Making Squeaky Cheese Curds From Scratch

LeGourmetTV's picture

Dec. 10, 2019

Welcome Friends! Today I'm gonna try and make squeaky cheese curds. This is something that I really love to eat and it's pretty much the basis of Cheddar Cheese, you just stop short.

Ingredients

Milk 4 Milliliter
Mesophilic 1/4 Teaspoon (mesophilic culture)
Calcium chloride 2 Milliliter , dissolve (1/2 tsp)
Water 120 Milliliter (60 ml for dissolving Calcium chloride and 60 ml for dissolving liquid rennet)
Liquid rennet 2 Milliliter , dissolve (1/2 tsp)
Salt To Taste (1% by weight of finished curds)

Directions

MAKING:

1. In a Bain Marie bring milk to 33°C (91°F).

2. Sprinkle culture into milk, and allow to 'bloom' for 5 minutes.

3. Stir to dissolve completely; cover and hold at 33°C (91°F) for 40 minutes.

4. Uncover and sprinkle calcium chloride solution into milk, stirring until completely incorporated.

5. Sprinkle rennet solution into milk, stirring until completely incorporated.

6. Cover and hold at 33°C (91°F) for 45 minutes.

7. Check for 'clean break' by making a slit with a knife and then pushing up (as seen in video), if the cut isn't clean hold for another 5 minutes and test again.

8. Cut curds into cubes, using a curd cutter or a knife, somewhere between .5 cm and 1 cm square.

9. Cover and allow curds to 'heal' 5-10 minutes.

10. Uncover and gently stir the pot while increasing the temp over 30 minutes to 39ºC (102ºF)

11. Once 30 minutes is up and the temperature is reached cook curds for another 40 minutes, stirring gently every 5 minutes.

12. Rest for 15 minutes.

13. Pour into a cheesecloth-lined colander over another pot, and drain for 15 minutes.

14. You need to save the whey and heat it to 45ºC (115ºF).

15. Place the colander overtop the heated whey, (don't let the whey touch the curds) and cook for 15 minutes.

16. Lift the curds out and cut in half widthwise.

17. Flip half of the loaf over the other half, place back in the colander, cover with cheesecloth, and cook for another 15 minutes.

18. Repeat this process 4 times.

19. Cut loaves into random lengths and widths, factory curds are shredded and all random sizes.

20. Weigh, and add salt, 1% by weight of finished curds.

21. Shake the curds and salt around so that all of the salt is absorbed into the curds.

22. Store the curds for up to 24 hours on the counter at room temp.

23. The flavour will develop over 12-14 hours, and by 24 hours they will not longer squeak.

SERVING:

24. Eat them quickly.

Recipe Summary

Difficulty Level: Medium
Cook Time: 245 Minutes
Ready In: 245 Minutes
Servings: 10