Hello everyone.
Some days ago I started a blue cheese, a Stilton replica. The recipe and the experiences of the members on this (wonderful) forum suggested that the cheese needs to drain in mold at room temperature for 5-7 days, until the blue shows up.
Everything went well for the first two days, the whey was slowly draining, the cheese started to get shape, but on the third day I was greeted by an unpleasant, acid smell (don't know how else to describe it). I took my chances, unmolded the cheese and quickly put it in the fridge at 11C in a container. Now the smell is gone, but I worry for the PR, I was supposed to give it a kick-start. The cheese is much harder now, I'm not sure I'll be able to smooth the surface when the time will come...
I'm worried about my cheese, but mostly of the smell, I don't know where it comes from and how to avoid it next time. I had a similar case with a cambozola, but the smell was too pungent and it meet the trash bin. The equipment was sterilized prior to using. The draining was in a tupperware container with the lid on (not tightly, to avoid 100% humidity). The ambient temp was varying between 18 and 25 degrees Celsius. What am I doing wrong?
Thanks,
Alex.