1st ever cheese, and it's wet and sour. Help?

[MontereyJill]

I read through the archives here, but didn't see anyone else asking this question.

I bought Ricki's Basic Cheese Making Kit from the New England Cheesemaking Supply Company, and followed the instructions as perfectly as I could to make a cheddar. I don't have access to raw milk so I was forced to use pasteurized homogenized whole milk, and I used kosher salt with no iodine added. I let the cheese cure for just under 6 months, and when I opened it up, it was somewhat wet (apparently a week wasn't long enough in the press to drain it fully), and it's very sour. The initial taste is similar to a Swiss cheese, but more than a teaspoon leaves a horrible aftertaste.

There's no mold visible, and the wax was thickly applied with no bulging or cracks. I stored it in the coolest place I could that wasn't the fridge, but it does get up to 80F on occasion in there. Did I not let it cure long enough? Should I have found a cooler place to let it cure? Any help would be welcome!

[H-K-J]

(apparently a week wasn't long enough in the press to drain it fully)

hhhmmm? am I reading this right? a week in the press?

I stored it in the coolest place I could that wasn't the fridge, but it does get up to 80F on occasion in there

I think your temp was to high, should be kept around 50 to 55 deg. how long did you let it dry for?

[MontereyJill]

Yes, a week in the press. That's what the instructions called for.

[MontereyJill]

I think your temp was to high, should be kept around 50 to 55 deg. how long did you let it dry for?

Sorry, missed this part at first. I left it in the press for about 5 days, until there was no new liquid on the drainpan in the morning. I then let it dry for about 8 days, which is how long it took to yellow completely.

[H-K-J]

I think this was your main problem (someone correct me if I'm wrong)
I have looked at Rikki's book and can find no recipe that calls for a week in the press.
Of course I have never had one of her kits, maybe the kit instructions have an error
I think I may have seen a recipe or two that call for high pressure over a two day period 
I think we will need some of the big boy's to chime in about now

Sorry, missed this part at first. I left it in the press for about 5 days, until there was no new liquid on the drainpan in the morning. I then let it dry for about 8 days, which is how long it took to yellow completely.

5 days is still to long I'm thinkin, check out some of the cheddar recipes on the forum and compare what you did to what they say to do.

[Spoons]

I'd have to agree with H-K-J, too long of a press time and aging temps is too warm (or fluctuates too much). Cheddar usually calls for a three step overnight press.

I don't have the definitive answer to your problem, but those two steps do seem a little off to me.

[Lynda Garneau]

I agree with the others. Never 5 days in the press. I never seen more than over night. I would not eat it.

[jwalker]

I read through the archives here, but didn't see anyone else asking this question.

I bought Ricki's Basic Cheese Making Kit from the New England Cheesemaking Supply Company, and followed the instructions as perfectly as I could to make a cheddar. I don't have access to raw milk so I was forced to use pasteurized homogenized whole milk, and I used kosher salt with no iodine added. I let the cheese cure for just under 6 months, and when I opened it up, it was somewhat wet (apparently a week wasn't long enough in the press to drain it fully), and it's very sour. The initial taste is similar to a Swiss cheese, but more than a teaspoon leaves a horrible aftertaste.

There's no mold visible, and the wax was thickly applied with no bulging or cracks. I stored it in the coolest place I could that wasn't the fridge, but it does get up to 80F on occasion in there. Did I not let it cure long enough? Should I have found a cooler place to let it cure? Any help would be welcome!

Jill , and I love the name "monteray jill" great for a cheese forum .

A week is too long in the press , but you're not the first to have problems with those "cheese kits" , I've read the reviews on amazon and it seems they have a lot of problems , bad info , cheap materials , etc.

Anywhere that gets up to 80 degrees is too hot for cheddar.

I've made some "farmhouse" cheddars , and they are very sour/bitter as well , never again.

Chuck the cheese , buy a good book and start again.

Start from scratch , you'll get it , and find a cooler place to age it.

A cheese to you for trying .

[Scott Wallen]

I have also wasted a lot of time on Ricki's methods/recipes and have yet to make anything worth eating other than a mozzarella. JWalker, when you say "buy a good book" what book(s) would you recommend?

[Spoons]

Hi Scott,

Unfortunately, failure is a huge part of a cheese makers experience. Especially in the beginning. With patience, you'll get a hand of it and make better cheese. When I first started, I only made 1 cheese out of my first 5 attempts. Today, I fail a cheese maybe once every 10-15 attempts, and those failures I usually blame on bad milk.

So don't give up! It's a fun hobby once you figure things out.

As for a book recommendation, there are quite a few good ones out there. Personnally, I like Debra Boyes' 200 Easy Homemade Cheese Recipes, but lately I've been sticking to Pav's (Linuxboy) recipes on his WA Cheese website.

Good luck and have fun making cheese!

[jwalker]

I have also wasted a lot of time on Ricki's methods/recipes and have yet to make anything worth eating other than a mozzarella. JWalker, when you say "buy a good book" what book(s) would you recommend?

Caldwells book "mastering artisan cheese making" has been producing great results for me , she's a little vague on pressing weights , but i have found lighter to be better with most cheeses.

I've been pressing 6 inch Goudas with about twenty pounds , and they are getting better all the time.

[MontereyJill]

Thanks, everyone, for the great advice! I've actually got a copy of Debra Amrein-Boyes's "200 Easy Homemade Cheese Recipes", so I'll definitely be giving those a shot.

[Boofer]

Let's see:

• too long in the press___Check!
• too high ripening temperature___Check!
• kosher salt with Yellow Prussiate of Soda___wait...what?
• The initial taste is similar to a Swiss cheese___I read somewhere that this was supposed to be a Cheddar.

Some questions:

• How long did you cook the curds and at what temp?   (If you didn't cook long enough, excess whey could be retained.)
• How long did you stir the curds?   (If you didn't stir long enough, excess whey could be retained.)
• Did you monitor the pH at any time during this make?
• With what did you press the cheese?
• At what pressing power?

-Boofer-

[WovenMeadows]

My first thought was not that it was pressed too long, but that it wasn't "cooked" long enough, as Boofer queries as well. The slow raising of temperature of the curds-in-whey helps dry them out - that is, remove the sugary whey - as does the agitation of stirring. If too much whey is left in the curd when drained and then pressed, those milk sugars can turn sour down the road. And since you said the cheese seemed too moist as well, that supports this as well.

[CheeWilly]

I have to jump in here also.  I used the same book ( Home Cheese Making) to make a gouda and also a gouda from her website (cheesemaking.com)  Aged them both for 4.5 months in a cheese cave I designed.  They both were horrible.  I actually threw them away because they were so tart and bitter.  I had also made a blue cheese from another book called 200 Easy Homemade Cheese Recipes and the team at work has been begging me to make another because it was a tasty rascal.  But because I had my heart set on gouda, I had vowed to give up cheese making due to two failures.  Then I read this thread and some of the comments made me think that it was not something I did.  I am going to gird up my loins and give her one more try, but not with those recipes again.  Sorry to babble on, but I hope this helps you.