- One of the most important instruments in your cheesemaking kit.
- These mini spoons provide a very accurate measurement of your cultures. Adding to much or too little culture can affect your cheese.
- A bottle or sachet of starter culture will make hundreds of litres of milk and the mini spoons help measure micro amounts of that culture each time you make cheese.
- That accuracy will help you make a better cheese. But it is important that you keep good records so that each time you can adjust the volume of each culture added.
- Using a standard teaspoon measurement is not as accurate as using mini spoons.
- These spoons can also be used in the kitchen for spices or other additives where small amounts are required.
- Mini spoon/teaspoon comparison is:
– Tad = 1/4 teaspoon
– Dash = 1/8 teaspoon
– Smidgen = 1/32 teaspoon
– Pinch = 1/16 teaspoon
– Drop = 1/64 teaspoon
How to sanitise the mini spoons
Sanitising the mini spoons is important, so you do not contaminate the bulk culture bottle and secondly you do not contaminate your cheese. To sanitise the mini spoons:
- Place the spoon (or spoons) that you require into a tea or coffee cup from your cupboard.
- Pour boiling water to half fill the cup.
- Leave only the spoon/s that you will be using in the water for about two to three minutes. The heat is now sanitising the spoons, the spoons that you are not using dangle over the outside of the coffee mug.
- Remove the hot spoon/s and give the handle of the spoons a solid tap over the edge of the bench to remove some of the residual hot water
allow the still hot spoon/s to rest over the edge of the coffee cup for another 3 or 4 minutes. The heat is drying the spoons and they are cooling to room temperature. - NB: if you rush either the sanitising and or the heating or cooling steps you jeopardise the sanitising process and when you place hot or wet spoons into your bulk culture you are adding contamination to that culture.