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Sorry if this has already been covered, but can anyone tell me or refer me to a thread that tells me - what makes a cheese melt or not? I tried one of mine yesterday that looked and smelt like parmesan, but didn't melt. I haven't tried to see if it will dissolve in a sauce, but I suspect not.
Thanks
Andrea.

Having the right PH will do that. If u dont have a PH meter then its hit and miss, usualy home made is too acid and will become cumbly. However bloomed cheese thrive on acid and mine have always melted.

So to get them less acid should I use less starter, or is there some other technique I could try?
I have a pH meter but have never found it very good. It doesn't seem to change much. But what pH should I be looking for?
Andrea.

Less starter is what some people say, however i would say its when the curds are cut early enough to stop the acid formation, so check them every 15min.
PH meter has to be kept moist, if u dont have a neutral solution (PH 4,7) then its probably out. I just bought one myself but have not used it yet, waiting for the summer heat to be over.
Depending on the cheese the PH will be dif, best do a search for that or get some detailed books.

Thanks - I will try cutting the curd earlier - my cheesemaking tends to be rather haphazard
Andrea