Cheddar : Is this normal?

[Spoons]

I made my first cheddar yesterday and every went perfectly. This morning, I took it out of the press and it looked great. Well knit and smooth rind.

This evening I took it out of my air drying mini cave (plastic container with lid slightly open and RH ranging between 65 and 75%), and I noticed that the cheese looks marbled. It's as if I can see the milled curds drying in between each other at a faster rate than the body. The rind is smooth though.

I took a few pics but I can't get the lighting right to see the marbling effect.

Anyone know if this is normal for a cheddar (or a stacked and milled hard cheese)? I pressed at 7.55 psi for 11 hours with an ambiant temperature of 22C, btw.

[Pete S]

  I have had some that showed marbling and some that did not.I think it is from cheddaring to long or to worm.
On mine the marbling disappeared when aged.  Pete

[Spoons]

Thanks Pete. That's some reassurance. I thought it was slowly falling apart or on the verge or cracking or something. lol.

[Pete S]

  You might want to watch the humidity. If it dries to fast it might have a tendency to crack.I waxed mine a little early for that reason.   Pete

[Spoons]

It's showing a bit more now. Noticeable in the pic. The marbling looks dry, but its actually quite smooth. I'll probably cream wax tomorrow morning if the bottom is rather dry.

[dthelmers]

I've noticed the same thing on my Cheddars while they are drying, then it evens out.

[Spoons]

Thanks Dave for the reassurance. I was a bit worried I didn't press well enough but it looks like it's quite common for a cheddar to air dry this way.

[cowboycheese]

Most of my hard cheeses start out this way - right out of the press/brine. After a few days of drying, the colors meld and the mottled goes away. I would think the lighter areas are just where more whey or moisture is between the curds and it eventually dries out.

[Geodyne]

Ditto what Dave and Cowboycheese said. All my hard pressed cheeses have done that, then it's evened out over a few days as the moisture content evened.

[wharris]

I have had the same thing on my cheddars.

[Boofer]

I have had the same thing on my cheddars.

Hey, Wayne, how's that subterranean cheese factory coming along?

-Boofer-

[wharris]

Hey, Wayne, how's that subterranean cheese factory coming along?

Sadly, I seem to have paused a bit. 
Need to build a cheese press, and a better thermal controller for my vat.

Other hobbies have since taken my time, but are begging to ebb a bit.  I will again return to this soon...

(got my ham radio license this year...  kd8vmo)