Author Topic: Newbie with a question  (Read 1879 times)

orion113

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Newbie with a question
« on: April 29, 2013, 07:37:31 PM »
Tom here from Phoenix and I want to thank eveyone for a great forum.  I have been reading for quite awhile and just figured out how to register and all.  Only on my 5th cheese, so far I have done 4 Colby Longhorn from New England Cheese making site, still waiting on them to age a bit to see how I did.  Yesterday I tried the Farmhouse Cheddar from Artisan Cheese Making at home and it seemed the mold called for was too large and that the weights given for the 2 stages of pressing were much too light?  the cheese is only a bit over an inch in thickness and the curd did not come together in a smooth mass, very "open grain", for lack of better term.  Anyone have problems with the pressing weights and times from this book?  I followed the directions pretty much to the letter and got those mysterious results.  The Colbys from New England Cheese website "look" normal, nice compressed rind, air dried nicely, etc..  I am wondering if I missed something in the recipe or what?

bbracken677

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Re: Newbie with a question
« Reply #1 on: April 29, 2013, 07:44:10 PM »
We could use a bit more detail regarding how much milk you used in your make as well as what size mold.

There is a way to get a smoother rind, particularly with a cheddar which can be troublesome.  You need to press with some source of heat available to keep the curds warm. I press with my mold inside a plastic container, sitting inside a large pot. I will pour warm whey or water in the outer ring of the pot/container so that provides heat for the pressing and keeps the mold/curd separate from the liquid.

Also...do you press with the curd wrapped in cheesecloth inside the mold? If you start that way, and then remove the cheesecloth for the final press or 2 it will work better.

orion113

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Re: Newbie with a question
« Reply #2 on: April 29, 2013, 08:01:56 PM »
As yes, that would help, eh?  I used 2 gallons whole milk and a 7 and 7/8th inch mold.  My book is at home, I think it says 7 inch "tomme mold".  I will check the book tonight but the press weights quoted seemed low like 8 pounds for 1 hour then only about 12 pounds overnight.  I will try the last pressing without cloth too, I'm sure it will make for a smoother rind without the cloth lines molded in.

orion113

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Re: Newbie with a question
« Reply #3 on: April 29, 2013, 09:34:01 PM »
Yes, 2 gallons of milk, used pasteurized that I have had success with before.
Called for a 8 inch tomme mold  (seems very large for 2 gallon batch?)
Pressings were 8 pounds for 1 hour, then 10 pounds for 12 hours (also to me the newbie, this seems like not much pressure?)
I just weighed it after the brine period and the yield looks like 1 pound, 11.8 ounces.  Is this about right for 2 gallons of milk?

As an example, the Colby I made in the 6 inch mold I pressed with the following weights on my Dutch Press
15 mins @ 20#
30 mins @ 40#
90 mins @ 75#
Then overnight with 90#, again all these weights compensated for the mold size and my Dutch Press from the conversion table that came with the press.
I have not tried these Colbys yet but they do look "normal", whatever that is, eh?

Seems like I would have been better off with a 4.5 inch or even 6 inch mold and quite a bit more pressure than the directions gave?  Any suggestions or experiences with this book's recipe's would be appreciated.  Thanks in advance all.

WovenMeadows

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Re: Newbie with a question
« Reply #4 on: April 29, 2013, 10:59:46 PM »
Yes, that is much too large a mold for that size of a make - I don't like to do less than 6 gallons in those 7-8 inch molds for a hard/aged cheese. Your 6 inch mold would have served much better. Since your cheese is so thin, you'll probably want to wax or vacuum seal if your going to age it. But you could also enjoy it fresh, it should have some mild cheddar, cheese curd flavor.

Your final weight of a little under 2 lbs sounds spot on to me for a 2 gallon cheddar make - hard cheeses fall in the range of 1 pound cheese yield per one gallon of (whole) milk. Cheddar, being lower moisture, is going to fall on the lower end of things. (A skim milk, high-cooked parm-type would be the lowest, while full-fat washed-curd types will be on the higher end weight-wise.)

For pressing a cheddar, I pretty much give it all I can (in increments over time) - its probably the hardest cheese to get to come together, since the curds have dried and acidified so much during the cheddaring process, and then dry salted to boot.

orion113

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Re: Newbie with a question
« Reply #5 on: April 29, 2013, 11:01:29 PM »
Thanks much for the great info, MAN, I love this forum.  Pretty new to it but so far I am having a great time with this hobby!!

jwalker

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Re: Newbie with a question
« Reply #6 on: April 30, 2013, 01:24:55 PM »
As yes, that would help, eh?

You speak Canadian , eh ? ;D

Welcome to the forum.

Cheers , Jim.