My first cheddar ... slightly disappointed

[awakephd]

Hi all, newbie here -- I started making cheese just a few months ago. My first aged cheeses have been reaching maturity, or at least the point at which I can't stand to wait anymore. So far, I've opened a "stirred-curd cheddar" (came out decent, but not overly cheddar-ish in flavor), a Gouda (quite good, I think), and now a "traditional cheddar." All were made according to the recipes in Home Cheesemaking by Ricki Carroll. The process seemed to go well in each case.

I sampled the traditional cheddar at two months of aging (took a plug, sliced off the end, replaced and re-sealed with wax), and was quite pleased; it seemed to be developing good flavor and texture. At three months, I couldn't wait any more and opened it up ... and was a bit disappointed.

First issue: when I removed the wax, the surface of the cheese (and the inside of the wax) was quite greasy. I'm guessing that is not normal or desirable? If so, any hints about what might have gone wrong?

Second issue: the flavor and texture are not as good as I'd hoped -- certainly edible, but just okay, not nearly as good as the Gouda has been. There does not seem to be much distinct cheddar taste. The texture is quite dry, not at all creamy, but also not flaky like a really sharp cheddar.

I realize the second issue may be too broad to offer any particular hints, but I would certainly welcome the benefit of any wisdom or experience that anyone would be willing to share!

Andy

[Matthewcraig]

well for the first issue it may be because the cheese was not left to air dry enough before waxing.
the second issue has quite a few answers firstly the cheese may have been pressed to hard for to long, the milk may have been heated to much, and maybe not aged long enough to see a noticeable difference, next cheddar i would recommend binding it in cloth.

also what culture did you use?

[awakephd]

Thanks for the response. I'm curious about not air-drying enough resulting in the greasiness -- I would have thought that might have resulted in wetness (as opposed to greasiness) instead. In any case, I don't recall for sure (and I wasn't yet keeping detailed records), but as best I remember it was quite dry to the touch. That said, I can certainly dry the next one longer ...

As best I can recall, I pressed it according to the recipe, which IIRC was 50 lbs for 12 hours (or 24? don't have the recipe on hand). That seemed like a lot, but on the other hand, it also seemed reasonable that it would take quite a bit to knit the curds together. Mostly that succeeded -- a few small spaces here and there. I noticed something when I was poking around on this site the other day about pressing for considerably less time, but don't recall if that applied to cheddar or to another type. I am certainly open to suggestions!

I did not heat the milk any higher a temperature than called for in the recipe, but without a way to test the pH and/or moisture content, I don't know if I kept it at the temperature for too long. But maybe you are suggesting that the recipe is calling for too much heat?

I used a package of the Mesophilic culture from cheesemaking.com for this batch.

Clearly I have A LOT to learn -- thanks so much for taking the time to point me in the right direction!

[Spoons]

This may be an air drying issue.

If the ambient temp is too high during air drying step, then the cheese might start sweating fat content. The other air drying issue is that if it air dries at a relative humidity that's too low, the rind will be quite dry but the body will still try to expel whey. The surface eventually cracks under this condition.

Here's an air drying environment that works well for me:
50-55F @ 75-85%RH (careful not to go bellow 65%RH)

[awakephd]

Since that is not far off the conditions I'm striving for in my "cheese cave" (aka wine refrigerator) . . . is that an appropriate place to air-dry the cheese? I'm pretty sure I air-dried this one at room temperature instead.

[Spoons]

Yep, that's exactly what I do. I place the cheese in a ripening box with the lid slightly open and I place it in the cheese cave. I vac seal or cream coat a lot, and my air drying issues have completely stopped ever since I made the switch from room-temp air drying.

[MrsKK]

What kind of milk did you use to make the cheddar?  If raw milk, I would guess that the butterfat was pretty high.  It is more of an aesthetic issue than anything, though.

As for the flavor/texture, ageing is probably the answer here.  I have a hard time allowing them to age for very long as well, but if you can let a cheddar go for six months it will be better.  The enzymes are still at work, (maybe the bacteria, too - I don't remember how long is typical for them to stay active).  I had a cheese that was dry and fairly tasteless at about three months.  I put it in a plastic bag and squeezed out as much air as I could then threw it in the veggie bin of the spare fridge - and forgot about it until it was 15 months old.  It had mold all over it but once that was cut away, the flavor and texture were fantastic.  Old cheddar flavor, creamy texture, nice and sharp.  Unbelievable.

I air dry cheese before putting it in a ripening box.  With Gouda or cheddar, I put them in the ripening box for about a week, turning daily, then into the general area of the cave (mini fridge).  If the rind starts drying out, I rub it with lard or butter.  If it develops mold, I "sand" it off with coarse salt, then rinse with raw apple cider vinegar, dry with a clean cloth and back into the cave.  Since I started using the ripening box, I've had very thin natural rinds that are really nice.

After about 3 months, I vacuum seal most of my cheeses for further aging.

[awakephd]

Many thanks for the helpful responses! Karen, in response to your question, I'm afraid it was store-bought milk; I haven't (yet) identified a source for raw milk. Nonetheless,as I have continued to sample it, I have come to the conclusion that it is a bit better than I first thought -- certainly good enough that I keep nibbling on slices of it! I just had my mouth all set for a real sharp cheddar, and clearly I'm going to have to wait a LOT longer before getting that. That, by the way, is the WORST PART of this new hobby!! I still have months to go before I will see whether my first attempt at a parma was even close.

I will start air-drying in the "cave". But that makes me wonder about another issue; it may be inappropriate to ask in the Cheddar section, but I'll risk it -- do you all brine at room temperature, or also in the "cave"?

[jwalker]

It could also be , that the only thing that went wrong , was you opened it too soon.

I have had Cheddars that were just like yours at a few months , sealed them back up and left for another 3-6 months , they were fantastic , the wetness and greasiness were gone , and seems everything in the cheese had amalgamated into one very good cheese.

I don't touch Cheddars until at least six months now , maybe you just need to be more patient , it's hard , but it pays off.

[MrsKK]

Lancashire is a cheddar that is more moist and develops good flavor in as little as two months.  Due to the moisture content, it is best eaten by 3 months or it gets sour - though if you keep it in the regular fridge, you can delay that a bit.  Here is the thread where I posted the recipe and alterations I made to it.  This is a thread where I posted photos and my experiences between my first two batches.  Good input from others in both threads, too.

I make Lancashire to get me through waiting for other cheeses that need to age longer.

[awakephd]

Many thanks, Karen -- you anticipated my next question! I was just thinking I needed to search for a quick-ripening cheese. I will look at the recipe you have posted.

Jwalker, I will try sealing back half of the cheddar to see how it does in 3 more months. Just wish patience didn't take so long ...

[JeffHamm]

Hi awakephd,

Mrs. KK's Lancashire is very good.  I've made it a few times as well.  A few years ago a bunch of us were making Lancashire's, so there should be a fair number of threads out there with make notes. 

- Jeff

[BobE102330]

While we're in the mode of plugging other's cheese recipes, look back at Jeff's Caerphilly journey.  It ripens in a few weeks, so it's there while you wait for your Lancashire.

[JeffHamm]

Yes, caerphilly is a good option for quick ripening.  It is edible in 3 to 4 weeks, with a very distinct flavour (a bit salty, and has a tang due to being quite young).  There are 3 or 4 different make protocols floating around, and all of them produce good results.  Caerphilly is a great cheese to learn as it gives you rapid feedback on your process, and it allows you to make some other cheeses for longer aging without having to be cheeseless for that time period.  Also, I cut into some Dunlops arond 6 weeks when I first made them and they were quite good young cheddar type.  You can age both caerphilly and dunlop longer if you want (I tend to take Dunlop out to 6 months or more now, and caerphilly I still like in the 3 to 4 weeks to first cut).

I find butterkase to be a decent washed curd make that is ready in 2-3 months as well. 

- Jeff

[MrsKK]

So many cheeses, so little time!