Where can I buy rennet tablets in NYC?
I think I may be able to find them at Kalustyans, does anyone have any other suggestions? I know I can order them online but I want to buy them today.
Let me know, thanks!
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12 Comments:
I've seen them at Whole Foods before -- Junket brand, I think.
dvchurch at 11:08AM on 06/16/09
Yep, look by the icecream toppings in most grocery stores.
Cary at 11:38AM on 06/16/09
Awesome, thanks! Didn't think they would have it, good to know.
simon at 11:53AM on 06/16/09
@simon, if you're making cheese and not custard, the junket ones aren't particularly recommended for that purpose. Or at least not from what I've heard. I bought tablets online for cheese, then had the bright idea to ask a local cheesemaker for liquid rennet, and they graciously sold me some. Liquid is a lot easier to measure and to use, but it is perishable. Good thing is that you don't need a whole lot.
FYI, the rennet tablets for cheese take a ridiculously long time to dissolve, so don't leave that for the last minute if you're making cheese. Do it at the very beginning of the process and keep going back to stir.
I don't know if the junket tablets take that long, but I would guess that they don't. And if you're making custard or ice cream, the junket ones will be just fine.
dbcurrie at 12:08PM on 06/16/09
I have only used the junket tablets to make fresh goat cheese, and it worked very well....can't speak to the other cheeses, if that is what you are after.
Cary at 12:11PM on 06/16/09
I'm going to be making mozz. My local health food store has liquid vegetarian rennet but I thought this might not be the best choice. What do you guys think? Would that work? The recipes I've seen call for the tablet kind...
simon at 12:22PM on 06/16/09
@Cary, that's good to know. After reading a bunch of warnings about how the junket rennet isn't the right stuff for cheese, I went looking for the other rennet. If the junket does work, that would be good to know, since they're so easy to find. And it may just be that the people who sell cheesemaking supplies want you to buy their products. But honestly, if I'm making a cheese that's going to age for three months, I don't know if I'd want to risk it and find out three months later that one ingredient was faulty.
@simon, if you do use the junket for a cheese, let us know how it works out.
Maybe I'll try the junket with a fresh cheese recipe, just for the fun of it. Thanks, Cary!
dbcurrie at 12:30PM on 06/16/09
This is the goat cheese recipe that I have used on my blog. Heed the warning: only use stainless steel...if you use cast aluminum, you will be heartbroken. Also, I love the limejuice but lemon juice or vinegar should do the trick as well.
Cary at 12:52PM on 06/16/09
Thanks Cary! I did a little reading, it seems like liquid and tablet rennet are interchangeable. Junket rennet should work too but produces softer curds, and is not recommended for cheeses to be aged for long periods of time. Which is why it's fine for a soft goat cheese, and should be fine for mozz as well... Thanks again everyone!
simon at 1:30PM on 06/16/09
@simon, the cheese books I've got say that the liquids are pretty much interchangeable, but they prefer the animal rennet over the vegetarian. Tablets are interchangable with liquids, too, but I've got to say that the liquid stuff is a heck of a lot easier to use. Breaking a tablet isn't very precise, and like I said, it takes forever to get it to dissolve. And if the recipe calls for a drop of liquid rennet, I have no idea what that is in terms of the tablet. A quarter tablet is a quarter teaspoon, so that's fine, but less than that is dicey. And the tablets are just as perishable as the liquid, so once you've cracked the seal and broken a tablet, it starts expiring pretty quickly. If you can get any kind of liquid rennet from a local source, that would be my choice over a tablet.
Have you tried the 30-minute mozzarella recipe? Pretty amazing for not much effort. I think maybe I'll try that one with junket and see how it compares.
dbcurrie at 1:58PM on 06/16/09
That's what I'm going to try tonight. I like the idea of having fresh mozz in half an hour. Let's check back in with each other tomorrow to see how it went.
simon at 2:01PM on 06/16/09
can't wait to hear about you're mozz. -- been wanting to try that project all winter ... now i'm coo coo busy. my friends make it all of the time and say it's so simple, you won't believe it.... all you need are a pair of hands that can withstand really hot water.
pooch at 9:06PM on 06/16/09