Dairy thermometers are inexpensive and easy to order online, but you may
have trouble finding one in a local store. Gourmet shops, kitchen
supply stores, brewery supply and farm stores are a good place to look,
but ordering will be easier, and with the price of gas for many rural
people, cheaper as well. They range in price from $6 to $20 and come
in a variety of types. The dial type is a good one, inexpensive and
easy to use, mine was $9.95. You need to be able to tell the
temperatures of the milk very precisely and in a very wide temperature
range, so a dairy thermometer is essential.
If you have fresh milk, then it is advisable to pasteurize it, because it
eliminates any bacteria present in the milk, and enables the bacteria
being introduced to flourish, and give you the best flavor. Most
cheeses will be more consistent if you pasteurize, but you can also use
raw milk, if you desire. Be aware that there could be unhealthy
bacteria present and that it could cause sickness, or a bad flavor.
To pasteurize, you need to put your raw milk into a clean stainless steel
or graniteware pot. If you use granite, be sure there are no chips
in it, or rusted spots. These can be bought for very little locally,
and most people have one or two around. You can use a 1.5 gallon
pot, or process it in smaller batches. Place a skillet on the stove
with an inch of water in it. Place your pan of milk inside this, or
use a double boiler. Turn your heat on medium high or so and put your
thermometer in the milk. Heat the milk, and stir it regularly, until
it reaches 160 degrees. Let the milk sit at this temperature for 15
seconds, and then put the pan in ice water to chill.
It is the wise cheese maker that puts the colander, cloth and spoon in a
big pan with some water and steam sterilizes it. You can use bleach
or a sanitizer, but beware - if you leave any residue on the materials, it
will KILL your cheese, which needs the bacteria to flourish. So
rinse very, very well if you use these products to clean utensils.
Everything you will use for the cheese should be as close to sterile as
possible. Otherwise your cheese may not have a good flavor, or worse
could make you sick. Use steam, the dishwasher (heated dry cycle) or
a sanitizer. You will need to sterilize your main pan or pitcher, a
spoon, your cloth, and a colander. I put the pitcher in the
dishwasher, and then steam all the other utensils. Regardless, be
sure everything that touches your cheese, including your hands is
meticulously clean.
Right after pasteurizing is a great time to make your cheese, because you
can cool the milk down to the target temperature of 86 degrees. If you are
using store milk, you should warm it up to 86 degrees. Store milk
may require some calcium chloride but for soft cheeses, most milk will
work ok. When you order a thermometer, go ahead an order some
calcium chloride if you plan on using store milk or goat’s milk.
Sometimes these two types of milk just need a boost turn out right.
We have never needed it, but some goat owners have, because the calcium
content can vary from animal to animal.
If you are warming your milk, put it in a very clean plastic pitcher, or a
deep pan, and place it in hot water to warm slowly. Put your thermometer
in and give it a stir every few minutes to avoid over-heating it. Once it
reaches 86 degrees you can remove it from the hot water and add your
culture. You will want to add about 2 ounces of buttermilk for each
gallon of milk. I open the carton of buttermilk, and immediately
pour it into ice cube trays and freeze them. Standard ice cube trays
are one ounce cubes. Then
you can just thaw out the desired number and add them to your milk. For
one gallon of milk to make the Fromage Blanc, I add two cubes of
buttermilk, and warm it all up to 86 degrees. If you use a powdered
culture, then stir it in, following the directions. Usually you
dissolve it in water, and then add it to the warmed milk. The
package will tell you how much per gallon.
