Author Topic: My 1st Muenster - or is it Munster?  (Read 17067 times)

JeffHamm

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Re: My 1st Muenster - or is it Munster?
« Reply #45 on: March 01, 2014, 03:08:21 AM »
As the paste is quite solid, mould shouldn't creep through it.  So, I could leave this to continue aging.  I'll probably slowly eat it though.  It's not a hard cheese to make, so I would probably just make another to age further along.  The cave is full right now, but I have this and another cheese cut into, so once they are eaten up I'll have room for two more cheeses. 

- Jeff

jwalker

  • Guest
Re: My 1st Muenster - or is it Munster?
« Reply #46 on: March 01, 2014, 03:25:13 PM »
The paste looks great.  Made me think about a question I had a year ago but never asked.  Is there any way to "seal" the surfaces of the wedge cut out to continue aging without a lot of crusting or mold growing on the surface of the  paste? I played around with applying plastic film to the surfaces with reasonable success but is there something better out there?  In you're case Jeff I would think you would want your Munster to age naturally for the remaining period to get full benefit from the surface mold?

You could apply cream coating to the cut sides , that's what I do.
Or lately , if I want to try one , I cut a piece off of one side instead of a wedge , then either cream coat or dip the cut side in wax.

So it's fairly mild ? , I guess at this point it's kind of just a generic cheese taste , with no real benefit of the natural rind aging.

It looks good.

JeffHamm

  • Guest
Re: My 1st Muenster - or is it Munster?
« Reply #47 on: March 01, 2014, 05:01:59 PM »
Yah, it's mild at this point, as I expected.  Since I was trying to replicate the bought version, which was still a very young cheese I think since it was also quite mild.  And, with the blue mould starting to contaminate it, I figured longer wasn't going to become more true to form but deviate.  I think this is probably younger than the bought one, but the taste and texture seem like they are progressing on the right path.

- Jeff

Flound

  • Guest
Re: My 1st Muenster - or is it Munster?
« Reply #48 on: March 01, 2014, 05:53:12 PM »
You could apply cream coating to the cut sides , that's what I do.
Or lately , if I want to try one , I cut a piece off of one side instead of a wedge , then either cream coat or dip the cut side in wax.

So it's fairly mild ? , I guess at this point it's kind of just a generic cheese taste , with no real benefit of the natural rind aging.

It looks good.

Noob alert! Noob alert! Incoming question...

Cream coating?


andreark

  • Guest
Re: My 1st Muenster - or is it Munster?
« Reply #49 on: March 01, 2014, 06:08:43 PM »
Flound,

When making Cheddars that will age for over a year,  I have used the Cream Coating prior to waxing.  I realize that the optimal way to age a cheddar is NOT using wax.  (Takes longer to age with wax.)  But my cheddars, coated and waxed have never had any mold, etc. problems.  My longest aged cheddar was aged 18 months and was great!  (Not my recipe, so I can boast.)

Have a great weekend,

andreark

jwalker

  • Guest
Re: My 1st Muenster - or is it Munster?
« Reply #50 on: March 01, 2014, 06:26:47 PM »
You could apply cream coating to the cut sides , that's what I do.
Or lately , if I want to try one , I cut a piece off of one side instead of a wedge , then either cream coat or dip the cut side in wax.

So it's fairly mild ? , I guess at this point it's kind of just a generic cheese taste , with no real benefit of the natural rind aging.

It looks good.


Noob alert! Noob alert! Incoming question

Cream coating?



Yes , Cream Coating or PVA , great stuff ! ;)

JimSteel

  • Guest
Re: My 1st Muenster - or is it Munster?
« Reply #51 on: March 01, 2014, 07:14:19 PM »
Good job Jeff.  A cheese to you for your exploratory efforts.  How do you intend to deal with the blue molds in future makes to prevent them from mutating the intended cheese too much?  Honestly, until you mentioned it, I had never even thought about how such small things could affect a cheese make.  I have god-knows-what popping up on my cheese.  It's a like a different beast every day.  Yellow stains, brown spots, blue mold(only once) white molds.... who knows what I'll end up with.

The rind looks very cool right now, I like the spots and the "rustic look" to it.  That yellowness with darker edges is very appealing.

JeffHamm

  • Guest
Re: My 1st Muenster - or is it Munster?
« Reply #52 on: March 01, 2014, 11:13:59 PM »
Hi Jim,

The rind on a munster should really just be the b.linens, and maybe a bit of geo or PC.  I like wild rinds for flavouring the paste, but then I cut away the rind.  With this being so narrow, I didn't want to end up having to toss a thick rind (the current one is really just suface stuff, so very little to cut away).  In the future, it's just a matter of having a fresh ripening box, sanitize it (i.e. pour in a liter of boiling water and steam it, then a good bleached water wash, rinse, and 2nd boiling water/steam treatment; include cheese mats, etc in this procedure).  Once the ripening box is decontaminated, then you just do your best.  I had to put this cheese in with another cheese, so contamination was bound to happen.  But again, I'm experimenting and wasn't intending this to go longer than 3 weeks anyway. 

- Jeff

Flound

  • Guest
Re: My 1st Muenster - or is it Munster?
« Reply #53 on: March 02, 2014, 03:16:06 AM »
Yes , Cream Coating or PVA , great stuff ! ;)


Now I know what is.



When making Cheddars that will age for over a year,  I have used the Cream Coating prior to waxing.  I realize that the optimal way to age a cheddar is NOT using wax.  (Takes longer to age with wax.)  But my cheddars, coated and waxed have never had any mold, etc. problems.  My longest aged cheddar was aged 18 months and was great!  (Not my recipe, so I can boast.)


And what it's used for.

A two-fer for the Flound!

Thanks heaps, folks.

JeffHamm

  • Guest
Re: My 1st Muenster - or is it Munster?
« Reply #54 on: March 02, 2014, 08:23:23 PM »
Just shared a bit of this at work.  A big hit.  The flavour is really coming on now that it's been cut for a few days.  I find this to be common, that a cheese that seems very mild on the day I cut it will have the flavour of the whole wheel improve a few days later, when I take another piece off. 

- Jeff

John@PC

  • Guest
Re: My 1st Muenster - or is it Munster?
« Reply #55 on: March 03, 2014, 01:13:45 AM »
Makes sense because of the aerobic nature of the bacteria.  I've found the same thing with the blues I've made in that the remaining portions develop more flavor and "bluing" over a fairly short time no doubt to the exposure to air.   

JeffHamm

  • Guest
Re: My 1st Muenster - or is it Munster?
« Reply #56 on: March 05, 2014, 07:09:14 AM »
That's been where my thoughts have wondered too John, which makes me question them! :)  I'm sure it's something like that though.  Regardless, had some today at lunch with some fresh figs from our tree, and they go together exceptionally well.

- Jeff

Flound

  • Guest
Re: My 1st Muenster - or is it Munster?
« Reply #57 on: March 05, 2014, 10:14:28 PM »
2 Litres Silver Top (creamline 4% fat, 3.1% protein)
3 Litres Homebrand Standard (3.2% fat, 3.1% protein : gives 0.87:1 P:F Ratio – target 0.88:1)
1 ice cube buttermilk; 1 ice cube crème fraiche
1/40th tsp B. Linens

Two questions as I'm going to tackle this puppy;

Any special preparation for the crème fraiche?

Where or how does one obtains B. Linens!

JeffHamm

  • Guest
Re: My 1st Muenster - or is it Munster?
« Reply #58 on: March 06, 2014, 04:42:32 AM »
For the creme fraiche I just put some in UHT milk and let ripen for 24 hours, similar to making mother culture with DVA starter. However, I didn't get "cloggy" milk as a result, so I'm not sure how active it was.  Also, it appears creme fraiche uses the same basic cultures as buttermilk anyway (just put them in cream), so just going with buttermilk should be fine.  If you want to use it, rather than make cubes, just put a table spoon of it in some warm milk, say a cup or so, stirr to break it up, and add it in when you add the buttermilk cube.

B.Linens can be purchased at any cheese making supply store that has more than just kits.  It's a pretty basic rind development ingredient.  Or, you can just wash the cheese with a cloth and 3% brine by weight (i.e. 3 g salt, 97g water: total 100g solution, 3 g of which is salt).  Wash the cheese with that, and keep the cloth in the cave.  Don't rinse the cloth, and keep tipping the brine onto the same spot.  B.Linens are naturally on your skin, so they will transfer.  You can wash the cheese with your bare hands too (wash with regular soap, but not anti-bacterial) to help transfer.  Wild b.linens will grow if you keep the cheese surface friendly to them, which the salt wash should do.  You could add a splash of white wine to the brine as well, though I've never done that myself.

- Jeff