• About
  • Contact Me

Little Green Cheese

Cheese making at home with Gavin Webber the Cheeseman

  • Home
  • Cheese eBook
  • Podcast
  • Videos
  • Cheese Making Kits
  • Courses
  • Support Me!
  • Live!

What is the Best Cow’s Milk to use for Cheese Making?

28/08/2017 By Gavin Webber 5 Comments

Cow’s milk is processed in many ways, so what is the best cow’s milk to use for cheese making at home?  I get asked this question all the time on Ask the Cheeseman, my YouTube Q&A show.

No Access to a Farm?

Well, because many don’t have access to the farm gate for the ultimate in raw milk, I have produced a video tutorial explaining what cow’s milk is easily obtainable from major supermarkets and is okay for cheese making.


When in Doubt, Add Calcium Chloride

Don’t forget that if you know the milk has been pasteurised then please remember to add the equivalent amount of Calcium Chloride as you do Rennet to the milk.  This will encourage better coagulation of the milk into curds and whey.

So just to recap for cow’s milk;

  • Pasteurised/Homogenised milk with a fat content of at least 3.25% is okay.
  • Pasteurised/Unhomogenised milk is much better with a fat content of at least 3.25% or higher.
  • UHT or Ultra-pasteurised milk will not set a curd, and
  • Skimmed milk is useless for making cheese.
  • Lite milk Pasteurised/Homogenised with a fat content of about 1.5 to 2% fat is okay to augment your milk if your recipe calls for lower fat e.g. Parmesan.
  • Half and Half, which is usually about 10% fat is too high for cheese making.

For cream;

  • Thickened cream contains thickeners or gelatine which affects curd set
  • Double cream with ~51% fat is too thick and difficult to incorporate back into the milk
  • Single Pure cream that has about 45% fat and is pourable, should be perfect for cheese making if your recipe calls for additional cream.

I Can Get Access to Farm Milk!

Well, that’s fantastic.  Just make sure that you can trust the quality of the milk and that you can transport it home at 4°C/39.2°F.  Use it within 2 days from milking for the best result.  If you are not sure about the milk quality then be sure to pasteurise your own raw milk using the Low Temperature/Long Hold method which you can learn about at Dairy Technologist.

What do you think?

Let me know what you think is the best cow’s milk to use for cheese making at home.

Do you have a favourite brand or dairy that you source your milk from?

Will this article help someone you know? If so help them out by sharing now!

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)

Related

Filed Under: Ingredients, Milk, Video Tutorial Tagged With: Raw Milk

← LGC065 – I’m Back! Why Salting Cheese Is Essential In Cheese Making →

About Gavin Webber

Gavin Webber is passionate about home cheese making. He loves to make cheese in his spare time and shares the techniques, videos, podcasts, and recipes with his fellow curd nerds!

Learn more about him here and connect with him on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+.

Comments

  1. Ben says

    11/10/2019 at 01:27

    Question about making squeaky cheese curds using raw milk. Is it still necessary to add the cultures? Is that for making the squeaky curds or is that if you were using pasteurized milk?

    Reply
    • Gavin Webber says

      15/10/2019 at 08:35

      Hi Ben, You probably would not have to use cultures to make squeaky cheese curds with raw milk, however, I would advise that you leave the milk at room temperature for at least 12 hours before making your cheese. Doing that will provide the level of acidification you need to set the curds.

      Reply
  2. Hope says

    20/09/2017 at 10:34

    Hey Mr Webber,
    Could you do a BRIE cheese for me. I know its like Camambert however every time i try to find a revipevfor itbittbonly brings up Camambert. Also could you do a TRIPLE CREME cheese?
    Thanks
    Hope

    Reply
    • Hope says

      20/09/2017 at 10:35

      That should say recipe for it sorry

      Reply
  3. Bob Furber says

    02/09/2017 at 03:59

    On the matter of milk, I have had good success unpasteurizing store bought 3.25% pasteurized milk with kefir granules or the addition of about 15% home made kefir.

    Reply

Leave a comment for the Cheese Maker! Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Follow Us via Social

FacebooktwitterpinterestrssyoutubeFacebooktwitterpinterestrssyoutube

Cheese Making Kits

Cheeseman.tv Merchandise

Cheeseman.tv Merchandise
Cool Cheesy T-shirts, sweatshirts, mugs, stickers, and more
0:00
31:47
  • LGC084 – Artisan Cheese goes Online During COVID
Subscribe on Apple Podcasts

Archives

Tags

Aging Blue Brine Caerphilly Camembert Cheese Books Cheese Cave Cheese Press Colby Competition Cotswold Cream Cheese Drunken Cow eBook Emmentaler Equipment Farmhouse Cheddar Feta Gavin Halloumi Kits Lipase Mould Ripened Cheese Moulds Mozzarella Parmesan Podcast Queso Fresco Raw Milk Rennet Ricotta Romano Romano Pepato Salt Sanitisation Starter Cultures Stilton Storage Swiss Technique Tzafatit Video Tutorial Waxing Whey Ricotta Workshops
Online video lessons by Little Green Cheese

Subscribe to Cheese Podcast

Apple PodcastsGoogle PodcastsAndroidby EmailRSS

Subscribe to Cheeseman.TV

Podcast Reviews

  • So funny!!!!
    June 15, 2020 by purple quaqamale from United States

    Little green cheese is so funny

  • Great podcasts
    June 14, 2020 by Chrissy Curd Nurd from Australia

    I’ve just started cheese making at home,Gavin ‘s podcasts are so informative. I also watch his you tube tutorials. Thanks for your great work!!

  • An excellent guide to artisan cheese!
    January 14, 2020 by N.K.13 from Australia

    I recently became aware of Gavin’s lovely YouTube channel and podcast and it’s been incredible. His competence and comprehensive explanations leave you craving more. Much like a good cheese! Cheers Gavin!

  • Perfect for Cheesemakers of all levels!
    December 3, 2018 by Viki Leeasa from Thailand

    I love that this podcast does not just have helpful tips and tricks on cheese making, but also stories and news from the cheese world, as well as nice little anecdotes from the host. A big fan from Thailand!

  • If you think you want to make cheese, listen to this!
    November 30, 2018 by paulsaw from United States

    Gavin Webber’s Little Green Cheese is By Far the best podcast I have ever heard! A truly informative and quality production!

  • Great program
    October 9, 2018 by p37dg9q14 from United States

    Very informative and enjoyable podcast. I started at episode 1 and currently listening to 25. I’ll be giving cheesemaking a go in the next week. Mike J from Oceanside CA

  • Great podcast
    September 13, 2018 by nicole_elias from Australia

    I have a long commute to and from work and have worked my way through the back catalogue of these podcasts. Enjoyed every one of them and hope for many more to come. Thanks Gavin! Keep up the great work. Cheers, Nicole

  • Excellent!
    September 3, 2018 by emeldridge from United States

    Looking to take up cheesemaking sometime soon and this channel has provided all the information necessary to get started!

  • Great Resource!
    August 28, 2018 by olivestones from United States

    I have been learning to make cheese for the past year. Gavin's podcast and video series has been a tremendous resource for me. His love for the cheese-making craft is evident in the amount of research he will perform in order to answer a listener's cheese question. All thumbs up for the amount of time and energy he puts into his quality podcast! ...And he cracks me up with his attempts at pronunciation!

  • Outstanding Info on Cheesemaking!
    August 4, 2018 by Sablwolf from United States

    If you are interested in anything to do with cheese, this is the podcast for you. Host Gavin Webber takes you through an aspect of cheese making, interviews with other people who are doing it, a current cheese-related news segment, and answers questions listeners have submitted in each episode. I've been quite amazed at his depth of knowledge, and he's provided answers to several problems I've encountered as well. Top rate!

Little Green Workshops

Copyright © 2021 · Gavin Webber

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.