Author Topic: Wayne's Cheese: Cheddar032909  (Read 6586 times)

wharris

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Wayne's Cheese: Cheddar032909
« on: March 28, 2009, 06:58:13 PM »
Hello all
Well,  Tomorrow I am going to start again on another cheddar to see if I can repeat my process from last week.  The goal is to distill the recipe and process from last week into a verifiable repeatable process.

List of Ingredients:
  • 6gal whole pasteurized/homogenized off the shelf milk (1.99/gall at SAMS Club)
  • 3/8 tsp Choozit MA11 (.9g)
  • 36 drops double strength Annatto (diluted in 2/3 cup distilled water)
  • 3tsp CaCl2
  • 1.5tsp veal rennet (diluted in 3/4 cup distilled water)
  • 3.3oz of flaked salt

My Goals:
  • To repeat the process from last week
  • To make a cheddar that is a bit more yellow.
  • To bandage cheese in muslin and lard
Here is what I am gonna try.
  • increase Annatto from 4 drops/gal to 6 drops/gal
  • use 6oz of salt

Basic Process:
  • Add milk to vat, start heating to 90degF
  • Add Annatto
  • When milk is at 90, add Culture.  Stir in for 1 min
  • Wait 43 min then add CaCl2
  • Wait 2 min then add Rennet Solution
  • Wait 45 min or until clean break, cut curd, then let rest for 15min
  • Stir curd and begin heating protocol from 90-100 degF  That is 2 deg/5min
  • Stir Occainsionally at 100def for 30 min. or until pH 6.15
  • Drain curd, not too long to avoid matting
  • place in pan, stir curds with fingers, avoid mashing
  • Add salt in two phases, allowing for slower absorption
  • Stir every 5 min for 1 hour
  • place in 8"mould
  • Press@.2PSI for 15 min
  • Remove from mould/flip/redress/re-mould
  • Press@.5PSI for 30 min
  • Remove from mould/flip/redress/re-mould
  • Press@2.5PSI for 2hours
  • Remove from mould/flip/redress/re-mould
  • Press@6.5PSI for 24 Hours



Here is how it is playing out in real-life:
TimeTaskWater TempMilk TemppH
6:35amAdded Milk to Vat120376.90
6:50amAdded Annatto112606.99
6:52amHeat On112606.99
7:13amHeat Off120776.77
7:23amheating115836.73
7:29amHeat On114866.71
7:33amHeat Off116886.71
7:39amCulture Added116906.75 (odd)
8:25amCaCL2 added104916.66
8:29amRennet Added104916.59
8:53amHeat On99.590Not taken
9:15amcurd Cut
Heat Off
15min rest
124906.59
9:31amStart scald125876.56
9:56amscald129966.45
10:01amscald130986.42
10:07amscald
Done Heating
1331006.40
10:22amHolding temp @ 1001331006.30
10:25amHolding temp @ 1001331016.27
10:41amFished hold temp @ 1001331016.15
11:01amadded 3 tbls salt117100NA
11:14amadded 3 tbls salt115100NA
11:31amData Point
16 min left in stir
1151005.92


Notes:
Rennet Time:
pH was .09 too low. (when compared to last week) at rennet time

End of cooking/scalding Phase:
pH was .12 too low. (when compared to last week) at end of scald time. The 30 hold at 100 deg period will end when pH reaches 6.15.  This took 52 min last week. I anticipate this taking less than 30 this week.  My concern is that the curd will not have enough time to release enough whey.  May end up with curds too moist. This took 34 min this week 18 min less time than last week.

pH during Stir phase:
pH is righ on schedule for stirring and should be same as last week when curds go into mould. (this is due to time adjustment above.)

Wrap up

OVerall I am satisfied that the operational process is repeatable. 
Since my "cooking/scalding" phase was 18 min shorter this time,  I think my curds are a bit more moist than last week.

The key here is using the pH meter to guage where I am in the process.

I have also decided that in the past I have used too much culture and I let it acidify without validation of where it was. 
 
This was from one of my previous posts and it is work repeating:
"The manufacture of Cheddar cheese is more dependent on uniform starter activity than that of washed curd cheeses, such as Gouda. The proper rate of acid development, particularly before the whey is drained from the curd, is essential if the required chemical composition of the cheese is to be obtained. However, the curd is’ cooked’ to expel moisture at a temperature that normally adversely affects the starter bacteria. The cheesemaker must therefore exert judgment to ensure that the desired acid development in the curd is reached at about the same time as the required moisture content."

I don't know if I hit the correct required moisture content. I know it was different from last week. Given that my pH was "ahead" of schedule I quit the cooking/scalding phase a bit early and the curd was noticably more moist than before.  Its hard to say if it was too moist.  So far, I am not overy concerned.


 
« Last Edit: March 30, 2009, 12:55:09 PM by Wayne Harris »

wharris

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Re: Wayne's Cheese: Cheddar032909
« Reply #1 on: March 29, 2009, 04:25:28 PM »
Some Pics:
New Muslin:
My lovely wife indulged me and made a muslin liner for my 8" mould:




The Curd:

My Press configured for heavy pressing.  (taking this to 10PSI  ~ 500lbs)


The Cheese under pressure.  10PSI
« Last Edit: March 29, 2009, 09:09:01 PM by Wayne Harris »

Offline DeejayDebi

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Re: Wayne's Cheese: Cheddar032909
« Reply #2 on: March 29, 2009, 06:27:33 PM »
Nice! Great wife you got there!

wharris

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Re: Wayne's Cheese: Cheddar032909
« Reply #3 on: March 31, 2009, 12:39:55 AM »
Out of the press:
 

 

 
Bandages and lard:

 
I'm not real happy with the knit.  Still looks like there is some openness to the curd.  The pH is right on target.  I used 510lbs of downforce to provide 10psi  (8"mould has 50.25sqin).
 
I am open to suggestions.
 

Likesspace

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Re: Wayne's Cheese: Cheddar032909
« Reply #4 on: March 31, 2009, 02:08:55 AM »
Wayne,
As always, the cheese looks great, but those muslin liners...WOW!
I've already hit my wife up to make me some of these. She said she would but then gave me that little "wife jab" about thinking she had heard that my cheesemaking season was over.  :D
I took my swiss out of the brine a few minutes ago and also gave my latest Stilton a second piercing.
Honestly, I'm not sure I'll be able to lay off of cheesemaking for the entire summer. Man, this is one fun and challenging hobby!
Like I said, as always, you've turned out a very very nice looking cheese.
Hopefully it will age well and give you the results you are looking for.

Dave

Zinger

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Re: Wayne's Cheese: Cheddar032909
« Reply #5 on: March 31, 2009, 10:20:49 PM »
Wayne,

You reference your disappointment in the "knit." I notice that my traditional cheddars have a more open curd than my farmhouse chedddars. Any thoughts as to why the curd is more open sometimes than other times, or from one cheddar recipe to another?

Rich

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Re: Wayne's Cheese: Cheddar032909
« Reply #6 on: April 01, 2009, 12:04:31 AM »
Wayne,  I was wondering if you were satisfied with the color, since that was one of your goals.  I have decided upon about 11 drops of anatto per gal as good for me (45 drops for 4 Gal.), producing a nice rich almost orange color.

Also, is the muslin bag cumbersome when flipping?

wharris

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Re: Wayne's Cheese: Cheddar032909
« Reply #7 on: April 01, 2009, 01:01:18 AM »
Zinger,  I don't know why.  I'm imagining that the answer lies with temperature of the curd, moisture levels in the curd, and time in the press.
 
I am still pondering all those factors.  This is a problem that needs solved.

 
Rich,  11 drops per gal?  wow.  On the other hand, I was not satisfied with 6.  I will be adding 8 drops per gallon next time.

The muslin bags were simple during the flip.  I simply peeled it off,  then flipped the cheese and dropped it back in the bad.  Kinda like bagging groceries.  Then dropped the whole bag back in the mould.  No pain, no strain.
I will always use the bags going forward.  No more cheese cloth for me.
 
 
 

wharris

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Re: Wayne's Cheese: Cheddar032909
« Reply #8 on: April 01, 2009, 05:09:50 PM »
As I sit an ponder the curd knitting problem I am having,  I think the approach I am going to take is adding more pressure earlier on in the process.  I am going to assume that the curds do that majority of the knitting when they are moister and warmer. 
 
I think I will add more wieght at the beginning.  Not enought to squeeze the butter fat out, or break apart the casein micelles, but more pressure to start the knitting process.

I have been using .2PSI (which works out to about 10lbs).  I may increase that initial pressure to 1-2psi.

Thoughts?

Zinger

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Re: Wayne's Cheese: Cheddar032909
« Reply #9 on: April 01, 2009, 08:08:31 PM »
Well - your way ahead of me in experience and expertise, but it does seem logical. What does 1 -2 psi work out to in terms of pounds?

You may have noticed my posting in "Making a Wine Cheese," I posted a picture of my poor curd knitting. In that post I posited the idea of making a ricotta that is blended with wine and then pressing that "wine ricotta" into my cheddar. DO you think that this make a difference in my curd knitting? Also, what do you think of that idea to produce a wine cheese similar to Cahill's?

wharris

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Re: Wayne's Cheese: Cheddar032909
« Reply #10 on: April 01, 2009, 08:27:30 PM »
Zinger,
 
I would argue that you are further along than you think,  you have found this place and that a big part of it.
 
1-2 pound per square inches across 50.25 square inches is 50.25lb or 100.5lbs of down force.
 
I will have to look at your wine cheesed before I comment.  I really don't know much about them...
 
 

Zinger

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Re: Wayne's Cheese: Cheddar032909
« Reply #11 on: April 01, 2009, 08:38:59 PM »
Duh - I should have thought the question through before I asked. But that sure sounds like a huge increase in weight, from 10lbs to 50lbs.

Rich

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Re: Wayne's Cheese: Cheddar032909
« Reply #12 on: April 01, 2009, 11:37:49 PM »
Wayne,  I think you're on target with more initial pressing weight.  I have been using 1.7 psi for my traditional cheddar, which translates to 33 lbs on a 6" mold.  I haven't had any knitting problem at the end, but its still pretty open at the first cycle or two.  My final pressure is almost 4 psi. and my surface looks really good at that.

wharris

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Re: Wayne's Cheese: Cheddar032909
« Reply #13 on: April 02, 2009, 01:45:55 AM »
Great feedback Rich,  thanks so much.

Offline DeejayDebi

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Re: Wayne's Cheese: Cheddar032909
« Reply #14 on: April 02, 2009, 02:07:55 AM »
Wayne your cheese looks great. I see a few places that are dimpled are you sure it's not the cloth? Your tough!