What's wrong with my curd?

[Spencer]

Hello everyone! I’m fairly new to cheesemaking. I’ve done ricotta, paneer, bel pease, 30 min mozz, and my gouda is currently ageing.

In the past few batches, I think my curd is a bit sloppy in comparison to what I’m seeing on blogs and Youtube. I let the curd set for the recommended time, sometimes longer, to achieve a clean break, then let the curd heal. Here are some photos of the progression of the curd: https://photos.app.goo.gl/Jw2A14jTmNswLtdh1

I am using pasteurized homogenized whole milk bought at the store.
I added the recommended amount of calcium chloride.
Should I let the curd set longer and allow it to heal more, or is this the way it’s supposed to look?

Thanks for any help. I’m un sure what I’m doing wrong and would like to try and fix it.

[Ray Johnson]

Looks like curd is shattering on you. Are you checking floculation time at all? If not maybe look it up on you tube sometimes called spinning bowl test that can help you determine if you are getting the right amount of rennet to begin with and how long to let the curd set before cutting depending on your type of cheese. Also waiting for 5 to 15 min after cutting before stirring and stirring berry gently to begin with helps. Other than. That I would suspect maybe the milk is from late lactation cows as that can cause curd shatter also. Still will make for good cheese even if it is shattering but not quite what you are looking for

[Punkin]

Ray is right. You may be dealing with milk that is over industrialized. While the curd may not be as firm as we would like it still will produce good cheese if all other factors fall into place.

[Author]

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