Can altitude effect texture?

[pamaples]

I am using raw goat's milk. My cheese is consistently weird. It tastes good. But it is dry and it doesn't melt very well. There are so many bubbles in it it's almost more bubbles than cheese. My curd did not float which suggests to me that I don't have gas producing contaminate in my starter.

I know water boils at a lower temp here in NM at 5000 ft. Should that effect the texture? After I have mastered basic cheesemaking I want to move on. So far I don't think I have mastered basic cheese making producing cheese like this. (unless it is supposed to look like this)

Since I am consistant, if I can find my error, I can make good cheese.        -Pam

[Cheese Head]

Pam, great looking cheese, sorry but I don't have enough experience, but I don't think it should affect it, many of our predecessors in Switzerland have been making cheese high in Alps for years without those tiny eyes so I think it is something else.

FYI, at FXCuisine there are some nice pictures of Swiss Alpine Cheese Makers.

[DeejayDebi]

You said the cheese tastes good so I am not even considering contamination. Usually contanination results in a bad or off flavors.

 A few things other than contanination that can cause this are:

- to little acid development causing curds to retain to much whey.

- pressing the curds to hot. They should be about 80°F or  26°C.

- not enough pressing time - try pressing for a longer period of time.

I have found in my experience that the length of time pressing is more important than the pressure for good solid cheeses. This can be seen in some of the cheeses I have posted where I only used a large can of tomatoes ( 6 lbs.) to press a cheese which the recipe listed at 50 lbs. If you use less weight you need to press for a longer time - two days instead of one for example.

Note: my theory though not tesed is that at higher altitudes you need a higher weight to compensate for lack of natural air pressure or a longer pressing time. Try doubling your pressing time and let me know how it works for you. I am by no means an expert I am self taught and have only recently found published information on cheese making but this works.

- soaking curds in water after milling some recipes call for washing the curds in water  this is not the same as soaking the curds in water after milling.