This afternoon, I discovered that a newly opened gallon jug of milk was already beginning to turn, even though it is within date. I was forced to buy another. With the slightly "edgy" milk, I heated it to 86°F in a stainless bowl nested into a pot of hot tap water, then added a double dose (2 packets) of culture for Fromage Blanc. I doubled the dose, because the packets are ancient--like 10 years old. I don't even know if they're still viable, despite their being stored in the freezer. Maybe it will set.
Instead of the 12 hours of setting time, I'm aiming for 18 hours, since my kitchen temp is a few degrees below the recommended 72°F for setting. Maybe that will work. The stainless bowl with its lid are now festooned with oven mitts and dish towels, for insulation.
[A safer bet would have been to make yogurt from it. My yogurt cultures are not so old. But that requires initially raising the temp of the milk to 180°F, constantly stirring it while hunched over the steaming water bath that surrounds the bowl.]
If it does set, I'll spoon the curds into a colander lined with a layer of butter muslin, then tie and hang the bag above the kitchen sink to drip for another 6 to 12 hours, until I have something the consistency of cream cheese. This gets salted, and transformed by garlic powder, dill weed, chives, oregano and black pepper.
Result A: If it works at all, then I should end up with about a 3/4
pound of spreadable, garlic and herb cheese, similar to Boursin, for the cost of $2.49. Boursin sells for ~$4+ for a tiny, two ounces. This will make any crackers (even those with bird seed, flax seed, millet and other "natural" crap on them) taste wonderful.
Result B: I pour the spoiled, un-set milk out in the garden.
Stay tuned for the end of this cheesy story.
[Cue suspense music.]
Bob