# Cheese Yields Test



## Aja-Sammati

Is anyone interested in an informal test of cheese yields? We would all use the same recipe, number of hours or culture and hang time, and weigh the cheese when done. A simple lactic/soft type cheese. Any takers?


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## Sans Gene Goats

Michelle I would love to take you up on this - but all my girls are dry :sniffle I won't have milk for the house until mid-late March. If I can join in then I'd be glad to


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## Aja-Sammati

I can wait ;-) I would love to have more people join in, maybe as they freshen, people will want to participate.


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## buckrun

I would love to Michelle!
Lee


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## swgoats

The only cheese I've ever had any success with is vinegar cheese, but I'll try. Be interesting to compare my Nubians to my Mini Nubians.


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## Aja-Sammati

Okay- we need to vote on what method we will use- mesophilic packets, mesophilic bulk, or a chevre or fromogina pack from New England Cheese-making? From a scientific standpoint we need to have as close of a procedure as possible ;-)


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## swgoats

I have meso packets in my freezer. Anything else I'd have to order, but that is fine.


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## Aja-Sammati

Simple lactic cheese? Meso & rennet? Does everyone have rennet?


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## Sans Gene Goats

I have rennet. All my cultures have been packets from New England Cheese Making; I don't make enough cheese to justify buying bulk. Vinegar, meso, or Chevre all sound great to me. :biggrin


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## swgoats

I have rennet. I'll need a recipe.


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## Sans Gene Goats

Here's a lactic cheese recipe using meso culture packet. This is adapted from Ricki Carroll's Home Cheese Making book:

1 gallon pasteurized whole milk

1 packet direct-set mesophilic starter

3 drops liquid rennet diluted in 1/3 cool unchlorinated water (I believe all Ricki's recipes are single-strength rennet unless otherwise noted)

Optional: salt to taste; herbs

Heat milk to 86 degrees F., add starter packet and mix thoroughly

Add 1 teaspoon of the diluted rennet and stir gently with an up-and-down motion. Cover and let set, undisturbed, at room temperature of at least 72 degrees F. for 12 hours, or until a solid curd forms. 
The curd will look like yogurt.

Slowly pour the curd into a colander lined with butter muslin. Tie the corners of the muslin into a knot and hang the bag to drain for 6-12 hours, or until the cheese reaches the desired consistency. A room temp of at least 72 F. will encourage proper drainage.

Place the curds in a bowl and add the salt to taste, if desired. Add the herbs, if desired.

Store in a covered bowl in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. 

I think the main thing we'll need to do the same, besides ingredients, is the hanging time. Trying to keep the room temperature between 72 - 75 F. while hanging will also be a good idea.

Do we want to try this recipe, or does someone have another one they like?


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## buckrun

Are you setting a time for end of test?


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## Aja-Sammati

I prefer we do not use direct-set meso packs- I use bulk meso culture- the direct-set has dried rennet in it. Any problem with that? (Or am I wrong on the direct-set culture packs??) We ned to edit the recipe post here so everyone can print it up to use. Also it needs to be distilled water for the rennet dilution.

I think we have to culture exactly 12 hours (you can leave it for longer), hand for exactly 12 hours and weigh, hang for 18 hours and weigh. Stay as close to the temperatures as possible, and take notes of any deviations from the recipe (protocol, lol)

I have several people not on DGI that want to participate, but their goats are not fresh yet. I also have a couple of people that are going to give me milk from their herds to do the test on, since they do not make cheese.

I think this test could take several months, lets play that by ear, and report test results as we get them. Report:

Date
Weight of gallon of milk before starting (this is interesting in itself...)
Stage of lactation
Kind of culture you are using (manufacturer)
Kind of rennet and manufacturer
Times of culturing/rennet
Time you start draining
Weight and time at 12 hours
Weight & time at 18 hours
Notes on consistency at each weighing
Weight if damp cheesecloth after weighing (I weigh mine in a bowl in the cheesecloth, then subtract the weight of the cheesecloth after I remove the cheese.)
Weight of the whey
Notes on any temperature differences or weather differences while you were making the cheese (raining, hot & dryout, etc.)


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## Sans Gene Goats

I really like the report, good details.

On the direct set, I pulled my meso packets from the freezer and double checked - they do not have rennet in them (they are from New England Cheesemaking Co). My Chevre packets, though, do.


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## buckrun

I would like to see stage of lactation as part of the info profile on the cheese.


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## texgran

buckrun said:


> I would like to see stage of lactation as part of the info profile on the cheese.


Yes, stage of lactation would be very intresting. Raw or pasturized milk would also be intresting to add. Do you think we should just use 8 lbs of milk to be consistant instead of measuring a gallon?


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## Aja-Sammati

Okay on the meso packets then, as long as there is no rennet, basically nothing but meso. I added stage of lactation to the list. For the sake of study it all needs to be pasteurized, or we are not culturing with only meso 

It needs to be on a gallon, liquid measurement, with weight noted because of possible milk solids differences. The purpose is to find the yield on a gallon of milk (what most people use) not 8 lbs of milk.


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## swgoats

The recipe sounds straightforward enough for me. I don't have any goats fresh, so I'll have to wait, but it sounds good to me.


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## Aja-Sammati

Test complete :biggrin
2/12/13 (Start)
8.8 lbs (calibrated barn scale) or 9 lbs (soap scale)
Mixed lactation (does that freshened last year, one in Nov., and ones that are just fresh)
MM100/Dairy Connection
Animal rennet/New England Cheesemaking
2026 2/12/13 Added 1/8 teaspoon MM100 culture to milk @ 86 degrees
1110 2/13/13 Started curd draining in cheesecloth
1115 2/13/13 *3 lbs 13 oz*
0720 2/14/13 *3 lbs 7 oz* Over 18 hours- I was up too late working on another batch of cheese and overslept...
Soft & spreadable at first weighing. Slightly firmer, like a soft cream cheese at 2nd weighing. I did not scrape the cheese cloth at all for this cheese to even out the draining as I normally would, as that would add another variable, but I did tilt the hanging cheese when it first began to drain to prevent pooling on top of the cheese mass. The center was still much moister on the top when I took it down the last time than I normally like- I had to stir it for even consistency.
3 oz cheesecloth weight- cheesecloth was mostly dry by the 2nd weighing (the wood stove keeps the house pretty dry)
5 lbs 1 oz of whey
Adjusted cheese weights (minus cheesecloth) *3 lbs 10 oz* & *3 lbs 4 oz*
We are having a dry spell right now, and the day time temperatures are about 75 degrees in the house where the cheese hangs. As I mentioned, the wood stove keeps the humidity very low in the house.


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## swgoats

My bottle babies are taking my excess right now, but I haven't forgot about the experiment!


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## fmg

Oh, this looks fun! I will have to do it when I get new rennet though, because my rennet is really really old (like probably a few years), and I have to use way way more than normal to make cheese. Next time I order, I will have to come back to this. Can we also include breed of goat used in the reports? I am thinking about making a batch from alpine, one from Nigerian milk, and one from mini alpine milk. Although, I have goats from each breed, especially the alpines, who give varying amounts of butterfat, etc., so bet that would effect results as well.


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## lovinglife

I want to join in! I will make two batches, one from my Nubian and one from my Guernsey. I have been wondering what the difference would be between my two, sounds like fun! I may have to order rennet though..


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