Hi Guys,
Yesterday and today I've attempted another colby. This one was a real mongrel. It was a combination of a number of recipes both found here and elsewhere on the web. Below are my references which I'm very grateful for.
http://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,13477.msg102711.html#http://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,12292.msg94794.html#msg94794http://www.cheesemaking.com/Colby.htmlI've tried to combine what appeared to be the most important aspects of all of them.
The make went reasonably well. Unfortunately I've still only got the Mad Millie rennet tablets, so I can't improve there at this stage. I tried to document the make as best I could (I was thankfully having a good day pain wise, so was able to hold a pen
). I've attached my record sheet. I can't recall where this one come from, but it is brilliant and I'm very grateful to whoever made it.
This time I tried to pay attention to pH, although at this stage I'm not skilled enough to make a decision on what to do if I haven't met the desired value. I also stuffed up the setting of the curd. The water bath was allowing the milk to drop in temperature. I tried to compensate by raising the bath by a degree, but I overshot a bit and the curds got a little warmer than desired (although not as bad as last time). I attempted the floc method, but I think it got screwed up by the temperature issues. I'll order some liquid rennet shortly.
The pressing was done under whey up until the 20kg press. I only pressed for 5hrs and then let the cheese sit in the mould overnight without cheese cloth and without weight. This morning I put it into a 22% brine solution for 8hrs. The cheese has now come out of the brine and is now drying in the cave at 10°C. Once dry I'll vacuum seal it.
Does anyone have any suggestions on how I can improve my next make (other than sorting out my temperature control issues)? Would I have reached my pH targets simply by waiting longer?
I've uploaded a bunch of photos.
Thanks for your help.
Shane