Okay, I'm resurrecting an old topic here......
First of all, I still say that this is the best example of a home made cheese that I've seen on this site. Other than the VERY slight texture imperfections the cheese looks perfect.
Having said that, this is the cheese and the thread that has inspired me to begin my own cheddar making journey and so far I've been quite happy with the results.
After making one cheddar that sucked and two that have a very nice taste and texture, I feel that I am on track to eventually reach my goals.
So, here's the point to my post.....
When making a cheddar I've been draining at 6.15 and salting at 5.3 - 5.4.
I noticed in this thread that Wayne salted much earlier in the process so now I'm wondering if I am screwing up, salting so late in the make.
When I put my cheese into the mold the whey Ph usually is in the 5.35 - 5.38 range.
After pressing for 10 - 15 minutes the whey Ph (in the collection plate) is usually in the 5.18 - 5.25 range.
For those of you that know cheddar cheese, does this sound about right?
I don't think I've ever been quite as obsessed with turning out a certain variety as I am with Cheddar (okay, maybe Swiss and Stilton.....and ummm Gouda.....yeah, and possibly Parmesan and Romano) so I really want to make sure that I'm doing things right.
Since my family is not able to celebrate Thanksgiving until tomorrow, I made another batch of Cheddar today.
One thing that I am trying differently is to use a 250 watt light bulb (within a reflector) shining on the mold during pressing. About every fifteen minutes I give the mold a quarter turn, keeping the mold at about 115 degrees.
I figure I will keep the light shining on the mold for the first two hours of pressing, hoping this will give me a curd that is more closed. Will it work? Who knows..
Will it hurt anything. Doubtful.
Anyway, if someone can give me some insight concerning my Ph questions I would really appreciate it. I've made very minor changes to my recipe about every week since I've been making this type of cheese but I now feel as if I am starting to really get the hang of turning out a good example, (hopefully).
Thanks in advance and for those that celebrated Thanksgiving today, I hope it was a good one.
Dave