Second January Parm (8 Gallon)(1/28/15)

[shaneb]

That cheese is brilliant. I'm extremely envious. Hopefully one day soon for me. :-) A cheese for your efforts.

Shane

[pastpawn]

Very nice.  I hope to make my first soon.  Here's AC4U for leading the way for me.

I'll give you another one when you let that thing go for a year without sticking your teeth into it . 

[LoftyNotions]

If you can let it age, you will be so pleased!!!!
I see that you also used Lipase powder. I use that as well and can't imagine what it would be like without. Almost all the recipes I see omit it.

I have about 1 lb left of a 1.5 year old Parm and never made another one to replace it til today!!

That first one is sooooo fabulous.

Nice work!!

Thanks GoudaGirl. I think Lipase is especially necessary with Pasteurized cow milk. I saw your thread on your 1-1/2 year Parm. It looks great. You'll have to schedule your makes more often so you don't run out of properly aged cheese. The hardest part about waiting, especially on these first ones will be not knowing how they'll turn out. I am prepared to sit it out for at least a year before sampling though. The nice thing about vacuum bags is that you can break one open, have a sample or 2, and bag it back up for further aging.

Larry

[LoftyNotions]

Thanks Shane and pastpawn.

Larry

[GoudaGirl13]

Larry,

I reseal with wax when I cut into a cheese. usually I cut it into half, then 2 quarters, keep one quarter open for use (if that's enough) and then rewax the open sides of the half and other quarter and return to the cave!

[qdog1955]

Larry----maybe you can explain how you use the bag for the mold----I got one of these the other day and haven't used it yet-----seems like a lot of material in the way.
Qdog

[LoftyNotions]

Larry----maybe you can explain how you use the bag for the mold----I got one of these the other day and haven't used it yet-----seems like a lot of material in the way.
Qdog

Sure, Qdog. There is a lot of extra material there, and one way to deal with it would be to cut it up. The key to using it while still in its bag form is to place the follower inside the bag and drape the excess around the outside of the mould. It's a tight fit, but the follower will go down inside the bag.

If you look at Parm 2 First Press.jpg, you'll see what the cheese looks like with the bag wadded up on top of the curd and the follower on top of that. I only do it that way for the first press, since the curd isn't formed at all. In the rest of the photos, the follower is directly against the curd.

In Parm 2 Fourth Press.jpg to take that pic all I did was take the follower off, take the bag out of the mould, and pull the bag down slightly to expose the sides of the cheese.

One key to putting the follower inside the bag is to make sure you pull all the loose bag material back up so it doesn't leave indents in the cheese. Do that by pressing down on the follower while firmly pulling straight up on the material, working your way around the exterior a couple times.

Hopefully that's not too confusing. If it is, maybe I can put together a couple demo photos.

Larry

Edited to add: Danbo just posted an excellent video of how he loads his moulds. It's the same concept I tried to explain above about pulling the sides of the cloth up. The only thing I do differently is I don't fold the cloth over on top. Mine all drapes over the outside.

http://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=13884.0;attach=34164

On page 3 of this thread: cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,13884.30.html

[qdog1955]

Thanks Larry----explanation is fine----the only problem, is my follower is flat---making it hard to get out with out the cloth under neath to pull it up and loose---have to consider putting a handle on it-----considered cutting bag, but thought bag could come in handy.
  The explanation on Artisan Geek was a little confusing to me----here it is---
As a cheesecloth:

A fantastic alternative to cotton cheesecloth!  This woven material stretches well under the curd to eliminate ugly crease marks. Instead, it leaves the desired aesthetic weave pattern imprint on the rind.  One bag can hold up to two Tomme moulds with their follower lids. To use, simply place the cheese mould in the bag. Pitch the curd fold remaining cloth over the top of the curd just before placing the follower lid and pressing. You will never go back to cotton cheesecloth or disposables once you've used this bag.  We know; this is our own favorite in the creamery. We use it for both draining and pressing.

Made in the USA
   Did see Danbo's excellent video.
Making a 6 llb. Leerdammer tomorrow---will see how this bag works and thanks for the insight.
Qdog

[LoftyNotions]

I read Yoav's (iratherfly) explanation on Artisinal Geek and never quite understood it either.