pav@wacheese.com (Pav) — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 00:48:39 GMT

Chevre is a semi-lactic curd that's drained and eaten fresh. Semi-lactic curd works on the principle of lactic coagulation which is made stronger by a small amount of rennet working over time to break down caseins and enable better bonding. Semi-lactic curd is nearly always mesophilic, and is made with a similar approach to making buttermilk.

This is a basic chevre recipe that can be adapted to make bloomy rind cheese, flavored with herbs, covered with ash, or even aged to make aged chevre.

Quantity	Description
1 gallon	At least 2% milk. Whole milk makes for a richer cheese.
1/8 tsp	Flora Danica or MM100 culture or similar. Must have diacetylatis bacteria for a richer, buttery taste.
1 drop (.05 ml)	Single strength liquid rennet, or 1 drop double strength rennet
1 tsp	salt

Pot big enough to contain milk: ~5-6 quarts

Thermometer, 0-212 F. pH meter if you have it

Molds for draining or muslin cloth

Process

Step	Time from Step 1	pH Target
Gather all your ingredients and equipment in one place.	0:00	N/A
Sanitize all the tools by filling the pot with a few inches of water, and putting everything that fits in it, closing the lid and letting it steam for 30 seconds. You can also dip everything in a solution of 1 gal water with 1 tablespoon of chlorine in it. If using chlorine, rinse with water after.	0:05	N/A
Pour the milk in the pot and heat on the stove to 75 F. Turn off stove.	0:15	6.5-6.6
Add the DVI mesophilic culture. Wait 5-10 mins and stir to dissolve culture.	0:25	6.5-6.6
Take 1/4 cup distilled water and one drop of rennet to it. Stir. If using double strength rennet, take one tablespoon of the mixture and add to the milk. If using single strength, take two tablespoons of the liquid and add it to the milk. Stir the milk up and down 10-15 strokes to mix in the rennet and DVI cultures.	1:05	6.5-6.6
Wait 8-12 hours, which is when the milk should have coagulated. When it has coagulated, take a ladle and ladle the curd into the molds. The curd pieces should be about 3” long by 1-2” high. Meaning don’t scoop curd chunks that are huge. After you scoop everything in, the whey will start to drain.	13:00	4.7-4.8
Let the whey drain for 8-12 hours. If you can flip the molds, it helps with faster draining. You can also drain in muslin cloth. Scoop the chevre into the cloth and hang it to drip.	25:00	4.4-4.6
Unmold or remove from cloth. Add 1 tsp salt and mix in.	25:00	4.4-4.6

Future Improvement Plans

pav@wacheese.com (Pav) — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 21:24:01 GMT

While we are working on the content drafts to help educate the cheese community, we are also working on improving the structure and format of our howtos and instructional guides. We are planning on recording short videos to illustrate key aspects of cheesemaking, as well as taking pictures of the steps in each howto. For the latest updates sign up and check out the RSS feed.

Halloumi Cheesemaking Howto

pav@wacheese.com (Pav) — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 04:35:55 GMT

Although this is traditionally made without a starter culture, you can add a little culture to increase flavor. Mesophilic heterofermentive cultures such as Flora Danica work well.

Ingredients, Equipment, and Supplies

Quantity	Description
1 gallon	Milk. Whole milk makes for a richer cheese
1/4 tsp	Single strength liquid rennet, or 1/8 tsp double strength
1/4 cup	Distilled water
2 tsp	Salt. Or more. This is to taste
2 quarts	Water, for brine

Pot big enough to contain milk: ~12-15 quarts

Thermometer, 0-212 F. pH meter if you have it

Long knife that reaches to the bottom of the pot and optionally, whisk

Colander

Paint strainer bag (1 gal size) or cheesemaking cheesecloth (not from the grocery store)

Empty yogurt cup or other small container that floats

Process

Step	Time from Step 1	pH Target
Gather all your ingredients and equipment in one place.	0:00	N/A
Sanitize all the tools by filling the pot with a few inches of water, and putting everything that fits in it, closing the lid and letting it steam for 30 seconds. You can also dip everything in a solution of 1 gal water with 1 tablespoon of chlorine in it. If using chlorine, rinse with water after.	0:05	N/A
Pour the milk in the pot and heat on the stove to 95⁰F. Turn off stove.	0:35	6.5-6.6
Take 1/4 cup distilled water and add rennet to it, mix, and add to the milk. Stir up and down 10-15 strokes. Note the time when you added the rennet and place the empty, sanitized container (such as yogurt cup) to float on top.	0:40	6.5-6.6
Check for surface gelling of the milk by nudging the empty container. When it no longer moves, the surface has gelled. This should take about 8-12 minutes. Note the time it has taken from when you add rennet to when the surface gels. Multiply this time by 3 to get the total time to wait from when you added rennet to the time to cut the curd. For example: added rennet at 12:00, 10 minutes to surface gel = wait until 12:30 (10x3=30).	1:15	6.5
After waiting according to the 3x multiplier, cut the curd with a knife horizontally, vertically, and at a 45⁰ angle into large, 2” pieces. Wait for 10 minutes to let the curd heal.	1:45	6.5
Cut the curd again with a knife or with a whisk into 1/2” pieces, about the size of a large pea or hazelnut. Let rest again for 10 minutes. The whey should begin to separate.	2:00	6.5
Stir the curd gently to firm it up. Stir for a total of about 15-20 minutes until you are able to drain out enough whey to equal half the volume of original milk.	2:15	6.5
Drain the whey from the curds by pouring everything into the straining bag or cheesecloth over the colander. If you want a specific shape, use a mold that would impart the shape. If not, fold the ends of the cloth over, and press with your hands into the colander to fuse the curds and drain more whey. If it is not fusing well, put a plate on top and a basic weight, like a gallon of water.	3:00	6.5
While the curd is draining and fusing, fill a pot large enough to hold the cheese with water and bring the water to a boil. When the water is boiling, put the cheese in. Reduce heat to low. Simmer and wait until the cheese floats, about 10 minutes. Take it out and salt with 1-2 tsp salt on the surface. This cheese takes on the flavors of other seasonings well, but is somewhat bland by itself. Try frying and serving sliced.	6:00	6.5

Measuring Whey Acidity by using Titration

pav@wacheese.com (Pav) — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 02:18:37 GMT

The premise behind acidity is that some types of molecules can release hydrogen ions (H⁺) into a solution of water. The ability of the molecules to release H⁺ influences how strong an acid is. A very strong acid, such as HCl will disassociate and release all or nearly all of its H⁺ into solution. In a weaker acid, such as lactic acid or acetic acid, only some of the molecules disassociate and give up H⁺, and the rest of the acid molecules stay in solution, but may give up their H⁺ later.

Two Ways to Measure Acidity

The two common ways to measure acidity are pH and titratable acidity (TA). pH measures the concentration of disassociated hydrogen ions in the solution, and titratable acidity measures the concentration of both disassociated hydrogen ions and un-disassociated hydrogen ions. In other words, TA measures all the acid in solution, both molecules that have given up their H⁺ and ones that have not.

Suitability of pH and TA for Cheesemaking

Because lactic acid is a weak acid, and all of it does not disassociate in water, pH does not measure the exact quantity of lactic acid present, just the dissolved H⁺ ions. However, this does not make TA inherently better, just different. Both indicators work for cheesemaking. Pick whichever one is easier for you. Even TA doesn’t measure the exact amount of lactic acid because milk and whey contain other acids and buffers.

Principle Underlying TA Measurement

The fundamental idea behind TA measurement is that if you add a base to an acid, the base will neutralize the acid, and if you do this slowly, you can mathematically calculate the quantity of acid. Bases also dissociate in water, but instead of releasing H⁺ ions, they release hydroxyl ions (OH^-). Together H⁺ and OH^- form HOH, aka H₂O, aka water. An OH^- ion will first combine with all the available H⁺ ions, and then strip the H⁺ ions from weak acid molecules that have not disassociated and neutralize them, too.

Requirements for TA Measurement

Practically, to measure TA, you need the following:

The base standard solution. You need a dissolved (in water) base of known concentration. You need to know how many OH^- ions are in the solution. The concentration of ions is measured with a unit called normality. There is a way to calculate normality or prepare a solution of known normality, covered later. If you buy a kit, it will have a NaOH solution with it.
Titrand. This is a fancy name for the liquid whose acidity you’re trying to measure.
An acid/base indicator. You need to know the point at which the solution has become neutral. The most common indicator is phenolphthalein. It is helpful to have a regular dropper to add the indicator.
Container for measured liquid. You need to contain your sample in something, preferable with measurement marking, like a beaker or measuring cup. Regardless of the container choice, you must have a way to measure out a specific quantity of the liquid being measured. Use a nonreactive container, such as glass or porcelain.
Burette. You also need a way to slowly add the base and measure how much you add. An eye dropper doesn’t work well here. You need a pipette or burette. A pipette can be cumbersome, so if you can, use the burette clamped to a stand, as shown in Figure 1.
White piece of paper. Put a white piece of paper under the glass container to help you determine the exact point of color change. If you use white porcelain, you don’t need the paper, of course.

Figure 1. Basic TA setup

Making a Standard Solution

As already mentioned, it is vital that you use a solution of known normality. You can either buy this or make it yourself. Making it yourself is not difficult, but if you’re not up for it, you can buy it. The normality available commercially may vary with your location. This is because different parts of the world use different standard methods and units to measure dairy products. You can choose from the following values commonly used with TA, and prepare the normality accordingly:

Soxhlet Henkel degrees (°SH). This unit is used in central Europe, except in France and the Netherlands. The commercial standard method is to use 100 ml milk and NaOH with normality of N/4 (.25 N).
Therner degrees (°Th). This unit is used in Sweden and the former USSR countries. The commercial standard method is to use 100 ml milk diluted with 200 ml water and NaOH that has a normality of N/10 (.1 N)
Dornic degrees (°D). This unit is used in the Netherlands and France. The commercial standard method is to use 100 ml milk and NaOH with normality of N/9 (.11 N).
Per cent lactic acid (% l.a.). This unit is used in the “British” countries, that is, USA, UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. It’s really the Dornic degree divided by 100.

It is critical that if you are trying to follow a cheese recipe that you know which unit is used. Table 1 shows the basic relationship between the units.

Table 1. Common acidity measurement units

°SH	°Th	°D	% L.a.
1	2.5	2.25	0.0225
.4	1	.9	0.009
4/9	10/9	1	0.01

More About Normality

If you don’t want to read about science-y stuff, feel free to skip this section. You don’t need to understand this and can just follow the procedure.

Normality, as already mentioned is the measure of the concentration of something in a solution. More specifically, it is 1 gram equivalent weight (gEW) per liter of solution. The equivalent weight is the molecular weight divided by the valence. Another way to think about it is that the equivalent weight is the volume of solute you need to have to equal one mole of ions (either OH^- or H⁺). This gives us the following formula: Normality = Grams/(Equivalent Weight X Volume)

Procedure

Putting the above details into practice results in the following quantities shown in Table 2 that are necessary to create the various normalities. The quantities assume a pure assay of 100% NaOH, which gives it a molecular weight of almost exactly 40g per mole.

Table 2. Measurements for making common normalities

Normality	Grams NaOH	Volume distilled H20
.10 (N/10)	4	Enough to make 1 L total.
.11 (N/9)	4.4444	Enough to make 1 L total.
.25 (N/4)	10	Enough to make 1 L total.
1.0 (N)	40	Enough to make 1 L total.

The process is relatively straightforward, as follows:

Measure out the appropriate grams of NaOH.
Fill a flask or beaker with 500 ml water, or about half. This doesn’t have to be exact.
Pour in the NaOH and stir until dissolved. Stir with a nonreactive stirrer such as stainless steel or glass.
Add enough water to make exactly 1 liter.

Method to Measure TA

Once you acquire a titration kit you will have most of the things you need to measure the titratable acidity in your milk or whey. The NaOH solution should be in one of the three normalities mentioned above. The acidity in milk is measured by titrating milk that has 3-5 drops phenolphthalein added to it with the NaOH solution. Phenolphthalein changes color at a pH value of 8.2. Adding a drop at a time of NaOH slowly brings up the pH level, and then it is possible to calculate the TA by measuring the volume of NaOH solution used.

Supplies

A burette with clamp/stand
A medicine dropper for phenophthalein
An erlenmeyer flask or similar
NaOH solution
Phenolphthalein solution

General Procedure

Fill your burette with the NaOH solution. Make sure that the bottom of the meniscus is lined up with 0. The burette should be marked in .1 ml increments.
Measure out 25 grams of your sample whey or milk. If you don’t have a scale, use 25 ml. It’s very very close to 25 grams.
Drop 3 drops of phenophthalein with the help of medicine dropper into the erlenmeyer and mix/swirl the erlenmeyer to distribute the phenophthalein. You can add more drops, say 4-5, if you have difficulty seeing the color change. This makes no difference chemically, it’s just an indicator.
Open the cock on your burette and start dropping the NaOH solution into erlenmeyer untill you get a constant light pink color. Swirl after each drop.
Once you get a light pink color, stop the NaOH dropping and measure/read how much NaOH you used on your burette’s markings. Figure 2 shows the color goal.

Figure 2. Correct color goal

Figure 3 shows the color when you have added too much NaOH.

Figure 2. Color when too much NaOH is added

Easier Procedure for .1 N NaOH

The previous procedure uses a general 25 g sample to account for the larger sample size necessary when using a more concentrated NaOH solution (like the .25 N). If you have a standard .1 N NaOH solution, you can save yourself some math calculations if you use a 9 gram sample size. With a 9 g sample and using .1 N NaOH, the % lactic acid is equal to the volume of NaOH divided by 10. So if you use 1.8 ml NaOH that is .18 % lactic acid. You can purchase a special dairy burrette that has the ml/10 marking on it directly so you can quickly read the % lactic acid. The process is as follows for .1 N NaOH:

Fill your burette with the NaOH solution. Make sure that the bottom of the meniscus is lined up with 0. The burette should be marked in .1 ml increments. Buy a 10 ml burrette, it is a good size for dairy.
Measure out 9 grams of your sample whey or milk. 9 ml should be very very close if you don’t have a scale.
Drop 3-5 drops of phenophthalein with the help of medicine dropper into the erlenmeyer and mix/swirl the erlenmeyer to distribute the phenophthalein.
Open the cock on your burette and start dropping the NaOH solution into erlenmeyer untill you get a constant light pink color. Swirl after each drop.
Once you get a light pink color, stop the NaOH dropping and measure/read how much NaOH you used on your burette’s markings.
Divide the volume of .1 N NaOH used by 10. That is your % lactic acid.

Measuring TA by Using a pH Meter

It is possible to measure the TA by using a pH meter instead of phenophthalein. The procedure is similar to the ones above, except instead of stopping when there is a color change, you stop when the pH meter reads 8.2.

Calculating TA

If you follow the first procedure using the 25 gram sample size, you need to calculate the TA. This is also relatively straightforward. The theory here is that you first calculate the molecular weight of the acid, and then plug it into a formula. Lactic acid is an organic acid with one carboxylic acid, CH3-CHOH-COOH, having a molecular weight of 90. The formula to calculate the % titratable acidity (this is in the industry the same as the % lactic acid) is as follows:

After you have the %TA, use the equations in table 3 to get the desired measurement unit. For more details about the relationships among the units, see Table 1.

Table3. Converting among the various units

Desired unit	Formula
Soxhlet Henkel degrees (°SH)	% TA X 400/9
Therner degrees (°Th)	% TA X 1000/9
Dornic degrees (°D)	% TA X 100
Per cent lactic acid (% l.a)	Same as % TA

Explore Washington Cheese Country

pav@wacheese.com (Pav) — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 22:02:25 GMT

Washington State is a happening place for dairy. It contains a mix of climate zones ranging from rainforest to desert, diverse ecosystems with unique geology and flora, and people with a passion for good food. This makes for a special environment that contributes to many approaches to cheesemaking and corresponding uniqueness of cheeses. And Washington State definitely holds up its own in the dairy world. Check out these statistics:

Over 810 dairy farms and 243,000 dairy cows, not to mention goats, sheep, and water buffalo work hard in Washington State to make yummy milk and cheese.
While the average cow in the United States produces about 18,000 pounds of milk per year, Washington State cows produce 23,171 pounds of milk.
Washington State is the 10th largest producer of milk in the United States, trailing dairy giants like California, Wisconsin, and New York.

The artisan cheese scene is rapidly growing, with many specialty producers crafting artisan and farmstead cheese. Explore them for yourself and follow the Washington Cheese Trail using the map and listings below as a guide. You can also download a Washington Cheese Trail brochure.

View Cheesemakers on the Washington Cheese Trail in a larger map

We update our listing whenever we hear of a new licensed cheesemaker. If you're a commercial producer and we have missed you -- sorry. Please help us fix it by contacting us.