Here was what we did.
We took 2 gallons of fresh whole Jersey milk, heated it to 86oF and stirred in 1 packet (11.6g) mesophillic starter culture (from Danisco). We left the milk to sit covered for 1 hour, remaining at 86oF. We ran out to get some chores done and when we got back in the temperature had sneaked up on us to 100oF. That was ok, we let it cool to around 96oF. We diluted 1 tsp. liquid rennet into 1/4 c. cold water. We then mixed the rennet solution into the milk using a up and down stirring motion. What is supposed to happen with cheese when you add the rennet is a soft jell should form which you cut into 3/4" cubes. Then you cook the curds in the whey slowly to 102oF. This didn't happen for us, I believe the milk was too hot and cooked the curd immediately. As soon as we stirred in the rennet in, the soft jell formed on one "down" motion with the spoon and the curds solidified with one "up" motion of the spoon. We made do by skipping a couple steps, cutting the curd into cheese curd size pieces and heating slowly to 102oF (the heating took about 20 min). Then we drained the whey off the curds and salted them with about 1 tbsp. pickling salt. They wanted to stick together because they were warm so we stirred them occasionally until they cooled to room temperature. Curds are best chilled for several hours before serving. There is no pressing involved! This recipe turned out absolutely wonderful, although we took some short cuts as listed above. The flavor is comparable to store bought, but oh so superior! We ended up with about 3lbs of cheese curds - and lots of whey. Don't forget to keep the whey, it can be used to make ricotta cheese, for baking, cooking, marinades, breads, and so much more. Give it a try and I hope you have as much success as we did.
P.S. don't forget that great cheese comes from lots of practice!
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