Author Topic: Reg Cuts Two Cheeses - Stirred Curd Cheddar & Manchego!  (Read 4161 times)

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Reg Cuts Two Cheeses - Stirred Curd Cheddar & Manchego!
« on: July 09, 2008, 02:47:44 AM »
Text below and pictures emailed in from Reg:

Morning John. Attached are a few photos of the Stirred Curd Cheddar (first photo) and the Manchego Cheese (second photo). I cut the wheels and vac packed them yesterday after drying for a few weeks. We will be trying each one at different times as they age.

The Stirred Curd Cheddar is quite dry already. The taste is ok but needs a few months of aging before it will develop into a decent cheese, well at least I hope it does.

The Manchego is very soft and creamy with a fairly good taste already and I can only guess what it will be like after it matures more.

Don't have much time lately so I have not made any more cheese but hope to get back at it next week. Will be going right back to the Alpine style but in the larger wheels. That particular cheese seems to be my favourite so far. With these larger wheels of the Alpine I'm not going to vac pac but rather let the rinds develop naturally. Will start to chart the PH levels this time around.

Have a good one!
« Last Edit: July 09, 2008, 02:49:32 AM by Webmaster »

Cheese Head

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Reg Cuts Two Cheeses - Stirred Curd Cheddar & Manchego!
« Reply #1 on: July 09, 2008, 02:56:42 AM »
Reg, both look great, to get the eyes, in addition to a starter culture, did you use some PS (Proprionibacteria Freudenreichii subspecies Shermanii) culture?

So I understand that you 1) dried several weeks then 2) cut tasted and vacuum bag sealed for long term aging. Good to hear that they both tasted good, age should only make them better!

After making so many cheeses, no surprise you took a breather! Plus summer time in Niagara Falls, enjoy it! I've started recording pH's, I now need to figure out what it all means . . .

reg

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Re: Reg Cuts Two Cheeses - Stirred Curd Cheddar & Manchego!
« Reply #2 on: July 09, 2008, 11:26:23 AM »
morning CH. not sure i would class that cheese as having eyes but more of an open texture. no added cultures just followed both recipies exactly as stated in the book.

yes the cheddar was aged three weeks and the manchego two.

your quote " I've started recording pH's, I now need to figure out what it all means . . ."

from what i can understand PH is fairly important during the cheese making process. if you took the PH of the milk before starting, then after the culture has been added, then after the rennet has been added, then the PH of the whey at draining times it gives you some indication of how the culture is breaking lactose down into lactic acid and how the lactic acid is breaking down the casein micelles which release calcium phosphate into the whey lowering the PH. from what i can understand in some cheeses if this happens to quickly this can harm the aging process.

will quote a small paragraph from a book " all cheeses must fall within a fairly narrow PH range immediately after manufacture in order to ripen normally and develop typical flavor and texture."

a little furter down the page " PH along with salt and moisture content shape the chemical enviroment within the cheese that governs the microbiological and enzymatic processes that are responsible for changes during ripening "

i do like the science end of the food business so i find all this stuff very interesting. its kinda like BBQ, in the long cooks there are a lot of things going on inside that meat the average person has no idea of. i think its fun stuff

reg

Tea

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Re: Reg Cuts Two Cheeses - Stirred Curd Cheddar & Manchego!
« Reply #3 on: July 09, 2008, 09:21:54 PM »
Reg they look wonderful.  What I wouldn't give to be able to smell and taste them.  Love how you got the even spread of "holes" too.
What size hoop did you use.  I know photo's can be deceptive, but they look fairly large wheels.
Well I'm impressed, definately keep us informed of their progress.
Thanks for the info on ph's too.  I have been taking ph measurements with my strips just out of interest, and so far they seem to be falling in the right range, which is good to know.

DaggerDoggie

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Re: Reg Cuts Two Cheeses - Stirred Curd Cheddar & Manchego!
« Reply #4 on: July 10, 2008, 01:55:45 AM »
Reg, the cheese looks great!  You a brave in testing them early and seeing what they are like.

I'm also looking forward to you measurements and experimentation with the pH.

reg

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Re: Reg Cuts Two Cheeses - Stirred Curd Cheddar & Manchego!
« Reply #5 on: July 10, 2008, 11:19:07 AM »
good morning and thanks for the kudo's everyone. Tea those are 8"x3" wheels and weigh aprox 5lbs.

as far as the PH is concerned it will be a fun project to chart that. just last week recieved the PH meter and the calabration solution so will be keeping records to see how that all works. i know i really like the flavour and texture of that cheese so i will follow my records exactly as before but take the PH measurments as i go

have a good one

reg