Author Topic: 4 Goudas - My first 4 Days of Cheesery  (Read 10499 times)

Baby Chee

  • Guest
Re: 4 Goudas - My first 4 Days of Cheesery
« Reply #15 on: September 15, 2009, 02:38:03 AM »
Thanks Boofer!

I was thinking of writing the dates on the Goudas and other cheeses' wax covering with a Sharpie.  But, I can only tell two of the Goudas apart now due to size.  All except the first were made almost perfectly identical, though.

Yeah, why wait???

I have all going at this time: Cheese, A Primer.

My Cam is growing the mold on day 6.
My Stiltons are getting that light blueing on day 3 and have been smoothed.
The Goudas are finished and waxed.
The Havartis are just drying a little and will probably wax by the weekend.

I have few doubts that these cheeses will work out fairly well.  They might not be up to taste and delicacy of what the more seasoned and professional people here make or like, but they can't be so bad unless they get infected or my Cam. runs.  In 2-3 months I should have some great gifts and edibles.

It's great!

Offline Boofer

  • Old Cheese
  • *****
  • Location: Lakewood, Washington
  • Posts: 5,015
  • Cheeses: 344
  • Contemplating cheese
Re: 4 Goudas - My first 4 Days of Cheesery
« Reply #16 on: September 15, 2009, 06:58:39 AM »
The advice to try a recipe and later sample it to make sure the taste & texture is right was corrective for my cheese making efforts. My technique was not quite right for the first Colby I made and I was not really satisfied with that try. Today I applied some knowledge gleaned from this forum and I feel a lot better about my second Colby effort. One change from the original recipe was to cut the amount of salt. That alone should make for a more palate-pleasing cheese.

-Boofer-
Let's ferment something!
Bread, beer, wine, cheese...it's all good.

Sailor Con Queso

  • Guest
Re: 4 Goudas - My first 4 Days of Cheesery
« Reply #17 on: September 15, 2009, 03:22:37 PM »
The "proper" quantity of salt is really important. It is not just for palate pleasing. The real purpose of salt a lot of times is to slow down the bacterial action so they don't overacidify and sour the cheese. Look at several recipes and shoot for a happy medium on the salt recommendations.

Baby Chee

  • Guest
Re: 4 Goudas - My first 4 Days of Cheesery
« Reply #18 on: September 15, 2009, 03:36:19 PM »
My next cheeses will definitely have a better salt level in brine, and I will use my pH meter.  I was using pH strips this time, which wasn't precise.  My bottles with registration fluids burst in the cold this winter and drained all over my brewing shelves.

Baby Chee

  • Guest
Re: 4 Goudas - My first 4 Days of Cheesery
« Reply #19 on: September 21, 2009, 09:42:23 PM »
I just sampled the first Gound--17days in.

Quite good!  No a great cheese yet, but I can see where it is going, and it is going very well.

White, a little crumbly, rich and creamy, not too salty but a good mix, hard, sweet.  I am pretty sure the texture and taste will mellow and blend in the next 3 weeks.  My first ever cheese and it is going well.

Offline DeejayDebi

  • Old Cheese
  • *****
  • Location: Connecticut
  • Posts: 5,820
  • Cheeses: 106
    • Deejays Smoke Pit and DSP Forums
Re: 4 Goudas - My first 4 Days of Cheesery
« Reply #20 on: September 22, 2009, 01:27:38 AM »
You ate it already? Patience young Skywalker it will take time to learm the ways of the force!

Baby Chee

  • Guest
Re: 4 Goudas - My first 4 Days of Cheesery
« Reply #21 on: September 22, 2009, 12:36:30 PM »
I read another person jumping in at 12 days... and at 17, I had to suddenly try.  I think my goudas and havartis will be pretty good home made cheeses in most ways, but am concerned about the taste (salt vs. cream).  This one will definitely be a good gouda.

Sailor Con Queso

  • Guest
Re: 4 Goudas - My first 4 Days of Cheesery
« Reply #22 on: September 22, 2009, 02:21:03 PM »
The starter bacteria are still really active for up to 60 days (and beyond). So, early cheeses may taste a bit sour and have an off flavor because they are still doing their thing. Most hard cheeses really need at least 60 days before you can evaluate your success. If they taste good now, they'll taste even better with a little more aging.

Early on, we were chomping at the bit and cracked a Farmhouse Cheddar at 20 days and it was just awful. Started to pitch it. Instead, we vac bagged it and put it back in the cave. Opened it again around 70 days and it was great. Sour, bitter flavor all gone.

You wouldn't pull a cake out of the oven when it's only half-baked would you?

We all know the temptation to cut early. It's worth the wait.  ;D

I love the Skywalker analogy. May the farce be with you...  ::)

Baby Chee

  • Guest
Re: 4 Goudas - My first 4 Days of Cheesery
« Reply #23 on: September 22, 2009, 06:32:29 PM »
I'll contain myself with the other cheeses.  First time is always the worst. 

How does texture improve for hard cheeses?  This was a little crumbly, more like a store purchased cheddar than gouda.  It's not as big a deal as taste, but I am curious.

Sailor Con Queso

  • Guest
Re: 4 Goudas - My first 4 Days of Cheesery
« Reply #24 on: September 22, 2009, 07:26:59 PM »
Bacteria do their thing until they run out of food (lactose, etc.) - usually within 60 days. THAT'S why the Federal 60 day rule applies to raw milk cheeses. There's nothing left for bad organisms to feed on.

The bacteria themself start to die off and release proteolytic enzymes into the cheese. These enzymes can have a LOT to do with the final taste AND texture. The longer some cheeses sit, the more these enzymes can work their magic. Same thing happens with an aged wine and to a lesser extent, beer. The bacteria are shot, they have generated CO2 for carbonation and then the enzymes take over. Proteolysis chemistry is really complex, and interesting, but that's the basics of aging. Do cheesemakers need to study proteolytic enzymes? Heck no. Just be patient. It will happen naturally. BUT... that's also why following recipes accurately and consistent technique are important. Everything we do along the way - pH, moisture, lactose content, aging temp, aging time, etc. - creates the correct environment for these enzymes to work.

In the case of Parmesan and other "Italian" cheeses, we add Lipase (an enzyme) in the beginning, so that classic Parmesan taste and smell comes from early enzyme activity, not just bacterial action. I understand that the commercial guys have other enzymes that enhance flavor and speed up the aging process, etc. , that we don't have access to. I'd love to know more about them.

So there is a LOT of difference between a 20 day old cheese and one that's 90 or more.  ::)

wharris

  • Guest
Re: 4 Goudas - My first 4 Days of Cheesery
« Reply #25 on: September 22, 2009, 07:42:54 PM »
I cannot agree more with Sailor Con Queso.  The difference in cheese flavor, aroma, and to an extent texture, changes dramatically over time.

Its quite amazing. (to me...)

Baby Chee

  • Guest
Re: 4 Goudas - My first 4 Days of Cheesery
« Reply #26 on: September 22, 2009, 08:46:57 PM »
I have no doubt.  I just got antsy to see how it was doing.  If I check it every week until 90 days, I should have an ounce of well aged cheese waiting for me.

Beer is a little different, because unless you have something like a wild ferment Lambic, beer just becomes water after a year or two.  The flavor mellows too much, leaving the fairly tasteless alcohol behind.  It's good to know cheese can age for a year or more.

Terfst

  • Guest
Re: 4 Goudas - My first 4 Days of Cheesery
« Reply #27 on: September 22, 2009, 09:47:31 PM »
Try Mead or a variety thereof. Aged and a delicate deep flavor for years to come! Beats beer in the long term, but not in the short term. Cheese is long term and short term, just as a comparison.

Sailor Con Queso

  • Guest
Re: 4 Goudas - My first 4 Days of Cheesery
« Reply #28 on: September 23, 2009, 12:06:24 AM »
Some cheeses can't/don't age well for a long time - gouda, havarti, etc. I haven't figured out the difference in the proteolytic cycles, but some cheeses are "finished" long before others. Why? Just guessing here, but at least with washed curd cheeses we are dealing with much lower residual lactose levels, so the bacteria run their course and start releasing proteolytic enzymes sooner.

That begs an answer from someone with more knowledge of milk science than me.

Offline DeejayDebi

  • Old Cheese
  • *****
  • Location: Connecticut
  • Posts: 5,820
  • Cheeses: 106
    • Deejays Smoke Pit and DSP Forums
Re: 4 Goudas - My first 4 Days of Cheesery
« Reply #29 on: September 23, 2009, 12:55:05 AM »
The easiest way for me to resist temptation is to make a good mix of cheeses that age quickly and cheeses that don't. The ones that don't after about a mont get vac packed and buried in the bottom of the cave (or in winter in "the room." Out of site almost out of mind.