Without a good set up, most cheeses won’t ever become what they should be, and some won’t become anything much at all. Apart from pig or chook feed, or compost waste that is.

Using the suggested coagulation times in a cheese recipe is reasonably reliable for getting a set, but not overly precise in terms of getting the best set to achieve the ideal cheese profile.

Sure, you might end up with a Gouda after all your hard work, but does it have the texture and moisture that you know it should have? Do you have a cheese that could give the all those store bought wedges a run for their money.

And to make things more interesting, the many variables in just the combining of milk and Rennet, such as Rennet strength, amounts and viability, seasonal and commercial milk variations and heating temperatures, let alone room temperature and acidity levels, can send things somewhat awry.

As you continue with your cheese making journey you’ll likely come to a point where you will want to understand more advanced methods that will allow you to perfect your ‘starter cheese profiles’. Or maybe you just want to avoid any more vats of gloopy unset curd from having to be disposed of.

Either way, the curd set up step in cheese making can become a lot more reliable and you can gain more control over achieving a preferred firmness of curd with what is known as the Flocculation Method. But first I will explain what flocculation is.

What Is Flocculation?

I heard about the flocculation method and began using it for my home cheese making then I thought to myself what is flocculation?

Flocculation is when fine particles are caused to clump together. This is called a “floc”. The floc may float to the top of the liquid which is called creaming or sink to the bottom of the liquid which is called sedimentation.

What Is The Flocculation Method?

The Flocculation Method is a way to test the point of coagulation, when the solids begin to separate from the whey.

Using this method to define the point when coagulation occurs, and then using a standard multiplier depending on the cheese type (listed below), you can predict the optimum curd set point for the type of cheese you are making.

These optimum set points dictate how much whey is bound in the curd, therefore contributing to the moisture content and texture of your cheese.

A soft cheese typically has a higher flocculation time, and a larger curd cut, keeping more moisture in the cheese.

A hard cheese on the other hand has a lower flocculation time, and a smaller curd cut, releasing more whey for a firmer, drier cheese.

It might sound complex, but the aim of Curd-Nerd is to try and de-mystify the sometimes technical aspect of cheese making and keep things reasonably simple, so here are the steps of what is actually a pretty simple method when you break it down.

Flocculation Method – Step By Step

Add your Rennet to the milk, and mix thoroughly.

Leave your Rennet to work for 5-6 minutes then take a sterilised bowl (I use a small glass bowl) and place it onto the surface of the milk. The bowl will float on the top of the milk.

Spin the bowl gently and notice that it freely rotates in the milk. The spinning of the bowl is why this method is also sometimes referred to as….wait for it…..’the spinning bowl method’.

Continue to spin the bowl regularly, every minute or so. You will notice the bowl will slowly start to resist spinning in the milk as freely as it did when you started

Eventually the bowl will become almost totally resistant to spinning without force, and you will also notice that a dent has moulded in the solid curd mass forming underneath the bowl.

This is the coagulation point and it ideally occurs at about the 12-15 minute mark.

This video shows the first stage of the Flocculation Method. Notice that they push the bowl rather than spinning it. Either technique gives the same information.

Now depending on the cheese you are making, you need to take the number of minutes it took until coagulation and multiply it by one of the factors below for your ideal curd strength:

The higher the multiplier, the more moisture is held in the cheese. So cheeses such as Brie and Camembert have a higher multiplier than say Parmesan.

Now you can work out your total Rennet Set time –

Coagulation time x multiplier = total time from Rennet addition to cut

So if you have a coagulation time of 14 minutes and a multiplier of 3.5 for Cheddar you would have a total of 49-50 minutes Rennet set time.

When using the Flocculation method it is a good idea to keep a log of the set times you achieve with different cheeses. This will give you an indication of what to expect and then if you find it changes, you can start to assess (and better understand) if product, seasonal or environmental factors are having an impact on your cheese making process.

Flocculation Method Discrepancies

Common discrepancies that occur with the Flocculation method are either too short a coagulation time (less than 10 minutes) or a coagulation time that is too long (anything upwards of 20 minutes). These discrepancies can occur due to any of the variants mentioned above but can often also be easily remedied by adjusting the amount of Rennet, up or down, to achieve the preferred coagulation point of between 12-15 minutes.

So hopefully, if I’ve explained this clearly enough, you can see that the Flocculation Method is not overly complicated but it does take a little extra attention, thought and patience.

It’s well worth it though to have more control over how your Rennet performs with your milk and to feel more confident about getting a better curd set, and a more superior end product.

Give the Flocculation Method a try with your next make and let the community know how you go. If you have any issues, we can work them out together. Join the discussion over at the Curd Nerd Forum. We would love to hear from you!

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The point of pressing your cheese is to not only expel the whey but it is also how the small curds are knitted together to form the smooth shape, texture and density of the cheese.

When the curds don’t knit properly you will get a range of results from creases, cracks and crevices throughout the cheese, or a complete catastrophe of curd that doesn’t form any kind of shape or mass and just falls apart.

So what causes a lack of knit with cheese curds?

There are a couple of likely explanations if your curds don’t knit together.

The first, and most common reason, is a lack of sufficient pressure or pressing time when molding the curds, particularly with hard cheeses like Cheddar.

It is important to follow the recipe guides for pressing weights and durations with your cheese making but also take into account if you have made a larger batch or are using a mold which might alter how the pressure is applied. For example deeper molds may require more surface pressure to compensate for the density and springiness of the curds.

Another reason you may experience a poor knit with your curd is due to the temperature of the curd when it was time to press.

If the curd is too cold when you put it into the mold, it can be very difficult to get a good knit for your cheese as the curd firms up.

If you are living in colder climates and keeping your curd warm prior to and during the pressing is a problem, one way to keep your curd warm enough is to press in the pot.

To do this, put your empty, clean stockpot in the sink. Put your cheese, in its mold, into the stockpot and then put your first weight requirement from the recipe on top to press the cheese. Plate weights are good for this purpose.

Next fill the sink with hot water so that the inside of the pot reaches approximately 30 degrees Celsius and put the lid on. Keep your cheese pressing in the pot for the first press and 2^nd press (after the first turn).

The warmth of the pot will also warm the curd and should help them to knit nicely together to form a fabulous cheese.

On the flipside, curd that is too hot can also have problems. If you warm your curd too quickly during the make a skin can form on the surface of the curd and can retard the knitting process so it’s important to keep your curd within the recommended temperatures to avoid problems.

So if you’re struggling with getting a good curd knit keep an eye on your pressing weight and times, and also your curd temperatures.

And if you are still having problems with your cheese, post a comment below and let the Curd-Nerd community help you out : )

For more information about pressing your cheese, check out these posts:

The Pressing Issue About Cheese
Why Did My Curd Stick To My Cheese Cloth
Pressing Your Cheese –  Bringing It All Together

What Is Calcium Chloride (CACI2)?

Calcium Chloride (CaCI2) is a salt solution, which is used in cheese making to restore the calcium balance of milk.

When Should You Use Calcium Chloride In Cheese Making?

If you use store bought, homogenized and pasteurized milk for cheese making you will more than likely need to add Calcium Chloride.

It is required to re-balance the calcium content of milk as the manufacturing processes of pasteurization, heating and rapidly cooling the milk, and homogenization decreases the amount of calcium in the milk and can affect the clotting properties.

This will be noticeable by a slower coagulation of the milk after adding the Rennet, a softer, less stable curd and in some cases where the calcium levels are extremely low, no coagulation at all.

Adding Calcium Chloride to your milk brings the calcium content back into balance and will result in a firmer curd, that you will find much easier to cut and work with.

But it’s not just store bought milk that can benefit from Calcium Chloride. If you are using Goat’s Milk for cheese making, particularly when making hard cheeses.

You may need to add Calcium Chloride to get a firm curd as Goat’s milk goes through a natural homogenization process in the animal’s body and without CaCI2 it may produce a curd that is too weak to cut properly.

And Calcium chloride is often also used with raw cows milk as well, as different feeding conditions; for example winter feeding, and the health of the animals can affect the calcium levels of the milk.

Ultimately, whether you do or don’t need Calcium Chloride for fresh, raw milk will depend purely on the quality of milk.

I personally don’t or haven’t needed to add CaCI2 to the raw milk I use but if you find you are getting a weak curd from your milk supply, and you know your Rennet is still viable, you can try adding Calcium Chloride to remedy the problem.

Some friends have used the brand below and have had no issues. It is globally shipped from Amazon. Check the price.

Adding Calcium Chloride To Cheese

It is important to add exactly the right amount of Calcium Chloride so that the curd firms up enough but is not compromised by too much CaCI2 to the point of being unusable.

The recommended measure is ¼ teaspoon per gallon of milk. Calcium Chloride is normally added to the milk before you start with your cheese making.

Some cheese makers even prefer to add the CaCI2 to the milk in the stockpot the night before a make so that it has plenty of time to do it’s work re-balancing, before starting the cheese making process.

To add Calcium Chloride, simply dilute your CaCI2 in ¼ cup cool, distilled water, the same way you would with your Rennet, so it can then be stirred in evenly through the milk.

As I mentioned earlier in this post, and in previous posts, Calcium Chloride can also be used in your brine solutions to balance the calcium levels between brine and cheese, which can prevent your cheese ‘melting’ or going slimy when it is being preserved.

This is a reasonably common issue and the addition of CaCI2 to the mix is usually a reliable solution as it establishes an even balance and stops the calcium from being leeched from the cheese into the brine, causing the cheese to soften and melt.

Food Grade Calcium Chloride is available in our shop, at your local home-brew store or at the chemist.

Do you have any questions or comments about using Calcium Chloride in your Home Cheese Making? Join the discussion over at the Curd Nerd Forum. We would love to hear from you!

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With your curds all nicely cut and having had a 5 minute rest, for many recipes, the next step is to scald the curds.

Otherwise known as cooking the curds.

Why Do You Need To Scald Or Cook The Cheese Curd?

This part of the process helps to expel more whey and firm the curds up as well as increasing acidity.

Scalding the curd means bringing the curd up to a temperature between 35c and 38c degrees over 30-60 minute (usually).

One key is to not to increase the temperature too quickly unless the recipe states to. A good guide is raising the temperature of the curd by about 1c degree every 5 minutes.

If you raise the temperature too quickly the curds will develop a rind type surface and the whey will be held in the curd.

You may also find that due to this rind type surface, the curd will not knit together as well when pressing.

With correct cooking the whey will be properly expelled and you should notice the curd percentage in the pot shrink and the whey percentage increase.

It is important that during the scalding, you regularly gently stir your curds so that they do not mat together, and stick to the bottom of the pot.

After scalding (cooking) the curds will need to rest again for 5-10 minutes.

They you are ready to drain, mill or press!

Do you have any questions or comments about Home Cheese Making? Join the discussion over at the Curd Nerd Forum. We would love to hear from you!

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But you find when you start to peel the cheese cloth away, the curd has stuck to it and no matter how cautiously you try to pull it away, the curd sticks and breaks away from the cheese mass. The cloths a mess, the cheese now has chunks out of it and you wonder what went wrong?

There are two reasons why your cheese curd might have become stuck like this:

1. With hard cheeses that are pressed for longer periods, at heavier weights you need to turn and redress your cheese a couple of times during the press time so that it not only forms in a more uniform shape, but also does not mold into the cheese cloth.
2. If a cheese has a higher PH at dressing and molding you may find it sticks. Haloumi can be a bit notorious for this and as the curds shrink, lose more whey and form a soft rind they pull the cloth into the curd and meld together.

Answer:

With harder cheeses be sure to turn and redress as often as advised in the recipe. Don’t try and be ‘efficient’ with this part of the make. For the cheese that has a higher PH when molding, soak your cloth in whey before molding.

If in doubt of the PH level, err on the side of caution and soak the cloth anyway.

Do you have any questions or comments about Home Cheese Making? Join the discussion over at the Curd Nerd Forum. We would love to hear from you!

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This post is Part 4 of the continued basic home cheese making instructions. See the Curd Nerd Beginner Page or the Basic Instructions category for previous parts.

You’ve waited patiently, letting the Rennet do it’s thing and now you have a lovely firm, set curd.

Most recipes will instruct you to cut the curd at this point.

The only recipes that might skip this step and instead direct you to ladle your curd from the pot straight into molds without cutting are recipes like Camembert and Brie.

In this case you are effectively slicing the curd as your ladle it out of the pot and this keeps the curd at a larger size, retaining more moisture for these softer, creamier cheeses.

I personally use this method but others use the cutting method even for soft cheeses. Experiment and discover which method you prefer.

But let’s get back to cutting the curds. Again, depending on the recipe, you will need to cut the curds into a certain size. Many are 1cm, some are smaller.

Either way, the point of cutting the curds is to determine the rate and amount of whey being released. So the type of cheese you are making, soft or hard, will guide how small the curd needs to be.

What You Want From Cutting The Curd

When cutting the curd you are aiming for a uniform, consistent cube of curd. Crushed curds, or lots of smaller uneven curds, will result in increased loss of butterfat and milk solids and you could end up with a drier, crumblier cheese.

Cutting the curd can seem difficult at first and takes a bit of practice to get the hang of but don’t panic about it too much. Just keep making more cheese until it becomes easier ; )

Curd Cutting Tool

Cheese Curd Cutter

There are proper cheese curd cutters available, like this one:

Cheese Curd Knife / Blade

But most home cheese makers either use a long blade, straight edge knife or a long length palette knife like this:

Cutting The Curd Process

To begin cutting the curds put your knife or palette in at the point from the edge of the pot that matches your required size. Cut through the curd from one side of the pot to the other, making sure you run the knife right down to the bottom of the pot.

Move the knife across the same distance as the required curd size and repeat.

Continue moving across the pot until you have cut equal lines across from one side to the other.

Turn the pot 90 degrees and then follow the same method as above until you end up with a checkerboard like effect with your cuts.

Now put your knife back in at a 45 degree angle this time, and cut the same distance, keeping your knife on the angle.

Turn the pot 90 degrees and do the same covering the curd that won’t have been cut in the above step.

When you have completed these steps let the curd rest for 5 minutes.

Then VERY carefully use your ladle to turn the curds over so you can bring up any bigger pieces that haven’t been cut and cut these to the required curd size.

As I say, don’t panic too much of you can’t get this technique perfect, as long as all of the curds are roughly the required size.

When you first cut the curds you will notice the whey is a white-ish colour as some of the butterfat will have been released. Your whey will then take on a green-ish colour as the butterfat seems to disappear. This green-ish colour is normal.

If you are making a harder cheese like Parmesan your required curd size might be smaller than you can successfully cut with a knife. For these cheeses a whisk is often used after the initial curd cutting, to reduce the size of the curd down to the smaller size required.

The whisk is gently moved through the curds to cut the cubes already created. It is extremely important that you don’t use the whisk as you normally would, whisking up the curd, otherwise you will completely break the curds down and end up with a solid brick of cheese.

Just gently move the whisk through the curd and let it slice the cubes carefully until you have your required size.

Once your curds are all cut, let them rest and heal for 5 minutes before proceeding to the next step in your recipe.

Do you have any questions or comments about Cutting Curd? Join the discussion over at the Curd Nerd Forum. We would love to hear from you!

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This post is Part 3 of the continued basic home cheese making instructions. See the Curd Nerd Beginner Page or the Basic Instructions category for previous parts.

We’ve talked milk, we’ve added the cultures. Now it’s time to set up a curd. Let’s add the Rennet.

What Is Rennet?

Rennet is a product that contains a complex assortment of enzymes which coagulates milk, turning it into curds (solids) and whey (liquid). Yes, Miss Muffet was eating cheese.

There are two types of rennet. Calf Rennet and Vegetarian Rennet. As suggested, the prior comes from calves, specifically their stomach. The latter comes from a variety of plants that have properties that coagulate milk.

I Trust and Use Renco Rennet

There are many suppliers and brands of rennet but I have to confess to using one of the cheaper options available – Renco Rennet.

The great thing about Renco is that it is reasonably priced but also, even though I normally but it direct in bulk, it is available at the supermarket so if I run out, it’s not a mission (or a delay) to get more.

Adding rennet to your milk, is what will set up your curd. There are a few slightly different methods for adding rennet but ultimately, you are trying to achieve the same thing each time.

A good firm curd. Some recipes will tell you to add your rennet straight into the milk.

How Long Does Rennet Last?

After the recommended shelf life the strength will begin to drop.

Animal Rennet

Up to 12 months

Vegetable Rennet

4-6 months

Organic Vegetable Rennet

3-4 months

How To Use Rennet

Testing The Rennet Curd

Do you have any questions or comments about using Rennet in your Home Cheese Making? Join the discussion over at the Curd Nerd Forum. We would love to hear from you!

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