Milk residue gunking up my saucepot - cheesemakers help me!

[Javamama]

Cheesemakers, how do you get the milk crud from making cheese off the bottom of a stainless steel stockpot? I've scrubbed and applied baking soda but not sure what else is safe to try.

 

[patandchickens]

1) it is probably at least largely milkstone, which you can to a considerable degree avoid in future by scrubbing the pot clean in COLD water BEFORE using hot water on it. I know I know, it doesn't make obvious sense, but it works, really

2) now that you have it, you will probably have to use acid to remove it. I use 7% pickling vinegar, but you can try just regular 5% vinegar if that's all you have. If it isn't too bad, a good soak in vinegar (then scrubbing) may well do it. If it is really bad -- probably isn't after just one or two uses but I'm saying this just in case -- you can buy milkstone remover at a well stocked feedstore or TSC, it is a much stronger acid and needs a bit of care in handling but will dissolve that stuff off for ya.

(e.t.a. -- in general, for scrubbing ANY residue off good-quality stainless steel, the first choice would be coarse salt scrubbed in with a barely, barely damp towel; it is also more or less ok to use fine steel wool on stainless-steel cookware but should be avoided unless really necessary. But for milkstone, try the solutions above, as what it really needs is avoiding/dissolving, not so much massive removal of material by scrubbing )

Good luck, have fun

Pat

 

[TanksHill]

I have no idea what a milkstone is but I use Magic Erasers on my stainless.

 

[Javamama]

Thanks Pat! Believe it or not - I've never had SS cookware and had no idea if anything could damage it. I'll remember the cold water thing next time.

Gina - I never even thought of a magic eraser! I have a bunch of them.

 

[patandchickens]

Milkstone is the calcium (and other minerals) from the milk getting all bound up with the milk proteins and plastering itself onto surfaces really tightly.

The reason I mention it by name is that it is very DIFFERENT from other kinds of stuff that can gunk up pots, b/c it requires different measures to avoid it (i.e. the initial cold wash) and to remove it (acid really does work well).


Pat

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

hey java!

they have the milk cleaner in TSC - at least ours has it...back by the cow stuff.

you can also order it from any of the goat places but i'd bet your TSC could at least get it for you. it comes in gallon jugs so it would be heavy to ship.

 

[freemotion]

I've made a lot of cheese in the same stockpot and have not had that problem...yet. Hope I don't!