rennet for making cheese

[treeclimber233]

where can I get rennet to make cheese?




another question: the recipe says to keep the cheese at 86 degrees during the process. How do I do that?

 

[cmjust0]

The New England Cheesemaking Supply Co. is a reputable outfit.. I've ordered from them once or twice before, and they still send me emails NONSTOP.

 

[lilhill]

Hoegger's Goat Supply also sells it.

http://www.hoeggergoatsupply.com/xcart/product.php?productid=3584&cat=34&page=1

 

[Heavenly Springs Farm]

I got mine from Hoegger's Goat Supply. I love ordering from them.

 

[freemotion]

where can I get rennet to make cheese?




another question: the recipe says to keep the cheese at 86 degrees during the process. How do I do that?

I buy from The Dairy Connection. They will answer questions on the phone! But they are more geared towards commercial production. I buy once a year and one packet of each culture and one small bottle of rennet lasts me the season with making a four gallon batch about every other week, every week during peak production.

As for keeping the milk at 86 F, most books say to put your cheese pot inside a larger pot with water in the larger pot and put it on the stove. I find this method to be very hard to control.

I warm my milk in a sink of hot tap water, in the jars that I store the milk in. Start with cool water in the sink and gradually increase the temp so as not to break the jars. I learned this the hard way. Check the temp of the jars every so often and stop when they are almost at the desired temp. Put most of your milk in the warmed cheese pot (I always boil a bit of water in it to sanitize it, and put my skimmer in there, too, to steam sanitize it. Then dump the water. Let cool a bit and add the warmed milk.) and warm up the remaining jars a bit more to get the temp exactly where you want it.

If your kitchen is 80-90 F you won't need to do much to keep it at the proper temp. I tied a bunch of rubber bands together and put them across the pot, looped over each handle, so I can put my thermometer in the milk and leave it there. I just take it out to stir.

If your kitchen is cool, you can put your pot in a sink and add hot water to the sink a bit at a time to maintain the temp. You can also leave the pot on the counter and wrap it in layers of clean blanket or bath towels.

I try to stay within 2 degrees of the recipe's instructions if I am having trouble maintaining temp. It always makes SOME kind of cheese!

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

what Free said about process... but i just put my whole kettle full of milk in the sink and fill with hot water until it gradually hits the right temp. usually once i get to the right temp i can just drain out the water in the sink, put the lid on my kettle, and leave it to hold the temp for an hr. (or whatever). if i have the AC on or its cool i put a big towel over the kettle to keep the heat in.

and i prefer hoegger for most stuff.

the only thing with hoegger right now.. their mesophilic culture has been on back order for a month!

i have some pix of my set up. warning: standard stupid cheese jokes included

http://adventuresinthegoodland.blogspot.com/2010/09/cutting-cheesecurds.html

we also have a cheese thread going over on SS:

http://www.sufficientself.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=5937

good luck!

 

[treeclimber233]

Thanks for answering so quickly. No I feel like a moron (hitting self on forehead). When I read the instructions I thought I needed to maintain 86 degrees for the whole time not just the few hours to get the curds. duh......

 

[freemotion]

Well, you do need to maintain the temp. at least until it is time to drain or press the curds. Whey will come out best at warmer temps. So a warmish kitchen is best. For some cheeses, you can stop worrying about temp while it is dripping or pressing, but you still don't want it to get chilled if you can avoid it or it will be too moist and won't keep well or have the right texture.

No moron questions here. You don't really learn the process until you actually do it, and it can seem daunting at first. It gets easy, trust me. Just learn not to answer the phone during critical phases! And set the timer on the stove so you don't lose track of time between steps. Most of it is waiting, really.

OFG, I warm the milk in the jars first since it is much quicker with the large batches. I usually start them warming then run out and do chores.