How do you make cheese curd batter at home

Mix the rennet/water into the milk using an up-and-down motion with your spoon (not a stirring motion).

Once the milk is ready, dilute the rennet in 1/4 cup cool water.

Allow the milk to sit undisturbed for an hour at room temperature.

Add the culture to the milk and stir thoroughly.

If using calcium chloride, incorporate the mixture of diluted calcium chloride into the milk as the milk starts to warm up.

Warm the milk in a stainless steel (or other non-reactive) pot to 86вЏ.(Click here for practical methods for aging cheese.) Wax the cheese and age at 55В° to 60вЏ for at least 60 days.Remove the cheese from the press and air-dry for 2 to 3 days, until smooth and dry to the touch.Re-wrap using a fresh piece of cheesecloth, and press at 50 pounds of pressure for 24 hours. Remove the cheese from the press, unwrap, and flip the cheese.Re-wrap using a fresh piece of cheesecloth, and press at 40 pounds of pressure for 12 hours. Wrap the cloth around the cheese and press at 10 pounds of pressure for 15 minutes. Line the cheese press with a piece of cheesecloth and carefully place the curds into the press.Remove the pot from the sink and add salt.In 10 minutes, stir gently with your fingers or a wooden spoon.Place back in the pot, cover, and place in the sink filled with 102вЏ water. Remove them from the pot and cut into ВЅ-inch cubes. After 2 hours, the curds will be shiny and very firm.This is the cheddaring process and will give your cheese its unique flavor and deliciousness. Keeping the temperature of the curds right around 100вЏ, turn the slices every 15 minutes for the next 2 hours. Fill a sink or basin with 102вЏ water and place the pot and curds into it.Pour the whey out of the pot, cut the mass into five slices, and place back into the pot. You should have a semi-solid mass that looks like jelly. Remove the colander from the pot and turn the curds out onto a cutting board.Place the colander and curds back into the cheese pot and allow to drain for 15 minutes. After 30 minutes, stop stirring and allow the curds to settle to the bottom of the pot.If the curds get too hot, remove from heat. Once the curds are at 100вЏ, maintain the temperature and continue stirring for the next 30 minutes.Over the next 30 minutes, slowly heat the curds to 100вЏ, stirring frequently.Using the knife, carefully cut the curds into Вј-inch cubes and allow to set for 5 minutes.You should see a layer of mostly clear whey floating on top of the curd, and the curd should be pulling away from the sides of the pot. Remove from heat source and allow the cheese to set for 1 hour, or until the whey begins to separate from the curd.

Using an up-and-down motion with your spoon will ensure that the rennet works its way through all the milk, so you can get the highest possible yield. Stir to homogenize the milk, and slowly fold in the diluted rennet.If it naturally drops in temperature, that is OK.) When the milk gets to 85вЏ, add culture, stir in with an up-and-down motion, cover, and ferment for 1 hour.As the milk is heating, add the calcium chloride, if using.In a large pot, heat the milk to 85вЏ, stirring frequently.

How do you make cheese curd batter at home