Author Topic: A few thoughts on this years cheese making.......  (Read 2377 times)

Likesspace

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A few thoughts on this years cheese making.......
« on: December 17, 2009, 01:40:19 AM »
Okay, I don't really know the purpose of this post, other than possibly being a way to document, (and remind myself), what I want to get out of this season of making cheese....
In the past I have pretty much tried making every cheese that I heard about or read about to see if I could make them and to see if they would turn out at least edible.
In most cases I did produce an edible cheese and in some cases I feel that I have produced very nice cheese, but there is not one single example that I would consider to be of exceptional quality.
I've made several posts in the past about how I felt certain that some of my efforts had produced commercial quality cheese but after having considered those posts and after having reevaluated those cheeses I have to say that I wasn't even close.
One example of this is my past attempts at Gouda.....
According to my family and friends, this is a cheese that was better than any commercial example they have ever eaten.
They loved the sharp flavor and they loved the creamy mouthfeel, but honestly I always felt that the cheese was a bit crumbly and more than a bit acid tasting but I simply accepted all of the compliments and figured that they were better judges of my efforts than I was.
When I went into this season I was determined to produce a better cheese. It's not that I was unsatisfied by my previous attempts but they simply were not of the quality that I wanted or expected.
I started this season reading everything that I could find time for about the cheese making process.
I also searched out Ph information for every cheese that I had planned on making and built my own recipes around this information.
So far I have built my own recipes for Cheddar, Gouda, Swiss and Parmesan and plan on building at least a couple of more before this season comes to an end.
All of my cheeses are too young to give an honest opinion of what they will eventually become but of the taste tests that I have done I am highly encouraged.
The Cheddar examples are fantastic, even at one month old, with a highly slice-able texture and a very nice flavor.
The Gouda that I just made is, (judging from texture), the best example of any cheese that I have ever produced.
When I cut it open last night I was amazed that I could actually shave a strip of cheese from the face of the cut wheel that was so thin you could almost read through it. This is certainly the first time that I've accomplished this in my 4 years of making cheese.
The cheese was still too moist (I could squeeze whey out of the cut wheel) so the recipe does still need a little work. I'm pretty sure this is because I only pressed the wheel for something like an hour and a half total time because the acidity was increasing too rapidly.
Anyway, I'm beginning to ramble.
My point here is that I've decided to concentrate on only a few cheeses this year.
Although I love making Stilton and Camembert and Provolone, etc. this year is the year of Cheddar, Gouda, Parmesan and Swiss (Sailor's Baby Swiss recipe, mainly).
For one, these are my favorite cheeses to eat so why not make what I enjoy the most?
Also, by concentrating on these varieties of cheese and continuing to refine my recipes I am now feeling confident that I can eventually turn out a cheese that is of commercial quality.
For the first time in my life I am actually very proud of the cheese that I'm turning out and hope that by the end of the season I will understand how to duplicate any of the true successes that I make.
I am keeping better records than I ever have in the past and I am make sure that I am conscience of every move I make during a cook.
In short, I want to do this but more importantly I want to do this right.
There will be no more listening to the opinion of family and friends. Although I am my own harshest critic I think that is exactly what I need.
Because I am so hard on myself I figure that when I do finally turn out a cheese that I'm completely happy with, then others (that are not biased) will feel the same way.
As I said, I don't know that this post has any meaning to anyone but myself but I'm going to make a point of reading this from time to time all during this season.
That way I will not lose sight of my goals and will continue to focus on what I would like to accomplish.

Dave

Offline Gürkan Yeniçeri

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Re: A few thoughts on this years cheese making.......
« Reply #1 on: December 17, 2009, 02:26:51 AM »
Very good planning Likesspace. I also noticed that I am like a magpie and jump onto any shiny recipe and try to make it. But I am cooled down and would like to concentrate on some varieties that me and my family likes and perfect those rather than trying all 200 recipes in Tim's book.

Good luck with Sailor's Baby Swiss :)

Offline DeejayDebi

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Re: A few thoughts on this years cheese making.......
« Reply #2 on: December 17, 2009, 04:05:46 AM »
Very nice post Dave. I do think you (and Wayne) are hard on yourselves and make very lovely cheeses. There is nothing wrong with seeking perfection just have some fun while your doing it okay?  ;)

I have a question for you ... How much does that fancy press of yours weigh? That's from Cater right? Sounds like a strange question but I would have to haul it up to the attic after every use and wit my back I wouldn't want something to heavy in awkward places.

Offline Boofer

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Re: A few thoughts on this years cheese making.......
« Reply #3 on: December 17, 2009, 04:47:41 PM »
Dave - Nice post. So you're journaling your way through cheesedom.  :)

I would agree to concentrate on making cheeses that you enjoy eating, but for myself I want to keep a little bit of a crack in the door so that I can occasionally try new cheeses and expand my horizons. One example is Manchego. Before coming to this forum I had never heard of it. I have made it twice now and it's developing as a new favorite of mine. My focus, like yours, is to fine-tune my techniques and perfect my cheeses.

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Likesspace

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Re: A few thoughts on this years cheese making.......
« Reply #4 on: December 17, 2009, 10:29:28 PM »
Gurkan...
It seems as though we are thinking alike on this.
The bottom line is that I love to make cheese and I love to eat cheese. The only problem is that unless I concentrate on just a few cheeses I don't think I will ever turn out something that I'm truly happy with. Hopefully I have plenty of time left on this planet which will give me more time to accomplish all of the things that I want to. This includes perfecting a large variety of cheeses, one at a time.

Debi...
Thanks for the words of encouragement....
I know that I am hard on myself but at the same time it helps me to focus and do my best. I might not ever perfect even one example of cheese but by being hard on myself I know that I have at least given it my best shot. I pretty much apply this strategy to everything that I do and feel that if I do my best, I've done all that I'm capable of doing.
This is usually enough to satisfy me.
Btw......
Don't take my initial post the wrong way. I really am having a blast with my cheese making. I just want to do it better.  :)
As for my press, (and yes, it is one of Carter's), it only weighs 12 lbs. This is of course the press only, not including whatever type of air tank you would use.
The great thing about this press is that you probably would not have to store it in the attic since it has a foot print of less than 12 inches square. It is a very compact press that can easily fit into a corner, on a counter top or even under a cabinet.
A year after getting this press I still can't say enough about it. His presses certainly aren't cheap but if you're into this hobby for the long haul then the per year expense will be negligible.
I still remember the sound of a lot of stacked weights, crashing over in the middle of the night and I still remember dreading having to flip a cheese that had a hundred lbs. worth of stacked weight. Now I just give the air switch a flip and walk away without any worries or concerns. I honestly could not imagine making cheese without it.

Boofer....
I also plan to pick a few new cheeses each year to work on. That's why I'm making my own recipes as I go along (and keeping notes). I figure that once I have a recipe that I can duplicate I can then go on to other cheeses without having to worry about losing what I have learned on a certain example.
I love trying new varieties and I love the challenge of a new cheese.
It also sounds as if you and I are on the same page.
You know, this is why I love this forum...
I really felt as if I was making this post only as a reminder to myself of what I want to accomplish and now I'm feeling really good about what I'm trying to do.
Thanks to you all and have a great weekend.

Dave

Offline DeejayDebi

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Re: A few thoughts on this years cheese making.......
« Reply #5 on: December 18, 2009, 03:05:28 AM »
It's only 12 inches? How deep is the pressing area? Could I put two molds say 14 inches high in there? It really looks huge in the pictures.

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Re: A few thoughts on this years cheese making.......
« Reply #6 on: December 18, 2009, 04:07:52 AM »
LOL Debi....I also thought that the press looked huge in the pictures that Carter posted. I was scared to death concerning the shipping costs, but if I remember correctly it only cost like $15.00 to get it here from California.
I did just put a tape measure to the press and here are the dimensions:
15" Wide x 11.5" Deep x 23" Tall (this includes the cylinder and hose).
As for stacking two molds I don't think that would work.
I just measured from the bottom of the press to the bottom of the ram and the measurement was about 8". This did not include the custom drainboard or the custom follower that sets on top of your mold's follower.
I've been using a 7.5" Tomme mold for 99% of my cheeses and also use an 8" mold from time to time. I have no doubt that a Kadova mold would also work equally as well in this press.
I've noticed that you have been using a 10 lb. can of tomatoes as your weight and kiddo...if you can lift that can of tomatoes you will have no problem with this press.
The only other thing you will need is an air source (I use a portable air tank which I fill to 100 p.s.i.) and an air regulator on the tank. Other than that, it's pretty much a plug and play system.
I do have an air compressor but you can fill a portable tank at just about any gas station. By filling it with 100 p.s.i. I can do 2 cheddar cheeses with no problem and could probably do 3 on a single fill. This thing does NOT use much air at all.
The beautiful thing about this press is that you can set it up and walk away. As long as you get the custom follower sitting evenly over your mold it will give a nice even wheel with no effort. You simply set the pressure, flip the air switch to the on position and forget about it until it's time to flip the wheel.
The only other press that I've seen that is this carefree is a dutch style press and even with it you have to lift weights to hang on the lever. I've also seen a couple of instances where the cheese has pushed out from under the mold with a dutch press but that could probably happen on this press if using an open bottom style of mold.
As I said before, this press is not cheap but when I think of all of the money I've spent on this hobby I still feel that this press is the best money I've spent so far. It really is that good.
I hope this information helps you make an informed decision. I would also recommend giving Carter a call. I'm pretty sure he has his 800 number listed on his website and quite honestly he's fun to talk to.

Dave

Offline DeejayDebi

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Re: A few thoughts on this years cheese making.......
« Reply #7 on: December 18, 2009, 04:20:15 AM »
I have been drooling over that thing since your or Wane first posted it. The smalle kadova molds would work but my 2-3 kg molds might not fit. I will have to dig them out and measure them.  I do like to split my batches though ... ::)