St Marcellin Issue

[moiran]

New cheesemaker here. I am attempting to make a Saint Marcellin per Mary Karlin's recipe. I am at the draining in the mold stage and I have already done the 3x6 hour flips and salting. My problem comes from the fact that it seems my curds aren't knitting together properly. One side is relatively smooth but the other is lumpy even after flipping. Pictures below. Will this be a big problem with aging and mold development inside the cheese? Any way to remedy this or prevent in the future? Thanks.

[awakephd]

Welcome to the forum! I've not made St. Marcellin, but it is a bloomy cheese, right? (PC or geo added for mold ripening.) If so, the cracks are nothing to worry about at all - typical of what I get when I make camembert. The mold will cover it over, and produce a continuous rind as it develops.

[moiran]

Hi Andy,

Thanks for your reply! Yes it is a bloomy cheese with penicillium candidum and geotrichum candidum added. That takes a load off my mind!

Moiran

[Gregore]

I too have ended up with a less than smooth surface with no long term issues , the surface dryness is of much more importance than the texture .