Chevre: Batch 2

So. Batch 2 was as much of a flop as Batch 1 was a success. Even more so, actually. The milk never coagulated, even though I let it set for 24 hours (!!)--that's four hours longer than the maximum recommended time. When I say it didn't coagulate, I mean not at all. Not even a little bit. As I was pouring the milk through a collander and down the drain (in the hopes of catching at least something), I didn't see a single sign of curd or anything that looked like it might at some point become a curd. It just looked and smelled like milk that had been sitting on the counter for an entire day.

How did I screw this up? Well, let us count the ways:

• Still. Didn't. Calibrate. Thermometer. Why? It requires *another* thermometer (which I don't have) and some sort of tool, which I'm sure I have but can't be bothered to dig out of the tool box. Thus, I think I got the milk a little (or maybe a lot) too hot.
• I stirred in the culture directly from the freezer. I don't think this was a mistake, per se, but it is something that I did differently than in Batch 1, when I removed the culture from the freezer and left it on the counter while the milk heated up. Also, I think maybe the packet didn't contain enough culture, because between the time I shook the packet into the milk and turned to get my spoon to stir it, the powder had already evaporated.
  
• When I moved the pot of milk from the stove, I placed it on the countertop directly above the dishwasher. And then proceeded to wash a load of dishes. I think the steam from the dishwasher came in direct contact with the pot for its entire cycle, which was bad enough, but it also made the air in the kitchen a lot more humid. Fail. Fail. Fail. And...all the more reason to let the dishes pile in the sink? ("It's for the good of the cheese!")
• I also think I was using the wrong lid. My two stockpots look a lot a like and are roughly the same size, but one's mouth, and corresponding lid, is about a quarter of an inch bigger in diameter than the other...I think I used the smaller pot and the bigger lid, thus giving the humidity even more of a chance to screw up the cheese.
  

So...lessons learned/things to do in the future:

• Calibrate the damn thermometer or get a new one that is simple to calibrate so that I can have two calibrated thermometers.
• Find a better place for curd-setting, preferably one that is nowhere near the damn dishwasher or any other humid-making device.
• Don't do the damn dishes, ever.
  
• Devise system for lid-pot matching, or pay closer attention to how the damn lid is fitting.
  
• Don't get cocky. After the coworkers raved about Batch 1, I was all, "Oh! I'll bring more tomorrow! I've already got another batch going, and I think it's going to be even better!" Wow. I wonder if the good people at Murphy's Law need a poster child.
  

Damn. Damn. Double damn.

Chevre: Batch 1

My first batch of chevre turned out fairly well, but could have been better. I had a lot of liquid that didn't coagulate while it sat, but the taste ended up being creamy and a lot more mild than I thought it would be. I followed all directions that came with the French goat cheese packet from New England Cheesemaking Supply Company. But, some things I think I did wrong:

• Didn't calibrate thermometer, so didn't get an accurate temperature reading. The milk was supposed to be brought to 86 degrees before adding the culture, but the thermometer was reading anywhere from 10-20 degrees high (based on my best guess). I don't think I let the milk get warm enough.
  
• Cut the curd to see how hard it was about halfway through the first step. Think I should have left it alone, because when I went to transfer it all to the butter muslin-lined collander later, it was very gloppy and loose.
  

Now for the good news:

• It was very spreadable and creamy.
  
• It made beets taste like 'good'.
  
• Coworkers liked it a lot.
• I felt like it was fairly easy to do.
• Can't wait to make more and experiment with the addition of herbs.