Just returned from a Cheddar Cheese Course

[kenjin]

Hi everyone,

I flew back to the UK last month to catch up with friends and family etc. and while I was there I attended the AB basic cheese making course in Nantwich, Cheshire UK. It was a 3 days course which on the second day had us making  a 25kg block of cheddar.

It was really informative and it's answered lots of my questions but to be honest I wasn't that far off the mark with what I have picked up from here. It was also pretty good for networking too.

Its really got me thinking about setting something up here in Thailand, if I can get the equipment that is, first thing I need is a cheese vat for about 300-500 ltrs..anybody recommend a company?

Oh and I hear that Porterhouse cheese is simply reformed cheddar.. but I could be wrong?? Has any one tried to reform/ repress cheddar?

[DeejayDebi]

Congrats Nick. Nice to meet other cheese makers in person. There are plenty of vats available all over but Thailand I don't know. I read somewhere that the Chinese companies are making cheese equipment on the mainland somewhere but I can not remember where or who. Sorry.

[zenith1]

wat ot go Nick! What kind of pressure(PSI) was being used in the pressing of the cheddar wheels? This is one of those questions that seem to perplex us all here.

[kenjin]

wat ot go Nick! What kind of pressure(PSI) was being used in the pressing of the cheddar wheels? This is one of those questions that seem to perplex us all here.

I have just checked my notes and it states, room temperature at pressing should be 20-25C.
Initial press of 10psi for 1 hour then then 40 psi for 16 hrs

This is interesting too...it states In mechanized operations, the cheese is pressed under vacuum for 20-30 minutes!

[DeejayDebi]

I was reading in Kindstedts book that for home cheesemakers making cheddar the pressing should be just enough to get a smooth surface on the rind without pressing the fat out.

For  2 to 5 pound goudas and tomme's a gallon jug filled with water, sand or gravel.

[kenjin]

One thing that they taught me is how critical it is to test acidity and ph levels during manufacture, we were constantly checking all through the process

[wharris]

It is good to get validation on this.
Many of us here have independently come to this same conclusion, and its really great to have some official validation of this.

[kenjin]

It is good to get validation on this.
Many of us here have independently come to this same conclusion, and its really great to have some official validation of this.

Hi, more info for you, it states in my notes that you measure the lactic acid in the whey during cheddaring and at 0.45LA, this is the point to start milling then add the salt at 2%,

Also the target PH at cheddaring is PH5.2  and then it goes on to say the PH at salting should be around PH5.5 to 5.6, which is a bit confusing here because a lower PH is an higher acidic level?...I would of thought that the acid increases during milling? I will have to contact my lecturer to confirm this

[DeejayDebi]

Your right Nick - Low pH high acidity.

Wayne I have been trying to remember to use the pH meter just for you! I think it's kind of neat to see that I am usually right on the pH markers and I never checked them in the past. Just in sausage.

[zenith1]

Nick- I believe you are correct. You should see a fall in pH between the  cheddaring and milling process. Is that right Wayne? And again we see that the commercial process uses very high amounts of pressure with vacuum. This is how they achieve that dryer crumblier cheddar product I believe.

[wharris]

The commercial Vacuums used during pressing are used to achieve a more closed curd.  Not for dryness, or crumbliness.

Since milling comes after the cheddaring process, you will see a lower pH at milling time. 

[kenjin]

It is good to get validation on this.
Many of us here have independently come to this same conclusion, and its really great to have some official validation of this.

Hi, more info for you, it states in my notes that you measure the lactic acid in the whey during cheddaring and at 0.45LA, this is the point to start milling then add the salt at 2%,

Also the target PH at cheddaring is PH5.2  and then it goes on to say the PH at salting should be around PH5.5 to 5.6, which is a bit confusing here because a lower PH is an higher acidic level?...I would of thought that the acid increases during milling? I will have to contact my lecturer to confirm this

I have had confirmation on this and the pH5.2 is the target at cheddaring and the pH5.5 to 5.6 at salting is in reference to stir curd cheddar.