Wayne's Cheese: Cheddar032209

[Dukester]

Thanks Wayne, I'll let ya know when I get started.

[wharris]

I am going to try and duplicate this wheel this weekend.  That will be the proof that I just did not accidentally produce a decent wheel of cheddar.

[wharris]

Gratuitous cheese pictures.  Half waxed.

 

[wharris]

I waxed the remaining wheel-quarters when i made this batch 

As it approaches a month old, i opened one. 


it was FANTASTIC.
The flavor has developed some, but the texture and moisture content where perfect.

[DeejayDebi]

Congrats Wayne it looks lovely!

[wharris]

Ok its been a bit over 3 months now.

The flavor has developed DRAMATICALLY. 

This cheese is still soft and creamy (not wet), and the flavor is now much sharper,  without any trace of
bitterness.

This is not hard, nor crumbly.

The curd is still slightly open.  but untill i incorporate a vacuum into the pressing protocol, I will have to endure that.

[Likesspace]

Okay, I'm resurrecting an old topic here......
First of all, I still say that this is the best example of a home made cheese that I've seen on this site. Other than the VERY slight texture imperfections the cheese looks perfect.
Having said that, this is the cheese and the thread that has inspired me to begin my own cheddar making journey and so far I've been quite happy with the results.
After making one cheddar that sucked and two that have a very nice taste and texture, I feel that I am on track to eventually reach my goals.
So, here's the point to my post.....
When making a cheddar I've been draining at 6.15 and salting at 5.3 - 5.4.
I noticed in this thread that Wayne salted much earlier in the process so now I'm wondering if I am screwing up, salting so late in the make.
When I put my cheese into the mold the whey Ph usually is in the 5.35 - 5.38 range.
After pressing for 10 - 15 minutes the whey Ph (in the collection plate) is usually in the 5.18 - 5.25 range.
For those of you that know cheddar cheese, does this sound about right?
I don't think I've ever been quite as obsessed with turning out a certain variety as I am with Cheddar (okay, maybe Swiss and Stilton.....and ummm Gouda.....yeah, and possibly Parmesan and Romano) so I really want to make sure that I'm doing things right.
Since my family is not able to celebrate Thanksgiving until tomorrow, I made another batch of Cheddar today.
One thing that I am trying differently is to use a 250 watt light bulb (within a reflector) shining on the mold during pressing. About every fifteen minutes I give the mold a quarter turn, keeping the mold at about 115 degrees.
I figure I will keep the light shining on the mold for the first two hours of pressing, hoping this will give me a curd that is more closed. Will it work? Who knows..
Will it hurt anything. Doubtful.
Anyway, if someone can give me some insight concerning my Ph questions I would really appreciate it. I've made very minor changes to my recipe about every week since I've been making this type of cheese but I now feel as if I am starting to really get the hang of turning out a good example, (hopefully).
Thanks in advance and for those that celebrated Thanksgiving today, I hope it was a good one.

Dave

[DeejayDebi]

My understanding that the milk should be ripened unil  you get a pH drop of .1 from whatever you started from. This will vary depending on whether you use raw milk or Pasteurized milk.

After cooking the curds then draining the whey you should be at about a pH of 6.1 to 6.3.

At cheddaring you should be at about a pH of 5.4 to 5.5 before salting and 5.4 when milling.