# how old can the milk be for soft cheese?



## Feral Nature (Oct 26, 2007)

I am making soft cheese every few days and having been using fresh milk. However, I am wondering if I can use milk that has been sitting unused in the fridge. It seems I always have several gallons in there, chilled quickly and ready to drink but we just can't drink as much as I put in there for us (2 people).

So after the milk is in the fridge has been in there for several days, can I make vinegar cheese with it or should I throw it out to the dogs and cats? I want to avoid any aftertaste or goaty-ness as my cheese has been great and I don't want to turn anyone off by a bad batch....family, DH coworkers.

I assume if the milk tastes good the cheese will but want to find out if there is some "reason" older milk cannot be used....thanks.


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## Poverty Knob Goats (Apr 13, 2010)

I have used 3-4 day old milk to make Chevre with no problems. Don't know about any older mine never lasts that long.


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## linuxboy (Oct 26, 2009)

Yep, you can use it. Just smell and taste beforehand because the biggest concern is the goatyness. If it tastes creamy and sweet, go right ahead


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## Feral Nature (Oct 26, 2007)

Good. This is still fresh milk, just 2-3 days. I just have a quick turn over of fresh chilled milk and then have this ice cold filtered milk by the gallons each week that I hate to waste on the animals. It never ever tastes goaty.  Thanks.


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## hsmomof4 (Oct 31, 2008)

That's good news, Pav. I have been only using the freshest milk, which I'm sure is best, but we are getting 2+ gallons/day and even with 4 kids, we're lucky to drink 1/2 gallon. Some of it I sell, but still. And mine is still creamy and sweet tasting after 2 weeks, which if I don't make a LOT of cheese, is how old most of the milk that we are actually drinking is close to getting.


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## Bernice (Apr 2, 2009)

Hmmmmmmm....wonder what I am doing that isn't producing a good quality cheese out of older refrig milk. I discovered that using milk fresh from the goat works best for my soft cheeses. I milk, then bring it up to the house immediately after milking. Then strain it. Next I check the temp, I check to see if it's 72 and it usually is. Then I add buttermilk and rennet.


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## linuxboy (Oct 26, 2009)

Older milk does differ from fresh milk. Sitting around lets acid build up, which slowly degrades the caseins and makes them less sticky when you add rennet. It also gives the lipase in milk a chance to eat away at the fats, which is part of what causes the goatiness. If you don't pasteurize or don't have sanitary milking practices, or expose the milk to something, you can also have contaminants in there.

One other problem is that just because you chill, it doesn't stop psychotrophic bacteria (cold-loving) from surviving and thriving and creating all sorts of off flavors. I guess what I mean is that there are a lot of variables. If you are persistent in your sanitation, and exact in your storage, you can keep milk for a while and it will still be good to make soft cheese. Hard cheeses are more variable because you need the curd to set well. Best bet is to try it and see.


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## hsmomof4 (Oct 31, 2008)

Yeah, I don't think I'll be making any cheese with my 2 week old milk (usually, I use the milking just completed plus the one right before that) but since I am selling my soft cheese immediately, I do pasteurize the milk before I make the cheese.


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