A couple of weeks ago Page Vanessa Petty asked a good question about freezing milk. I wanted to know if freezing a goat's milk and thawing it out 2 or 3 months later would make the cheese turn out any differently (taste or texture). Thanks,
James R. Maxwell
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I use the 30 minute recipe and it seems to work fine. I do thaw out my milk slowly. Since I have problems with any type of metal pans (I burn them) I use a double boiler whenever I make cheese so it heats up much slower. Maybe this makes a difference?
--genny
Deborah Niemann-Boehle said:
Annie and Genny, Which mozzarella recipe did you use -- the traditional one that uses mesophilic starter or the 30-minute recipe that just uses citric acid and rennet? I'm wondering if that makes a difference. I did the 30-minute recipe, which was the one that didn't really work.
Annie and Genny,
Which mozzarella recipe did you use -- the traditional one that uses mesophilic starter or the 30-minute recipe that just uses citric acid and rennet? I'm wondering if that makes a difference. I did the 30-minute recipe, which was the one that didn't really work.
A few years ago I took a cheesemaking class that is taught by local cheesemakers at our county extension office and I asked this same question. They said it didn't make any difference and they froze their milk if they couldn't use it all. Since then I've used frozen milk for queso blanco, chevre, and mozarella and noticed no difference.
I have made cheese from frozen goat milk and it worked out fine, although I agree with Deborah the mozzarella didn't work. The brick cheese and the feta turned out, but the milk was only frozen for a few months.
When you add lye to liquid, it will heat up like crazy -- probably 150 degrees or more if you just use room-temp water. I freeze the goat milk in ziploc bags, then take it out of the freezer about 30 minutes or an hour before I need it, so I can break it into pieces of frozen milk when I add the lye to it. It works very well and only gets up to about 120 degrees when I add the lye. If you use almost completely frozen milk, your lye-milk mix will look like a smooth lemon sherbet. If your milk is too thawed or not frozen at all, it will separate and be orange and chunky.
James R. Maxwell said:
Thanks Deb, that helps me more informed decisions. You know, the last sentence of your e-mail intrigued me. I had no idea that it was best to freeze milk prior to making soap. How come?
James
Deborah Niemann-Boehle said:
I've heard that sheep dairies do this, because sheep have such a short lactation, so I thought I'd try it a few years ago. We made mozzarella, and it didn't go well, but I don't remember exactly what happened, because it's been a few years. Then we realized that if we make mozzarella and freeze it, that works great, and it takes up less space in the freezer than a gallon of milk. I can tell you that if you freeze and thaw goat milk, it will look curdled. I've used it for feeding kids, and you need to make sure the hole in the nipple is big enough to keep it from clogging. Someone told me that if you put it in a blender, it will remix. I've heard other people say that if you put a pinch of baking soda in it before freezing, it won't separate, but I don't know anyone who has actually done it. About six or seven years ago, I would skim the tiny bit of cream off goat milk and freeze until I had enough to make butter. It made butter okay, but if you don't do it soon enough, it starts to taste like freezer. So, I haven't tried freezing milk in at least five years. If I have to freeze milk now for whatever reason, I use it to make soap, because you're supposed to freeze goat milk for making soap anyway.
Thanks Deb, that helps me more informed decisions. You know, the last sentence of your e-mail intrigued me. I had no idea that it was best to freeze milk prior to making soap. How come?
James
Deborah Niemann-Boehle said:
I've heard that sheep dairies do this, because sheep have such a short lactation, so I thought I'd try it a few years ago. We made mozzarella, and it didn't go well, but I don't remember exactly what happened, because it's been a few years. Then we realized that if we make mozzarella and freeze it, that works great, and it takes up less space in the freezer than a gallon of milk. I can tell you that if you freeze and thaw goat milk, it will look curdled. I've used it for feeding kids, and you need to make sure the hole in the nipple is big enough to keep it from clogging. Someone told me that if you put it in a blender, it will remix. I've heard other people say that if you put a pinch of baking soda in it before freezing, it won't separate, but I don't know anyone who has actually done it. About six or seven years ago, I would skim the tiny bit of cream off goat milk and freeze until I had enough to make butter. It made butter okay, but if you don't do it soon enough, it starts to taste like freezer. So, I haven't tried freezing milk in at least five years. If I have to freeze milk now for whatever reason, I use it to make soap, because you're supposed to freeze goat milk for making soap anyway.
I've heard that sheep dairies do this, because sheep have such a short lactation, so I thought I'd try it a few years ago. We made mozzarella, and it didn't go well, but I don't remember exactly what happened, because it's been a few years. Then we realized that if we make mozzarella and freeze it, that works great, and it takes up less space in the freezer than a gallon of milk. I can tell you that if you freeze and thaw goat milk, it will look curdled. I've used it for feeding kids, and you need to make sure the hole in the nipple is big enough to keep it from clogging. Someone told me that if you put it in a blender, it will remix. I've heard other people say that if you put a pinch of baking soda in it before freezing, it won't separate, but I don't know anyone who has actually done it. About six or seven years ago, I would skim the tiny bit of cream off goat milk and freeze until I had enough to make butter. It made butter okay, but if you don't do it soon enough, it starts to taste like freezer. So, I haven't tried freezing milk in at least five years. If I have to freeze milk now for whatever reason, I use it to make soap, because you're supposed to freeze goat milk for making soap anyway.
Replies
--genny
Deborah Niemann-Boehle said:
Which mozzarella recipe did you use -- the traditional one that uses mesophilic starter or the 30-minute recipe that just uses citric acid and rennet? I'm wondering if that makes a difference. I did the 30-minute recipe, which was the one that didn't really work.
James R. Maxwell said:
James
Deborah Niemann-Boehle said: