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11:33 pm
November 11, 2010
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Has anyone ever tried to make string cheese? You know those sticks of mozzarella they sell everywhere. They look like they could be duplicated by making a long rope while your stretching your mozz and then just cutting into logs after it had cooled.
Anyone out there done this?
9:02 am
October 31, 2010
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Hello MJ! Yes – you can use your regular mozz and shape it the way you want. My experience is that it does very well!
10:37 pm
November 11, 2010
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Good to know. Will try it once I get back to Kenya, the cow and Cheesemaking days.
8:11 am
October 31, 2010
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When do you go back?
10:06 am
June 9, 2011
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I have a cheese question! I finally ordered some rennet and good cheesecloth because this website said you could make cheese with regular grocery store milk. I wanted to start with the lactic cheese, but I have read before not to use ultra-pasturized milk. When I go to the grocery all they have is ultra-pasturized milk!! What should I do? I don't want my 1st cheesmaking experience to flop!
11:59 am
October 31, 2010
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Well….. if you're making lactic cheese you can probably go ahead and use the ultrapasteurized. The fresh cheeses are a little more forgiving regarding the type of milk you use. I have experimented with the ultrapasteurized with the fresh cheeses just to see how they'd turn out and they actually did a pretty good job although the texture is a bit different.
(I'm defining "fresh cheese" here as a cheese that is not pressed or aged… like a fromage blanc, chevre, lactic cheeses…the ones you add culture, let set overnight, then hang in a cheesecloth to drain off the whey…the ones that remain soft/spreadable in which there is no "cooking" process.)
In general…there is very little "big dairy" supermaket milk that is not ultra pasteurized anymore. For the pressed/aged type cheeses, if you can't get raw milk, you are looking for a low temp pasteurization process (145 degrees) which I have never seen in the regular stores in my area of the country.
There are several dairies that are producing it, however, and you can most often find it in "health food" type stores/co-ops. I found some in the local food co-ops that are also non-homogenized so they have the creamline at the top. (Sorry I can't remember the brand off-hand and I'm at work right now so I can't check.) Main drawback to these is they are usually very expensive. You can sometimes find them in the type of supermarkets that handle health-related foods. They are clearly marked on the bottles that they use this type of pasteurization.
Hope that is some help!
10:06 am
June 9, 2011
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Thanks so much, I will check the health food store this weekend!
7:38 am
July 29, 2009
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The Whole Foods in my area is finally selling Kalona milk, which is a non-homogenized, slow pasturized milk. For store-bought milk, it's the closest to raw I've ever had. Here's their website. http://www.kalonaorganics.com/our_milk.html
7:52 am
October 31, 2010
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Thank you, MrsFuzz! That was the brand name I was trying to think of but couldn't remember!
7:55 am
July 29, 2009
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Whole Foods charges $3.99/half gallon for the stuff, but my raw milk share was $4.25/half gallon, and I had to go pick it up. I haven't tried making cheese with it yet, but when I *do* want to try, all I have to do is run to the store instead of planning carefully with my milk share provider. lol
8:01 am
October 31, 2010
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It is expensive.
For me, I still only pay $4/gallon for my "farm-fresh-milk" and it's certified organic too. (I'm very blessed, I think! 
)
I try to keep up on the pasteurized milk supply that works for making cheese, however, as some of the folks that take classes aren't as determined to find a source as I was and just want to be able to go get some at the store. I wish there were more options!
12:23 pm
May 27, 2012
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You could also try adding some calcium chloride. It helps improve the setting of curd in hard cheeses made with store bought milk. We sell it via our on line shop at http://cheeseandyogurtmaking.com/cheese-making-supplies-2/cheese-making-additives/calcium-chloride-solution-1-pint.html
Cheeseandyogurtmaking.com
2:16 pm
July 29, 2009
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Yum! I didn't know they made SPAM flavored mozzarella!
8:36 pm
October 31, 2010
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MrsFuzz said
Yum! I didn't know they made SPAM flavored mozzarella!
Ha Ha… 
9:28 am
March 3, 2010
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Staceylee, I have read that you should never use ultra-pasteurized milk to make cheese. It is dead milk. I know that it doesn't work with fresh mozzarella. Not even calcium chloride would be adequate to solve the issue. Calcium chloride is meant to replace what is changed in the calcium content with the regular pasteurized, but doesn't make up for the rest of the damage. It is good (actually recommended) for use in regular bought milk, however. If you want to know more about using UP milk, check out http://www.cheesemaking.com.
Here are some links to information on UP and UHT and its differences from real milk & regular pasteurized, and how it affects cheesemaking. The second link contains visuals. I found that the UP version of "cheese" is similar to if you get even a touch of chlorine contamination in your water for cheesemaking. It affects the final look of the "cheese" in much the same way.
http://www.cheesemaking.com/cheesemakingmilkinformation.html
10:36 am
June 9, 2011
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I will try the Kalona milk. I guess I was just confused because Suzanne uses regular half and half from Wal Mart to make the cream cheese, and in the recipe for lactic cheese it just says whole or skim milk with no calcium chloride. It just stinks because it takes me about 1.5 hours to get to Whole Foods and that is not very economical right now. I need this to be a cheap, delicious hobby! Not an expensive, frustrating one!
10:43 am
October 31, 2010
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Stacylee…you CAN use the store-bought ultra-pasteurized milk for the lactic cheeses (the soft cheeses that you don't "cook" or "press") like fromage blanc, chevre, cream-type cheeses…
These are the ones that you bring the milk/cream temp to about 72 degrees, add the culture, then let set 12 hours or until a curd forms.
If those are the kind of cheeses you are making it will work.
You just can't use it for the cheeses that you "cook" (including mozzerella).
11:29 am
June 9, 2011
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Okay! Thanks so much everyone, I will start with the soft cheeses and see how it goes. I feel much better now. Mozzarella will have to wait!
1:04 pm
February 5, 2011
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Stacylee, how did the milk work? I use a local WA Darigold milk for my cheese as it is not ultrapasteurized. It works great. I want to make some chevre soon, it is so good.
4:55 pm
September 19, 2010
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If you're in the Western Washington area, another source of low-pasteurized, non-homogenized milk is Twin Brook Creamery in Lynden, WA. Some of the grocery stores carry it; I buy it at my local grocery in Seattle. It is expensive, so I only use it for my aged cheeses. The curd is dramatically better than the curd from low-pasteurized, homogenized milk. I do use low-pasteurized, homogenized milk for fresh cheeses and non-aged cheeses with good results.
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