Wayne's Cheese: Parm031509

[wharris]

I started a new batch today.  Same basic recipe with a few tweaks.

2gal whole past/homogenized milk
4gal 2% past/homogenized milk
.4g TA61
.7g LH100
3/4tsp (4.50g) Lipase (Same amount as always but will be added this much later in the process.  Just to try it.)
3 tsp CaCl2   (This used to be 3 tablespoons.  But in checking,  It should be tsp.)
2 drops Annatto (Just a hair for a slight tinge of yellow.)

Time	Task	Water Temp	Milk Temp	pH
1:05	Start	104.3	37	6.87
1:15	Added 2 drops annatto	96	43	6.9
1:25	Added 3 tsp CaCl2	100	58	6.7
1:55	Started Reydration of Lipase	103	76	6.7
2:21	added culture	120	90	6.64
2:25	lipase added	120	91	6.64
2:54	Rennet Added	112	91	6.62
3:30	Curd Cut (looked good)	112	91	6.57
4:51	Final Curd stir	151	124	6.35*

*Very happy with final pH.  (CHR Hansen indicates a target pH of between 6.3 and 6.4)

Started pressing regime.  Using a coarse muslin,  not Cheesecloth.
2.1 PSI for 15 min (muslin)
3.2 PSI for 30 (muslin)
3.7 PSI for 2 hours (no muslin, mesh screen on bottom)
4.6 PSI for 12 hours (no no muslin, mesh screen on bottom)

Wheel will now spend 60 hours in salt brine.

Notes:
Was happy with the curd.  I used much less CaCl2 this time.  I can't believe that I was using 3 tablespoons and should have been using teaspoons.

I was very happy with the pH.  It was dead on.

One other note, I observed a 5 min settling time at the end of the cooking time.  Basically I held the temp of the curd at 124 deg F for 5 min and did not stir.  Let the curd settle under the whey.  I am not sure about that step, but it did not hurt anything so i will continue it.

Also, I am happy with the color.  I really do not like my cheese to be snow white.  The 2 drops of annatto in 6gal of milk provided just enough yellow to give the final cheese a barely-perceptible off-white color.  I liked that.

[chilipepper]

Looks good Wayne!  Thanks for collecting and documenting the pH data.  That will be helpful for my next batch.  What are you using for a cave again?  I assume you will just wash and age these traditionally and not waxed?

How do you like that new pH meter!? :)

Ryan

[wharris]

I will use the upright freezer with external thermometer untill i get a regular fridge.

The pH meter is really nice. I really really like it.  The nice thing is that I can now check the pH of solid cheese.

My wheels of parm in the cave for example are around pH 5.4.

[Tea]

That look excellent Wayne, congratulations.

[Likesspace]

Wayne, that wheel looks fantastic.
As Ryan said, thanks also for the Ph information.
Parmesan is one of the cheeses I plan to make more of in the coming year since it is one of my favorites and one that also seems to be quite a challenge to do properly.
Thanks for the post.

Dave

[wharris]

Thanks for the kind words.

But I will add that from a relative effort stand-point, to me at least, its easier to make than Cheddar.

But, I have not eaten any yet, so.  Who really knows.

[Cartierusm]

Good job. To me parm is easy, once you get your process down that is. I mean cheddar can look a whole lot of different ways and still be good. When you make parm correctly you know instantly it was made correctly.

[wharris]

Noticed that some of my other wheels of parm had some mold on them.  Small spots of mold that some brine was able to remove.


Actually, I just wiped ALL my wheels off while i was at it.  Waxed or not.

[goat lady]

have you tasted it yet,I would be tempted .

[wharris]

Oh, I am tempted, but smell, feel, and appearence are all the senses i will indulge at this point.  Dec 13 2009 is opening day!

[Cartierusm]

So soon Wayne? I'm waiting until Y2K Version 2.0 to open mine, you know at the end of the world.

[thegregger]

Wayne:

Thanks for documenting your process in detail, and providing pH levels along the way.  I think we will all be better cheesemakers due to your hard work.

Which pH meter do you employ?

Greg

[wharris]

Thanks.  You might want to look here for more discussions about what pH meters folks use.

[shoelessone]

Thanks for this!

While I'm new to the whole cheese making "scene", I'm perhaps most excited about trying my hand at a parm.  A few questions (feel free to ignore them if they are redundant!)

1) Your pH readings, how difficult do you think it would be to make this cheese sans a pH meter?  At the moment, I don't have one, and frankly it's not in the budget anytime soon, perhaps a month or so down the road I could afford one.

2) I was under the impression that parmesan should never be made with fat content higher then 2.5.  By my very terrible calculations, 4 gals of 2% and 4 gals of whole (3.25%)  that would bring you just barely above that.  Does the fat content really not matter THAT much (i.e. being a tiny bit over is ok), and either way why not just go with a total fat content around 2-2.5?

Thanks for the awesome post!

[wharris]

At this stage in my Parm, what should the exterior of this cheese look like?

At the moment, its hard-ish,  but not rock hard.  It stays moist as the RH in the cave is 80-90%

And i have to keep washing the mold off the outside. I wash them in brine about once a week  (There is actually some permanent mold staining as I cannot scrub hard enough to get all the mold off)