Goat Milk Cream Separator

[Devonviolet]

I started milking my two LaMancha does this past March & April.

I had read that goat milk is naturally homogenized, so already knew I wouldn't get a lot of cream. After a couple days, I did get some cream, floating on top of the milk. But could tell it would take a lot longer to accumulate cream now, than when I used to buy raw Jersey cow's milk.

So, I started looking online, to see if I could find a cream separator, that would work with goat milk.

Sure enough, I eventually found several models made in Ukraine, sold by @slavicbeauty. After doing some more research & watching some YouTube videos, I found an electric model on eBay for about $138, with free shipping, and ordered it.

At first it seemed a bit complex and intimidating. But, I watched the videos again, and one morning, after milking my two goats, DH and I got it out, washed it up and got busy.

We were thrilled with our first batch of cream!

After watching the videos, wash up was a breeze. We air dried it and put it away. A few days later, we got it out again. Again we were thrilled with the results.

We have used it several times now, and are still very happy with it.

 

[Devonviolet]

We made butter again yesterday.

We decided to use all of the half gallon, of heavy cream, that we had accumulated, using our cream separator. I had left it out at room temp during the day, to culture it a bit. I was surprised, when I scooped it out of the canning jar, at how thick it was - almost like mayonnaise.

So, I scooped both jars into my KItchenaid 6 quart mixer bowl and turned it on. After several minutes, it looked like whipped cream. As time went on, we kept looking for the cream to separate from the whey. However that didn't happen.

I've made butter before, and after about five minutes, the fat separates from the whey. I began to wonder if I had done something wrong. I wanted to call someone, but I don't know anyone who has a cream separator, with experience making butter from this quantity of separated, heavy goat cream.

Eventually, I decided to try cooling the cream down. So, I put the mixer bowl in the fridge & went out, with DH, to feed animals.

When we came back in, I took the bowl out and put it back on the mixer. However, the cream around the sides, of the bowl, had gotten too firm. So, I put it in warm water, to soften it, and put it back on to mixer. Nothing changed.

Next I tried taking 3/4 of the cream out, to see if a smaller amount would separate from the whey. Nope.

Finally, I told DH, "Why don't we go ahead, add salt, and try putting it in a bread pan (mold) overnight & see what happens."

Well, guess what? It was butter all along! It tastes wonderful! That cream separator did an amazing job of removing all the whey!

So, now I have six cups of solid butterfat, in a bowl in the fridge. Today, I will have to soften it, at room temp, and divide it up. I'm thinking I will make approximately 1 cup portions, wrap it and put it in the freezer.

So, my question, for those of you with cheese making experience . . . How do I use this heavy cream, to make cheese? I'm thinking most cheese recipes don't call for such heavy cream. My initial thought is to add some milk back into it and mix well. But, how much milk??? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

@slavicbeauty, any thoughts, suggestions or feedback???

 

[Mini Horses]

Personally -- although that is a great question, not enough cheesing to answer, LOL -- I would make butter, freeze in blocks for times not milking. Otherwise, make some cheese for freezing, also.

One day I will get to making hard cheeses. I am hoping next year I will be doing more milking & cheese again -- plus butter as I will get a separator.

Watching for the cheese & cream reply.

My OLD cat enjoyed some warm, just milked, goat milk last night.

 

[misfitmorgan]

I'm unsure why you want to make cheese from just cream, i have not see any basic recipes call for just cream. I assume you would get a higher cheese yield but im not sure because i think you need the whey for some recipes so you can do the curds and whey part.

 

[Devonviolet]

I'm unsure why you want to make cheese from just cream, i have not see any basic recipes call for just cream. I assume you would get a higher cheese yield but im not sure because i think you need the whey for some recipes so you can do the curds and whey part.

Hey Misfit. I'm not sure if you were talking to me or Mini Horses. I'm not planning to make cheese from pure cream. I was thinking I would need to add some milk to the cream, to make cheese, but am not sure how much cream to add back into the skim milk. Obviously, the ideal would be to use whole milk. Buy, since I used the separator to get all that cream, I have a lot of skim milk now, and I want to use it up.

On my journal, I mentioned, that I added one cup of cream to the warmed skim milk, to make Chèvre Cheese. I hope that is enough to make a good Chèvre Cheese.

This morning we reset the cream separator to make a slightly lighter cream.

 

[OneFineAcre]

From past experience the butter doesn't keep long.
After a few days it get's an off taste.
I don't know about putting the cream back with the skim milk to make cheese.
We just make cheese from whole milk.

 

[Devonviolet]

From past experience the butter doesn't keep long.
After a few days it get's an off taste.
I don't know about putting the cream back with the skim milk to make cheese.
We just make cheese from whole milk.

I've already put the remainder, of the cream, into the freezer - in 2 cup portions.

I'm planning to use whole milk, for my cheese, in the future. I just added the cream in because I have so many gallons of skim, that I need to use.

 

[Devonviolet]

From past experience the butter doesn't keep long.
After a few days it get's an off taste.

I'm not saying this is the case with your butter. But, I have read, that if one doesn't get ALL of the butter milk rinsed out of the butter, it can cause an off taste after a few days. That's why I was glad the
the cream separator takes ALL the whey out. Rinsing is the part I like least, when making butter.

 

[OneFineAcre]

I've already put the remainder, of the cream, into the freezer - in 2 cup portions.

I'm planning to use whole milk, for my cheese, in the future. I just added the cream in because I have so many gallons of skim, that I need to use.

Any dairy product that isn't paturized is not going to keep as long

 

[misfitmorgan]

I would think freezing the butter or cream or cheese would make it keep for a few months at least.

I dont have a separator so when i made butter with our goats milk it was a small enough amount that it was used in 4 days.