Rennet Coagulated Waxed Cheeses - Paste Dry & Crumbly, Recommendations?

[mcbethenstein]

So tonight I finally cut into a few of my cheeses. I've been apprehensive since my pepper jack was way too dry over a month ago. I cut into the gruyere that Buddy ate...my first cheddars (the yellow and the white chreddar cranberry), my colby jack...yes the one that broke the sink, and the dill havarti. All of them had good flavor, but I am disappointed that the colby jack and the cheddars are kinda dry and crumbly. What can I do to improve this? Will brining instead of adding the salt in the milling stage help with this? I was REALLY impressed with the texture of the gruyere (Even if I cut into it several months early!) Or is it a problem with my milk. I may not have been that great at following the temps exactly with my first few cheeses.... Please help. These are my first hard cheeses that I've gotten to taste, other than the really dry farmhouse cheddar. All of the cheeses in question used Ricki Carrol's book for the recipes. Are there better options? Several varieties later I have started using the "200 Easy Cheese Recipes"

[Cheese Head]

Hi mcbeth, congrats on all the cheeses, I have a similar problem with my Gouda's as they are also dry and somewhat crumbly. There can be several causes for this. Mine have natural rinds, so I'm not sure if I'm cooking too much or cheeses are just drying out as my cheese cave is too dry and they are just dehydrating.

Too high a cooking temperature can expell more whey than required by recipe, also, did your cheeses have natural rinds like mine?

[mcbethenstein]

No, I waxed the cheeses in question. My cheeses with the natural rind and that were brined...all look good. And the gruyere tasted really good, even though it was way too early to eat, it was great. The gruyere was the one my dog ate... see my posting Naughty Doggies for more explination. After trimming it and cleaning it there was a funny angle and a few surface cracks from uneven drying. And then I had quite a time trying to keep some blue mold at bay.... so I got frustrated and cut into it early. Other than the dammage the dog did, it was great. My texture issues are with the cheeses where salt was added during the milling or cheddaring stages. Which leads me to conclude that brining is better. 

[Cheese Head]

mcbeth, I also have a very tough time trying to keep 100% natural rinds clear of mold.

OK so you waxed and still dry inside, do you think thy were very dry from the salt before waxing, or became dry while aging under wax, which I would be surprised at.

[Likesspace]

Mcbeth....
I'd just about bet a paycheck that the problem lies in over acidification of the curd.
The crumbly texture is a problem that I also fought for several years in my cheese making adventures and it was only after I purchased a Ph meter (and finally figured out exactly how to use it) that I started seeing this problem go away.
I've found that even with a Ph meter it is imperative that you keep on eye on the curd constantly.
Even five minutes of slacking off can make a  huge difference in the type of cheese you end up making. Now if five minutes WITH a Ph meter can have that type of effect, think of what a timed recipe could do if it happens to be off, five minutes, here and there throughout the entire recipe.
I've decided that I simply won't make cheese without a Ph meter from here on out. Milk, starter cultures, etc. are not a negligible expense so I want to make the best cheese possible when I make the investment.
With a $30.00 - $100.00 investment you can verify that the recipe is either correct, or incorrect. In the long run, this can save you a lot of expense in milk, cultures, rennet, etc.
This is just my two cents but I honestly wish I would have figured this out a few years ago.
I sincerely hope this helps you out.

Dave

[DeejayDebi]

If you took notes you could reduce your ripening time to help correct this - or use a bit less starter...

...until you get a pH meter, should you decide to get one.

[wharris]

I've decided that I simply won't make cheese without a Ph meter from here on out.

for a couple of dollars more, you could even get a pH meter!



Sorry Dave,  I just could not resist......   


Actually,  what you point out here is what I quote from you quite a bit.  You said it best,  a long time ago, when you said cheese making is all about managing the subtleties.

[Boofer]

Yeah, "don't sweat the small stuff".  But it's all small stuff!!

-Boofer-

[DeejayDebi]

That is soooo true. Sometimes a tiny litttle adjustment can be the difference between a cheese and a great cheese!