Humidity control- Need Help

[iwantthegold]

So I am about to make my first foray into cheesemaking.  I have most of the details down (or so I can believe based on what I read).  I have a mini fridge that is regulated with an external thermostat for the 50-55 degree requirement, but the humidity is only around 74%. I am using a saturated sodium chloride salt solution, and I can chose another one, but I wanted to know if this could be appropriate for a colby, gouda, or cheddar type cheese?  Please let me know what you think.

Also I forgot to pick up a pH meter, if I will not be doing too many crazy things do you feel that one is absolutely crucial for the first few times?

Thanks,
Ethan

[iratherfly]

Ethan, this sound like good humidity to me, though in many cases you want lower humidity in the fridge/cave. 50 degrees though may be too cold for some cheeses. If you want to reduce humidity, use a tray of kosher salt in the fridge to help absorb some of it and clean up excess water. If you want to increase humidity (say you are making a Brie), age the cheese in a closed or partially open container that is inside the fridge. This method also would not affect other cheeses in the fridge that need the lower humidity.  It will also prevent cross contamination as the more humid cheese tend to grow more mold and bacteria that often doesn't belong in your Cheddar, Tomme or Jack...
 
I also suggest that you get several battery operated hygrometers/thermometer combos. Leave one outside when you drain and dry the cheese, another one in the fridge, another one in your aging box if you use one. You can buy those on eBay for a few bucks. (see: http://shop.ebay.com/?_from=R40&_trksid=p3907.m38.l1311&_nkw=digital+hygrometer&_sacat=See-All-Categories )

I am new to pH meters, but also new to harder cheeses. So far it seems that past failures to make cheese were not related to wrong pH readings, but as I get more serious, I want to do this properly and also develop techniques that would yield consistently good results, so I guess that just as a serious baker switches to quantities by weight rather than volume, a good cheesemaker will time processes and control quality with a pH meter. That being said, I am just learning to use it now. I also think that if I would have tried using it when I began making cheese it would be just too many things to remember and do at once and it would have confused me and made me mess up my cheese, so I am happy I started without it, but now I need it.

Here is a photo of what this looks like in an aging box which I cover and place inside a wine refrigerator

[Cheese Head]

Ethan, welcome to the forum! Excellent response from iratherfly, my vote is also without pH meter for first few batches, just go for it and get the kinks out before you take it to the next level.

iratherfly, thanks for the link, just ordered two!

[iwantthegold]

Iratherfly and John,

Thanks very much for your help!  I know my next step is to actually try and work out what I can do so I will report back soon with the details.

My one question is after the pressing, I have found instructions to allow the cheese dry on a "cheese board," and I have no idea what one is.  Also, you say that I should monitor the humidity during the drying process but sources say to simply do that at room temp.  And what exactly would be your conditions in an aging box; I am familiar with the aging process of harder cheeses but not for soft cheeses.

I should say that I do completely understand the concept of the pH meter and I think it would be too much for right now.  I think more of my problem is (although I study Food Science and chemistry) I wouldn't know what the optimum environment for the cultures or what a change in pH would result in without further research, so it would be pretty useless for me.

Ethan 

[iratherfly]

You are welcome!
Cheese board is just a very clean untreated wood plank or cutting board. (I boil them in water to disinfect). Use something that does not produce too much aroma. Oak or Bamboo are great. Cedar would transfer some aroma into the cheese (which is sometimes nice). Do not use plastic, glass or metals for this purpose (they may be reactive, porous or just trap too much humidity). Sometimes I use bamboo mat (like the one used in Sushi making) for this purpose too.

Aging box is just a simple food-grade plastic box. You usually want some platform and/or matting to elevate the cheese from the bottom of the box (see the photo I posted earlier). This way: 1). the cheese can drain whey/humidity onto the bottom of the box without having the cheese soaking in a pool of what had already drained from it (will mess it up) and 2). enable some air movement to the bottom of the cheese so it matures more evenly on the top and bottom. You would put a paper towel in such box for the first few days and change it whenever it's soaked. As you turning the cheese daily (to help even out mineral distribution and draining) you would also wipe off any water beads until the cheese has drained/dried enough so they no longer appear. You can partially open the top for a day or more to speed up humidity release or close the top to raise humidity - as needed.

Don't worry about temp/humidity during pressing and drying. Room temp of 65F with average room humidity (65%?) is probably just fine - unless the recipe specifies something else. Some Swiss cheeses for example stay out for a few days at 70-80F to develop eyes (holes). What you do after draining and drying would usually affect the rind. Be careful not to dry the cheese too quickly (hot dry room) as it may crack.

The processes and conditions are different from cheese to cheese. In fact, many cheeses would have the same exact starters, bacteria and enzymes but would be entirely different because of the process. Temp and flocculation time, how small do you cut the curd, do you raise the temperature? do you drain before putting into the mold? Do you press or ladel? Do you salt, brine or wash the rind? - you get the idea.

You would use the exact instructions in your recipe for the cheese you are attempting. What are you making?

[iwantthegold]

That is some great advice! 

I am planning to make a cheddar first and then well I guess the skies the limit!  I was going to use the recipe on this forum but if anyone has any other good ones please let me know.

I guess I am also going to have to look into the waxing process, which I know very little about or where to buy it.

Ethan

[iratherfly]

I think the easiest Cheddar in the world is farmhouse cheddar. It has less process and shorter maturing time (but milder flavor and less flaky texture). It's also easier and more fun in my opinion to wax a cheese rather than wrap it in cheesecloth and care for it for months. Ricky Carrol has a very easy recipe. I have two of these aging right now (month 3, I intend to open then at 4 and 6). Otherwise, look for Peter Dixon's recipe on his site. http://www.dairyfoodsconsulting.com/recipes_cheddar.shtml - Note that this is a 6 Gallon recipe so you may want to cut the quantities down to a more manageable home size. This is also a raw milk recipe so if you don't have any, add a bit CalCl to make up for the calcium loss related to pasteurization. You probably know all that though being a student of food science... Where do you study?

[iwantthegold]

That is the one I am going to try so that should be perfect, and I am going to have to read up on the other recipe as well. 

I have some knowledge of the raw milk concept (though to the professors in my field, raw milk is little more than a safety hazzard, though they think the same thing about beef tartare and raw oysters.)  I am at the University of Delaware, a smaller program but we are working on a creamery that I hope to have my hand in, but it will mainly be ice cream disapointingly.