Wood followers

[Baby Chee]

So now that I have my fulcrum press together, and the hoop is all done, and it has a follower, I have to ask what others do with wood followers to preserve them.

Wood will undoubtably deteriorate as it gets soaked by brine.  Does anyone use any sort of paint or stain coating that will protect the wood without hurting the cheese?  I was thinking of a wood sealant, but then wrapping the follower in a double layer "bag" of muslin or cheesecloth.  However, if the lactic acid melts the sealant, it could trickle through the cloth and onto the cheese.

Any help or advice?  Should I just leave it commando and just let the wood waste away?

[sominus]

Some on the board have gone to Tapp Plastics and purchased some plastic material as a follower (see http://www.tapplastics.com/shop/product.php?pid=385&) -- I plan on doing the same...

-Michael

[Baby Chee]

That looks excellent, if they can create me a circle in my needed size.

Thanks for the link!

[sominus]

I'm not sure they'll create one for you, but you can buy the stock from them and then cut it yourself with some fairly simple power tools...

-Michael

[FarmerJd]

I use wood followers but it would be nice to have a separate one made of the cutting board plastic to place between the wood and the cheese. If using just the plastic and a narrow plunger, the plastic is going to have to be thick enough to keep from warping on the outside edges if you are using 10 inch or greater diameter and your super press. You can treat the wood with a basic oil like olive oil and it will repel the water and whey much better. I would not use a sealant.

[Baby Chee]

º3º OOOOOOOOO!

I didn't even think about the olive oil treatment.  That's a good idea.  The plastic they offer gets pretty thick, so it will be good.  If it cuts easily with a band saw, I'm in good shape indeed.  I'll first run with the wood when I begin the process, so I know what I need when I work the plastic.

My plunger is a good old 2x4, so it pushes nicely, but that wood can always be left on top the plastic.  I was more concerned about the wood screwing with the cheese by touching under brine for so long.

[Sailor Con Queso]

I made mine from a poly cutting board.Sam's Club has large ones for about $8. It's about 1/2 inch thick. You could always use two for extra rigidity.

[DeejayDebi]

Dollar stores often have smaller boards up to about 12" wide for a few dollars and the price goes up according to thickness. I cut mine with a jigsaw. They cut easily. You could also consider making the plunger end an X so you distribute the pressure more evenly.

[Baby Chee]

Excellent suggestions.

[MrsKK]

I made my follower from wood and used a rubbing wax type coating on it - I made the wax from carnauba wax, beeswax, and olive oil.  all melted together and applied while still warm.

It has sealed the wood quite well.

[vogironface]

Chee,

I used to make a lot of kitchen tools out of hardwood.  Sealing with oil works well and I found mineral oil (human consumption quality found at pharmacy) to be far less costly than olive oil.  The trick to avoid excess warping is to saturate it with oil and keep it that way since it comes off with repeated cleanings.  I don't mean that it has to be dripping, in fact it is dry to the touch, just that the pores have absorbed what they will.  The easiest way to do this that I have found is to place the tool in a ziplock bag and pour the oil in the bag.  Squeeze the air out and seal it.  Let it "ripen" in the bag for a few days and if needed add more oil.   Turn it from time to time and mesage it so the oil continually covers all surfaces.  Hope that helps.

[Likesspace]

Good thread/good question........
A couple of years ago I was still using wood followers and I guess I took the easy and fast way out.
I would simply take my wood follower and put a double layer of saran wrap over the follower before each use.
After use, I would unwrap the follower and pitch the saran wrap. This kept the follower from warping and would also provide a sanitary barrier between the wood and the cheese (dip the saran wrap in star san before use).
I have since changed to using commercial molds with followers, or HDPE followers that I have made out of Wal Mart cutting boards. I can't really say that one works better than the other but the HDPE followers are certainly easier to sterilize than the saran wrap.
Hope this helps.

Dave

[bigfish_oz]

Any reason that you couldn't dip the wooden followers in cheese wax?

[DeejayDebi]

I would think it would crack and break off getting ground into you cheese ...