Author Topic: 1st KADOVA Gouda  (Read 3558 times)

John@PC

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1st KADOVA Gouda
« on: August 25, 2014, 12:53:57 PM »
We just got some 1 kg and 2 kg Kadova Gouda molds in and I was looking forward to trying them out.  I picked Caldwell's recipe for a Gouda-style hot-water washed curd cheese in Mastering Artisan Cheesemaking p.260
           
Ingredients
   Milk       2 gal. whole cows milk (Hickory Hill low-temperature pasturized, non-homiginized)
   Culture  1/8 tsp. MA4000
                    1/16 LM (substituted ThermoB)
   NaCl       1/2 tsp. in 1/4 cup cool water
   Rennet  1/4 tsp. in 1/4 cup cool water
   Salt          2 qts. heavy brine
         
Directions         
      1   Warmed milk to 80F
      2   Sprinkled cultures on milk; let set for 5 min. and stir for 3 min.
      3   Increase temperature to 89F and maintain for 45 min
      4   Keep at 89F for 45 min.
      5   Added calcium chloride and rennet
      6   Floc at 10 min; waited 3.5 x 10 = 35 min. for curd to set up
      7   Cut into 1/2" pieces; let set 5 min.
      8   Stir gently for 15 - 20 min. @ 89F; let settle 5 min.
      9   Remove 1 to 1.5 qts whey
      10   Add 160F water while stirring over 10 min. to 101F
      11   Drain whey and transfer curds to mold
      12   Press at 2x weight for 15 min
      13   Followed Kadova's pressing recommendations:
         10 min @ 18 lb (flip)
         25 min @ 36 lb (flip)
         25 min @ 55 lb (flip)
         15 min @ 85 lb (flip)
         Maintained 85 lb flipping every hour until whey
              stopped draining and pH > 5.3 (about 3 hrs.)
      14   De-molded and immersed in heavy brine overnight (4 hr. per lb)
      15   Moved to cave at 55F / 85% RH
      16   Plan to age for 3 mo. and 9 mo. and coat with who knows what??*

(* I left that hanging because I don't wax but would like any suggestions as to what would be a nice coating for a Gouda)

The make went well and using the Kadova 4040 (1 kg) mold was a delight: no cheesecloth, fast flipping and a great looking smooth rind.  I used their recommended pressing schedule but extended the last press until whey stopped draining (didn't measure pH though at the end).  Yield was very good: 2.2 lb cheese after brining.  Decided to do a whey-only ricotta and netted over half a pound there.

Shameless Commercial Plug warning: We do have some stock of the 4040 (1 kg) and 4060 (1.5 to 2 kg) molds on the website at a very competitive price  ;).

Spoons

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Re: 1st KADOVA Gouda
« Reply #1 on: August 26, 2014, 12:19:29 AM »
Nice gouda, John! I would suggest sealing with cream coating for 3-4 weeks and then vac seal it. Works great for me. Just make sure to keep the cheese in 85-90 RH for the 3-4 weeks even with the coating on.

About the Kadovas: Nice addition to your store! Great prices too!

A cheese for you!

Offline ArnaudForestier

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Re: 1st KADOVA Gouda
« Reply #2 on: August 26, 2014, 03:26:31 AM »
Wow, that is one fine looking wheel, John.  Congrats - cheese to you!
- Paul

John@PC

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Re: 1st KADOVA Gouda
« Reply #3 on: August 26, 2014, 11:43:06 AM »
Thanks Eric.  I started to purchase some paracoat from Dairy Connection when I last ordered cultures.  Decided last night (before I saw your suggestion) to do an oiled rind using coconut oil and cardamom for the gouda.  I had a cheddar I just made in there and rubbing it with coconut oil / smoked sweet paprika.  I'm getting more interested in affrinage and finishing (for taste and looks) and my goal in life now is to make a cheese that looks like Tiarella's :).  While I have the equipment to vacuum bag and do use it after cutting I can't help but think the bags inhibit the aging process, at least more so than waxed or oiled rinds.

Paul:  Thanks for the cheese.  Eric's note about humidity and your cave humidity issues reminded me to tell you I'm working on finding better (and simplier) ways to verify cave %RH.  Conditions in a cave are tough no matter what kind of sensor you use, and as you well know drift can happen over time.  Temperature is easy to verify (i.e. with digital oral thermometer) but humidity is tougher without using a wet bulb / dry bulb psychrometer.  This is a bit off topic, so I'll bring it up in another thread.

Offline Boofer

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Re: 1st KADOVA Gouda
« Reply #4 on: August 26, 2014, 01:21:57 PM »
I can't help but think the bags inhibit the aging process, at least more so than waxed or oiled rinds.
I vacuum seal quite a few of my cheeses and I have thought from time to time that what you say may be correct.

Warning. The following may be disturbing to some readers. If so, look away. An image popped into my head while reading the above quote. That image was of my hands in gloves... vinyl, nitrile, or even latex. For me, my hands sweat a bit under the glove material. If I have the gloves on for an extended period, my hands begin to acquire the appearance that I've been washing dishes all night. :o  That's because the sweat has nowhere to go. So it bathes my hands and marinates them. That's not a good thing over time and I do not believe that the rind on the cheese benefits from such a situation either. The rind on cheeses that have continued to exude whey inside the vacuum bag transmorphs into something that the maker did not intend.

Cheeses that do not continue to expel whey fare better inside a vacuum bag, but I can't help think that the exchange of gases and moisture is important to the end result.

What I have found, and seems to be echoed by at least one other member, is to age the rind to a point and then cream coat it to reduce moisture loss and to repel interlopers. After some additional affinage, I will then vacuum seal the cream-coated cheese. That does a good job of optimally protecting the cheese.

-Boofer-
Let's ferment something!
Bread, beer, wine, cheese...it's all good.

John@PC

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Re: 1st KADOVA Gouda
« Reply #5 on: October 31, 2014, 12:01:46 PM »
Went ahead and cut this at about 3 months.  Going to eat 1/4 (halfway there already :))", vacuum bag 1/4 and continue to age the 1/2 after putting on a heavy coat of coconut oil on the paste. 

I had several other cheeses to cut and bag and looking at the results I'm inclined to try Boofer's procedure to age the rind a bit, paracoat then bag.  Coconut oil does well but tends to make for a thicker rind due (assuming) to higher MTR than cream or wax coating.   Re-coating with oil more often could work but the paracoat sounds simplier and provides some additional mold protection with the "yellow".

Offline ArnaudForestier

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Re: 1st KADOVA Gouda
« Reply #6 on: October 31, 2014, 01:21:10 PM »
Yum, John, those look beautiful.  Well done, congrats!
- Paul

John@PC

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Re: 1st KADOVA Gouda
« Reply #7 on: November 08, 2014, 01:41:29 PM »
Thanks Paul.  It was good but not great.  Taste was there but the paste was not as soft as it should have been; not crumbly but somewhere in-between.

ps.  Will miss your "flexing cheese" avatar  ;).