Cheese making process and timings

[jessie]

Hello all.
Firstly, I'm new here, so sorry if I'm posting this in the wrong place.

I've just made my first cheddar, and although I made a few errors it seemed to go ok and I'm excited to see what comes out. 
When making it, I was afraid to deviate from the recipe, to the extent that I got up at 3am to take it out of the press!

So, my question is, at what stages in the process is it safe to break off and resume later, or does the entire cheese making process have to be done in one go?
For example, can I get to the draining curds stage and then leave it for a few hours and come back and press later? 
Are there certain stages where it is ok to step away from the cheese, or not?

thanks in advance for any advice.

[Boofer]

I got up at 3am to take it out of the press!

Welcome to the forum, Jessie.

You're on the right track. If a recipe says to brine it for so many hours and the end of that falls at a time when you'll be asleep, you'd better wake up and tend to the task at hand. I have done that many times.

I'm going to make a general statement and say that you should set some time aside to make your cheese: ripening, renneting, floc'ing, cutting, resting, cooking, stirring, draining, milling, moulding, pressing, weighing, brining, drying, schmiering/waxing/vacuum-bagging, and aging.

Actually, a typical make session for me might be 6-8 hours making a cheese. From "ripening" up through "moulding", I expect to be there tending to whatever the milk wants me to do. When the curds finally get into the mould, then I can rest while the press does its thing. Then I'm "on-call" when the cheese goes into the brine, concluding that process after a specified time. From that point, the cheese will be out to dry and then be protected, either by schmier, wax, or vacuum-bag.

I don't know if that's what you were asking about. Don't just leave the curds to play among themselves. Deal with them.

-Boofer-

[Spoons]

Great topic! One that has been on my mind since I've been doing a lot of washed curd cheese lately and most of them require a pressing time of 4-6 hours and an additional brining of about 6 hours (for a 2-pound wheel).

In this case, the whole process is a 13-15 hour adventure. I read that you can brine certain cheeses later the following morning, but I haven't read up on the details, so I haven`t tried it yet.

So, yes, you do need to plan your time ahead. Certain cheese makes more than others.

[H-K-J]

I look at it this way, Follow the recipe, PERIOD.
I plan a full 10 hour day plus, and then again, after a few makes I have found I can work in a pint or two  (toward the end of the make)
Timing is everything tasting is everthing

[hoeklijn]

Interesting topic! When it comes to brining, ripening etc., yes. Timing is crucial. When it comes to pressing, I don't bother too much. With Gouda's, most of the time I plan the making that they will stay in the press during the night, like some farmers I know also do...

[Tiarella]

Interesting topic! When it comes to brining, ripening etc., yes. Timing is crucial. When it comes to pressing, I don't bother too much. With Gouda's, most of the time I plan the making that they will stay in the press during the night, like some farmers I know also do...

I am the same way, Herman.  A few extra hours in the press don't seem to be an issue and I also don't worry about flipping the cheese in the press quite as often as some recipes call for. I roll my eyes  when a recipe calls for flipping every 15 minutes for an hour and then every 30 minutes for another couple of hours.  I do a couple of flips and then it's either time for evening barn chores or bed depending upon how early I started.

[george]

I generally have 6-hour makes - doing a cheese with a 5-hour make is just a bonus. By the end of that time, the cheese is in the press for "8 hours or overnight" and that puppy sits there till I get up in the morning.  It just sort of works out that way, with the ones I do - cheddar, gouda, fontina, the occasional Port Salut, that sort of thing. That makes it easier for any brining that needs to be done as well - I get out of bed, plop the thing in the brine, and 9-1/2 hours later I'm still up to take it out without stressing over it.

Of course, I also choose cheeses that AREN'T supposed to take longer than a 5-6 hour make. I even changed the stirred curd cheddar recipe I used because the old one was an 8-hour make, and the new one is 6. Lazy, me.

By the way, I see you are from Wakefield. Probably too good to be true that the state is RI, huh? 

[jwalker]

For example, can I get to the draining curds stage and then leave it for a few hours and come back and press later? 
Are there certain stages where it is ok to step away from the cheese, or not?

Yep , stick to the recipe you are using as close as possible , like the others have said here , a little more time in the press doesn't seem to be too much of an issue , as for brining , I find if you have to deviate a little , a few hours more in the brine , doesn't seem to hurt much.

But I have found taking it out of the brine too early is not good , just my experience.

Oh , and welcome to the forum.

[Juan Fries Widdat]

I have let the drained curds for mozzarella sit in the refrigerator overnight and then stretched them a day later with the only disadvantage being the difficulty of warming the curd evenly - which is solved by breaking it into chunks and microwaving with turning.

I guess this is why I like to make soft fresh cheeses and kefir - they fit my schedule - or lack thereof

[Boofer]

I guess

ROFLMAO!!

Juan, your avatar name is classic. Kudos, sir.

-Boofer-

[Juan Fries Widdat]

I guess

ROFLMAO!!
 Kudos, sir.

-Boofer-

Thank you Boofer, not everyone notices. I suspect your name has an interesting origin as well.

[Tiarella]

I guess

ROFLMAO!!
 Kudos, sir.

-Boofer-

Thank you Boofer, not everyone notices. I suspect your name has an interesting origin as well.

I'm glad he pointed it out!  I don't usually pay much attention to forum names......other than the one that was cryptorchid, which when,  I asked why he's chosen the name of a condition of an undescended testicle, appeared to get changed.  It was a cool appearing name but the meaning less satisfying as a moniker I guess.  I love the creativity of your name choice!   

[hoeklijn]

Interesting topic! When it comes to brining, ripening etc., yes. Timing is crucial. When it comes to pressing, I don't bother too much. With Gouda's, most of the time I plan the making that they will stay in the press during the night, like some farmers I know also do...

I am the same way, Herman.  A few extra hours in the press don't seem to be an issue and I also don't worry about flipping the cheese in the press quite as often as some recipes call for. I roll my eyes  when a recipe calls for flipping every 15 minutes for an hour and then every 30 minutes for another couple of hours.  I do a couple of flips and then it's either time for evening barn chores or bed depending upon how early I started.

Hi Kathrin, above all, for my Gouda's I've got Kadova moulds and I only flip them once, since the rind is so perfectly formed and closed...

[Geodyne]

other than the one that was cryptorchid, which when,  I asked why he's chosen the name of a condition of an undescended testicle, appeared to get changed.

...and there's my morning laugh. Thanks K!

[Tiarella]

other than the one that was cryptorchid, which when,  I asked why he's chosen the name of a condition of an undescended testicle, appeared to get changed.

...and there's my morning laugh. Thanks K!

You're welcome!  It sure had me confused as a choice.  I think he said he'd used it on forums and no one knew what it meant....wasn't an issue in those instances.