Cheese Please! addendum

In the 18m since I wrote Cheese Please! several things have changed. Over 1000 copies have sold so a HUGE thank you for that!

The FDA issued new advice regarding Calcium Chloride use in food, stating that 1/4 tsp per gallon of vinegar in canning is acceptable. We don't yet know how this translates to Calcium in cheese but to err on the side of caution I began testing all my recipes with no more than 1/4 tsp per gallon milk and found no significant losses in yield.

All recipes now fit this model with no ill effects. I will update this again if cheese-specific advice becomes available. 

There is no current evidence that more than 1/4 tsp calcium chloride in your cheeses is harmful.

I have included the Yesterdaze recipe and my Gruyere style cheese recipe too as an added bonus - I am working in the test kitchen for new recipes all the time and advise if you are doing the same you keep good notes. ( shameless plug for my cheese log book would seem relevant here.)

The major change is the Gouda-style recipe. There was a typo in earlier copies stating 2 lbs of salt... clearly, that should have read 2 tbs.

Also, all water used for washed curd recipes should be boiled first, and if you are on a well consider bottled water as well. Gouda should also be brined and cave dried at cave temps NOT on the counter as this makes it much more prone to blowing.

In fact all mentions of "room temperature" have been removed as it doesn't mean anything! Room temps are different around the world so a better guide to accurate temp ranges has to be devised. The exception that proves the rule is when salt drying feta style cheese we still leave it on the counter, it needs the higher temps. 

TLDR: If you have the book, make sure you adjust down the CaCl and read the gouda advice and you'll be fine.

Tracey 

Spot a typo? If you find a typo in the new edition of the book please let me know - there's a free gift in it for you.