Author Topic: uncontaminated blue cheese ?  (Read 4538 times)

Daznz

  • Guest
uncontaminated blue cheese ?
« on: June 17, 2009, 07:33:59 AM »
Hi
When making a blue cheese and using a store brought blue as An inoculum of Penicillium they ask to use uncontaminated blue cheese Is this a blue cheese that has not been opened to the air and lying around  unsealed before you use it ??

Dale

sputicus

  • Guest
Re: uncontaminated blue cheese ?
« Reply #1 on: June 22, 2009, 04:52:47 AM »
When I used store bought blue cheese, I used a clean knife to cut away the outside 1/4 inch layer of the cheese that had been touching the wrapping plastic. Then I used about a teaspoon sized scoop of the bluest part of the cheese that had been exposed, staying away from the exterior sides. I figured I didn't trust the knife used to cut the cheese at the store (or wherever) to be as clean as my knife. Getting a "clean" sample this way seemed to be the best option.

I blended the sample with clean water for a few seconds before adding to the milk with the starter. I have also heard you can mix in the sample to a cup of your warm milk using just a spoon.

This worked for me, and I have a very blue 2 pound block of cheese aging right now that I should be able to sample in about 2.5 months.
« Last Edit: June 22, 2009, 06:22:38 PM by sputicus »

Daznz

  • Guest
Re: uncontaminated blue cheese ?
« Reply #2 on: June 23, 2009, 07:57:36 AM »
Oh Nice thanks that helped heaps... cant wait to see photos of ya cheese

sputicus

  • Guest
Re: uncontaminated blue cheese ?
« Reply #3 on: June 25, 2009, 05:53:02 AM »
Well, since you asked so nicely.

The first pic is of the blue I inoculated with store bought blue cheese, and Ricki Carroll's blue cheese recipe. It is wrapped in a ziplock to help keep the humidity up, on recommendation from a local cheese guru. It has 2.5 months to go.

The second was inoculated with Penicillium Roqueforti PV (powder) from thecheesemaker.com, and followed the stilton recipe from Ricki's book. It has about 3 months to go.

I have yet to scrape any of the mold off of either of these. It may be time to do so.

Daznz

  • Guest
Re: uncontaminated blue cheese ?
« Reply #4 on: June 25, 2009, 07:26:29 AM »
Wow the babys are blue looking good  yum  ;D