# okay, so I made cheese....questions abound



## Kalne (Oct 25, 2007)

This is what I did. I warmed my milk to 72. Added culture (Fromage Blanc from cheesemaking.com), stirred, covered, let set undisturbed @12 hours. Poured into my muslin bag and hung overnight (12 hours). 

The cheese looks okay EXCEPT all the areas that were touching the fabric had tiny fibers. This was new fabric washed & dried just before hanging the cheese. Is this normal? How do you avoid it? Next time I will use cheesecloth. 

Texture looks okay. Not as creamy as I had hoped but still not bad.

Taste. Here's where we go south. Very tangy. Less noticeable after adding some seasoning but still tangy. *I* think it tastes goaty. I would not be able to eat this. BUT (and this is a big but) I can hardly drink goat milk either without tasting goat. I've been over and over this and it is *me*. We do all the things to ensure good tasting milk and everyone else says it tastes good. I should not expect the cheese to taste any different I guess. Dd2 said she thought there might be a very slight aftertaste that was goaty. Dh noticed none. 3 other dc none. I will add here that one of my milk customers brought me cheese that his mom and made with our milk and I thought it was wonderful and did not taste goaty to me at all. So what's the difference????

While looking at some on-line recipes this a.m. I notice they all had differing temps to bring the milk to. I just brought mine to room temp. Should it have been higher?

Why are we told to handle the cheese gently? What happens if you don't? And how do you incorporate seasonings 'gently'? You gotta smash it all up to mix it in good, right? This puzzles me.


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## Guest (Feb 19, 2008)

Next time try hanging your cheese for less than 12 hours. I rarely hang mine more than 6-7 hours. It will be creamier and less 'tangy'. 

It's imperative that your goat milk is handled correctly, cooled quickly and that your cheesemaking area and utensils/containers are super clean.

No idea on the fibers.

Christy is our resident cheese master. :lol She'll probably have some good tips for you.

Sara


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## Guest (Feb 19, 2008)

Also, I don't think you warmed the milk enough. I heat my milk to 86 degrees. 

Sara


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## Guest (Feb 19, 2008)

Yep! Sara is right. Here are the instructions for making the Fromage Blanc,

Fromage Blanc (C20) Cultured Chevre

Heat 1 gallon of milk to 86* add 1 packet of culture, stir well
Let set 12hrs
Ladle into muslin lined colander, hang for 6-8hrs
Refrigerate or Freeze

Your milk should be 86* either freshly milked and strained right from the goat or warmed in a hot water bath. The temp of the milk creates the right environment for the culture to work, letting the preferred good bacteria in the culture grow and not the bad kids of bacteria you don't want. The milk should be warmed slowly in a hot water bath. Heating large quantities of milk with a direct heat source changes the structure of the milk and my effect your results.

Once the curd is set you need to carefully place it into muslin, cheese cloth, or a pillow case, any thin tightly woven lint free cloth. What kind of fabric did you use? Was it laundered with towels or something that could have shed lint?

The reason you handle the curd carefully is that you don't want to release excess whey from the curd. In cheesemaking cutting the curd and stirring the curd are techniques use to release whey from the curd. For soft cheese you want to let it drain slowly with the weight of the curd being the only pressure. If I am making a large batch I'll gently trun the cheese half way through the draining process to make sure the moisture is evenly distributed.

Christy


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## Kalne (Oct 25, 2007)

Okay. Half my milk was straight from the goat. The other half had been refrigerated and I heated it on the stove. Did not do it too quickly but did not use a double boiler. So, overall the temp would have been more than my initial 72 but maybe not up to 86. 

Big 'duh' moment. I used muslin and prewashed it along with some other new fabric one of which was a black flannel! So.....that is where the lint came from. 

The cheese has been a big hit despite it's tanginess. We've been taking hunks off and playing with different seasonings and everyone is liking it. Just not so much me....but I have still eaten my share. LOL It's half gone and I hope they finish it off so I can make more tomorrow.


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## Rose (Oct 26, 2007)

I hang mine in the fridge. Less tang.


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## Kalne (Oct 25, 2007)

How on earth do you hang it in the fridge?


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## buckrun (Mar 7, 2008)

Our best luck with cheese that is fresh tasting is to bring the milk in before it cools and try not to have to apply much heat. Just a water bath in the sink to 86 degrees which is the temp of a baby goat belly! 

Another tip on gentle handling- you also loose your butterfat back into the whey if you bash it around much because the fats don't culture- only the proteins so you have to be careful not to loose all that food energy and flavor.

Another trick for increasing palatability is to whiz it thru a food processor with a pinch of salt and whatever other flavorings you like - changing the texture some often improves mouth feel and hence your overall perception of the cheese beyond just flavor. Makes it nice and spreadable too! Try pairing it with a tart fruit or jam- 

Try making your fav cheesecake recipe with it! YUMMMMM
Lee


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## Kalne (Oct 25, 2007)

Okay.....so once it's done hanging it's okay to not handle it so gently? I was having a hard time figuring out how I could mix in seasoning without beating it. LOL


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## Guest (Mar 20, 2008)

Yes, mix away :lol

Christy


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