Problem with feta type cheese. Is there a repair?

[bernardsmith]

A few days ago I made some feta cheese using cow's milk. A couple of days in the brine (made with whey, salt ,vinegar and Ca Cl) and the cheese is "slimy". Is there a way to repair this? I am thinking of air drying and adding the cheese to a fresh batch of brine but will this repair this cheese or is this batch a lost cause? Thanks. (PS Never had this problem before but I am aware that a brine with less Ca Cl than the cheese can extract the calcium from the cheese and this results in a slimy surface..).

 

[Owly055]

A few days ago I made some feta cheese using cow's milk. A couple of days in the brine (made with whey, salt ,vinegar and Ca Cl) and the cheese is "slimy". Is there a way to repair this? I am thinking of air drying and adding the cheese to a fresh batch of brine but will this repair this cheese or is this batch a lost cause? Thanks. (PS Never had this problem before but I am aware that a brine with less Ca Cl than the cheese can extract the calcium from the cheese and this results in a slimy surface..).

I'd sure try it............ It might also be an interesting experiment to simply put it in a mold, and lightly press and shape it into a round, making it into an entirely different cheese like a brie or washed rind.... if you have something to innoculate it with.

Asher says in his troubleshooting guide for Feta, that a slimy surface indicates not enough salt in the cheese before it was brined, or not acidic enough brine. He advises to air dry the cheese before brining, and to ferment the brine (based on whey), while drying the cheese. His brine does not have vinegar, just 1/4 C salt to 1 qt water, so the culture must be used to ferment the brine to get the needed acidity.

H.W.

 

[bernardsmith]

Yeah... but not at all sure what the cause is here. I salted the cheese before I brined it and I added vinegar to the whey to ensure the pH was low enough. But be that as it may I am trying to see if slimy cheeses can be repaired. Most books don't discuss the repair but the prevention and this is not the same.

 

[passedpawn]

Don't know a fix. I've had many cheese failures and I've never successfully fixed any of them.

FWIW, I don't put mine in a brine. I toss the feta with salt and just keep in plastic sealed container. Lasts a long long time.

 

[bernardsmith]

Interesting. How much salt/pound do you add?

 

[passedpawn]

Interesting. How much salt/pound do you add?

3 TBsp per gallon of milk used. It is a little salty, but you can rinse later if necessary (I don't). Seriously, the last time I made it I think I kept it for at least 6 months, maybe longer. I'm out now

 

[bernardsmith]

I had added 2 T to the curds and mixed the salt in with my hands just before I pressed the feta (It seems that some recipes call for virtually no pressing while others suggest about 4 lbs over four hours... ) and then with that amount of salt I still brined it. Next time I will use more salt and not soak in brine.

Oh, and for the record, air drying DOES seem to be working. The surface is no longer nearly as "slimy" - Thanks Owly055.

 

[Kent88]

might not have enough calcium in the brine. you can try air drying it but it will likely have an odd rind / texture.

that was the response from a (very sleepy) pro cheese maker I know.

 

[bernardsmith]

Thanks Kent88 - much appreciated. I will re-brine this to prevent a rind forming but if it does form a rind.. I guess I will have created some kind of hybrid feta... But it's not for competition. It's for salads... but it does look as though I need to up the amount of Ca Cl in the brine and perhaps reduce the pH even more (sigh)...