Hi guys,
I’ve been making cheese for awhile now but new to the forum. It’s good that there is a site where cheesemakers can ask questions and discuss such a great hobby.
My first question has to do with an Italian starter I purchased a year ago but as yet, have not used.
I purchased the starter because it is supposed to be good for Italian cheeses such as mozzerella, provolone, etc., but I am yet to see a recipe for any of the Italian cheeses that require this starter.
I know the package says to use in addition to thermophilic starter so I guess I could just experiment and put a 1/4 tsp. into a batch of provolone. My main concern is if it adds a lot of flavor to the cheese and if I should use lipase along with the Italian starter.
If any of you have experience with this starter or recipes that call for it, I would love to hear from you. I just hate having this in the freezer without being used.
Again, great site!
Dave

Since you’ve kept it in your freezer, it should still be an active starter.  Hard to answer any other questions unless you can tell us what the starter is.  You only identified it as an “Italian starter.”  Do you know what the bacteria type is?

Thanks for the reply and sorry about the ommission…..
The Italian starter contains the following bacteria: Lactobacillus helveticus, lactis
As to what that is, I have no idea.
I’m really wanting to give this a try so I might just put some in a provolone sometime this week or wait until the weekend and do a parmesan or romano. The worst thing that can happen is I’ll screw up a couple of gallons of milk.
Today was a good cheese day.
I made a two gallon wheel of Colby (still on it’s first 12 hour press) and a 2 gallon batch of Mozzerella.
Both curds turned out perfectly even though both my rennet and my starter cultures are approaching the two year old mark.  I was even able to do a true cut on my Mozza curd which is a first for me. Usually the curd just forms this funky glob in the middle of the pot.
Last year was not a good cheese year due to some health issues with my parents so this year is really looking up. In the winter months I like to do 2 to 4 gallons a week making mainly:  provolone, gouda, colby, mozzerella cheddar and colbyjack. I also try a swiss cheese every year but am yet to have one that is successful. This year I plan on making one out of 5 gallons of milk to see if a larger wheel offers something successful.
The colbyjack I make is my favorite of them all but it’s a fairly time consuming and stressful cheese. Just the fact that you are making two differnt cheeses, with two highly different recipes at the same time will just about drive you nuts by the end of it.
I also plan on making a 5 gallon parmesan this year as well as a 4 gallon romano.  I absolutely love both cheeses but have been buying them instead of making them.
So, if anyone has any advice on the Italian starter or any pointers on a swiss, please let me know.
Thanks for reading this.
Dave

Here’s a link to an article on you starter.  Sounds like it would be a good enhancer.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactobacillus_helveticus

Thanks for the link. I’m going to give it a try and see how it works out.
Dave

Welcome to the site !
Looks like its mainly for swiss cheese, do u have Propionic culture to add to it?

Neil,
Thanks for the welcome.
I do have proprionic shermanii bacteria but as yet I haven’t had any luck doing swiss cheese. Not only do my wheels get extremely dry but I have never gotten any swelling from the wheel.
I’ve been doing 2 gallon batches but like I said in an earlier post I’m going to try this winter with a 4 or 5 gallon batch and see if that helps.
I’ll also be adding extra proprionic starter in case my bacteria is weak.
The swiss that I have made did have the right flavor, so the bacteria is doing okay in that area. It’s just the dryness of the wheel….problems with cracking and mold that have made it unsuccessful up to this point.
One day I will get the perfect wheel of swiss. It’s gotten personal now, so I’ll keep trying until I do find success.
Have a great day.
Dave

I have never had one successfull either, never puffed up, I wax it as soon as its dry enough so it does not dry out, thats the problem doing it in small batches, can dry out quickly