The below notes are from the fourth Colby I made using this recipe. First one (first hard cheese I made) it seemed like everything went wrong, cook times went way over, too much rennet to the point of the curd looked like firm jello, and it was fantastic? Great texture and flavor. The third and fourth ones taste good, however the texture is almost exactly like room temperature "Velveeta", without exaggerating. Very soft, even hard to slice it is so soft. I hope I can use them for melting in chili con queso or something. Any input on my notes below as to why this may have happened would be appreciated. I found a lot of info on cheese that is too hard or crumbly but not much on it feeling soft like this. Thanks in advance all.
#4 Colby Longhorn Used same floc time as #3
Age 4-6 weeks
04-21-13 4 Weeks is 05/21-13
N.E.C. website recipe
Milk to 86 deg., added ¼ tsp annatto, ½ tsp CACL, and culture. After letting culture sit on surface 3 mins, stirred in.
1024 Let milk and culture sit for 1 hour with large towel over pot. Stayed close to temp with this.
Added 1/2 tsp. rennet, this time only using enough to have top of meniscus line level with top of measuring spoon. Stirred in rennet.
Same amount of ingredients, same wait times except
Cut curds at 39 minutes and it looks very good, clear whey, etc.
Cut it at a bit softer this time, hoping for more yield. Trying to cut down total cook time.
Washed curd, Cooled to 85 degrees, drained, stirred at 72 deg for 15 mins. Note, only stirred occasionally again to keep from matting.
Put in 6 inch mold and pressed, pounds pressure below converted from 4 inch mold in recipe to the 6 inch mold used, hence the big numbers
15 mins @ 20# turned and redressed
30 mins @ 40# turned and redressed
90 mins @ 75 # turned and pressed naked 10# plus gallon water jug on 4X
Overnight @ 90 pounds naked water jug, 10#, 5#, on 4X
Much softer after pressing this time, when pressed naked, much more cheese oozed out of the holes in the sides of the mold than previous with same press weights/times.
Dried, Brined, dried, waxed and put in cave.