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You are here: Home / Recipes / Why Salting Cheese Is Essential In Cheese Making

Why Salting Cheese Is Essential In Cheese Making

18/10/2017 By Gavin Webber 7 Comments

Salt is an essential ingredient in cheese making.  Not only does it add flavour to the cheese, it helps to dry the curds during draining by controlling whey expulsion and causing the curds to shrink.  However, the primary reason for salting cheese is to retard or halt the bacteria cultures continuing to convert lactose (milk sugar) into lactic acid.

It will help to kill harmful bacteria and other fungi growth when used as a brine for salting after pressing or as a simple wash during maturation.

Salting is also essential in the development of a natural rind.

Salting Cheese

Once the cheese is ready to be pressed or has been pressed, salting cheese can be achieved in one of three ways:

  • Dry Salting – rubbing salt over the entire surface of the cheese (used for mould ripened cheeses like Camembert),
  • Milling – adding approx 2% salt by weight to the curds just before adding to the mould/basket and pressing (Cheddar-style cheeses),
  • Saturated salt brine solution – A mixture of salt and water are mixed together and the cheese is left submerged for a given length of time (most other semi-hard and hard cheeses).

Making Brine

Common brine solutions that are commonly used in cheese making based on the percentage of salt saturation as shown in the table below:

The table only goes to 26% as at 26.395% brine is fully saturated (at 15.6°C) and additional salt will not dissolve in the water.  The table below is at standard conditions of 15.6°C/60°F. When using salt for cheese you should only use non-iodized salt.
% NaCl Saltkg NaCl Salt / litre Waterpound NaCl Salt / US gallon Water
000
20.02040.17
40.04170.347
60.06380.532
80.0870.724
100.11110.925
120.13641.136
140.16281.356
160.19051.586
180.21951.828
200.252.082
220.2822.349
240.31582.63
260.35132.926

 

For most of my brined salted cheese, I use an 18% solution which is commonly known as a fully saturated brine.  Although the salt content of the brine can be higher, I find this amount of salt to be perfect for Salting cheese.  It provides adequate salt absorption during the brining process.

Here is a video tutorial I made that shows how to make and test an 18% brine solution for cheese making.

Additionally, have a listen to this podcast episode where I talk about brine.

Testing Your Brine

Note the use of the raw egg to ensure that you have reached the correct saturation.  If it floats and about a 2cm circle is above the surface, then the brine is at about 18% saturation.  Make sure you add a Tablespoon of white vinegar and a teaspoon of calcium chloride to balance the pH to approx 5.3.  This ensures that your cheese will not become slimy during brining due to calcium ion exchange between the brine and the cheese.  You may have to use pH testing paper to measure the pH of your brine.

Reusing Brine

You can reuse your brine solution many times.  Make sure you top it up with at least 2 Tablespoons of salt after you remove your cheese to replace salt absorbed by the cheese wheel.  Store it at 13°C/55°F to reduce any mould growth.

Salting Cheese - Feta in brine
Feta in an 18% Brine Solution using leftover whey as the liquid.

What Type of Salt Should I Use?

Basically cheese salt is normally a non-iodized salt.  It is the non-iodized part is the critical factor when it comes to cheese making.

Iodized salt though won’t help your cheese at all, as the iodine in the salt inhibits the cultures and bacterias you WANT in your cheese.  Fine sea salt or flakey kosher salt will be fine, but remember that not all salts weight the same as shown in this salt video.

I tend to use fine grain non-iodized salt (dairy salt) without an anti-caking agent for all my cheeses.  It works perfectly fine for the home cheese maker.

Summary

Hopefully, you now have a better understanding of salting cheese and how important it is to get it just right.  Too little and unwanted bacteria or moulds may infect your cheese and too much makes it inedible.  Who would have thought that this simple compound was so essential to cheese making!

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Related

Filed Under: Recipes, Workshops

← What is the Best Cow’s Milk to use for Cheese Making? LGC066 – EU Labelling Laws In Australia →

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. Hendrik says

    08/09/2022 at 01:19

    Hello Gavin, when you dry salt the surface, it may take 1 to 2 weeks to complete that process.

    At what temperature do you leave the cheese to slowy absorb the salt?
    Best regards, Hendrik
    The Netherlands

    Reply
    • Gavin Webber says

      22/12/2022 at 07:33

      at 13C

      Reply
  2. Tran Minh Phuc says

    07/12/2020 at 16:19

    Hi. I watched your video. but when I finished the cheeses I didn’t know how to proportion brine to soak them and burata. Please help me. I tried them but they were covered with slime after my brine. can you explain ??

    Reply
  3. paulheffernan123 says

    25/07/2020 at 15:37

    Hi Gavin, i used yr parmesan cheese recipe, 14 lts 2% milk, and found after adding cal chl and rennet the milk didn’t coagulate at all after the initional time of 50 min. At that point added another 3/4 tsp of rennet and bingo.
    The rennet I’m using is liquid calf rennet whch i have just opened. From the start of heating the milk i kept the temp to within 1.5c +- of the desired 33c. The milk i used was 10lts sungold 1.3 and 4lts sungold 3.5.
    Gavin, any ideas?”

    Reply
  4. Cheeseboi says

    09/03/2018 at 02:12

    Hi gavin. I am a huge fan of your videos and your blog. Watching your videos has given me the courage to start my own blog on how i became homeless and how i got into cheesemaking.

    Reply
  5. Glenn says

    18/02/2018 at 21:09

    Hi Gavin,
    I make cheese as a hoby.
    I made gouda cheese (I used your video in youTube), and I forgot to do the salting process.
    I already waxed the cheese.
    I would like to know what I should do:
    Can I leave it like that, or should I remove the wax, do the salting process, and wax again.
    Thank you.

    Reply
    • Gavin Webber says

      18/02/2018 at 21:20

      Remove the wax from the cheese and brine it now for the recommended time period. Then you can air dry for a couple of days, then wax it again.

      Reply

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