Making Cheese Questions

[bgraham]

I might should have put this in the cooking forum but I think it is a general homesteading topic and wanted a bigger audience ...

We have dairy goats and after they kid in the spring I really want to start making cheese, yogurt, butter, etc. I have a couple of questions for those of you that have done this.

If raw milk is supposed to be chilled right away, how come it is okay to let it sit out overnight to make cheese or yogurt?

I believe I heard somewhere that you have to do something special to goat's milk because it doesn't separate like cow's milk...anyone know? I think that was for butter.....

Are the Junket tablets I use to make ice cream rennet? Or do I need to order these special somewhere?

I think I'm gonna start experimenting with these things now...I assume I can use milk from Kroger?

LOL. Ok. Do I sound like an idiot?

Thanks for the help!!


Beth

[pookshollow]

I'm not real experience myself, but I've been making cheese for almost a year, so I'll see if I can answer some of your questions.

If raw milk is supposed to be chilled right away, how come it is okay to let it sit out overnight to make cheese or yogurt?

That's so the milk can "clabber" or sour naturally, which it will do at room temperature.

I believe I heard somewhere that you have to do something special to goat's milk because it doesn't separate like cow's milk...anyone know? I think that was for butter.....

You'd need a cream separator for goat's milk, if you wanted to make butter from the cream. It doesn't separate out naturally, like cow's milk, although a small amount will rise to the top (yummy in coffee! ) And BTW, butter made from goat's milk will not be yellow, it will be white. That's because the yellow colour in cow's milk comes from beta carotene (from the grass and hay) and in goat's milk, the beta carotene has already been converted into vitamin A.

Are the Junket tablets I use to make ice cream rennet? Or do I need to order these special somewhere?

I don't believe these will work - you need rennet made from calf's stomach. You can get liquid or tablets. You'll probably have to order it - I don't know of any stores around here that sell it.

[MullersLaneFarm]

Originally Posted by pookshollow

I'm not real experience myself, but I've been making cheese for almost a year, so I'll see if I can answer some of your questions.



That's so the milk can "clabber" or sour naturally, which it will do at room temperature.

[/quote]

As the milk or cream cultures, it releases sugars which will make the butter sweeter.

And BTW, butter made from goat's milk will not be yellow, it will be white. That's because the yellow colour in cow's milk comes from beta carotene (from the grass and hay) and in goat's milk, the beta carotene has already been converted into vitamin A.

Don't know about the beta caroten in GM being converted into vit A, but not all cow's butter is yellow. BEfore we had our Jersey, we got raw milk from a Holstein herd. Their butter was always white - they were a small commercial dairy. With out Jersey, the color of the milk, cream & butter will change with the time of lactation. She always gets pasture and alfalfa hay.

Rennet - yes, you could make a soft cheese using junket, but stay away from it. There are a few links on our tutorial page for butter making and cheesemaking. The cheesemaking page has additional links for cheese making supplier

[madness]

Also new to cheese making, but thought I'd stick my two cents in.

I don't believe these will work - you need rennet made from calf's stomach. You can get liquid or tablets. You'll probably have to order it - I don't know of any stores around here that sell it.

I know someone that uses Junket tablets for cheese - might not be ideal, but I guess it works. I've also used "vegetable rennet" - it's actually made from microbes instead of a calf's stomach. You can get it from any company that sells cheese making supplies. Try:

http://www.cheesemaking.com/default-cPath-36_53.php

A comment about the milk from Kroger. It will be homogenized and pasteurized. Both of these processes will affect the cheese making - but not make it impossible to make. The homogenization discourages the separation of curds from whey and the pasteurization kills all natural flora that would add to a cheese's flavor. However, both of these things can be overcome with additional additives.

Here's a website that I found invaluable to my cheese making adventure. The guy walks you through lessons with ever more increasingly difficult cheeses.


http://biology.clc.uc.edu/fankhauser...ese_course.htm

Good luck - it's a lot of fun!

[MullersLaneFarm]

Both sites are wonderful.

Other supplier sites

The Grape & Granary

Leener's Brew Works
and of course
Hoegger Goat Supply

Our cheese making page with recipes

[hisenthlay]

I'm not an expert by any means, but I've done some soft cheesemaking with goat milk and had tasty results.

I use vegetable rennet purchased from the Dairy Connection: http://www.dairyconnection.com/
I also use their cultures.

That site was recommended by this site, http://fiascofarm.com/dairy/index.htm , which is an excellent source for your first few cheese recipes, and about dairy goats in general.

My other main source for recipes is Goats Produce Too, Volume 2. It can be purchased on the Hoegger website mentioned by MullersLaneFarm.

I also purchased my cream separator from Hoegger's. Not cheap, but it works fine, and is a must for good goat whipped cream, butter, ice cream, etc. If you really can't spring for the separator, you could put the milk in a wide mouthed container (like a big tupperware, mixing bowl, etc.), and spoon off the small amount of cream that will rise to the top every couple of days. Then you can freeze that cream in a jar and add to it until you have enough to do whatever you want to do. That's a pain in the butt process, though, and of course means your product will be less fresh, and in my experience, cream that has been frozen does not whip up as well and has a slightly altered consistency.

[bgraham]

Thanks for your replies!!

I am really excited about this...I've been wanting to do it for a long time.

I still don't understand how "spoiled milk" can be ok for cheese but not to drink. lol.

Beth

[hisenthlay]

Well, this certainly isn't a scientific reply, but my understanding is that we chill milk in order to inhibit the growth of bacteria, some types of which are potentially harmful, and some of which just tastes bad. When we make cheese/yogurt/etc., we add certain good types of bacteria that we want to allow to propagate in the milk up to a certain point, because they taste good and are not harmful. After that point, we refrigerate it to inhibit further bacterial growth, either good or bad.

I believe that because the milk will be kept at room temperature (and will most likely be raw), it is especially important to make sure that the milk comes from a good, healthy, clean source, so that it has a lower likelihood of having harmful bacteria in it in the first place.

I'm sure there's a smartypants around here with a better answer.

[suzyhomemaker09]

Originally Posted by hisenthlay

Well, this certainly isn't a scientific reply, but my understanding is that we chill milk in order to inhibit the growth of bacteria, some types of which are potentially harmful, and some of which just tastes bad. When we make cheese/yogurt/etc., we add certain good types of bacteria that we want to allow to propagate in the milk up to a certain point, because they taste good and are not harmful. After that point, we refrigerate it to inhibit further bacterial growth, either good or bad.

I believe that because the milk will be kept at room temperature (and will most likely be raw), it is especially important to make sure that the milk comes from a good, healthy, clean source, so that it has a lower likelihood of having harmful bacteria in it in the first place.

That is pretty much it in a nutshell.....
Milk that is used for cheesemaking is not generally left out to it's own devices...it has cultures and rennet added to it and that changes it. Now with that being said when I make soft cheese it doesn't ever see a fridge til after it's made..I generally go straight from goat to cheese pot so much easier for me to not have to baby it up form fridge temp to 60's.
The junkett rennet in stores will do for making soft cheeses..never really tried making hard cheese with it...order it online...there are so many places you can get it from, animal rennets, veggie rennets....cultures molds it's a wonderland of culturing. I'm no expert on the matter but I do dabble so if i can help let me know
Good luck in cheesemaking

[Karen]

bgraham, your mailbox is full. Please clean out your PM's ASAP; thanks!!