Author Topic: pneumatic press questions  (Read 17774 times)

Just Plain Fred

  • Guest
Re: pneumatic press questions
« Reply #60 on: May 05, 2014, 10:33:59 PM »
Hello all,

 Since i started this thread, thought that i should post some results ... Been making "Farmstead Cheddar"  and wanted to post some "pics" of the press in action. Also ..thought it would be of some benefit to post a few shots of my homemade "Cheese Cave"  I made this out of one sheet of 1/2" foam board and some pine "1x2"and 1x4" .. The shelves are cut down wire  20" X 12' from local "big box store" I left the bottom open to be able to "grab" the cool basement floor temps ... The "front door" is just a press fit piece of the same foam board material.. I installed a thermocouple to monitor the temps and after a few days, the temp is now at 57° F .... I'll post the results of the cut cheese after a month or so to see if the 75psi  final pressure ( 20hrs) was enough to form a nice "tight" cheddar...Regards Fred

PS: The "air tank" is a spare HVAC refrigerant recovery tank that i had and charged to approx 125psi ...seems more than enough to process with all the required "flips" of the cheese  during the pressing

Offline H-K-J

  • Old Cheese
  • *****
  • Location: South East Idaho
  • Posts: 1,776
  • Cheeses: 145
  • Act as if it were impossible to fail.
    • Cookin with uh dash dogs hair
Re: pneumatic press questions
« Reply #61 on: May 05, 2014, 10:54:16 PM »
How do you keep the cave cool? did I miss something ???
Never hit a man with glasses, use a baseball bat!
http://cocker-spanial-hair-in-my-food.blogspot.com/

Just Plain Fred

  • Guest
Re: pneumatic press questions
« Reply #62 on: May 05, 2014, 11:06:47 PM »
H-K-J,

 Hello... I left the bottom of the "Cheese Cave" open ...My basement cement floor (Closet)  is at around 57° F ...So after closing up the cave ..the temp will stay around the floor temp ..After a few days the floor temp will stabilize the cave temp... Regards Fred

Just Plain Fred

  • Guest
Re: pneumatic press questions
« Reply #63 on: May 15, 2014, 11:12:38 PM »
Hello all,
 Wanted to show the results for a "Farmstead Cheddar" ..This is a 4 gallon ( approx 4 lbs)  recipe using a 6" mold ...The pressure schedule was scaled  up ( per Jim Wallace advice...)  from the original ( 4" mold 12.5 sq ") to reflect the increased area (PSI)  for a 6" mold ( approx 28sq ") as follows

60 minutes @ 22Lbs
3 Hours      @ 56 Lbs 
24 Hours    @ 168 Lbs

The pictures show the internal cheese density ...small voids, looked just like the results from my 4" mold (2 gallon recipe) ..A few  days drying , salt washing , waxing ..and off to the cave for a month..let ya-all know how it tastes  Regards Fred

John@PC

  • Guest
Re: pneumatic press questions
« Reply #64 on: May 17, 2014, 10:07:53 PM »
I'm catching up on posts and I came upon this one and did one of those double takes  ???.  I saw Fred's new cave and then H-J-K's question.  I went back to Fred's picture and realized his cave is insulated on all sides (3/4" extruded styrofoam??) but is "bottomless".   I have to give him a cheese for his ingenuity for his "passive cave" (or insulated igloo) that utilizes the cool basement floor to stabilize the temperature.