Author Topic: Forgot to add PC culture  (Read 10503 times)

Offline Schnecken Slayer

  • Old Cheese
  • *****
  • Location: Newcastle, Australia
  • Posts: 636
  • Cheeses: 22
  • Making cheese since October 2012
Re: Forgot to add PC culture
« Reply #30 on: September 27, 2013, 10:15:49 AM »
You will need a high humidity for PC, but no free moisture.

You could respray the cheese where the PC hasn't grown, but I guess it has already started ripening underneath the existing PC.  You could try it and see how it goes.  Either way, the cheese is not 'stuffed'.  It may just not ripen evenly.

My suggestion is respray the bare bits. Continue to grow for another week.  Then wrap and see how you go.

NV.

Also, keep patting the white areas and then the bare patches to repopulate the PC.

The one on the bottom left actually looks pretty good.
-Bill
One day I will add something here...

Shalloy

  • Guest
Re: Forgot to add PC culture
« Reply #31 on: September 27, 2013, 11:26:45 PM »
Thanks for that. I've been patting and rubbing all surfaces trying to get the PC to spread.  Oh well they are better than the last lot I did at least.

Offline Schnecken Slayer

  • Old Cheese
  • *****
  • Location: Newcastle, Australia
  • Posts: 636
  • Cheeses: 22
  • Making cheese since October 2012
Re: Forgot to add PC culture
« Reply #32 on: September 30, 2013, 02:58:43 AM »
I was extremely lucky with my cams as they all developed fairly well.
The small blues on the other hand turned into hockey pucks which I grate into pasta occasionally.

You deserve a cheese for your perseverance!  :)
-Bill
One day I will add something here...

mjr522

  • Guest
Re: Forgot to add PC culture
« Reply #33 on: September 30, 2013, 03:28:30 AM »
The fact that you've got such good PC coverage on most of the cheese and the bare spots are yellow (are they wrinkly at all?) suggests to me that you've got the same problem I had.  I don't think spraying more will help the PC take hold there.  There is also the risk that getting the PC that is already there wet by spraying will hinder its growth (I really don't know if that will take place).  The next time I made cams, I took steps to reduce the geo growth--lower humidity, more salt, letting the cheeses dry out well before spraying.

Shalloy

  • Guest
Re: Forgot to add PC culture
« Reply #34 on: September 30, 2013, 04:31:43 AM »
Mike,

Mine dont seem wrinkly as yours did but I have noticed the yellow areas do seem very soft underneath compared to the parts covered with PC.  I did have an issue from the start as I didnt stir my curds and let them rest long enough so my cheese was very very wet for the first few weeks. But that could have been a blessing in disguise as it took me a week to realise the culture I used didn't contain PC so they had drained and dried out a fair bit before I added the PC spray. But maybe they were still too wet and I perhaps should have left them longer to dry out.

I had salted them 3 times to try and draw out moisture in that week so I dont think under salting was the problem.  Humidity was always around 95% if I left the lid on the box and 81-84% with the lid off so maybe next time Ill keep the lid off from day one to keep the humidity down a bit.

Its strange because the two that were made in one type of mould (Holes for drainage) are completly covered with PC and the two that were made in another type of mould (Slots instead of holes) and are slightly smaller in diameter are the two that I have problems with. I wonder if there is any relevance.