• Making Home Cheese Making Cheaper
• Cultivate Your Own Blue Mold
• Make Your Own Cultures

It seems costs savings are still on the minds of some home cheese makers since we’ve been asked a few times now if existing cheeses can be used as cultures for making new cheese, as a means towards saving money.

Answering this question is easy.

Yes you can use existing cheeses as cultures.

In fact this method has been used for as long as cheese has been made to pass on a desirable strain of bacteria and preferred type of cheese through families and even across villages, countries and continents.

But there’s a little more to it now that we’ve got access to commercially made cultures. There are still a few good reasons to harvest your own cultures, but there are also some draw backs so let’s look at whether propagating cultures from an existing cheese is a good idea or not.

The Case FOR Using Existing Cheese As Cultures

There are a few seemingly good reasons for having a go at using an existing cheese as a possible source of cultures for your new cheeses.

1) Saving money

Purchasing commercial cheese cultures can be one of the most expensive aspects of home cheese making and any opportunity to reduce cost while still being able to enjoy the hobby of cheese making, and the wonderful results of that hobby, is enticing.

2) Recreating A Preferred Cheese

If you have a particular cheese that you enjoy which is made by a commercial producer you might want to try reproducing that cheese for yourself. Without knowing what cultures they used it could seem impossible to replicate what they’ve created but with a little of the cheeses ‘DNA’ you may have a better chance.

3) Fun

Let’s be honest, most home cheese makers have a little bit of the adventurer in us and we like to see what happens if we do one thing versus another. Experimenting is an inherent part of cheese making and trying to inoculate a new cheese with old cheese is just another one of those fun experiments.

The Case AGAINST Using Existing Cheese As Cultures

1) Unpredictability

There is absolutely no way you can know what bacteria, good or bad, you are adding to your cheese. Yes, you may get the good stuff you were hoping for and end up with a cheese similar to that which you were trying to replicate, but you may also get a bunch of nasties that you weren’t expecting, without knowing what was going on with the cheese you harvested from.

Likewise, you can’t predict how the existing cheese cultures will react with the milk, and how the acid levels will be affected. Commercial cultures are manufactured to be more predictable and create a ‘typical’ response so for the home cheese maker, especially a new one, they are the safest way to get a reliable outcome.

2) Fuss

To use the existing cheese you need to do a bit more work. First you need to harvest a piece of the cheese, then either dry it, grind it down to a powder and mix it with spring water to add it into your cheese, or harvest your cheese, blend it with boiled and cooled milk, leave it overnight to check for viability (which is evident if the milk coagulates after the existing cheese is added) and then add that mixture to your new cheese. Can you be bothered with the extra time and effort? Or would you rather just sprinkle a few pre-made spores in and carry on with the rest of the process?

3) Cost

In the full scheme of things are the cultures really that expensive compared to what you could spend on cheese? I know that here in New Zealand, even with the cost of cultures, milk, and rennet, making my own cheese is still cheaper than buying it. Especially for the fresh cheeses. Up front, cultures might seem costly but the amounts that are used are small and as a total contribution to your cheese cost, it’s still pretty reasonable.

And in addition, if your harvesting experiment doesn’t go well, you could lose more money in the milk and rennet that never becomes the cheese you were planning on, or it becomes a bacteria ridden frankencheese ; )

Still Keen?

If you do decide to go ahead and harvest an existing cheese for cultures then just make sure you do so with the most stringent of cleanliness and caution so as to avoid introducing any unwanted bacteria.

Use a cheese that looks well stored and presents in a good state at purchase and, if possible, take your harvest from the center of the cheese when you first cut into it.

While taking this kind of care is a bit of a departure from the rustic way it was done traditionally, and many people scoff at taking all the extra care when for centuries people would just slice off a chunk of cheese and hand it around for the next person to use, I personally would rather avoid getting ill from my experiments than be a stickler for the old ways.

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

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It’s the curse of any cheese that you hoped would turn out smooth and soft.

There are cheeses that we expect to have a slightly drier or crumblier texture, but when it isn’t planned, it’s a real disappointment, and the worst part is that you usually don’t know your cheese has gone that way until after you’ve waited weeks, or months, and then cut it open to find less than desirable results.

Most of the time it’s still edible, but it’s just not how you really want it.

There is a saying that good cheese is made in the vat, and therefore, a bad cheese (or a not so perfect cheese I should say) is created in the vat too. It’s not during the aging that your hard work turns to a dry, crumbly mess.

Aging simply enhances or exaggerates the results. The foundation is set from the moment you have a vat full of milk.

So what’s causing that dry, crumbly texture?

What do you need to do differently so that it doesn’t keep happening?

As is often the case with cheese making, there are a number of things that can contribute to an (unwanted) crumbly cheese, from using the wrong amounts of ingredients, to how you treat the curds.

One of the most common reasons for a dry, crumbly texture in cheese though is over acidification.

This means that through one or more steps the acid in your cheese has been allowed to over develop, reducing the amount of protein in the cheese, causing it to become more brittle.

Excess acidity also causes the curds to shrink, losing more moisture than they otherwise would, creating a drier cheese.

There are a couple of remedies for over acidification:

• Try reducing the amount of culture you use. Too much culture will create a lower pH (higher acid level) and contribute to your problem.
• Reduce the ripening time from when you add your cultures, to when you add your rennet. The longer you allow the culture to ripen the milk, the more acid is created. Once you add rennet though, you slow down the acid production due to the formation of the curd.
• Wash the curd after it has been cut and cooked, to stall the acidification process.

Also make sure you are using fresh milk for your cheese making. Older milk can often have a higher acidity to begin with, and will be further acidified with your cultures and ripening. The quality of your milk can also affect your results, so where possible, use the best quality milk you can.

Handling Your Curd

Another reason you might end up with a dry, crumbly cheese is due to how you have handled the curd.

Rough handling can shatter the curds and cause fat loss, creating a less ‘elastic’ cheese texture.

Likewise, curd cut too small for the type of cheese you are making will result in a similar loss and give you a paste that is drier.

The remedy, of course, is to cut your curd to the recommended size, and when stirring or handling, to do it carefully with lots of curd love ; ) Remember, all those pale, mushy little friends are going to hopefully make you a delicious block of cheese.

Temperature plays it’s part in your final result too, and both over cooking, and under cooking can send you wrong. Particularly, curd cooked at temperatures lower than recommended can cause lactose to be retained, which then converts to lactic acid during the remainder of the cheese making process.

Be vigilant about cooking times and temperatures. A few degrees higher or lower can make a big difference, as can extending the cooking times.

Because there is more than one possible reason for your cheeses becoming dry and crumbly, with more than one remedy at times, it can be difficult to know what you need to change first to get the best outcome.

I always recommend only changing one thing at a time when you are adjusting your cheese making process. Think about what the most likely cause of your problem is and then change that one step first.

See how it affects the results before changing any other steps and to help you work out what worked and what didn’t, use a cheese making log to record your work. When you get it right, you are going to want to know what you did so you can do your best to replicate it.

Good luck!

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

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While most home cheese makers find making cheese for their family and friends enough of a thrill, some cheese making hobbyists decide to take things to the next level, and start thinking about selling their cheeses at markets or, if possible, in local stores.

If you’ve ever thought about taking this next step, you’ll know that there are quite a few things to consider before you can branch out. There’s the purchasing of supplies, tools and equipment, planning how to increase production levels, extra costs and finding ways to market your cheeses.

And then there’s the regulatory matters.

Food safety is a pretty tightly controlled process in most countries, and it is becoming more and more difficult to just peddle your wares at the local farmers market. I know that in the country I live in, they are pushing through a new set of regulations that mean even a little old lady wanting to simply sell a few jars of jam at her grandchild’s school fundraiser, can end up in more trouble than she ever expected.

It’s got kind of ridiculous in my opinion, and artisan cheese certainly hasn’t escaped the red tape either.

In fact regulations for selling cheese have been around for a long time, and in some countries they are particularly rigid if you are using raw milk to make your cheese.

In a bid to ‘prevent dangerous bacteria being consumed and causing illness’ certain countries have specifications that raw milk must either go through a pasteurization process before being used for cheese making, or the final cheese product needs to be aged for a certain period of time before it can be sold as a ‘food safe’ product.

The key to avoiding any unnecessary fines or negative exposure once you are ready to sell your cheese, is to know what these periods are so that you can comply.

In New Zealand, Australia, the United States and Canada the required aging period is 60 days or more. Mind you, this period has been tabled for review multiple times in some of these countries, so it would be wise to check with your local authorities before you venture down the path of selling your cheese, to see if any changes have been made.

In many European countries the compulsory aging rules on raw cheeses are a lot looser, if not completely absent, due to long standing traditions of raw milk cheese production and consumption. There are some areas which enforce certain regulations, but no where near as stringent as the countries mentioned earlier. Again, if you want to sell your cheese, make sure you know which rules you need to adhere to, if any.

So, if you are considering selling your cheeses, take the time to inquire about the local food safety rules for your country. It’s not worth the risk of hoping things will be fine and finding out you’ve breached regulations, when most food safety agencies are more than happy to provide you with the information you need.

Do you have any questions or comments about selling cheese? Are you already selling your cheeses? Be sure to let us all know where we can find you.

There just might be other Curd-Nerds in your area who are keen to support you. Join the discussion over at the Curd Nerd Forum. We would love to hear from you!

Curd Nerd Forum

 

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The first is when I get a really good, firm curd and get a strange satisfaction from cutting it in clean, neat lines. The other is when I make Camembert and see that gorgeous fluffy white mold growing over the cheese.

That beautiful Camembert cheese mold, there’s nothing better than watching that white blanket start to cover over each round, signally the beginnings of another successful Camembert batch.

Because these little milestones feel so good to achieve, it’s really disappointing when they don’t happen.

Anyone who has tried making Camembert will likely experience the disappointment of poor (or no) mold growth at least once.

And without that thick marsh-mellowy mold, you unfortunately don’t really have Camembert.

So what might be stopping the white mold from growing on your Camembert?

There are few reasons and hopefully if you address one, or all of them, you’ll be on your way to a good covering of white fuzz with your next Camembert make.

No Camembert Mold?

The white mold on cheeses like Camembert and Brie should start to grow in 3-4 days of being put into your aging area (fridge or other aging area).

If this doesn’t happen you need to check the following:

Temperature – If it’s too cold in your aging area the white mold won’t grow so check that your Camembert is sitting at around 12 degrees Celsius/54 degrees Fahrenheit

Salt – The application of salt either through rubbing, sprinkling or brining is important for the growth of your white mold as it inhibits the growth of unwanted molds, and leaves room for the desirable molds to develop. Make sure you cover all surfaces liberally with cheese salt.

Moisture – White mold will not grow well in conditions that are too moist so be sure to mop up any extra moisture that has drained underneath the cheeses.

Application – You can either add the Penicillium Candidum to your milk during the make, or spray it on to your cheese once you have formed your rounds. If one way does not appear to be working well for you, try the other way and make sure you are applying the correct amounts.

Competition – As mentioned, if unwanted molds are allowed to develop, they are usually aggressive enough to outgrow the molds you do want to grow, so keep any undesirables under control while your white mold develops.

Remember to also turn your cheeses daily, while your white Camembert mold grows, so that it has a chance to sprout and develop on all sides of the cheese. When you turn your cheese, pat down the fluffy white mold so that it forms an even, consistent rind and creates that gorgeous traditional Camembert cheese look.

Regularly turning your cheeses will also avoid the mold growing into your draining mats and then tearing away from the cheese when you try to turn them.

Camembert Related Articles

• Camembert Cheese Recipe
• Camembert – The Ripening Process
• Slip Skin – Camembert Rind Nemesis
• Homemade Camembert Adventures In Home Cheese Making
• How To Monitor Your Camembert Maturation

Do you have any questions or comments about your white molds? Perhaps you know of another reason why white molds might be inhibited?

Join the discussion over at the Curd Nerd Forum and share your cheesy knowledge. We would love to hear from you!

Curd Nerd Forum

By doing this you will save a lot of money from buying thermophilic and mesophilic cultures so often.

Allowing you to make more homemade cheese for less costs.

That’s not all…

We will cover what are cheese cultures, mesophilic cultures and thermophilic cultures. Outlining which cultures should be used for certain cheeses.

The bottom line is I have been doing this for years and it has saved me a pretty penny.

It has allowed me to make more delicious cheeses then I would have been able to, if I had to buy starter cultures all the time.

Now, there’s a whole lot that goes into making the perfect wheel of cheese, of which cheese cultures take center spot.

Until recently, a crucial part of getting a great, tasty cheese meant having all the right ingredients and conditions necessary to nurture your own cultures, or to have had an established one shared with you to use.

Conversely, you had to have had an established set of cultures provided for you to use. These were and still remain to be known as mother cultures.

What Is Cheese Culture?

So, what is cheese culture? A Cheese culture comprises one or several species of lactic bacteria.

These lactose fermenting bacteria when added to milk, digest the lactose sugars to produce lactic acid which is what causes the formation of curds.

Without cheese cultures, you’d be making sour, coagulated milk cheeses that certainly do not come close to anything like the cheeses most of us enjoy.

The Cost Of Modern Day Home Cheese Making

Technology has turned around the traditional methods of making cheese. Now, you can buy bulk, readily prepared starter cultures to use as you like.

Even if you don’t have a local cheese-making supply store, you can jump online and with the click of a few buttons have cheese cultures swinging their way to you within a couple of days.

This has however done little to solve one home cheese making problem, the high costs of cheese cultures. One of the most expensive parts of making cheese at home is buying the starter cultures.

Even though you only use a small amount for each time you make cheese, the packets don’t last that long when you make cheese regularly.

In such instances, the costs really start to add up. This brings many DIY cheese makers to a point where they ask themselves whether they should create their own cheese cultures and make cheese making more economical.

Commercial Starters VS Homemade Cheese Cultures

A percentage of DIY Cheesemakers stand by the clear benefits of purchasing commercial starter cultures as opposed to making one’s own.

Commercial cheese cultures tend to be truer to type, and are produced so as to be free of any unwanted contaminants. You can rely on commercial cheese cultures to do what they are supposed to, as long as they aren’t expired or compromised in any way.

There are, however, numerous benefits of creating your own cheese cultures. By far, the best reason you should consider making your own cultures, as mentioned, is the reduced costs.

You can save a whole lot of money by taking one small amount of purchased starter culture and using it to make your own mother culture.

Afterwards, continue to re-culture from that first batch, without spending an extra cent. A lot of cheese can be made from each batch of lactic bacteria cultures if stored properly.

The cost savings will soon become apparent when you no longer have to keep stocking up on DVI cultures (Direct Vat Inoculation).

Another benefit to making your own cheese culture is that you’ll have easy access to as much starter culture as you may need, without worrying about your order getting delivered on time.

You’ll also enjoy keeping things more natural from start to finish in the cheese making process.

What Is Mesophilic Culture?

A mesophilic culture is a type of cheese culture that is best suited to work in moderate temperature. That means milk that is neither too hot nor too cold, anything up to 90°F.

How To Make Mesophilic Culture

Before you commence the process, it is vital that you maintain high standards of cleanliness, especially when preparing the mother cultures, similar to when you’re making your cheese.

A mother culture is the base bacterial culture from which you will draw samples to use in your future cheese-making projects.

• Sterilise a preserving jar and lid by boiling them in water for about 5 minutes or cleaning them then putting them in the oven at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes.
• Cool the jar then fill it with fresh, unpasteurized, skimmed milk, leaving ½ inch of headspace.
• Close the lid tightly.
• Place the jar in a deep pot with the water level ½ inch above the lid of the jar.
• Bring the water in the pot to the boil then leave it on a slow boil for 30 minutes.
• Remove the jar from the water and let it cool to 75 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Add the appropriate amount of freeze-dried mesophilic starter culture (depending on manufacturer’s instructions) to the milk while still at 75 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Close the lid tightly again and gently swish the jar to mix the culture into the milk.
• Place the jar somewhere that will keep the milk at 75 degrees Fahrenheit for 12-24 hours.
• After approximately 18 hours you should see a solid white gel forming. If not, leave it for longer, or place the jar somewhere warmer to encourage the coagulation.
• When the culture is ready, it should look like a thick yogurt. It will pull away from the sides of the jar cleanly and have a glossy surface.

Types Of Mesophilic Cultures And Their Uses

Fresh Cheese Culture:

An aromatic mesophilic culture used in making soft cheeses such as Neufchatel, Chevre, and Cottage Cheese. This culture can also be used to make flavorful aged types of cheese such as Baby Swiss and Blue Cheese.

Flora Danica Mesophilic Starter Culture:

Used to give cheeses a buttery flavor. The bacterial culture is primarily used to produce cheese such as Edam, Gouda, Leerdam, Samsoe, and other types of soft cheeses such as Camembert, and Blue Cheese.

Mesophilic Direct-Set Culture:

A versatile cheese culture that can be used to produce semi-soft and fresh cheeses at home. You can use this culture to makes cheeses such as Monterey Jack, Colby, Cheddar, Chèvre, Feta, and more.

Mesophilic Aromatic Type B:

A versatile cheese culture used to produce buttery, flavorful cheeses. This type of culture is mostly used to make soft cheeses such as Cream Cheese, Goat Cheese, and Cottage Cheese. You can also make sour cream and cultured butter among other speciality cheeses such as Camembert and Havarti.

MM Series Starter Culture:

Used to make buttery, open-textured cheeses such as Brie, Havarti, Camembert, Gouda, Edam, Feta, Blue Cheese, and Chevre.

RA22 Cheese Culture:

A fast acidifying bacterial culture used to make traditional cheddar and similar cheeses.

MA 4000 Series Culture:

This culture contains bacteria that resembles the bacteria balance in raw milk. This culture creates an open texture ideal for many types of cheese that include Brin D’ Amour, Caerphilly, and Roquefort cheese.

What Is A Thermophilic Culture?

A thermophilic culture involves bacteria that can withstand high heat and is used to make cheeses that can be heated up to 130 degrees.

How To Make A Thermophilic Culture

Making a thermophilic culture is as easy as making a mesophilic culture. To make a thermophilic culture, simply follow the same directions as above. However, in place of the mesophilic culture, add a thermophilic culture to the milk instead.

Allow the milk to cool and afterward incubate it at 110 degrees Fahrenheit, for 6 to 8 hours as opposed to the longer period for a Mesophilic culture.

Otherwise, the two processes are similar and, with the right care and conditions, should result in a batch of your very own homemade thermophilic culture ready for use.

Types Of Thermophilic Cultures And Their Uses

Thermophilic Direct-Set Starter Culture:

This type of thermophilic culture is used in the making of hard cheeses such as Romano, Parmesan, Mozzarella, Provolone, Emmental and Swiss cheese.

Propionic Shermanii Bacteria:

Primarily used for the eye formation in Emmental and the aroma, and flavor production in Swiss-type cheeses such as Gruyere.

Thermo B Culture:

Used to make Italian-Style Mozzarella, Romano, Parmesan, Provolone, other popular Italian cheeses.

Thermo C Culture:

This is also used to make Italian cheeses. The bacterial culture is suitable for making farmstead type cheeses, such as Gruyere, Emmentaler, Swiss, and Vacchino Romano cheese.

It is worth noting that thermophilic cultures are sometimes used together with mesophilic cultures.

Storing Your Cheese Cultures

Once you’re done making your mother culture, leave it in a jar and place it in the fridge.

The cultures should be used within a week.

However, if you intend to store the culture in the freezer for later use.

You can freeze it in ice cube trays and then pop out the cubes to store in freezer bags for a period of up to 6 months.

Remember to label your mother culture depending on what type it is, and the date you made it.

When you are ready to make your next wheel of cheese, simply use one ice cube for every 2 gallons or 10 litres of milk.

You can also use these ice cubes to start a new culture, using the same directions explained above.

This time, use an ice cube of your mother culture instead of the DVI cultures to inoculate the milk.

What Happens When Good Cheese Cultures Go Bad?

If for any reason your cheese culture goes bad, don’t use it to make cheese.

If it doesn’t coagulate, despite following all the steps, the correct temperature and time period, or has bubbles in it, then throw it out and start over again.

A bad starter culture will translate to bad cheese and a total lost time and effort.

Making your own starter cultures is a wonderful way to advance your home cheese making and to make this artisan craft even more economical. 

So, give it a go, and make your own Thermophilic and Mesophilic cultures and let us know how it turns out for you.

As always, feedback, advice or questions are welcomed. Join the discussion over at the Curd Nerd Forum. We would love to hear from you!

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If you’re a cheese shop owner and are looking for ways to set up your business for success, here are our top resource to help you do that: 

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How To Add Cheese Starter Cultures

Cheese starter cultures are a form of bacteria used in the production of cheese. They are added to the milk at the start of the cheese making process (not for all cheeses though, there are exceptions such as Haloumi) in order to determine taste, smell, texture and mouth feel.

The main cheese starter cultures are Thermophilic and Mesophilic. Thermophilic cultures can handle being heated to higher temperatures, Mesophilic cultures  suffers at higher temperatures.

There are also specific culture strains made by commercial manufacturers which fall into each of these types (Therm and Meso) and each subtly changes the results you will get with your cheese. Your recipe should tell you which culture type you need.

There are other cheese starter cultures such as propionic shermanii which affect the final look and texture of the cheese such as creating the ‘eyes’ (holes) in cheeses such as Swiss or Gruyere. As you get more experienced at making cheese you may want to investigate and give these a go.

Recultured or DVI?

Some cultures need to be recultured first or you can get DVI (direct vat inoculation) cultures which are much easier as you just drop them into your pot and stir them in.

Your cultures are likely to have been freeze dried when you receive them and you should store them in the freezer, sealed in a zip lock bag or container when you are not using them.

During your cheesemaking be careful when measuring your quantities as cultures change the acidity of your milk. Too much culture and your pH levels could end up too high, impacting the final product.

I personally use the CHR Hansen brand of cultures but there are others out there so look around. And support your local cheese making supply companies where you can by buying your products from them.

Finally it is possible to create your own cultures with Buttermilk (Mesophilic starter culture) and Yoghurt (Thermophilic starter culture).

Many new cheesemakers start off using these and it is most certainly cheaper to do so but with commercial cultures you are more likely to get the results you are expecting and hoping for.

If you have enjoyed this post then you will love these:

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

Curd Nerd Forum