# rennet for cheddar question



## kuwaha (Aug 22, 2009)

I usually use "Goats Produce Too" chedar recipe - it calls for 1 tsp rennet in 1/2 cup cool water for 2 gallons milk.
I just got "Cheesemaker's Manual" - it calls for 3/4 tsp rennet in 1/4 cup cool water for 3-4 gallons of milk
That seems like a huge difference... how do you know how much rennet to use??


----------



## linuxboy (Oct 26, 2009)

The rennet schedules are usually 7-10 ml for single strength american concentration 1:15,000 rennet and 4-5 ml double strength (1:30,000 international clotting units). 1 tsp rennet for is right around 5 ml. If it is single strength, it will set 50 lbs of milk for cheddar, which is about 6 gallons of milk. If it is double strength, it will set double, or 12 gallons of milk. This is for most hard cheeses using cow milk or normal goat milk. For sheep milk and high fat/protein milk like Nigerian milk, use less rennet, sometimes even by half if the milk is truly outstanding.

All my rennet and culture schedules are per cheese type listed at ml per hundred lbs of milk so it applies to cow, sheep, and goat milk (they have slightly different weights per gallon of milk)

Please don't use 1 tsp rennet for 2 gallons of milk. Your cheese will be terrible. A good rule of thumb if you don't have a syringe or pipette to measure out partial ml is to use 1/8 tsp double strength per gallon and 1/4 tsp single strength.

Margaret is right, 3/4 tsp single strength is appropriate for 3-4 gallons.


----------



## kuwaha (Aug 22, 2009)

Okay, I just checked the rennet bottle and it says 1/2 tsp up to 2 gallons milk. So the rennet/gallon milk is a relatively standard measurement, its the heating/stirring/draining/aging etc that makes the different types of cheese?
Thanks for all your help


----------



## linuxboy (Oct 26, 2009)

Yep, then your rennet is single strength. Use 1/4 tsp per gallon , and yep, it's the different cultures and milk and temp and curd size and aging that makes for all the different cheeses.


----------

