Tea's Parmesan attempt.......how did it go?

[Likesspace]

Tea,
Just wondering how your parmesan turned out. I know you said you'd given it a start about a week ago so please give an update.
Mine has been aging for about two weeks now and the smell is really fantastic. It's going to be hard to wait with this one so I'd better start making some other cheeses fast!
Looking forward to hearing your results.

Dave

[Tea]

Dave thanks for remembering and my apologies for not getting back sooner.  My DH somehow downloaded a trojen early in the week but assured my that after running all the spyware etc, that it was deleted from the computer.  24 hour later, all our drivers were disabled.  grrr  So I am on my SIL computer for the moment as ours is still not up and running.

Anyway, yes I did the parm.  I have been watching you and Wayne and trying to learn from what you two had been doing.  The purchase some time back of a very large ballon whisk, was essential, as there was no way I was going to get the curd "wheat grain size" any other way.  So I stuck to the recipe, had beautifully small curds, transfered quickly, and got in the press while they were still very warm.  As you said, there was probably only about 1/2 cup of whey expelled.   I flipped and redressed about 3 time at 1/2 hour intervals uping the pressure by about 5-10 pounds each time.  Almost no whey came out after the third flipping, but pressed overnight anyway.  I had around 80 pounds on for around 3-4 hours, but after hearing an almighty crash from the kitchen, I ended up reducing to 60 pounds for the final press. 
My arms and back felt like I had done a work out the next morning, as I repositioned those weights so many times trying to get an even press, and in the end it was worth it, with only a little lopsidedness.  The final look of the rind is well knitted and closed with no visible holes. I thought is was pretty good for a first.  I brined for 12 hours in a 20% solution, dried for 3 days, and for now I have wrapped in paper and have it stored in the fridge.  My cave had the blue/white cheeses in there, and I didn't want blue on the parm.
I have taken some photos and will add when my computer is up and running again.
I wasn't sure how to age it from here.  Do parms do well being waxed?  Or would leaving it form a natural rind, with a weekly salt rub be better?
Anyway I am tentatively happy with this one, espically as this is my first go at a hard cheese like this.  Any advice on how to age it from here on would be much appreciated.

[DeejayDebi]

I think if you have blues in the cave I would put the parm in a container to protect it or maybe a zip lock full of air.

I can't imagine what a blue parm would tase like.

Second thought - Yes I can Yuck!

Good luck hon!

[Alex]

Tea, here are some guide lines I collected:

Opt. 1:

Place an overturned bowl on top of the cheese after two days. Do not wrap it in plastic or it will not dry properly

Inspect daily for mold.  Should mold develop on the cheese surface, simply remove it using a paper towel dipped in white vinegar. 

After three, six and nine months of aging, rub the surface of the cheese with olive oil.  Do not wax this cheese.

Opt. 2:

It is cured on shelves for about a year (the first stage of curing) in a room which usually is a few degrees cooler than the salting room and which has a relative humidity of 80-85%.  The cheese is turned frequently and is kept clean by washing and scraping; it is rubbed with oil from time to time, and dark coloring may be rubbed on the surface. In the second stage of curing, it usually is held by dealers in large curing rooms, at a temperature of 12-16°C and a relative humidity as high as 90%. It may be coated with a mixture of burnt umber, lamp black, and dextrin, dispersed in wine or grape seed oil. Parmesan is cured for at least 14 months.

Opt. 3:

The curing room should be not more than 10 deg. C and the cheese turned daily at first, to prevent sticking to the shelf. The ripe cheese is coated with edible oil to unhubit mould growth. RH below 75%.

As I've never made Parm, the one thing I can say for sure, based upon the above is, not to wax or vacuuam pack. As for the blue's, you have to separate the blue's from other cheeses.

[Tea]

Well I have definately taken everything else out of the cave while the blues are in there, as I am NOT wanting to compromise them at all, so they are Nigels for now.

You have reminded me though to turn the cheese, which I have neglected to do.  I think for now it will have to stay wrapped in the fridge.  Just checked to make sure no mould was growing and it looks good for the moment.

After the disappointment of my Jack and gouda, I am hesitant to say anything is going well now.

[DeejayDebi]

While I was groing my crottins I put all my other cheeses in zip locks with mats on all sides so the plastic did not touch and left a small corner of the bag open. It seemed to work well. Take them out and turn them daily and let in plenty of fresh air.

[Likesspace]

Tea,
Glad that this cheese went well for you! Now all you have to do is wait for 10 months or so to see how it ages.
As for waxing, I'm currently leaving mine unwaxed and fighting the same old humidity battle I've always dealt with.
I do have my humidity up in the 70 - 75% range so I'm hoping this is enough.
Mine has formed a nice firm rind which I hope I can keep from cracking. I will try the olive oil rub method posted above but if all else fails I expect I'll one day vacuum bag this one instead of having it dry out to nothing.
Again, congrats on having a good make and also on the workout you got while pressing. After all of that exercise you might as well buy a pizza and splurge a bit.

Dave

[Alex]

I have a Gruyere since March in my cave at about 90% RH, rind washed untill two months ago and since then only dry brushed once a week. No cracks at all, it looks like a piece of wax itself.

[wharris]

Wow, I've not made a parm since last Feb/March.  My parm wheels have kinda gone through some hell since then.  Alternating between High-humidity (surface mold), low-humidity (cracks.).

While Its getting time to open them, I have almost no-expectation that they will be edible.

I opened one about 3 months ago, to see what it was  like, and i will say that it was just horrible.  The smell and taste was just awful. It really was like something spoiled.

The color was a creamy in nature, it was very dense, moisture content was, well, a bit more than that of store bought parm.. I could slice off a piece and if I presses my fingers into the meat of the cheese, it would give a bit. (not a lot,  but some.)

I like to make parm, but so far, I have yet to make one that I like to eat.

[wharris]

Some pics of mine.

[Likesspace]

Man Wayne, I have trouble believing that those cheeses are not edible. They really look great!
Have you tried grating or shaving? I'm just curious as to how they do.
Also, you said that they had a spoiled taste...I wonder what would or could cause this?
I also really enjoying making this type of cheese but I also have yet to see one turn out they way I want it to. My last attempt truly did show some promise, but since it got infected with p. shermanii it turned into a swiss which really ticked me off.
I'm hoping that the one I have in the cave now will be a winner. I will probably give it a cut at about the 5 month mark just to see what's going on with it. By that time I will have another 2 or 3 wheels aging that I can take to the full 10 or 12 months.
Thanks for the photos.

Dave

[wharris]

I would love to slice off a piece, put in a baggie and mail it to you or Tea.   I would love  to get either of your take on it.

[DeejayDebi]

Man that parm looks almost perfect. It doesn't look like it would be bad.

[wharris]

OK,  I broke down and busted this open.

OMG.   

It was very nice...  I was proud of it..  I think it was a bit strong, but omg  I am so happy with this effort.... I guess what makes me so happy is I was fully prepared to have another failure.


Sorry Tea, I know I hijacked your thread.  I am so sorry.

[FarmerJd]

Very nice, Wayne. I guess you just let a natural rind develop right? Did you oil or salt rub or anything? Great to hear that waiting is worth it. It is very hard to do.