Bushra Griffith
Cheese-making is an art that has been practised for hundreds of years. The first step in the process is to ripen the milk, converting milk sugar into lactic acid. Starter cultures are used to control this ripening process. While natural cheese-making involves making one's own starter cultures, it is a difficult process and commercial starter cultures are readily available. These can be purchased from companies like Cheese Making Supply Co., Cultures for Health, and The Courtyard Dairy. These cultures are available in small and large culture packs, with the latter offering more complex customisations. Starter cultures can also be made at home, with buttermilk, yogurt, or mesophilic cultures as a base.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Starter culture type | Mesophilic, thermophilic, direct-set, mother culture, bulk, DVI |
| Starter culture source | Store-bought, homemade |
| Starter culture form | Powder, liquid, frozen |
| Starter culture use | Single-batch, multiple-batch |
| Milk type | Skim milk, low-fat milk, raw milk |
| Milk source | Cow, goat, sheep |
| Ripening temperature | 72°F, 110°F |
| Ripening duration | 6-8 hours, 15-20 hours |
| Ripening consistency | Between pancake batter and yogurt |
| Ripening taste | Acidic and slightly sweet |
| Ripening result | Yogurt-like |
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What You'll Learn
Make your own culture
Making your own cheese starter culture is a great way to gain a better understanding of the cheese-making process and can give you a greater sense of self-sufficiency. It is also a more cost-effective option. However, it is worth noting that the results with homemade starter cultures may not be as consistent as with manufactured cultures, and there may be subtle variations in the flavour of your cheese.
To make your own mesophilic starter culture, you can start by preparing cultured buttermilk. You can make your own buttermilk by letting milk sit out and then pouring half a cup into buttermilk from the store, or you can use store-bought buttermilk. Once you have your buttermilk, you can freeze it in ice cube trays. Then, store the frozen cubes in a bag in the freezer until you're ready to use them. One cube is equivalent to one ounce of mesophilic culture.
Alternatively, you can make a mother culture, which can be used to inoculate many gallons of cheese without using a new packet of starter each time. To make a mother culture, start by boiling a one-quart canning jar with a band and lid in a covered pot for 5 minutes. After the jar has cooled, fill it with skim milk or low-fat milk to just below the rim. Screw the lid on tightly. Place the jar in a large, deep pot and fill the pot with water until it covers the jar by about a quarter of an inch. Boil for 30 minutes, then remove the jar from the water. Cool the milk to 72°F for a mesophilic starter or 110°F for a thermophilic starter. You can use a thermometer to check the temperature, but be sure to keep the environment clean to avoid contaminating the milk. Once the milk has cooled, inoculate it with either a quarter of a teaspoon of powdered starter culture or 2 ounces of mother culture from a previous batch. Secure the lid on the jar and swirl it to incorporate the cultures. For a mesophilic culture, ripen at around 72°F for 15-20 hours.
To store your starter culture, keep it in the refrigerator for up to three days or freeze it immediately. You can also freeze your starter culture in ice cube trays. Fill the trays with freshly made mother culture and freeze them in the coldest part of your freezer until they are solid. Then, remove the cubes from the trays and place them in airtight freezer bags. Label the bags with the name of the starter and the date it was made. These cubes will keep in the freezer for up to one month.
It is important to follow general cleanliness rules and sanitization practices when making and storing your own starter culture to avoid contamination. If your starter culture becomes bubbly or carbonated, discard it immediately as this indicates the presence of gas produced by yeasts and/or coliform bacteria.
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Buy a fresh starter culture
If you're looking to buy a fresh starter culture for cheese-making, there are a few options available to you. Firstly, you can purchase a pre-made starter culture, which is a convenient and easy option. These are typically sold in small or large culture packs, with small packs being pre-measured and straightforward to use, while large packs offer more room for customisation. You can find these for sale on websites such as cheesemaking.com, which offers a 365-day guarantee and has a range of recipes available.
Another option is to buy a direct-set powdered cheese starter culture. These have a long frozen lifetime of a year or more, but each packet is only suitable for one batch of cheese. You can find these on websites such as culturesforhealth.com, which provides detailed instructions on how to use and preserve your starter culture.
When purchasing a starter culture, it's important to consider the type of milk you'll be using. Skim milk or low-fat milk is recommended, as full-fat milk can cause inconsistencies in the bacteria inoculation due to the cream content. Additionally, ensure that you follow strict sanitisation practices to prevent the growth of rogue bacteria, which can be harmful to your health.
Finally, when buying a starter culture, you may also want to consider the type of cheese you want to make. Mesophilic cultures are used to make most cheeses and perform best at temperatures between 20-30°C, while thermophilic cultures are used for continental cheeses like Gruyère and Comté, and perform best at hotter temperatures of 45-50°C.
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Direct-set powdered starter culture
To use a direct-set powdered starter culture, you will need to follow the instructions provided with the product. However, the general process involves inoculating milk with the starter culture. The milk is then left to ripen at a specific temperature for a set period, typically between 15 to 20 hours for mesophilic cultures and 6 to 8 hours for thermophilic cultures.
For example, let's say you've purchased a mesophilic direct-set powdered starter culture. Once you've heated and cooled your milk to the appropriate temperature (usually around 72°F), you would add the specified amount of starter culture, typically a small amount like 1/4 teaspoon, to the milk. You then need to incorporate the culture by gently swirling the milk.
Over the next 15 to 20 hours, the milk will ripen and develop the desired lactic acid bacteria, which is essential for cheese-making. It's important to check the milk periodically, as the ripening time can vary, and you don't want to over-ripen the milk. Once the milk has reached the desired consistency, somewhere between pancake batter and yogurt, it's ready to be chilled and used for cheesemaking.
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Using buttermilk or yoghurt as a starter
Buttermilk can be used as a starter culture for cheese-making. To make your own mesophilic starter culture, you can prepare cultured buttermilk and freeze it in ice cube trays. Each cube is equivalent to one ounce of mesophilic culture. You can also make your own cultured buttermilk by letting milk sit out and then pouring half a cup into buttermilk from the store. This will give you a cultured milk product that you can use to culture your low-temp cheese.
Alternatively, you can use a store-bought buttermilk starter culture to make a thick, old-fashioned New England-style buttermilk. For each batch, you can use one to two quarts of skim or whole milk, depending on your desired thickness. The amount of character, flavour, and texture can be customised by increasing or decreasing the setting time and/or temperature.
You can also make a mesophilic starter culture by preserving some of the whey from a previous batch of cheese. This will give you the same collection of cultures (mesophilic, thermophilic, and penicillium) that you can use to inoculate the milk for your next batch of cheese. However, this method will not work for lipase, which is an enzyme and not a culture.
While it is possible to use buttermilk as a starter culture for cheese-making, it is important to note that the results may not be as consistent as when using a manufactured mesophilic starter culture.
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Commercial starter cultures
Another option for commercial starter cultures is bulk starters, which are cultures originally obtained from farms and now maintained in laboratories across Europe. These are considered a more traditional method, offering a link to the past and providing an opportunity to experience flavours of the past. In the 1970s and 1980s, a large-scale bacteria producer, supplying to companies like Barber's, began to focus solely on producing DVI cultures. However, Barber's was not satisfied with the results, as they felt the freeze-drying process led to a loss of diversity and flavour. As a result, they decided to continue using their existing liquid bulk starters, preserving the age-old cultures for modern-day cheese makers.
While commercial starter cultures offer convenience and accessibility, some cheese makers may choose to create their own starter cultures or use other methods like buttermilk or yoghurt as a starter. Making your own starter culture can provide a sense of self-sufficiency and a deeper understanding of the cheese-making process. However, it is important to note that the results may not be as consistent as those achieved with commercial starter cultures.
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Frequently asked questions
Starter cultures are available for purchase online from websites such as cheesemaking.com, Orchard Valley, Westcombe Dairy, Goat Nutrition, and Moorland Cheesemaking Shop.
Yes, you can make your own starter culture. One way to do this is to prepare cultured buttermilk and freeze it in ice cube trays. Each cube is equivalent to one ounce of mesophilic culture. You can also make your own mother culture, which can be used to inoculate many gallons of cheese without needing to use a new packet of starter.
If your starter did not coagulate, it could be because the milk contained antibiotics, bleach or strong detergent was not rinsed properly from utensils, the starter was inactive, or the temperature was not properly maintained. If your mother culture is bubbly or carbonated, discard it immediately as this is caused by yeast or coliform bacteria.
