I had a surprise this morning while making a Gouda.  While cooking my curd, I was using a water bath of 100 F.  After a while I noticed that the curd temp had crept up to 102 F, while the water bath was still 100 F.  I decided it was time to calibrate my thermometers.  Sure enough, the unit in the water bath was reading 3 deg. too low; while the one in the curd/whey was reading 2 degrees too high!  The result is that I’ve been overcooking my curd without realizing it.  I have just been assuming that my thermometers were reading correct temps; but over time they had slipped.  So, here’s the reminder:  if its been a while since you calibrated your thermometers, you might want to check them out.

Rich,
I learned this same lesson earlier this cheese making season. My thermometer was actually nearly 20 degrees too low because I had no idea that it would not ship already calibrated.
Luckily I only made one Romano before finding out what was wrong but what’s funny is that the Romano had a fantastic taste and texture (even if it wasn’t ANYTHING at all like a true Romano).
I don’t check my thermometers before every make but I do calibrate them from time to time. It’s a pretty simple task to mix up a saturated ice water mixture and set the thermometer at 32 degrees F.
Great reminder for everyone!

Dave

Yup a couple deg can make a big diff.