# Help! milk didn't curdle for cheese



## Horse Fork Farm (Jan 3, 2006)

Got 2 gallons of milk up to 180*, added 1 cup vinegar as directed. Supposed to curdle in seconds but all I have is miniscule pin sized curding going on. What can I do to save it, I hate to waste!!! Thank you in advance! Kathy


----------



## Tracy Rimmer (May 9, 2002)

What kind of milk are you using?


----------



## steff bugielski (Nov 10, 2003)

For 2 gallons I would have used only 1/2 cup vinegar. You might have over acidified it.
I start with less and add more if I need, once you have too much you can not remove it.


----------



## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

If it is UHT milk it won't work. It's pasteurized with ultra high heat, and it messes up the proteins.


----------



## mduncn52 (Sep 8, 2007)

almost all commercial dairies now pasteurize at temps so high that the proteins are completely denatured and will not coagulate into anything except rice sized grains. Smiths pasteurizes at 170 deg. Dairyman's at 180. Useless for cheesemaking. In Ohio Hartzler Farms Dairy in Wooster pasteurizes at 140 deg for 30 mins. Makes beautiful cheese. I googled Ohio Dairies and just started making phone calls. Or Contact your local chapter of Weston A Price Foundation and find a local source of raw milk, if it is legal in your state. westonaprice.org


----------



## Horse Fork Farm (Jan 3, 2006)

Sorry it took me so long to answer. I got busy in the kitchen and had to do something with that cheese mess! I have a new dairy goat here and at a gallon a day its too much to drink it all. It was raw milk that I started with. The recipe said use1/2 cup vinegar per gallon and I followed the directions. Don't know what I did wrong, but obviously something. I finally was able to drain it and get some tiny curds and made a fresh cheese for the fridge so at least it didn't waste totally. I hate waste! 

If anybody has time, I'd LOVE to have a few tried and true recipes that you make yourself. Post any advice too, I'll put it into my cheese notebook. Thanks for helping, Kathy


----------



## steff bugielski (Nov 10, 2003)

check out www.cheeseforum.org
lots of recipes an amazing advice.

Try yogurt
heat the milk to 180 keep it there for 20 mins.
then cool down to 115 and add 1 Tbs of plain yogurt to each quart of milk, stir.
Let sit undisturbed at 115 for 6-8 hours.
Refrigerate over night.


----------



## Bat Farm (Apr 21, 2010)

For whole milk ricotta, I use 1/4 cup vinegar per gallon. Bring the milk up to 200 degrees, turn heat off, stir in vinegar (I use white, don't know if it makes a difference). Drain the whey. Sometimes I scoop my curds out with a wire mesh strainer, I think it helps keep it looser, I could be crazy . Once the curds have cooled enough to handle, use your hands to mix in one teaspoon baking soda and two tablespoons melted butter. That part is optional but we really like the results.

Once you start making other cheeses, you can make whey ricotta and make your supply go even further  

Cheese making is addicting, have fun!


----------



## houndlover (Feb 20, 2009)

Check this website. 

http://biology.clc.uc.edu/Fankhauser/Cheese/Cheese.html

So, I'm confused. What did you use for a culture?


----------



## chewie (Jun 9, 2008)

Bat Farm said:


> For whole milk ricotta, I use 1/4 cup vinegar per gallon. Bring the milk up to 200 degrees, turn heat off, stir in vinegar (I use white, don't know if it makes a difference). Drain the whey. Sometimes I scoop my curds out with a wire mesh strainer, I think it helps keep it looser, I could be crazy . Once the curds have cooled enough to handle, use your hands to mix in one teaspoon baking soda and two tablespoons melted butter. That part is optional but we really like the results.
> 
> Once you start making other cheeses, you can make whey ricotta and make your supply go even further
> 
> Cheese making is addicting, have fun!


baking soda and butter??? someone posted a velveeta recipe in the dairy forum and used those so is this result you have similar to a melty velveeta type?


----------



## rootsandwings (Apr 20, 2004)

easy, easy farmers cheese:

(works every time)

bring raw goat milk to 185F
remove from heat
add 1/4 cup white vinegar
stir to bottom of pot
let sit 5-10 minutes (curds should be separating from sides of pot)
pour into cheesecloth lined strainer
stir in 1/2 tsp salt to draw out whey

can press or let drain - I twist the cheesecloth to "press" and get a semi-firm little round cheese.

IF your curds are not separating after 5 minutes - add more vinegar.

I've never doubled it.

good luck!


----------



## Bat Farm (Apr 21, 2010)

chewie said:


> baking soda and butter??? someone posted a velveeta recipe in the dairy forum and used those so is this result you have similar to a melty velveeta type?


No, the recipe I gave was for ricotta since that was what I thought the OP was trying to make (thatâs the only one I make with vinegar). I didnât realize it could be pressed and made into to other cheeses until I saw rootandwings' reply. I love this site :dance: 

Now I am going to go look at that Velveeta recipe, thanks for the information!


----------



## CornerstoneAcre (Mar 10, 2011)

rootsandwings - how much milk do you use?


----------



## DQ (Aug 4, 2006)

all the recipes make it sound too complicated. bring your milk up to almost boiling, start splashing in vinegar, lime or lemon juice every few seconds while stirring. you will see it break and then you stop putting the acid in  . if you want it "harder" let it come back to a boil. if you want it "softer" immediatly strain and cool under running water. I add salt to taste and often italian seasoning and put it in the frig under a five lb weight in a press I made with pvc fittings (I keep the cheese in the cloth while pressing). lime juice is my favorite. I don't like the vinegar taste.


----------



## Horse Fork Farm (Jan 3, 2006)

Awesome help guys! 

One other question... does it matter that I used milk that had already been cooled in the fridge? Would the fact that I chilled it make any difference? I'm thinking not, but you never know!


----------



## Ifistav (Mar 26, 2010)

I have the same question as houndlover. Was there a starter? Or I wonder if the vinegar is what makes this turn to cheese. Someone know?

Ifi


----------



## rootsandwings (Apr 20, 2004)

Oops, 2 quarts.

Generally use chilled milk because 'm busy doing other stuff right after milking.


----------



## Bat Farm (Apr 21, 2010)

Chilling the milk shouldn&#8217;t affect it. We have cow and goat milk, both raw and I make cheese out of the &#8220;older milk&#8221; which means it has been chilled for a week at least most of the time. 

We still have tons to learn about cheese but the learning is so much fun. Since the milk is &#8216;extra&#8217; it doesn&#8217;t hurt so much when a batch fails - and we&#8217;ve had plenty of failed batches! It&#8217;s a challenge to get it right, plus the flocks and dog love the rejects so it&#8217;s not a complete waste. We love our &#8220;cheese eggs&#8221;  One thing we do is keep a kitchen journal and write down exactly what we did with each batch and figure out what works for us and what doesn&#8217;t. Once we have a recipe down and we can make it over and over with good results we don&#8217;t change it again. We have had to tweak some of the recipes to work for us, I suspect that&#8217;s why there are so many different ways to make the same cheese. Don&#8217;t be afraid to make a recipe your own. 

Mostly - don&#8217;t be discouraged, no one just makes great cheese every time from day one. No one in our house anyway! DH&#8217;s goal is to be able to make as much cheese, etc. as we can right now and freeze it for winter when milk is more scarce. The goat milk freezes fine plain, but I don&#8217;t like how the cow milk separates when thawed. 

That&#8217;s reminds of something &#8211; do you have anyone who will work with you on the cheese? We both like to cook and experiment and I think it helped us to learn by working together. Even if it&#8217;s a kid, you might find it easier to learn yourself by explaining things to someone as you go. Learning what each step and ingredient does to/for the cheese helps a lot IMO. 

From the goat milk we have down chevre, mozzarella, feta, ricotta, and will be trying provolone this weekend and brie next week (waiting for the mold to arrive). We like to add fresh herbs to the cheese we have made so far also.

From the cow milk we make mozzarella (we really like mozzarella, it&#8217;s so versatile :clap: ) cheddar, colby, and will be trying provolone and burrata this weekend. The hardest part with hard cheese is the aging, I am not a patient person by nature. 

I use lemon juice instead of commercial citric acid and buttermilk and yogurt for my thermophilic and mesophilic cultures since we are aiming for self sustaining and we can make / grow those (we do have one lemon tree and will be adding more). I do buy the rennet, lipase, and brie mold. The salt and wax are also bought, but store nicely so can be kept on hand in bulk for &#8220;just in case&#8221;. Worse case scenario I could get old fashioned rennet. 

p.s. my hard cheese press is an old piano stool from the local Habitat store, it works perfectly and cost just $4. 

Sheesh, I just realized how long this is! Sorry! I really like making cheese :grin:


----------



## Bat Farm (Apr 21, 2010)

Ifistav said:


> I have the same question as houndlover. Was there a starter? Or I wonder if the vinegar is what makes this turn to cheese. Someone know?
> 
> Ifi



The vinegar (acid) is what causes the milk to curdle. Soft cheese that are made with cultures are also acidified but the cultures produce the acid. The vinegar just skips the between step. Since it also affects the flavor, some soft cheeses are still made with cutlures instead of vinegar. 

Cheese is an awsome science :l33t:


----------



## Ifistav (Mar 26, 2010)

thank you bat farm! My hubby is the one that's into cheesemaking, so I'll have to mention to him the vinegar "trick".

Ifi


----------



## AccidentalWaffles (Oct 7, 2020)

I know this is an old thread but I had the same problem last night and found your note while trying to find a solution. My milk just wouldn’t curdle. I put the milk in the fridge and boiled it again in the morning and nothing. It thickened up and had some small grainy curd but nothing significant. I stirred it and used it in place of the milk and lemon juice to make waffles (Lemon Milk Waffles from OnBreadAlone) instead so I didn’t waste the milk. The batter was quite thick but they turned out great! I hope this helps someone else whose milk just won’t curdle.


----------



## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

Good solution. If you are using lemon juice, the acid level varies from lemon to lemon. Modern fruit are bred to be less acidic.


----------

