Group B Data: Cheese Making (Week 3)

Group 3 Members: Marta, Chris, Ruby, Morgan

Procedure Part 1

Start Time: 1:10 pm

End Time: 3:45 pm

Initial Weight of Milk: 8 lb 8.5 oz (~1 gallon of milk)

We followed the steps provided in the lab manual, thus, there was not much that occurred in terms of notable qualitative or quantitative data to be recorded. First, one rennet tablet was dissolved in the ¼ cup of water. Then ¼ cup of vinegar was then combined with 2 cups of water and poured into the milk while stirring the mixture. A leave-in meat thermometer was then attached to the pot to record temperature and then the pot was placed over the fire.

Second Set of Steps

Time to reach 90 degrees: 5:30

While waiting for 20 minutes and maintaining the temperature of the milk:

-After about 5 minutes, in the process of solidifying, we identified that the mixture was undergoing both chemical and physical changes, which we notes that the mixture slightly moved, and “jiggled” as one unit

-After about 15 minutes, there was a formation of a thin layer of film or skin on the surface

-At 18 minutes, we discussed that this presence of surface tension indicated that although we noted that factors like humanity and wind possibly could influence this process in terms of taking a longer amount of time indicated by the 20 minutes on the lan manual to reach final temperature of 90 degrees F, this change in surface of the liquid signified the expected reaction of the contents of the pot with the increasing temperature, so we hoped for the best in the curdling process.

Third Set of Steps

-At 1:47 pm, after waiting about 20 minutes we first tested for the clean break, though the surface of the mixture was not solidified to continue with the procedure, so we waited a few more minutes to allow the curds to set

-At 1:58 pm, about 10 minutes later (10 extra minutes than indicated on the lab manual) we tested again for the clean break of the curds

-At 2:00 pm, we finished cutting the curds in 2 cm strips lengthwise and then widthwise

-At 2:04 pm, in the process of waiting 15 minutes while maintaining 90 degrees F, stirring occasionally

Fourth Set of Steps

-At 2:16 pm we lined the colander with the cheesecloth and placed over the whey-container

-At 2:18 pm we poured the curds from the pot into the cheesecloth-lined colander into the why container, enabling the separation of the curds from the whey

-While waiting 30 minutes for the curds the drain and condense, we discussed the presence of grass and other forms of debris that ended in the curd and whey due to the wind which led to questioning how the space chosen to perform cheese making influences the end product in cheese along with the process and those is involved. In the creation of this social space we identified how social behavior can shift across time and culture, but in our case, socialization and interaction between group members is necessary in performing steps like pouring of the curds and whey into the cheesecloth-lined colander

-We also noted the efficiency of the cast-iron pot in maintaining the temperature of 90 degrees F after being taken off the fire which led to curiosity in pot material and its role in the ancient world in terms of cheesemaking and cultural significance in the sense of importance associated with the pot if it were handmade or passed down from generation to generation

-At 2:53 pm, with the curds in the cheesecloth, we squeezed them over the colander

-At 2:58 pm, we finished squeezing the curds, signifying the curds and whey are officially separated

Fifth Set of Steps

Curd Weight: 1 lb 3.9 oz

Whey Weight: 9 lb 3.5 oz

-At 3:00 pm, in measuring the volume and weight of the whey, the scale was first zeroed and then with a measuring cup we added the whey to the large green bucket which lead to the final amount of 149 oz of whey

-At 3:02 pm, in measuring the curds, we first zeroed the scale and then weighed the red bowl that the curds were going to be placed in after being weighed and then weighed the curds

Procedure Part 2

We then moved onto making mozzarella!

-We first decided to set aside 25% of our curds for whey cheese, leaving us with 4.98 oz for our whey cheese and 14.92 oz for making mozzarella

-At 3:09 pm, on a cutting board, we cut the compressed mass of curds with the knife into roughly 3/4 inch slices, though they were quite crumbly

-At 3:11 pm we waited for a spot near the fire to open up so that we could submerge our slices of curd

-At 3:20 pm, we began submerging slices of pressed curd into the water with a temperature of 150 degrees

-At 3:21 pm, we set a timer for 5 minutes

-At 3:26 pm, we pulled the mozzarella stretched and kneaded each

-At 3:30 pm, we then returned mozzarella the hot water for a minute

-At 3:31 pm, we pulled the mozzarella of the hot water, stretched into a rectangular shape and rolled into a ball and dipped into the hot water

-At 3:32 pm, we placed mozzarella the salt bath to rest and cool

-At 3:40 pm, we were told due to the time constraint in wanting to leave sufficient time to clean up the lab, that we would not get to make whey cheese so we dumped our whey

-At 3:42 pm, we then took the mozzarella from the salt bath to taste it!

Our mozzarella succeeded in texture in the sense of touch, with its ability to stretch, which was exciting! In terms of taste, the overall group consensus on mozzarella was good in that it was rubbery and squeaky, and the taste was relatively plain and clean. Though when salt was accessible, each group member tried the cheese with salt and collectively agreed that the salt enhanced the flavor of the cheese and added an additional component of crunch.