According to encyclopedia.com, milkstone is "Deposit of calcium and magnesium phosphates, protein, etc., produced when milk is heated to temperatures above 60 °C." 60C is 140F. I've never had a problem with it and I never use those acid dairy cleansers that are commonly available. I just wash my milk bucket and strainer in warmish water with dish soap and it's always been good.
Well, for some reason lately I'd been noticing a buildup on my milking equipment. Having youngest child start milking may possibly have something to do with it. Anyway, I tried scrubbing it and that wasn't do the least bit of good. I finally remembered that I had a bit of the acid cleanser stuck somewhere from when I started milking and bought all the 'stuff' that was said to be needed. This stuff is at least 10 years old. I prepared a solution in the recommended proportions on the bottle and soaked the stuff. Didn't do any good. In frustration I poured 4-5 glugs of acid cleanser into the sinkful of water and a couple minutes later, all the deposits came off with an easy swipe of the dishrag.
So, while I am not a fan of that sort of cleanse, I guess it's good to know that it'll do the job when I need it to. Meanwhile, I am trying to determine for sure the cause of the buildup after so many years so I can skip the whole problem.
Just in case it can help somebody else. :)
I've never had the problem, but can't guarantee I won't in the future. So yes, this is good to know. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome!
DeleteHi, I had never heard of milkstone but then I had never heard of cheese stones either. On Gavin Webbers videos he'd mentioned how the milk, heated, turned to stone in the container and was so difficult to get cleaned up. I saw this every time I made cheese if I let my roaster sit and dry while I was draining the cheese. It was so difficult to clean. So I make an effort if possible to clean it quickly before it turns to stone. In the story of Tom Sawyer, he painted with milk paint and now it kind of makes sense to me as it was pretty durable. I liked reading your story.
ReplyDeleteThanks! I'd actually like to try making milk paint for painting the inside of our little straw bale building but oldest child has so much stuff in there that I'll have to wait til she moves out.
Delete