Cheese Experiment 1
It has been some time since I first resolved to experiment with kosher cheesemaking. I first acquired two acclaimed books on home cheesemaking, then researched sources of dairy supplies, including starter culture, rennet, milk, and equipment. Finally, I joined up with a “drive sharing” group to secure a regular supply of fresh, raw milk. This past weekend was my first milk run as part of the group. Traveling companion Chaim and I drove out to Chase Hill Farm in Warwick, MA (a brisk trip down Route 2) and after locating the makeshift farm store (it’s to the right of the garage, beyond the two dogs, FYI), we loaded up the cooler with cool, clean straight-from-the-udder milk. Surprisingly, raw milk is a pale golden color, unlike the shockingly sterile white of store-bought dairy.
On our return trip, we stopped at Sur La Table for kitchen supplies:
* perforated spoon
* pot
* curd knife / frosting spatula (for later use)
* large strainer
* pyrex measuring cup
* digital thermometer
* extra cheesecloth
The staff there was quite helpful, and even a bit excited about helping an amateur cheesemaker (probably don’t see folks like us often).
Once home, after the Patriots game and after running all my equipment through the dishwasher for safety, I began my first cheese experiment, Lactic Cheese (Carroll, page 70). Two problems immediately arose. First, make sure you have a giant pot, larger than your designated dairy pot, to form a double-boiler for both pasteurizing milk and warming it for the cheesemaking process. This is tougher than you might imagine, so put in some forethought. Second, the only manufacturer-sealed kosher rennet product I could find was Valiren powdered rennet, available at Danlac.com. This 1-gram packet is enough rennet to innoculate 100 liters of milk — I was only working with 1 gallon. So, I figured I could dilute the rennet in (spring — not tap!) water: 100 mL water with 1 gram powder, then 1 mL solution per gallon. The recipe, however, called for “3 drops of liquid rennet.” Frantically, I jumped onto the author’s online store to learn more about her particular “liquid rennet.” Luckily, the site indicated that 1/2 teaspoon of the liquid rennet treats 2 gallons (approx. 8 liters). After some intense algebra, I deduced that 10 drops of my solution was nearly equivalent to 3 drops of the prescribed liquid rennet.
In the end, though, I completely neglected the simple algebra, forgetting that the packets of mesophilic starter I had (also from Danlac) only treat 1 liter each. I used a scant single packet in my gallon of milk.
The results 12 hours later (this morning) were disappointing: predominantly liquid milk with only a negligble layer of coagulated film on top. The entire exercise, though, was useful in that I familiarized myself with the critical early steps of the process and could begin to evaluate the fitness of my enzymes.
Tonight is Experiment Two — four packets of starter, same amount of rennet solution.
Whether or not my second try fails, I’m researching other sources of enzymes. The Dairy Connection carries OU-certified EZAL cultures, which should be more straightforward to use than the eurocentric Danisco cultures. I’m still stuck with the Valiren rennet, though, unless I buy a gallon jug of the liquid at great cost.
Is anyone (plural) out there willing to split (several ways) a 5-gallon jug? I’m happy to purchase it, divide it into smaller containers with great care, and mail it out to my comrades-in-cheese. Please contact me ASAP if you’re interested.