#Junkit tablet how to

So after a few hours, it had done its job. This took a little longer at the start, which we assumed was because it was cold milk straight from the fridge and had to come to room temp before it would do anything. After an hour the junket was pretty much set to a very soft curd, but not much of the whey had separated. For the junket tablet, the pack told us to heat the milk to 37°c to set the junket milk but we didn’t bother doing that with the rennet/milk jar because we’re used to doing it without warming and know it works fine. We set out two 1 litre jars, added 500 ml of milk in each and added one junket tablet to one, and 1/8 rennet tablet (crushed and accurately measured) to the other. Whats the difference between Junket and Rennet (and when to use each)?Īt this stage, a little test was in order. Just for the record, 4 litres of milk might sound like a lot, but it only makes around 1KG of fetta (or less). So if we wanted to make a 4 litre batch of Greek feta, we would need 8 junket tablets, or just the 1 rennet. but still cheese, because we put culture in it) we only needed 1/2 a rennet tablet to set 2 litres of milk. But wait! When we make our gourmet feta, (that’s the cheats, quick and simple one. The next thing we noticed was to set 500 ml of milk we had to use one junket tablet. The Junket Tablet makers probably know that to make cheese you need a cheese culture, or maybe they realize that they’ll be inundated with questions about the cheese-making process because things may not have gone quite to plan for the maker. To my mind, there’s probably a reason for that. The first thing we noticed on the Junket packet is that there’s no mention of making cheese with it. We tested the two ingredients side by side. We decided to do some research so we could answer some of our student’s questions. What you get when you make cheese with junket dessert tablets isn’t quite the same as a cheese made with straight rennet tablets, but it’s similar. Being a bit off can cause all sorts of issues, I know because I get emails every week about them. One of the reasons behind this is that the wrong ingredients are being listed for particular recipes and the procedure is a little off. We’ve seen a lot of discussion on Facebook groups where people are having issues making cheese. Junket tablets or Rennet for cheese making? I suspect that the use of junket causes the whey to separate faster, but I’d be more inclined to use rennet for this too. So hey, that’s fine if that’s what you want, but you’ve made a product that’s more like Labna, and you probably didn’t need to use the junket tablet at all, as Labna is yoghurt that’s been strained to within an inch of its life. Well, yoghurt is a culture but it’s a yoghurt culture and not a cheese culture, so you’ll have a firmer set yoghurt. And then there are recipes that call for you to add a junket tablet to yoghurt. The Cheese culture!Īdd a cheese culture to a recipe like this, and you’re going to get a gorgeous flavourful soft cheese rather than a milky flavoured curd. However, junket tablets have more ingredients in them than you need for cheese, and you’ve left out one critical ingredient. OK, if you strain this and press it, it’s sort of like the same texture as feta. Mix these together at 37°c and leave to set for one hour. I’m not pointing fingers at the recipe writer, because maybe they simply don’t know (or maybe they don’t care). I’m going to show you a recipe that one of my students found on the net. Rule Number One – If you are making feta cheese, you need to add a cheese culture. Well, not literally, I have no visible scars. Is that OK to feel annoyed by this? Maybe it’s because of my training, or the executive chef that has pounded correct terminology into me. So, what am I talking about? Most cheeses aren’t cheese unless they include a cheese culture. It causes confusion or disappointment when expectations are not met. I love the idea of inventing new recipes, but it annoys me to call a recipe something it’s not. Close up of persian feta What’s the rule for cheese making? To some, like those that have done our courses, it’s confusing and/or annoying and to others it’s now gospel and they’re spreading the (wrong) word.

#Junkit tablet how to

Over the past few years, so many recipes have popped up on the net about how to make cheese at home. So what am I talking about this time? Cheesemaking with junket or rennet tablets. It’s a little like fingernails on a blackboard to me. The quality varies enormously, and some are simply and flat out, wrong.

Over the last few years, there has been an explosion of all sorts of recipes on the net.