a newbie's cheddar attempt #1

[SpunkyAmos]

I'm totally new at making hard cheese, and yesterday I attempted farmhouse cheddar.  Attached are a few photos.

I took it out of my SturdyPress about 6 hours ago, and already it's nearly dry to the touch.  I turned it over after 5.5 hours for the bottom to dry.  I think next time I need to cut the curds smaller.  I'm using our Brown Swiss very fresh milk (previous night + same day).

The top is not flat due to extra cheesecloth (I hang to drain) being curled upon on the top under the follower, so I need to change that somehow next time.

I'm skeptical about what it will taste like, but to see a finished product, albeit needing much improvement in technique, makes me want to try again! 

Thanks for your help!
Amy.

[Frodage4]

Nice cheddar, Amy. AC4U

[Andrew Marshallsay]

Hi Amy.
You could try unwrapping and turning the cheese more often, particularly early on during the pressing. That may help with the shape and will allow the cheese to drain more evenly. Also, bring the bulk of the cloth up the side of the follower so that you only have one layer between the cheese and the follower.
The other thing that you could do is to remove the cloth at the end of pressing and press at a lighter weight for a period of time to remove the cloth marks.
Why do you think that the curds need to be cut smaller?

[SpunkyAmos]

Frodage, thanks for the cheese!

Andrew,
thanks for the tips.  a few questions:

- when I unwrapped it to flip and rewrap and repress, it was hard to get it back into the mold/form ... I thought it would slide in because of the shape but it actually had to be "forced" back in and down.  Is this usual?  I think I'd try the shorter and larger diameter mold next time.

- I don't think there's room between the follower and the mold for the cheesecloth (stainless steel, made by thecheesemaker.com).  Maybe I need to cut a special sized one (apart from the one I use to drain) that just fits the mold.

I'll attach a few photos.

My cut curds, as you will see, look nothing like every one else's uniform and sharply cut curds.

My cheese got way too hot (like 114*) so when I was supposed to be bringing it up to 100*, I was actually trying to get it down to 100*!!  Its pretty confusing for beginners when recipes do not say when to leave it on the heat or when to take it off the heat at each step.  So I stumbled my way through it.  The recipe I used said it could be eaten after sitting for 3 days (you professionals can cringe!!) or else waxed.  So we cut into it.  And wow, is it good!!  It's like squeaky cheese curds, only in chunk form!  If future attempts are this good, they'll never likely make it to the waxing stage under our roof!

- how do you all think this cheese would work if I froze it at this stage?

thanks!
Amy.

[Andrew Marshallsay]

Before I address your questions, let me say that I am a little envious of your fresh Brown Swiss milk.
   - I don't know why you would be having trouble getting the cheese back into the mould but yes, it does look very tall and narrow.
   - It would not be unusual to find that your follower is too tight. By all means try cutting a slightly smaller one from some suitable material. (I have used acrylic sheet in the past but you could use wood or whatever material suits.) It only needs to be a little smaller than the inside of your mould.
   - Your curds look lovely!
   - Ouch! 114F! This may well be where you ran into trouble. I assume that this was where you cooked the curds, straight after cutting. You would almost certainly have killed off the culture and prevented the curds from developing during the following stages. The recipe I use only calls for them to be heated to 39C (102F). Temperature control can be tricky but it is important. Many home cheesemakers use some sort of double boiler setup to achieve this.
   - If you achieved something you enjoyed, that is a win. Who cares about the purists. Having said that, an aged cheddar is a thing of beauty in its own right. Maybe you could aim for some old ones and some young ones.
   - As for waxing: 3 days? - definitely not! I would not wax a cheese under 3 weeks. It will end up swimming in whey inside the wax, which will not improve it.
    - As for freezing, I haven't tried but a quick look on the internet gave this quote: "Frozen cheese will remain safe to consume, but it will typically change texture and often become crumbly once thawed, says the National Dairy Council."
Good luck with your next try. I will look forward to hearing how it goes. You might want to post the details of the make next time.

[timsumrall]

Great response, Andrew and here's to your 100th Cheese. Enjoy!

[SpunkyAmos]

Andrew,

Thanks so much for your encouragement and helpful advice.   Appreciated!

You just need to get a Brown Swiss for your backyard, down there in South Australia!   She is hand milked at 7am and 7pm daily, and has been going non-stop (due to a medical issue, she lost a calf, can't have any more) in her milk production for about SIX years.  We get about 3-4 gallons of milk a day.  A blessing from the Lord!  Butter, cheese, yogurt, ice cream, custard, gelato, soap, all things dairy!

Thanks again for your help.  If I'm brave enough to share, I'll post details of my next attempt!

Amy.

[Andrew Marshallsay]

Thanks for the cheese, Tim.
A Swiss Brown in my suburban backyard. Think the local council would have something to say about that? I know that Mrs Prawn would.

[SpunkyAmos]

feed the council some cheese, and they'd be fine!

my dad is wondering, are you able to purchase raw A2 milk in Australia?

Amy.

[Frodage4]

- when I unwrapped it to flip and rewrap and repress, it was hard to get it back into the mold/form ... I thought it would slide in because of the shape but it actually had to be "forced" back in and down.  Is this usual?

I find this to be completely normal. Frustrating at times, but normal. The curds haven't knit yet so they want to splay. Force them (gently) back into the mold. Keep up the great work!

[SpunkyAmos]

thanks!

I made made another batch today (I'll create another topic momentarily with photos), and used a larger mould and when flipped, this slid back down into the mould easier. 

thanks for the feedback,
Amy.

[Andrew Marshallsay]

my dad is wondering, are you able to purchase raw A2 milk in Australia?

The answer to that one is no. It is illegal to sell raw milk in Australia.