Rennet Extract
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the rennets
Remove the fourth stomach from young calves immediately after slaughter.
Cut off the thick neck.
Squeeze out the contents.
Peel off any fat.
Slit the rennet open for salting.
Salt heavily on both sides.
Place the rennets in a cool, dark place to drain.
Hang the rennets in a cool, dry place with good air circulation until dry.
Store the rennets in a paper sack until ready to make rennet extract.
Make the extract
Split open the rennets in an oak barrel.
Cover the rennets with water.
Add salt to the water, using 4 pounds per 100 pounds of water.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Rennets
- Their enzymes clot milk proteins, which is what causes milk to form curds.
- Coarse sea salt
- Draws moisture out of the tissue and slows spoilage during salting and brining.
The step that matters
Salting the rennets heavily on both sides. Salt draws water out of the tissue and inhibits spoilage bacteria. Too little salt lets the rennets rot before they dry, which spoils the extract.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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