Author Topic: First Camembert - need to check procedures  (Read 6058 times)

Offline Al Lewis

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Re: First Camembert - need to check procedures
« Reply #15 on: February 11, 2015, 07:38:06 PM »
I do the ripening process very different.  Once the PC grows I pet it down and flip them every day for a week.  Then I wrap them in cheese paper and keep them in the cave to soften.  Once soft I box them and move them to the cold fridge.
« Last Edit: March 12, 2015, 12:36:51 AM by Al Lewis »
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Offline OzzieCheese

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Re: First Camembert - need to check procedures
« Reply #16 on: February 12, 2015, 02:19:31 AM »
Hi AL,

maybe try this instead of
Quote
Once the PC grows I pet it down aand flip them every day for a week.  Then I wrap them in cheese paper and keep them in the cave to soften.  Once soft I box them and move them to the cold fridge.

1. Let the PC grow in the 10-12 DegC environment. 
2. Once the PC grows - and I haven't found a good way to describe how much - about nice ripe peach outside fuzziness - Move them to the colder environment.
3. I normally leave them in their maturing containers at this stage and I don't wrap them.
4. Wipe them out and flip the cheeses every 2nd day until desired softness is attained.  Again I don't wrap them unless I'm giving them to someone. 

Now being in the colder environment will increase your aging to desired softness time but, it dramatically reduces the chance of Skin Slip with is normally caused by the accellerated, over-production of Ammonia.

A bit of what 'Skin Slip" is.... This is cause by the resolubilsation process going too fast - the process that makes the cheese go gooey.  After the surface Lactate (Lactic acid) has been consumed by the molds, making Carbon Dioxide and water , the lactate moves from the core out.  Then the molds go to work on the proteins and start producing ammonia which moves from the outside in.  Since it is an alkaline it raises the pH. As the pH raises the protiens are moved further away from their isoelectic point and go from water hating to water loving (hydrophilic) and bind water to themselves, basically casein going back into solution - hence the cheese goes gooey.  It is sooo cool and one of the most complicated ripening process - washed rinds do something simular.

There are a few other reactions occuring like the buffering action of the Calcium Phosphate and the production of ammonia outstrips this buffering capability. So its this ammonia production and buffering process we are attemting to control with the lowering of the aging temperature.

I hope that sort of makes sence.

-- Mal
 
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Offline Al Lewis

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Re: First Camembert - need to check procedures
« Reply #17 on: February 12, 2015, 03:52:02 AM »
Mal, makes perfect sense however; I don't have the room in a cold fridge to age them.  One is in the kitchen, full, and the other is a "drinks" fridge in my utility room, full.  I'm aware of slip skin but have not had that problem with this cheese.  I find it takes several weeks for them to ripen at the 54° f of my cheese cave but finish with a very creamy taste and a reasonably thin skin.  ;D
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Offline OzzieCheese

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Re: First Camembert - need to check procedures
« Reply #18 on: February 12, 2015, 05:07:12 AM »
HI Al,  Thats what i like about making cheese.  It's all great in theory until the first curd is cut.  In your case I wouldn't change a thing :)  Another thing I found out - I love this book "Mastering Artisan Cheese" is that the more cream (Fat) you have in you milk the more stable the cheese is, the more firmer it will be and the longer it takes to ripen.  See... there are no real definitive answers, .... it all depends. I went back through my notes and found that when I changed my milk to a better, un-homogenised, creamier milk the better my Cams became.  Can't make good cheese from crap milk.

-- Mal   8)

 
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Offline awakephd

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Re: First Camembert - need to check procedures
« Reply #19 on: March 12, 2015, 12:02:59 AM »
Here is one of the cams at 5 weeks. The picture doesn't really do it justice -- it makes it look as though there is quite a large part in the middle that is still firm. In actuality, not so much -- biting into this is like biting into processed cheese spread, as far as texture goes. Fortunately, it tastes quite a bit better! Still, I'm thinking next time I may wait a day or so longer before moving to the cold fridge.
-- Andy

Offline OzzieCheese

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Re: First Camembert - need to check procedures
« Reply #20 on: March 12, 2015, 01:01:52 AM »
Andy,  A cheese for your patience..  My wife loves them like that - just firm in the middle but spreadable. Me, I like to use a straw :).  I think your process worked very well.

-- Mal
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Offline Andrew Marshallsay

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Re: First Camembert - need to check procedures
« Reply #21 on: March 12, 2015, 08:57:01 AM »
Looks good and it sounds like it was worth the wait. Congratulations on your first and please accept a cheese.
- Andrew

Offline awakephd

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Re: First Camembert - need to check procedures
« Reply #22 on: March 12, 2015, 01:45:29 PM »
Thank you for the cheeses!
-- Andy

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Re: First Camembert - need to check procedures
« Reply #23 on: March 12, 2015, 07:19:37 PM »
Congratulations!

Offline Danbo

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Re: First Camembert - need to check procedures
« Reply #24 on: March 15, 2015, 07:35:29 AM »
One more cheese for you! :-)

Offline awakephd

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Re: First Camembert - need to check procedures
« Reply #25 on: March 15, 2015, 03:52:11 PM »
Thanks! I finished the last of these last night ... and haven't yet made any replacements. This make was two cheeses from just 1 gallon; I would like to try 3 cheeses from 2 gallons in the same size mold to get a bit more height, but I will need to get (or make) another mold, since I only have 2 that size.
-- Andy

Offline Al Lewis

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Re: First Camembert - need to check procedures
« Reply #26 on: March 15, 2015, 04:28:46 PM »
These are the ones I use for my two gallon make Andy.  Three just come out perfect for two gallons of PH milk.  They fit perfectly into the larger of these boxes.
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Offline awakephd

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Re: First Camembert - need to check procedures
« Reply #27 on: March 17, 2015, 10:17:27 PM »
Thanks, Al! That is the size I had in mind ...
-- Andy