I just double checked and it is 145F for 30 minutes (fairly impossible without a pasteurizing unit) or 161F for 30 seconds. I pasteurize by putting the milk in a large stainless steel mixing bowl covered with foil, set on a stock pot or sauce pan (depending on how much milk I am pasteurizing) with simmering water in it. I don't have a double boiler.
I poke a tiny hole in the center of the foil and stick the probe of my dairy thermometer in it. I lift the foil on one side slightly and leave my skimmer in the milk for occasional stirring. I set a timer for maybe 5 minutes if I am doing a gallon or more, if it is cold from the fridge. Then I watch it closely. Once the thermometer reaches about 140 or so, it can climb quite quickly. If you keep the milk moving as it approaches 161F, you won't get a skin on it.
I have a sink ready with very warm water in it and quickly set the bowl in it, foil removed, trying to keep the milk moving as much as possible to avoid the skin. Then I fill the other sink with cool water and transfer it. Then I fill the first sink with cold water and transfer it again, stirring the entire time, monitoring the temperature. At this point, the bowl goes back and forth between the two sinks, changing the water often, until the temp goes down. Then into the fridge it goes, bottled.
If you are making cheese that day, just get it down to the temp you are looking for, then transfer it to your sterilized cheese pot (ss stock pot.)
Problem is, if you pasteurize it, you will need to add calcium chloride to it. But it might be ok since you are not using the ultra high temps used commercially nowadays. I think. I've never made cheese with pasteurized milk other than to add 25% purchased cow's milk, and I got that from a dairy that uses the 145F method. It worked out great. No calcium chloride added.
If you are worried about it, you might make yogurt from this batch, which comes out thicker when the milk is pasteurized. You only got a gallon, right? Homemade yogurt lasts a LOOOOONG time in the fridge!
As far as having a goat....I think I may have mentioned this before, maybe not to you though....network, network, network. If you contacted me and we met and I liked you (I would!), I would be thrilled to work out a trade with you for milk, or a goat share. This is not something I would advertise in fear of crazies and milk nazis, but if you came along through the grapevine, I'd be ecstatic. I'd teach you to milk and would be very grateful to have someone to fill in when I'm working or away. With four does in milk (soon!) you'd get a lot of milk to take home in one milking.
Check out the 4H again. I know a local one that tosses milk, milking only to get the udders for show sometimes. They use a machine, too. If I'd known then what I know now, I'd have offered a similar arrangement and might not have so many goats right now!
But that would be very, very sad! No Ginger, no Peach, no Plum, no Mya.....no harrowing tales of stuck kids and tangled triplets!!!
P) sells milk and doesn't mind at all if people come over to inspect. She has a few regular customers and is surprised none of them show much interest in the procedures much less even asked to see the goat.
I love the name Crazy Ellie!
