Author Topic: First parmesan - 6 gallon  (Read 1941 times)

Geodyne

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First parmesan - 6 gallon
« on: December 05, 2013, 06:53:37 AM »
One of the reasons for wanting to make larger cheeses was that I figure if I'm going to go to all the effort of spending most of a day making cheese and then waiting 12 months or more for it to mature, I may as well make it worth my while. My setup will allow me to do 6-gallon batches, and this is one of the larger cheeses I've made.

24 litres (6 gallons) Pyengana skim milk (0.1% fat 3.5% protein, pasteurised, non-homogenised)
1/2 litre Pyengana cream (standardising the milk to roughly 2.2% fat)
1/2 pint prepared Thermo C culture
3/4 tsp lipase
2 tsp CaCl
5 ml rennet

I followed Caldwell's recipe for hard Italian grating cheese.

Pressed, it weighted precisely 2 kg. Now, after not quite a week in the cave, it's lost 130g or so. I'm very pleased with the knit, although there are a couple of small cracks appearing on the edges, and there is one small tear in the centre of the cheese on one side where the cheese stuck to the cloth during pressing. It's ageing on a rack in the open in the cave at the moment, I'm hoping to try for a natural rind

Photos are: 1. Bain marie at capacity,
2. First flip,
3. Just out of press,
4. At 5 days old.
« Last Edit: December 06, 2013, 02:59:12 AM by Geo »

jwalker

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Re: First parmesan - 6 gallon
« Reply #1 on: December 05, 2013, 01:45:11 PM »
Looks really nice !

I love a good Parmesan , will have to put that on my must make list , a 4 gallon make for me tho. !

Spoons

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Re: First parmesan - 6 gallon
« Reply #2 on: December 05, 2013, 02:09:00 PM »
Nice cheese Geo! Parm is my ultimate goal. I need a bigger cave and a bigger vat though. The tough part for you now; waiting 1 year. Lol.

So, an 8" full pan works well with a 24 liter batch? Not too close to the edge? I'll be shopping food pans soon once I buy a bigger cave.

Geodyne

  • Guest
Re: First parmesan - 6 gallon
« Reply #3 on: December 05, 2013, 07:22:34 PM »
Thanks guys - yes, waiting is the hardest part! I'm settling for, er....*cough* fondling it as a flip it, to admire the rind. Jwalker, I recommend trying parmesan. It's a most satisfying cheese to make, I found, before I've tried eating it.

An 8" full pan will hold 26 or 27 litres at full capacity. I wouldn't want to use it with more than 25 litres (which I have done), while allowing 1" or so at the top to give room to stir. The thing to be aware of is that if someone is looking to buy a benchtop bain marie to work with it, most benchtop bain maries will only take a 6" full pan.

It was your advice that sent me on that path Spoons, and it's a really good solution for me - so have a cheese for my thanks! Now I must try to make a curd knife to your plan.
« Last Edit: December 06, 2013, 12:58:58 AM by Geo »

GlennK

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Re: First parmesan - 6 gallon
« Reply #4 on: December 06, 2013, 09:22:53 PM »
Geo, how long ago did you make this one? I have a parm in the cave that's just about a month old and I notice that it sweats a little. When I go to flip it I find the side that's down is a little moist. I wonder if this is normal?

Geodyne

  • Guest
Re: First parmesan - 6 gallon
« Reply #5 on: December 06, 2013, 09:36:05 PM »
Mine's younger than yours, GlennK, it's just one week old but I'm finding no moisture on the bottom of mine. I've noticed no sweating since I brined, and the humidity in my cave is suboptimal at 65-70%.

As this is my first parm, I'm hoping one of the more experienced cheesemakers will step up and answer your question.