# total newbie



## lorit (May 10, 2010)

So, sorry if these are silly questions - but when i do a search i get soooo many topics to go through it seems overwhelming.

I am starting to get more milk than we drink or already use. Currently I make kefir, ice cream and yogurt on occassion. I have taken yogurt and drained it and made a type of cream cheese before.

i am curious about the vinegar milk. Is lemon juice interchangeable or are they two different cheeses? Is there a reason one uses white vinegar versus apple cider? Too strong of a taste?

When a recipe calls for FRESH milk in caps like that, does it mean not chilled, just filtered? I have taken to making my kefir with fresh, warm milk rather than getting milk from the fridge and having to bring it up to room temp. Shortens the process and is easier and I've noticed no adverse affects from that. What if I have a 1/2 gallon fresh and a half gallon chilled from previous milking - is that ok?

And the straining times - the lesser amount of time would have a creamier, more spreadable product, right? Like good for crackers or bagels or something like that?

Thanx!


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## linuxboy (Oct 26, 2009)

Hi Lori 

You can use any type of acid to coagulate milk and make cheese. But, the taste will differ depending on what you use. Also, the amount of acid you need varies because the concentrations are different. A regular white vinegar, for example, is standardized to 5% acid. Lemon juice would vary with the lemon. In general, you need about 20-30% more lemon juice than vinegar to have the same effect. You can use any type of vinegar, but of course, the flavor of the vinegar carries through, with regular white being the most neutral. Nothing wrong with using apple cider vinegar if you like the taste.

In terms of milk, the freshest milk makes for the best cheese. For fresh cheeses like chevre or vinegar cheese, you get that rich creaminess that carries through. And especially with goat milk, it breaks down with time. If you never chill and just make cheese or kefir from it, that's great, just about the best way to do it. For some of us, we have to meet grade A requirements, or collect milk until we have enough to make a batch, so we cool down as a way to preserve and delay spoilage.

If you use fresh mixed with chilled, that's fine, too. Where milk doesn't work so well for hard cheeses is if it sits around for weeks. But even then it should work OK for vinegar cheese or ricotta. Might need to use less vinegar, though, because the milk becomes more acidic.

The straining times, you're absolutely right. Straining is to get the moisture out while keeping the fat and proteins. And more moisture means more pliability. But it depends, too, on what you're making in terms of fresh cheese vs hard or one made with rennet vs without.


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## lorit (May 10, 2010)

Thanx! I think I will start with the "mildest" and try the white vinegar and experiment from there. Can't even imagine all the work that goes into hard cheeses - but never say never.  I am milking one and a half goats so I'll have to combine an evening and a morning so it will be 2/3 fresh and 1/3 chilled.


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## nightskyfarm (Sep 7, 2009)

One and a half?


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## lorit (May 10, 2010)

one doe twice a day, the other FF is mornings only until her kid is 3+ months old.


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## hsmomof4 (Oct 31, 2008)

Yeah, I was wondering about how you had 1/2 a goat! :biggrin


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