Salt is an essential ingredient in cheese. It expels whey, slows the conversion of lactose to lactic acid and preserves the cheese. It also adds flavour and helps form a rind. The oft quoted “Cheese is milk’s leap towards immortality” would not be so, if it was not for salt. Brine for cheese making is an essential ingredient in many cheese recipes.
There are two ways to add salt to the curds before maturing a cheese. One method is to add salt directly to the curds during milling, and the other method is to soak the pressed cheese in a brine solution. Cheese like Parmesan, Romano, Feta and Edam are soaked in brine so that the salt is absorbed and it preserves the cheese. Others like to brine Caerphilly or Camembert.
So how do you go about making brine for cheese? Well it is pretty simple.
Here are the ingredients;
Brine for Cheese Making
- 1 Raw Egg (for testing density)
- 2 Litres (2 qt) water
- 450 gm (1 lbs) non-iodised Salt
- 2 Tablespoons White Vinegar
- 1 Teaspoon Calcium Chloride solution
This makes an 18% brine solution, which you will know is ready when the raw egg floats in it.
Warm the water to about 25°C (77°F) so that it absorbs the salt more readily. When all the salt is added, stir until it is all dissolved. Check for saturation by floating a whole raw egg in the brine and it should float. If it doesn’t, then add a tablespoon of salt until it does float. Here is a video tutorial that I created so you can see it in action;
I find that this is just enough salt, and the vinegar and calcium chloride stops the cheese from leaching calcium back into the brine. I then reuse the brine as a washing solution on other hard cheeses to help inhibit mould growth.
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| Parmesan waiting for the brine to cool. |
Just make sure that you cool to room temperature before adding finished cheese. In fact it is best if both brine and cheese are at the same temperature. 13°C (55°F) is the best temperature at which to brine your cheeses. I just place the container in the cheese fridge for the duration of brining.
How long do you leave it in the brine? Well it depends on the density of the cheese. A nice hard cheese like Parmesan needs at least 24 hours, however a 1.2 kg Gouda only needs 12 hours. Ricki Carol’s cheesemaking.com site recommends the following:
“Cheeses of different densities and shapes will require varying times in the brine. A general rule is 1 hour per lb (450 gm). per each 1 inch (2.5cm) thickness of cheese. A very dense low moisture cheese such as Parma will need more time than a moist open texture cheese.”
If you like you can store the brine for future use in the cheese fridge and you can reuse it over and over again until it gets too cloudy. Just before you brine another cheese, add another tablespoon of salt to replace that which was absorbed by the last cheese.
I hope this answers the well asked question of how to make brine for cheese making.
If you have a cheese question, I am more than happy to see if I can answer it.
Hi Gavin, I am trying to find a cheap substitute for feta cheese, as white cream cheese (cottage cheese type) is easy to find here, I was wondering if I could turn it into mock feta by keeping it in brine for some time. Thx in advance 4 yr.advice
Hi Gavin, thank you for the post.
If I’m using anhydrous calcium chloride, how much should I use to make the solution?
Thank you in advance.
Hi Ana, it is 30% solution with distilled water. So 30g CaCl2 and 70g H2O
Where can i find the piece that goes on top of the cheese that keeps is submerged?
Where did you get your brining bucket? Ive searched all over the web and cannot find one. Or even the individual parts to make one like that.
It was a combination of 2 decor containers that I had laying around
Hi Gavin
Thank you very much for all your wonderful resources. Can you please give a practical example of calculating the length of time for brining from the guideline of one hour per pound per inch thickness?
With thanks
Frank
How to avoid mold on this kind of cheese
Can I brine a soft cheese such as chevre?
Yes; here is the recipe; https://youtu.be/wULlMihNXIE
HI Gavin,
Loving your website and resources.
I bought some bacteria and a hoop last week and have been making curd all weekend. Halloumi, whey ricotta and a Bel Paese. A couple of questions: 1. My halloumi floated in about 10 minutes, rather than the 45mins as per the instructions. I continued to cook for the 45mins. Cheese is quite dense and maybe on the dry side, but cooks up very nice. Is the early floating a sign of something? and what determines the moistness/ dryness of the final cheese? 2. How much of a difference does the size of cutting the curd make? For the Bel Paese, the recipe says 0.9cm cuts but the video has you using a whisk to get smaller pieces.
Thanks
Neil
Hi Mr Webber. Great videos. Lived 3 years in Canberra for my PhD a had a great time down under. Just made the Cheshire style with a 35-40 deg curd stirring temp. Cheese very firm out of press but trimmings tasted rubbery and tough. Will it mellow and get crumbly after 6months? I used kefir to ripen the milk since I didn’t have mesophilic culture then rennet tablets.
It should do. The trimmings usually taste like that.
This is driving me nuts!
I scrupulously clean and sterilise my equipment but the last 3 cheeses all get tiny spots of green mould which grow. I take them off and wipe with salt water and vinegar but they come back!
After pressing I keep them at room temp in an open basket to build a rind, so now I am trying a brine to keep the mould at bay when I put them in a sealed box.
The mould starts about a week after pressing.
Where am I going wrong? I believe I follow the instructions in the hard cheese kit I got for Christmas.
Hi Ted. Yes, the mould keeps coming back. That is why we need to check and wipe it each week whilst maturing if you are trying to develop a natural rind.
Hi Gavin. I brine my cheese in room temperature since i have a very small cheese fridge. Do i have to reduce the time of brining? Lets say for gouda, it needs 12 hours. Does it need less time if i brine it in room temperature.
Hi Hillary, the temperature is not usually a factor when brining unless room temperature is over 30C as more salt will be absorbed at that higher temp.
How much water and salt used in the 10% brine solution for feta? Also I’ve made a few of the cheeses from your videos and I am hooked thank you.Love to see the mysterious Kim in your videos.
Julie Gagne. USA
Hi Gavin
Love your tutorial videos, they are fantastic.
Keep up the great work.
Kind regards John Effer
Hi John, thanks for your kind words. I will be publishing a video on how to make Leiden today, better known as Komijnekass! I used an authentic dutch recipe this time. Enjoy your cheese making, and thanks for the order the other day!
Can I re use the same brine for different cheeses? Say a blue, and later a Camembert?
Yes you can Anna. Just bring your brine back to the boil and allow to cool to kill any unwanted bacteria. It is then good to go and can be reused over and over. I tend to add a couple of teaspoons of salt to the brine each time I do this to replace the salt absorbed by the last cheese.