Why do you add your calcium chloride solution to water before you add it to the milk in cheesemaking?

It is common practice to add calcium chloride to water before adding it to your milk to dilute it when making cheese. What is actually happening is that at the polarity of water makes it an excellent dissolving medium, or solvent.  This means that Calcium Chloride will spread throughout the milk far better when dissolved or mixed with a small amount of water. Here is the science (chemistry):

 

"Many polar substances undergo dissociation, or separation, into individual molecules in water - that is, they dissolve - because  the negative part of the water molecules is attracted to the positive part of the molecules in the solute, or dissolving substance,  and  the positive part of the water molecules is attracted to the negative part solute molecules." (Tortora, G.J., 2007)

 

What this means in plain English is that when you add calcium chloride to water you end up with calcium ions and sodium ions in the water. The calcium ions are used in the bonding of the proteins that will eventually form the curd.   

 

Refrences

Tortora, G.J., Funke B.R., Case C.L., (2007) Microbiology, an introduction.