Cheese Cultures and Rennet: acidify and set milk reliably
Culture and rennet decide what your milk becomes. From sour milk cheese cultures to red smear, mould cultures and rennet.
%
Milky Rennet Powder for Cheese Making, High Strength 2200 IMCU/g, 125 g
Content: 125 kg (€0.19 / 1 kg)
Variants from €8.25
Sale price: €23.83 Regular price: €26.90 (11.41% saved) Milky Liquid Rennet for Cheese Making, 150 IMCU/g, for Home Use, 250 ml
Content: 0.25 Litre (€110.00 / 1 Litre)
Variants from €9.89
Regular price: €27.50 Milky Liquid Rennet for Cheese Making, 150 IMCU/g, for Home Use, 50 ml
Content: 0.05 Litre (€197.80 / 1 Litre)
Regular price: €9.89
%
Milky Red Smear Culture for Washed-Rind Cheese, 1000 L Milk
Sale price: €22.99 Regular price: €25.50 (9.84% saved)
%
Milky Cheese Culture for Soft Curd Cheese, 3 Sachets
Sale price: €15.39 Regular price: €16.90 (8.93% saved)
%
Milky Blue Cheese Culture, Noble Mould for Homemade Blue Cheese
Sale price: €12.25 Regular price: €15.90 (22.96% saved)
Cheese Cultures and Rennet: the two ingredients that make cheese
Without them, milk stays milk. The culture acidifies it, brings the pH down and sets the direction that flavour and rind will take. The rennet thickens the milk and splits it into curd and whey. We carry both from Milky in dosages that suit a farm dairy just as well as a vat in your own kitchen.
Cultures: acidity, aroma and rind
The culture is the part you taste. A sour milk cheese culture in a pack of three sachets is the classic way in for tangy varieties and covers several batches one after another. If you work with surface ripening you need a red smear culture, sized for 1000 litres of milk, which builds the typical reddish, strongly scented rind. For Camembert and Brie there is the white mould culture for 250 to 300 litres, which grows the white bloom on the wheel. And the blue mould culture, one pack per 500 litres, brings the blue-green veining into the curd once you pierce the cheese and let air reach the inside.
Rennet: liquid or powder
Rennet splits the milk protein and turns the milk into a gel. Its strength is given in IMCU, the rennet units per gram. The liquid rennet at 150 IMCU/g is easy to measure and stir in evenly, but it belongs in the fridge and keeps only so long once opened. The rennet powder at 2200 IMCU/g is far more concentrated, goes a long way and stores better. In both cases the same rule applies: distribute it thoroughly, then leave the milk undisturbed until the gel breaks cleanly.
Frequently asked questions
How should I store cultures and rennet?
Cool, dark and dry. Liquid rennet belongs in the fridge, while powders and culture sachets stay sealed until you need them.
What if the milk does not set?
Usually the temperature was too low, the rennet too old or the milk too highly heated. UHT milk will no longer set with rennet at all.
Can I carry a culture over from a previous batch?
For a few rounds, yes, but the acidification becomes unpredictable. For consistent results a fresh culture is the better choice.
Cheese cultures and rennet for every type of cheese
Two small ingredients decide whether your milk turns into a mild semi-hard cheese, a creamy Camembert or a punchy blue. The culture acidifies the milk, brings the pH down and shapes both aroma and rind: the sour milk cheese culture comes in a pack of three sachets for several batches, the red smear culture is sized for 1000 litres and builds the typical reddish surface, the white mould culture for 250 to 300 litres grows the white bloom on Camembert and Brie, and the blue mould culture covers 500 litres. The rennet takes over the second part and thickens the milk into the gel you cut the curd from. You can have it as liquid rennet at 150 IMCU/g, which is easy to measure out, or as highly concentrated rennet powder at 2200 IMCU/g, which stores longer and is dosed very sparingly indeed.