Author Topic: 4 Goudas - My first 4 Days of Cheesery  (Read 10500 times)

Baby Chee

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4 Goudas - My first 4 Days of Cheesery
« on: September 08, 2009, 07:35:45 PM »
I began making cheese 5 days ago.  Each day I made a 3.5 Gallon Whole Milk Gouda (until today when I made a Camembert).  Here's the photo of the 4 brined wheels drying in the fridge....


So far, so good.  The smaller wheel was made from a bad break due to a lack of salt in the milk.  I learned, and the following wheels had far more curd.  No cracks, yet.  It was the typical procedure:

• Milk @ 90ºF, added salt, meso, stir
• 1 Hour later - added Rennet
• 1 Hour Later - clean break
• Cut 1/2" cubes, stirred 10 Minutes
• Set 5 minutes
• Drained 1/3 Whey
• Added 175ºF Water to raise temp to 92ºF, stirred
• Set 15 Minutes
• Drained Whey to level of Curd
• Added 175ºF Water to raise temp to 100ºF, stirred 15 Minutes
• Set 30 Minutes
• Drained Whey
• Transfered to cheesecloth in mold
• Pressed 25 lbs. - 20 Minutes
• Flipped, Pressed 35 lbs. - 20 Minutes
• Flipped, Pressed 50 lbs. - 12 Hours
• Brined 12 Hours in Whey-Vinegar-Salt Brine @ 5.0 pH
• Pat Dry, placed on rack in fridge, flipped daily

So far, so good.  Any advice for me? 

I'm going to eat one myself and give the rest away for Christmas.  They'll be waxed in red later.
« Last Edit: September 09, 2009, 02:44:06 AM by Baby Chee »

Tea

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Re: 4 Goudas - My first 4 Days of Cheeseery
« Reply #1 on: September 08, 2009, 08:31:43 PM »
Congrats Baby Chee.  Now to age them successfully.  Hope they taste wonderful.

Sailor Con Queso

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Re: 4 Goudas - My first 4 Days of Cheeseery
« Reply #2 on: September 08, 2009, 08:34:10 PM »
Is your goal just to make a LOT of cheese, or do you want to make really good cheese? Just my perspective, but for just 5 days as a cheesemaker, you seem to be moving too fast. I appreciate your enthusiasm, but everyone makes a lot of mistakes while learning to make cheese. LOOKING good is not always the goal. Slow down, read, ask questions, make one cheese, read some more and ask some more questions. There is a lot of knowledge to be gained by reading every old post in this forum. There are some very wise, experienced people here that are willing to help. I've only been making cheese about 6 months (so I am NOT one of the wise ones, YET), and even with a degree in Microbiology,  I still make a lot of mistakes. But not as many as before thanks to the wonderful, supportive people in this forum.

There are many little techniques in cheesemaking that make all the difference between a sad, mediocre cheese and a fabulous cheese. Pressing under whey, flocculation, multiplier times, pH targets, ..... We've all made our share of sour, inadequate cheeses, so I'm really just trying to help you before you experience that 3 or 4 months from now. ;D Don't lose the enthusiasm, but be sure your quality is headed in the right direction before you waste a lot of milk.

Cheese Head

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Re: 4 Goudas - My first 4 Days of Cheeseery
« Reply #3 on: September 08, 2009, 10:58:45 PM »
Baby Chee, great looking cheeses!

Sailor has some good points but then they are made now and bull heading your way ahead also works. FYI, with the two Gouda's and two Havarti's I made last month I varied a couple parameters on each to see what the difference is and what works better for me.

That said, next stage for you is aging which I and many find the toughest. Here's a thread on a dark mold problem I have/had that was very interesting and another on a white deposit that was better news. Through those two threads Francois really opened my eyes to problems of natural rind aging Gouda's. Also, this thread was illuminating for me on oiled rinds.

Again, great looking cheeses!

Offline DeejayDebi

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Re: 4 Goudas - My first 4 Days of Cheeseery
« Reply #4 on: September 08, 2009, 11:24:39 PM »
They look really good to me Baby Chee! Other than aging I think the hardest part for me is getting the right amount of salt without seeming to salty. I rarely use salt so I always think things taste salty.

As far as going full steam ahead  .. I say go for it! Even if you don't make the world best cheese at first you will be learning techniques like what a clean break is and what a good curd looks like or even how much to put in your molds. It's all good! Have a great cheese making day!  ;)

Baby Chee

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Re: 4 Goudas - My first 4 Days of Cheeseery
« Reply #5 on: September 09, 2009, 12:57:52 AM »
Thanks Debi.  I like thundering in, especially with this type of stuff.  When I began home brewing years ago I just lept on 5 gallon batches weekly despite needing over a month to get results.  By rotating batches and improving, I got really good at everything during a year and refined my styles well.

Since these turned out so well, I decided to do way more.  At present I have the 4 Goudas and 1 Cam. done.  Tomorrow and Thursday are Havartis, and then a couple Stiltons on Friday.  And then I stop for the month.  Later in the month I plan to do more Cam. and some Cheddars before a pause through the end of the year.  That way I figure it all out, and if it works I get some great cheese.  If it doesn't work, I get experience.  So far so good!  Just a lament at loss of curd today.
------------
Thanks for the link to the mold, CH!

Now I am curious about Olive Oil and salt as a coating.  I saw threads about the horrors of too much moisture in waxed Gouda, and cracked wax from pressures inside, and also someone with a "swiss Gouda" which blew the top off the wax as the cheese developed air pockets inside.  I've also read the threads (several) on vacuum packing.

So far I've been mold free on the surfaces.  I'll keep an eye out, though.

The first Gouda had a bad break so it was small.  The other two were straight forward, but the last I tried a softer press and wanted to see how a softer Gouda would work.  It's not that soft, though.  That was my experiment so far.

I've got an old brew freezer with a temp control I will cave my Brie in.  I might be flirting with disaster by putting the Stiltons in there too, though they'll all be in tupperware containers with lids slightly ajar.  The Goudas will need a completely separate fridge set at a high temp, but if I go with a brining rind, it might be ok with the moldy cheeses.

Any advice?  Should I just keep the Goudas in the regular fridge?

Offline DeejayDebi

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Re: 4 Goudas - My first 4 Days of Cheeseery
« Reply #6 on: September 09, 2009, 01:35:38 AM »
Do you have a vaccuum sealer machine? I'd vacpack it after about a month. I always wait a month so it gets some good fresh air.

I don't know if it's just me but I also like to prop the door open every other day for about 20 minutes to let the cheese have fresh air for awhile. Might be superstious but I think they like it.  ::)

Baby Chee

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Re: 4 Goudas - My first 4 Days of Cheeseery
« Reply #7 on: September 09, 2009, 01:39:41 AM »
I've never gotten a vacuum packing machine, but have always wanted one for the hops I grow out back (more homebrew stuff).  This might be the time to go for it.  They aren't too expensive.

I've read quite a few wax stories here.  Some people have good luck, others get wax troubles.

Offline DeejayDebi

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Re: 4 Goudas - My first 4 Days of Cheeseery
« Reply #8 on: September 09, 2009, 01:44:06 AM »
I have only done a few waxes and I didn't like it. My cheese had tiny little bits of wax on it and the cheese seemed to moist for me - but I do mostly Italian hard cheeses. I need to tr Camembert soon to see if I like it better than store bought.

Sailor Con Queso

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Re: 4 Goudas - My first 4 Days of Cheeseery
« Reply #9 on: September 09, 2009, 02:56:44 AM »
Didn't mean to bust your butt "Baby". I misread you and I appologize. With your beer making background you have a lot more experience than most beginners here and I'm sure you have the "feel" for learning from experimentation. You learn to make beer by making lots of beer, You learn to make cheese by making lots of cheese. So go make lots of cheese.

I don't know how you can even think about taking a hiatus though.

Baby Chee

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Re: 4 Goudas - My first 4 Days of Cheesery
« Reply #10 on: September 13, 2009, 12:34:09 AM »
The final form of 4 days Gouda making....

The wax was hell, but I got it right in the end.
*phew*

2 Months and I'll give them a whirl.

And, yes.... that is HAM above the cheese.

Offline DeejayDebi

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Re: 4 Goudas - My first 4 Days of Cheesery
« Reply #11 on: September 13, 2009, 12:36:10 AM »
Very nice wax job Baby Chee.

Baby Chee

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Re: 4 Goudas - My first 4 Days of Cheesery
« Reply #12 on: September 13, 2009, 12:50:29 AM »
Thanks Debi.   :D

Once I got the process figured out it was quick and clean.
I didn't throw on labels since I am using colors to name the cheeses:

Red-Gouda
Yellow-Havarti
Black-Cheddar (unless I do a gauze wrap)

Offline DeejayDebi

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Re: 4 Goudas - My first 4 Days of Cheesery
« Reply #13 on: September 13, 2009, 02:34:12 AM »
Good idea but after awhile you may have more cheeses than colors. Especially with hard cheeses that take a long time to age.

Offline Boofer

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Re: 4 Goudas - My first 4 Days of Cheesery
« Reply #14 on: September 14, 2009, 03:17:48 PM »
"You're gonna need a bigger..." fridge. ;D

Wow, unbridled enthusiasm! Baby Chee, you're a genuine inspiration. What have I been sitting around for? So many cheeses, so little time.

I would respectfully suggest you rethink the lack of labeling. ??? You may want to glance at a cheese and see the type & date made at the very minimum. This seems especially important given the speed with which you are currently turning out cheese wheels.

Absolutely impressive!

I'm using the Reynolds (Aluminum Co.) vacuum sealer. It's handheld, costs $10, and works great. The quart-sized and gallon-sized bags are very reasonably priced.

I have also been waxing with good success. The key is to make sure your cheese is not weeping and the rind is dry.

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