Goat Cheese--Chevre Consistency

[goatadventure]

Hello!

I am new to goats and new to the forums! I have a goat cheese making question: I have tried several batches of chevre and I can't seem to get the consistency I want. I made the chevre and achieved a very firm curd. I let it hang to dry for about 8 hours, even flipping it once in the cheese cloth. After I took it out, I found the "brine" was very firm, but the inside was very, very moist and even had a few small holes in it. It didn't seem to stick together very well either. I have in my mind that it should be like "play-dough." Is this true? Has anyone experienced this consistency of chevre?

I am open to your input and ideas!

[Frosted Mini's]

What recipe are you following?

One thing I do while the cheese is hanging to help it drain evenly and more quickly, is to grab the bag and kinda "roll" the cheese around in it while it is hanging.

Here is how I make the chevre:

1. Heat up milk to 80* (if using cold).
2. Add mesophilic direct set culture, according to package...let sit on top of milk for a short time (30 seconds-1 minute??).
3. Add rennet. I use liquid rennet and over time as the rennet gets older, it needs to be increased for the same results in cheesemaking. I currently use 1 drop for every 2 quarts of milk. Too much rennet can sometimes make the cheese too firm. I usually make cheese in 3-5 gallon batches, which I freeze and sell.
4. Let cultured milk sit overnight at room temp with lid on it.
5. Hang in cheese bags until done draining.

I boil everything I use to sterilize it. Before starting a batch of cheese, I boil water in my stock pot with the ss cheese spoon for stirring rennet inside and lid on. Before hanging cheese, I boil the cheese bags (we bought these really neat nylon bags that work very well) and the ss ladle I use to pull out the curds.

[Alice In TX/MO]

What brine? No brine with chevre.

You aren't letting it drain long enough. I always let it drain overnight.

[marusempai]

I think she means the rind - the outer part I'm guessing because eight hours isn't long enough for a rind to form. I agree, let it drain longer.

[Awnry Abe]

Hmmm. For chèvre, I use that thin muslin stuff to hang it because normal cheese cloth takes too long to get it drained the way I like. Also make sure it is hanging, and not resting in something like a colander. We've made oodles of batches, using the same recipe/culture, and hanging time is definitely the key contributor to consistency.

[Alice In TX/MO]

I have drained mine three different ways.

1. In little perforated cups to make individual cheeses.
2. Hanging in cheesecloth.
3. In a cheesecloth colander over a bucket or large pot.

Sometimes I put the pot/colander/cheesecloth in the fridge and drain it 24 hours for a dry chevre.

I've used several different fabrics for the cloth.

1. Cotton cheesecloth from cheesemaking.com
2. "Disposable" plastic cheesecloth from cheesemaking.com
3. Large white men's handkerchiefs
4. Muslin

What is more important than the type of fabric is the length of time you let it drain.

[goatadventure]

Thank you all for the replies! (Yes, I did mean rind, not brine. Ooops!) I am following the recipe that Frosted Mini's mentioned and using cheesecloth ordered from cheesemaking.com. It sounds like the consensus is to let it drain longer, which makes sense as the humidity in my area is really, really high! I can't wait to try another batch!

[Alice In TX/MO]

If you let it drain at room temperature, the flavor will be more intense. Draining in the fridge yields a milder flavor.

[goatadventure]

Okay, so I tried the chevre again...It is really, really crumbly (if I squeeze it together, moisture comes out but it just crumbles apart)! I have heard that crumbly cheese means I let it hang too long. However, I checked it several times today and it never seemed to be the consistency I am aiming for. Could it possibly be that my initial curd is getting too hard, then the cheese is having problems hanging? My curd is much harder than the "thickened yogurt" consistency the recipe explained. I actually cut the curd into cubes before hanging it. Any ideas?

[Frosted Mini's]

How warm is the room it incubates in? It may be too warm (?). Or, maybe you need to decrease the rennet.

[Alice In TX/MO]

We can't solve it if we don't know your process.

Temperatures of milk, what kind of culture, how much culture, how much rennet, temperature of setting location, duration of setting the curd.

(some of the chevre culture packets already have rennet, and you don't add extra)

[goatadventure]

Thanks for the replies. I am using the Mary Jane Toth recipe found on the Hoegger website: http://hoeggerfarmyard.com/the-farmy...french-cheese/

I heated 8 pounds of milk to 80-85 degrees.
I added 1/8 teaspoon of chevre culture also ordered from Hoegger. It does not contain rennet that I know of.
I diluted 3 drops of double strength rennet in 1/3 cup of water and added a little more than 2 tbs to the milk.
I let it sit for 8-10 hours with the lid covered (I think it stayed around 90 degrees).
Then, I let it hang for about 16 hours at room temperature (75 degrees).
Results: yummy, but crumbly, chevre cheese!

I am thinking my problem is likely a curd that is getting too hard. The recipe has a link to a double strength rennet. However, I still wonder if maybe mine is too strong. Could you explain the texture of the curds you typically see with chevre? I actually have to cut these like a thick Greek yogurt. Should it be more like Yoplait yogurt instead?

Thanks!

[Frosted Mini's]

16 hours is kind of long for it to hang, that may be part of the problem. Pull it down sooner next time, like in 8-12 hours max and report back here. Chevre for me was a cheese that had a few glitches at first, but once I worked them out, it's been easy to get repeat results. Hope you have the same outcome.

[Pony]

I'd try cutting back on the rennet a bit.

[Doug Hodges]

How does it taste. Personally I could care less about consistency. I care about taste. Give me some crackers.....

[Doug Hodges]

Originally Posted by goatadventure

Results: yummy

That's all that matters to me