Author Topic: First Caerphilly, final pH too low?  (Read 11959 times)

bbracken677

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Re: First Caerphilly, final pH too low?
« Reply #15 on: December 30, 2012, 09:00:44 PM »

HKJ, BB: I think I'm following you two with the Stilton and the Caerphilly.  What other cheeses should I be doing??  :)  Mind you my wife thinks I'm crazy to have 16 lbs of cheese aging....


I would suggest diving into the cheddar process   :)  One of my favorite cheeses to make.  You might also look into a Lancashire, which I understand is a quick aging cheese....also, since you have made a gouda, a colby is a nice compliment.

Making camemberts are also pretty cool...love the process   :)

Offline Al Lewis

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Re: First Caerphilly, final pH too low?
« Reply #16 on: December 30, 2012, 09:18:50 PM »
If he like blues BB he might try a cambozola.
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AndreasMergner

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Re: First Caerphilly, final pH too low?
« Reply #17 on: December 31, 2012, 08:18:49 AM »
I've made Camembert once and it was fun.  I will likely make it again soon since it ages quickly.  Cambozola would be a good choice too, but with 4 lbs of Stilton, I think I will be all set with a blue type for a while.  ;)  ....especially since I am the only one in the house that will eat it. 

I'd like to have a Parm aging in my cave for a year getting ready for me.  HKJ, I wouldn't be opposed to Cheddar, but it is readily available and not that expensive ($7/lb) for a good one....a great one costs >$20/lb though.  I think I might prefer something I can't get or is at least expensive to offset the work involved making the cheese.  Reblochon might be a choice, but not sure how many washed rind cheeses I want going at once.  That goes for Raclette too, but I really like it.  I'm just not sure I want to try it right away with two failed makes so far.  I'd like something with low maintenance or vac bag-ability.  Also want to make a Tomme and Gruyere some day.  Too many cheeses!

george

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Re: First Caerphilly, final pH too low?
« Reply #18 on: December 31, 2012, 11:43:30 AM »
Wait til you hit 34 pounds, and counting, and see what she thinks of you. LOL
Or 72-ish pounds.  (That all got et a long time ago.)

Andreas, I answer to all of those things, but don't call me Shirley.   ;)

I'm still kind of shocked that I was right about something involving pH.

AndreasMergner

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Re: First Caerphilly, final pH too low?
« Reply #19 on: January 07, 2013, 01:16:37 AM »
Mary, that is a lot of cheese.  Now I can understand why you want me to come over and help you eat it!  ;)

So, this is my Caerphilly right now.



I think it looks pretty good, but I've had to brush off a very small amount of blue mold the last three days.  I have a Stilton going at the same time.  Unfortunately I have to go out of town for 10 days on Wednesday.  Fortunately I have a cheese sitter!  I'm wondering if I should just vac bag this anyway (to ease the work of the cheese sitter) or will it benefit significantly by being out of the vac bag?  It will only be about 10 days old on Wednesday.  Thanks!

Offline Al Lewis

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Re: First Caerphilly, final pH too low?
« Reply #20 on: January 07, 2013, 02:18:48 AM »
Whenever I have Stilton in the cave with other cheeses that aren't waxed I cover it with a tupperware cake lid to keep the molds from spreading.  Seems to help.
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AndreasMergner

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Re: First Caerphilly, final pH too low?
« Reply #21 on: January 07, 2013, 02:39:21 AM »
Stilton is not even in the cave yet!

Offline Tiarella

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Re: First Caerphilly, final pH too low?
« Reply #22 on: January 07, 2013, 12:44:09 PM »
Just keep brushing the mold off the Caerphilly and it'll be fine!   :D. Nice looking cheese. 

About what to make next may I suggest checking out washed curd cheeses and doing a natural alpine rind such as Alp suggests and provided a long treatise upon?  I have been loving washed curd cheeses because I can add ale to the curd washing process and it's fun, smells like heaven and makes a nice cheese.  What's not to like??

I use the book by Gianaclis Caldwell for my recipe and do her "same temp washed curd" cheese.  There's just something I really like about this cheese and there's quite a few aging options like any cheese. 

Do keep posting with photos.  I love seeing what others are doing.

AndreasMergner

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Re: First Caerphilly, final pH too low?
« Reply #23 on: January 07, 2013, 01:49:09 PM »
Raclette is a washed curd, washed rind cheese. I have attempted it twice unsuccessfully. I would be willing to try it once again since it is one of my favorites. I think I am starting to get the hang of washed rind cheeses.  Also it is a social cheese so I could have a party to enlist others to help us eat it.

The brushing is working great for this cheese. If it can survive another two weeks and the low ph is ok and I didn't make too dry a curd, I might have a good cheese. :) I will not be the one brushing it so hopefully it stays easy!

Offline Al Lewis

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Re: First Caerphilly, final pH too low?
« Reply #24 on: January 07, 2013, 07:33:30 PM »
Raclette is a washed curd, washed rind cheese. I have attempted it twice unsuccessfully. I would be willing to try it once again since it is one of my favorites. I think I am starting to get the hang of washed rind cheeses.  Also it is a social cheese so I could have a party to enlist others to help us eat it.

The brushing is working great for this cheese. If it can survive another two weeks and the low ph is ok and I didn't make too dry a curd, I might have a good cheese. :) I will not be the one brushing it so hopefully it stays easy!

Have to try this as well.  Bought the wife a raclette a few years ago for parties and it's never been out of the box.  Maybe if I made the cheese she would have to use it. LOL
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AndreasMergner

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Re: First Caerphilly, final pH too low?
« Reply #25 on: January 07, 2013, 07:51:04 PM »
It is so good if you have decent Raclette.  It will stink up the house for a couple days, but it is worth it.  ;)  You can use the oven broiler too, but a Raclette grill is much more social.  My wife's two favorite cheeses were white American and mozz before I met her...but now I think Raclette is! 

Offline Al Lewis

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Re: First Caerphilly, final pH too low?
« Reply #26 on: January 07, 2013, 07:55:59 PM »
Yeah, mine's a gadget freak and couldn't live without one of these things.  Like I said though, never been out of the box.  Maybe when my Swiss is done we could try that in it.  Sure wouldn't want to dirty one of the 4 fondue pots she had to have. LOL
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AndreasMergner

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Re: First Caerphilly, final pH too low?
« Reply #27 on: January 08, 2013, 06:17:14 PM »
Ok, another question: my knit is not so great and I have some small cracks where blue mold is sprouting up. Brushing doesn't get it all out of the cracks. Can I put butter or lard on the cheese to fill those cracks? I figure that cheddar can be wrapped with lard and cheesecloth.

linuxboy

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Re: First Caerphilly, final pH too low?
« Reply #28 on: January 08, 2013, 06:30:12 PM »
If you fill cracks right away post press, that will work. Once mold is in there, really tough to get it out.

AndreasMergner

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Re: First Caerphilly, final pH too low?
« Reply #29 on: January 08, 2013, 08:29:14 PM »
Thanks LB!  You are so very appreciated!   I will do that post press if I have the issue again...which is likely.

I ended up drying the rind a bit by leaving it out a few hours and flipping it a few times.  I still don't have a good feel for how wet/dry a rind is supposed to be.  I hear slightly damp, but not wet, but then it seems like the rind doesn't ever get hard or even firm. 

I then put some bacon grease/lard over the whole cheese because I have so many cracks and only maybe 10 places with a speck of blue mold.  I don't want a thousand specks of blue mold.  I then smeared on some very fine salt which now held on/incorporated with the lard. 

Did I do the right thing?  I have no idea.   :-\  I just know that I tomorrow will be leaving this cheese for 10 days with my neighbor and she knows less about cheese making than I do and I want her to have as few issues as possible.