Author Topic: Turning the cheese without wrecking kitchen!  (Read 3714 times)

Salilah

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Turning the cheese without wrecking kitchen!
« on: February 01, 2013, 08:26:06 PM »
Sorry if this has been answered before...

Just doing my 3rd camembert-style cheese - I knew it would be a pain to flip

So - first flip - just using the mats - cheese everywhere, messy floor - oops

Second flip - OK let me hold two cooling racks together - one on the top, one on the bottom - fine?
Nope - cheese everywhere, even more messy floor

Any suggestions please??  I'm doing one camembert style at a time, my mould is probably 30cm high, I have the fine grain mats but they are flexible - how do I turn the beast in the early stages??
thanks!!
S

Tomer1

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Re: Turning the cheese without wrecking kitchen!
« Reply #1 on: February 01, 2013, 09:56:28 PM »
what moulds are you using?

BobE102330

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Re: Turning the cheese without wrecking kitchen!
« Reply #2 on: February 02, 2013, 02:19:14 PM »
Place your mat on a sanitized cutting board, then the hoop.  Once you fill the hoop, top with another mat and another sanitized cutting board.  Squeeze the boards together as you flip the entire "sandwich".

I do my flipping over a sanitized sink so I can reclaim the curds should I slip.

Hope that helps.

hoeklijn

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Re: Turning the cheese without wrecking kitchen!
« Reply #3 on: February 02, 2013, 02:50:38 PM »
I'm doing the same as Bob with my Brie and Camamberts, but depending on the state of the curd, I also have a cheese cloth between cheese and mat.
But, especially with Brie, you must have big hands....

BobE102330

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Re: Turning the cheese without wrecking kitchen!
« Reply #4 on: February 02, 2013, 03:55:25 PM »
I forgot that part Herman, thanks for mentioning it.  I sometimes use a cheesecloth between the board and mat to keep them from slipping. 

Yesterday I used my official cheese draining mats from iratherfly for the first time making a small batch of Camembert.  (Actually the fine ripening mats) They aren't nearly as slippery on the board as the latch hook mats I was using.  They didn't seem to even want to slip.  Also, they are a lot easier to clean up than the latch hook mats. 

Salilah

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Re: Turning the cheese without wrecking kitchen!
« Reply #5 on: February 02, 2013, 06:33:46 PM »
Thanks all!

The mould is a fairly standard heavy plastic camember one I guess
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Cheese-Mould-13-open-cylinder-130mm-dia-x-110-mm-ht-/150875919843?pt=UK_Kitchen_Accessories&hash=item2320e7d5e3

I'll try the chopping board idea - the metal cooling racks were probably too flexible and too slippy!  Also the cheesecloth (though I don't have any at the moment, would butter muslin do?)

It was funny looking back - but a lot of swearing!!
At least it was better than my first one - without thinking, I thought "oh, I'll just turn the mould" and did, leaving the cheese sitting on the mat!  :)

Slithery stuff, cheese!
S

OudeKaas

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Re: Turning the cheese without wrecking kitchen!
« Reply #6 on: February 02, 2013, 06:56:04 PM »
Salilah, in my recent efforts with this style, I have also found that in the early stages a tall mold filled with curds may allow some to slip out of the bottom just sitting around. So I have taken to putting a small weight of some kind on top of the mold (I've even used some clean old hardcover books for this, worked OK). This is not pressing on the curds themselves, just weighting down the mold so nothing slips out.

Then I'm super-careful when flipping, keeping a stiff backer like a cutting board on each side usually. But they are tricky slithery little critters, especially until they knit up and drain a little in the molds. Hang in there, eager to hear how your cheeses progress!

Offline Al Lewis

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Re: Turning the cheese without wrecking kitchen!
« Reply #7 on: February 02, 2013, 06:59:22 PM »
I found this very difficult at first but then started to let the curd sit and drain in the mold, initially, for about 2 hours before the first flip and it became a lot easier.
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Salilah

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Re: Turning the cheese without wrecking kitchen!
« Reply #8 on: February 02, 2013, 07:05:46 PM »
Thanks Brandnetel - they are definitely slippery!

Al - good point - I think this was after an hour (as I thought the recipe said) - so yes definitely later!
The second turn was after about 4 hours, and it still went whizzing across the kitchen  :(

I'll keep trying!

PS Bob - what were the cheese draining mats from iratherfly? I will read this forum though, so will probably find the link

thanks again all - much appreciated


BobE102330

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Re: Turning the cheese without wrecking kitchen!
« Reply #9 on: February 02, 2013, 08:12:50 PM »
Iratherfly AKA Yoav is a forum member, he sells just about everything you need except milk.  Send him a private message.  Good guy, very helpful.

Butter muslin will work fine. All you need is some sort of sanitized fabric to add some friction between the plastic pieces. 

margaretsmall

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Re: Turning the cheese without wrecking kitchen!
« Reply #10 on: February 02, 2013, 08:41:27 PM »
I use Chux wipes, put them in the pot when I'm sterilising eveything by boiling before the make. They work fine for draining.

Offline Schnecken Slayer

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Re: Turning the cheese without wrecking kitchen!
« Reply #11 on: February 02, 2013, 09:27:15 PM »
I use Chux wipes, put them in the pot when I'm sterilising eveything by boiling before the make. They work fine for draining.

I second that.
They are also much cheaper than cheescloth.
-Bill
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