Author Topic: Cheesed Off (Read 2134 times)

mariegold · « **on:** July 25, 2014, 08:25:09 am »

Hello any goats cheese makers on here,
Can anyone identify where I might be going wrong in my cheese making please? Several batches have turned into what can only be described as foamy sponge, floating on the top of the whey!
I used a direct vat, rennet already added starter culture from http://www.cheesemaking.co.uk/cheese-making-cultures/chevre-cheese-making-starter

I've used it before and it has worked really well..... I've also been using another direct vat starter which I add rennet to later but the same thing keeps happening!

I keep the starter frozen in its packets, I use a stainless steel pan, I sterilise everything before using. The only thing I don't do is pasteurise the milk.

We do make bread at home and I do drink the occasional glass of wine in the evening! Could this be the cause?

Thank you in advance for any thoughts and advice

Anke · « **Reply #1 on:** July 25, 2014, 10:22:19 am »

If you have bread dough raising in the same room, or even made it earlier the same day it is very likely that your cheese is contaminated by the yeast in the atmosphere.

I have made the occasional "spongy" horrible tasting cheese, when I had one drying in the kitchen and made some bread....

Also in this heat making cheese is probably not the best thing to do...

Dogwalker · « **Reply #2 on:** July 25, 2014, 01:52:10 pm »

I had one like that last week and the next day made some that worked fine.
The differences I could think of was the one that went wrong I'd added some reheated milk the second one just used the fresh morning milk.
And the first one I put more rennet in for more milk - might have been too much. It was alright at tea-time and spongy a couple of hours later when I went back to strain it.
I use vegetarian rennet, never tried the real stuff.

The pigs thought it was great.

Beeducked · « **Reply #3 on:** July 25, 2014, 08:03:03 pm »

I've had one spongy batch from a starter that was a bit old. Had used the packet directly to make the cheese but had also used a bit to make a stock starter culture (not sure that's the right term but hopefully you know what I mean). The cheese was foamy and rubbery and the stock culture just never developed that clean tangy smell and both went to the pigs. New packet of starter and it was all fine.

mariegold · « **Reply #4 on:** July 26, 2014, 09:52:03 am »

I think the heat might be a factor. I've only just bought the starter so hopefully it isn't off! It came in the post in a normal envelope so it wasn't kept cool......
I guess the glass of wine I was drinking whilst making cheese probably didn't help. Gonna give the kitchen and all my cheese making equipment a super scrub, wait for the weather to cool down and stop making bread for several days and then try again. Oooo so far I have chucked away 35 Litres of milk!!!! Grrrr.