Author Topic: John's Cheese #049 - Havarti #3, Dill Flavoured  (Read 11170 times)

Cheese Head

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John's Cheese #049 - Havarti #3, Dill Flavoured
« on: September 19, 2009, 03:59:17 PM »
This is my third Havarti cheese making, records of first posted here, second here. This one with the addition of Dill Weed.

MILK CULTURING
  • Sep 19, 2009, 11:10AM: Poured six 1 US gallon jugs of store bought pasteurized homogenized Randalls/Safeway Lucerne brand whole cow's milk from store into stockpot on large gas burner ring on stove. Milk reached 6-7/8" out of 11.5" to top of new 10 US gallon/38 liter stockpot vat. Readings 47F/8.3C & 5.67 pH (on my uncalibrated cheap gauge). Started warming slowly on gas setting #3 (stirring occasionally to reduce hot spot on bottom).
  • Sep 19, 2009, 11:35AM: Measured 1.5 grams Danisco's Choozit Brand DVI Mesophilic Starter Culture MM100 onto mini digital scale, (roughly 3.5 times manufacturers up to recommendation as mine is now 1 year old). Tapped off onto milk, let rehydrate a few minutes, then stirred with new large slotted ladle.
  • Sep 19, 2009, 11:45AM: To give cheese a safety net over it's rind, puffed 4 puffs of Danisco's Choozit Brand Freeze Dried Geotrichum candidum 13 into milk, let rehydrate a few minutes, then stirred with new large slotted ladle.
  • Sep 19, 2009, 12:00PM: Milk at target 31C/88F, measured pH at 5.79, turned off heat, covered and set aside 30 minutes for culture to ripen.
CURD MAKING
  • Sep 19, 2009, 12:30PM: Measurements 31C/88F, 5.78 pH, additives time:
    • As milk pasteurized, to standardize - help coagulation, trickled and stirred in 1.5 teaspoon/7.5 ml diluted CaCl2.
    • To give cheese the typical Havarti cream colour, diluted 36 drops (6 drops per US gallon) CheeseMaking.com's Annatto food colouring in 1 cup water, trickled and stirred into milk.
    • Measured 0.58 gram CHR Hansen Brand powdered rennet onto mini digital scale, diluted in 1 cup cool water in new clean container, not Annatto dilution container, trickled into milk and stirred slowly up and down for 90 seconds. Covered and set aside for curd to set @ 12:40PM, set timer and went for afternoon nap.
  • Sep 19, 2009, 1:35PM: OK curd set, wait few more minutes.
  • Sep 19, 2009, 1:45PM: Good curd set, cut curd into ~0.4"/10 mm square rods with new long spatula, let rest 10 minutes, then stirred gently intermittently for 15 minutes. Let rest at end for curds to sink. Measurements 88.0F/31.0C, whey pH at 5.71.
CURD WASHING
  • Sep 19, 2009, 2:15PM: With sieve and large measuring cup, bailed out whey equal to one third of original milk volume.
  • Sep 19, 2009, 2:25PM: Poured boiling water from kettle and cold tap water into bowl to bring up to 130F/54.4C and added to curds until volume of whey replaced and curds-whey-water at slightly higher than target at 102F/39C. Used 1.5 of my kettles of boiled water to hot tap water.
  • Sep 19, 2009, 2:30PM: Stirred in 45 grams of salt and then stirred intermittently, gently for 30 min to stop matting, then let curds settle to the bottom of vat for 5 min.
PRESSING
  • Sep 19, 2009, 3:15PM: Removed and drained whey until 2 in/5 cm covering over curds, stirred curds hard to break up matting-kniting, drained remaining whey. Curds are consistency of scrambled eggs. Stirred in 2 Tablespoons dried Dill Weed, had to use large perforated ladle to slice up curds and mix in Dill Weed as curds knitting and forming a mat.
  • Sep 19, 2009, 3:20PM: Placed drained curds in new 1.5-2.0 kg Kadova mold, will not all fit, placed follower on cheese, pushed down hard to compact, added more curds, repeated, just barely got all 6 US gallons of curds in. Pressed with 10 pound/4.5 kg weight for 10 minutes.
  • Sep 19, 2009, 3:35PM: Turned cheese, replaced weight and pressed for another 10 minutes.
  • Sep 19, 2009, 3:45PM: Turned cheese, placed cheese in mold on tray on bathroom scales, weight 4.0 kg, placed one end of stepladder onto follower, weight 14.5 kg, thus one end of stepladder is 10.5 kg/23 lb.
  • Sep 19, 2009, 4:10PM: Ridge on cheese, turned, replaced 23 lb stepladder weight.
  • Sep 19, 2009, 5:00PM: Ridge on cheese, turned, replaced 23 lb stepladder weight.
  • Sep 19, 2009, 6:00PM: Ridge on cheese, turned, replaced 23 lb stepladder weight.
  • Sep 19, 2009, 7:30PM: Ridge on cheese, turned, replaced 23 lb stepladder weight.
  • Sep 19, 2009, 9:20PM: Ridge on cheese, turned, replaced 23 lb stepladder weight.
SALTING
  • Sep 19, 2009, 10:00PM: Bulked up used saturated brine from cold household fridge with whey from household fridge to 3.0 US gallons/11.4 liters, added salt to bring brine up to 20% (measured with new salometer), pH at 4.95, temp at 15.0C/59F. Poured brine into picnic cooler on kitchen counter.
  • Sep 19, 2009, 10:10PM: Removed cheese from press an Kadova Gouda shaped 1.5-2.0 kg mold after almost 7 hours, slight ridge on cheese (tough to avoid as soft cheese), weighed at 2.75 kg/6.05 lb, placed in 20% brine for overnight bath. Note, assuming cheese has same density as water (wrong but good enough for this estimate, brine to cheese volume ratio = (128*3.0) : (6.05*16) = 3.97:1, ie 4:1. Less than recommended 5:1.
  • Sep 19, 2009, 11:30PM: Turned cheese so that top floating side gets brined.
  • Sep 20, 2009, 5:30AM: Turned cheese after 6 hours overnight with top floating side unexposed to salt.
  • Sep 20, 2009, 1:20PM: Removed cheese from brine after 15 hours (2.5 hours per pound of cheese) and placed on mat to dry. Measurements 65F/18C, 5.15 pH, 19% salt, dropped ~1% salt even with 4:1 brine to cheese.
AGING
  • Sep 20, 2009: Age 1 day, weighed after brining, 2.685 kg/5.91 pounds, shrunk 2.36% by weight, even with increase in density from absorbed salt. Placed cheese on mat in plastic box with Havarti #2 in cheese cave fridge with lid cracked to control humidity.
  • Sep 30, 2009: Age 11 days, turning cheese every ~3 days, nice fine white G candidum mold appearing (picture below), placed on clean mat in clean plastic box with Havarti #2 in cheese cave fridge with lid cracked to control humidity.
  • Oct 08, 2009: Age 20 days, turning cheese every ~5 days, heavy fine white G candidum mold and bad blue P roqueforti (picture below), rubbed to remove some of mold and placed back on mat in plastic box with Havarti #2 in cheese cave fridge with lid cracked to control humidity.
  • Oct 27, 2009: Age 39 days, cut cheese, hard rind, had to use knife to start cut before using cheese wire to cut rest, rind is not too hard to eat. Pate is firm, too firm for Havarti, flavour is mild as still young, dill amount is visually correct.
  • Mar 4, 2010: Age 134 days/4.4 months, this cheese had sadly been very ignored at back of cheese cave unwrapped. Rind was very dry moldy and smelly, cut off rind and surprise a nice looking cheese. Light dill flavour, nice taste, hints of blue from rind, see picture below with texture, note small bluing in top left vacancy.
  • Apr 5, 2010: Age 165 days/5.5 months, this cheese had still sadly been very ignored at back of cheese cave unwrapped. Rind was very dry moldy and smelly, scrubbed clean in sink with little water, let dry and cut. Light dill flavour, very nice taste, hints of blue from rind, see picture below with texture.

NOTES
  • Need a better larger brine container to bath and store brine in household cold fridge.
  • Need to take better care of ny aging cheeses.
« Last Edit: May 01, 2010, 01:04:01 AM by John (CH) »

Cheese Head

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« Last Edit: September 19, 2009, 09:03:32 PM by John (CH) »

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« Last Edit: September 19, 2009, 09:16:25 PM by John (CH) »

Cheese Head

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« Last Edit: September 19, 2009, 09:18:05 PM by John (CH) »

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« Last Edit: September 19, 2009, 09:31:15 PM by John (CH) »

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« Last Edit: September 19, 2009, 09:33:18 PM by John (CH) »

Cheese Head

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« Last Edit: September 20, 2009, 06:37:39 PM by John (CH) »

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« Last Edit: October 27, 2009, 11:10:51 PM by John (CH) »

Cheese Head

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« Last Edit: May 01, 2010, 01:05:43 AM by John (CH) »

Sailor Con Queso

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Re: John's Cheese #049 - Havarti #3, Dill Flavoured
« Reply #9 on: September 20, 2009, 08:16:55 PM »
Really nice shape. What kinda mold are you using?

Offline DeejayDebi

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Re: John's Cheese #049 - Havarti #3, Dill Flavoured
« Reply #10 on: September 20, 2009, 08:40:13 PM »
Man that looks awsome! You did a great job Giovanni! I use a large tupperware bowl and it just fits with one cheese.

I love Havarti but it goes to fast. That's why I split the batch. Luckily it's a fast aging cheese.

Cheese Head

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Re: John's Cheese #049 - Havarti #3, Dill Flavoured
« Reply #11 on: September 20, 2009, 09:29:43 PM »
Both, thanks, does look good, so far, aging phase is normally my problem :(.

Sailor, one of my two new Kadova brand 1.5-2.0 kg Gouda shape molds via Debi who had two spare.

Offline DeejayDebi

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Re: John's Cheese #049 - Havarti #3, Dill Flavoured
« Reply #12 on: September 20, 2009, 10:09:24 PM »
Give it a few days then oil it and vac pack it. Those guys dry up really easy!

Cheese Head

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Re: John's Cheese #049 - Havarti #3, Dill Flavoured
« Reply #13 on: October 27, 2009, 11:16:33 PM »
Debi, never did oil or vacuum pack or wax this 5.9 lb cheese and yes it has dried out some. Next time . . .

Offline DeejayDebi

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Re: John's Cheese #049 - Havarti #3, Dill Flavoured
« Reply #14 on: October 28, 2009, 03:00:27 AM »
I don't know why but it dries out quicker than any other cheese I make if you don't protect it really fast.