Milk? What type?

[JLPicard]

I have been super curious about making cheese for some time now. I have a keen interest in making homemade Pizza, and have been perfecting my equipment and techniques for Pizza for years now. Desiring a cheap but superior Mozzarella I tried making some in my kitchen. Fortunately, it appears that Mozzarella is probably the simplest cheese to make. I got some rennet, and followed a recipe with some success.

Here is my problem: What milk to use? There are laws here in the states that prevent us from purchasing raw milk straight from the dairy farmers. Although I live smack in the middle of Amish country here in Ohio, I have yet to find a farmer that will sell me some raw milk. My first attempt, I used some store bought whole milk. I did like the outcome, but was a bit dissappointed at the quantity (small 'tennis-ball' size), and the taste was blander than I expected. I used a whole gallon and only came out with this small amount of cheese (and the ricotta I made from the whey).

Are you cheese-heads using raw milk or store bought homogenized and pasteurized?

I would love to make a long curing cheddar type of cheese, but don't want to waste the effort with poor milk to begin with.

[wheels]

I'm no cheese-maker, but would go for the least processed, so pasteurized in preference to homogenized.

HTH

Phil

[SausageBoy]

I use raw milk.


Check this out.....
"Where can I find real milk?"

http://www.realmilk.com/where03.html

[JLPicard]

I use raw milk.


Check this out.....
"Where can I find real milk?"

http://www.realmilk.com/where03.html

SWEET thanks!

[franyanne]

I am going to have a go at making mozzarella cheese next week, so am delighted to see your post. I have been reading up about it, a suggestion is to use lipase powder to add a little more flavor to the cheese along with your thermophilic starter culture. I will be using raw milk which will give more flavor too . I bought my starter and lipase powder from a web site www.thecheesemaker.com. Maybe we can compare notes.

[jenny_haddow]

Lucky you having raw milk available. I have to use pasteurised, but I get a good flavoursome cheese from it. Over the years I have worked my way through most of Rik's recipes, all good, especially the stilton. Franco's 7 day Lancashire is a regular with us, quick to do with a good result at the end of the week. Hope the mozzarella turns out well, keep us posted.

Cheers

Jen

[JLPicard]

I contacted a couple of the milk producers I found on the link above, and I am a bit confused. I chatted for a pretty long time with one of the closest producers on that list and he told me it is illegal to sell raw milk period. There is no licensing for that in the US. What is being licensed is milk that is pasteurized, but not homogenized. What is also driving people to purchase this milk is the lack of growth hormones and antibiotics that are given to herd cows for the industry. BUT, he stressed that there are some very serious ailments and diseases that can result from contaminated milk, so all those injections are not that bad. He also told me it was not illegal for producers to milk their cows and consume their own raw milk right from the milk bucket, but no milk could leave the premises, however he could sell cheeses made from his own milk.

He was now out of the business, after almost dying from a burst intestine and has since sold all his equipment. Another place I contacted sold milk off that list, and it was three times what one would pay in the market. Too much for my budget. How much cheese can be produced from a gallon of milk? I think it takes about three gallons to make a pound of cheese is that right?

[grisell]

[---]
How much cheese can be produced from a gallon of milk? I think it takes about three gallons to make a pound of cheese is that right?

I'm no expert on this, but I think that you can calculate it approximately. Since whey is virtually fat-free, all the fat in the cheese will have to come from the curd. If you know the fat content of the milk and the desired fat content of the cheese you're making, you should be able to calculate it.

Example: You are making mozzarella with 22% fat from inhomogenized milk with 4% fat. One litre of milk will yield 4/22 = 0.18 litre of cheese (approximately 180 grams).

It's probably not always this simple, but it corresponds well with my yield when I make mozzarella.

[SausageBoy]

How much cheese can be produced from a gallon of milk? I think it takes about three gallons to make a pound of cheese is that right?

How long is a rope?

Cheese yield depends on the cheese being made and the milk being used.

For example, Jersey milk has a better cheese yield than Holstein milk.

Here's a basic yield table:

http://cheeseforum.org/articles/wiki-mi ... _Table_USA

Milk components and yield:

http://www.usjersey.com/NationalAllJers ... eyield.htm

[SausageBoy]

I contacted a couple of the milk producers I found on the link above, and I am a bit confused. I chatted for a pretty long time with one of the closest producers on that list and he told me it is illegal to sell raw milk period. There is no licensing for that in the US. What is being licensed is milk that is pasteurized, but not homogenized. What is also driving people to purchase this milk is the lack of growth hormones and antibiotics that are given to herd cows for the industry. BUT, he stressed that there are some very serious ailments and diseases that can result from contaminated milk, so all those injections are not that bad. He also told me it was not illegal for producers to milk their cows and consume their own raw milk right from the milk bucket, but no milk could leave the premises, however he could sell cheeses made from his own milk.

Some states may have laws that forbid the selling of raw milk, but it's not illegal everywhere.

[franyanne]

Lucky you having raw milk available. I have to use pasteurised, but I get a good flavoursome cheese from it. Over the years I have worked my way through most of Rik's recipes, all good, especially the stilton. Franco's 7 day Lancashire is a regular with us, quick to do with a good result at the end of the week. Hope the mozzarella turns out well, keep us posted.

I used to have my own cow, but sadly she is past away so I am getting milk from a friend who has a large dairy farm, he has montbeliard cows. I am swapping milk for cheese so no money changes hands. I don't know what the laws are in the UK for buying raw milk.I will certainly try the recipes on here, I have made a hard farmhouse chedar type cheese which is very nice. I love brie and plan to have a go at that too. I am picking up 25 litres on Wednesday evening, so Thursday will be the day, very very excited.

http://www.cheese-yogurt-making.com


This web site has a rennet which is suposed to give a high yeild of cheese to milk, I have bought some to try, has anyone any experience of this?