Author Topic: Wayne's Cheese: Cheddar022110  (Read 4997 times)

wharris

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Wayne's Cheese: Cheddar022110
« on: February 21, 2010, 08:31:20 PM »
    First Cheese of 2010

List of Ingredients:
  • 24gal whole pasteurized/homogenized off the shelf milk (2.23/gal at local grocery)
  • 2 tsp Choozit MA11  (4.9g)
  • 12.5ml double strength Annatto 14.6g (diluted in 2/3 cup distilled water)
  • 4tbsp CaCl (77.7g)
  • 18.58ml veal rennet (diluted in 743ml distilled water)
  • 208grams of flaked salt (this is 2.0% of an estimated 23lb yield)




My Goals:
  • Use real markers during the cheese making process:
  • Use the pH drop of .1 - .2 to determin ripening time
  • Use a pH multiplier of 3x for rennet time
  • Use the pH drop of .1 - .2 more to determine cutting time
  • Drain why at pH 6.0-6.2
  • Mill and Salt at 5.3 - 5.5


[/list]
Basic Process:
  • Add milk to vat, start heating to 88degF
  • Add Annatto
  • add CaCl2
  • When milk is at 88, add Culture.  Stir in for 1 min
  • Wait for .1-.2 drop in pH (45 min) then add rennet Solution
  • Wait for 3x Floc point (45 min) or, cut curd, then let rest for 15min
  • Stir curd and begin heating protocol from 90-100 degF  That is 2 deg/5min
  • Let sit at 100degF till pH 6.0-6.2 (30 min)
  • Drain curd, not too long to avoid matting
  • place in pan, stir curds with fingers, avoid mashing
  • Stir every 5 min for 1 hour
  • Add salt at pH 5.3-5.5. This is done in two phases, allowing for slower absorption
  • place in 8"mould
  • Press@2PSI for 15 min
  • Remove from mould/flip/redress/re-mould
  • Press@4PSI for 30 min
  • Remove from mould/flip/redress/re-mould
  • Press@8PSI for 2hours
  • Remove from mould/flip/redress/re-mould
  • Press@9PSI for 24 Hours



Here is how it is playing out in real-life:

TimeTaskWater TempMilk TemppH
9:20amAdd milk/CACL/Annato103496.72
9:20amStarted Heating105516.74
9:50amHeating100676.73
10:22amHeating comlplete/add culture98886.57
12:02amEnd of Ripening (Drop of .1 pH)98886.47
12:06amadding Rennet98886.46
12:17pmFloc point reached (11 min)98886.46
12:39pmEnd of rennet (3x11minutes=33min)98886.44
12:43pmCut Curds/Start of 15min heal104866.43
1:32pmDone Cooking/td]
1131026.25
3:02amDone stirring/td]
na90ish5.45



Notes:
Took a long time to get to pH.  I don't think i added enough culture.

Wrap up
Measureing pH after cooking gets wierd.  The whey and curds separate, and I get pH delta of .1 - .2 depending on whether or not I recently stirred the curds/whey.
« Last Edit: February 23, 2010, 02:27:26 PM by Wayne Harris »

Majoofi

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Re: Wayne's Cheese: Cheddar022110
« Reply #1 on: February 21, 2010, 08:53:07 PM »
What a great experiment. Do you have an assistant with a clipboard, timer, and abacus?
The first thing I thought was "it doesn't seem like much culture for 24 gls." but if you reached your pH level eventually maybe you're onto something along the lines of sourdoughs where the longer it takes to ferment without dying the yummier it is.

wharris

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Re: Wayne's Cheese: Cheddar022110
« Reply #2 on: February 23, 2010, 01:18:41 AM »
Removed from mould. 

Yield was 22lbs.  So my final salt content was a closer to 2.1% than 2.0

The pH of the cheese, right outta the press is pH 4.88.   (is that right?)

SueVT

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Re: Wayne's Cheese: Cheddar022110
« Reply #3 on: February 23, 2010, 01:37:07 AM »
Sounds good.
I can't really comment because I use raw milk.... but it sounds good.  24 lbs is a lot!

FarmerJd

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Re: Wayne's Cheese: Cheddar022110
« Reply #4 on: February 23, 2010, 01:59:01 AM »
Wayne when you say "right out of the press" I assume you are measuring the whey left at this point which may have been sitting there a while. Is this right? I think linuxboy said 4.7 to 4.8 at the end of pressing is right. I may be remembering wrong; too many threads to scan through.
I am curious about how much salt that is by volume. I usually add 2/3 cup of pickling salt to my 24 gal batch and was wondering if that is comparable to what you are doing.
My last cheddar I added 5 ml of annato and it was not enough.
It is great to compare your recipe and process to what I am doing. It sounds like your ph targets were dead on but I got lost after the cooking was done. Do you hold at 102 for a while I thought that was necessary to bring down ph? Was the ph already at 6.25 at this point? Sorry for the questions; just curious. Great job.

linuxboy

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Re: Wayne's Cheese: Cheddar022110
« Reply #5 on: February 23, 2010, 02:20:07 AM »
cheddar "ideal" pH (using Lawrence model) based on median of accepted values, and after at least 14 days maturity is 5.025. Out of the mold at 4.88 is just barely below ideal range. 4.7 is too low. Right at 4.9-5.1 is perfect. This is assuming proper salt (SM), fat, (FD), and moisture (MFFS). But by this time, post stirring and post salt, there's not much you can do. Your cheese will be fine, your 6.25 at drain and long acidification should give a good knit, but cheese may be a tad dry. Flavor will probably be less complex in the early stages of maturity than if you milled, meaning age a little longer (9-12 months).

wharris

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Re: Wayne's Cheese: Cheddar022110
« Reply #6 on: February 23, 2010, 02:28:12 AM »
I have tried and tried to fix the table in the original post.  Might need some moderator attention.

FarmerJd, you used 5 ml of Annatto, while I used 12.5ml.  I think mine looks exactly like one would expect a yellow cheddar to look like.

My post is tough to read because I cannot fix the tables, but my cheddar was pH 6.25 at the end of raising the temp from 88 to 102 deg F.  Then basically I just held the cheddar at 102deg F there till the pH dropped to 5.45. That took too long in my opinion.
I think I lost too much moisture because it took so long to reach target pH values.  I will add a tad more culture next time.
I added 4.9grams this time.  Perhaps .5grams more next time?  (Advice wanted....)

The texture of my curd (after tasting some) is somewhat squeeky. Odd

BTW, I measured out 2/3cup of salt, and your amount is almost exactly what I added.  +-5grams
« Last Edit: February 23, 2010, 02:34:00 AM by Wayne Harris »

linuxboy

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Re: Wayne's Cheese: Cheddar022110
« Reply #7 on: February 23, 2010, 02:35:50 AM »
Your acidification took 4.5 hours? That's not terrible, but a touch high. Hard to say how much more to add... .5 is a good start. It might just be sluggish culture, or you need to wait another 15 mins for it to wake up before renneting. Your drain pH was ok. If you want to try for crystal formation, drain higher around 6.3-6.35, and if you want a touch less squeak, drain at 6.1. Fresh curds all squeak, though, that's just how they are. I like a cheddar drained at 6.2 and cheddared for 2-3 hours in slabs.


wharris

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Re: Wayne's Cheese: Cheddar022110
« Reply #8 on: February 23, 2010, 02:42:07 AM »
Linuxboy,
Thanks for the reply.

While I have not sat and thought about this at any length, my initial thoughts are to add 5.4grams of MA11 next time.
I will try again to hit my exact same pH markers, and then see how the various time frames adjust.

Hopefully my acidifications timeframes will shorten a tad.  I would anticipate that this will yield a cheese with more moisture. So I may add a bit more salt, trying to maintain a 2.0% salt ratio.


Sailor Con Queso

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Re: Wayne's Cheese: Cheddar022110
« Reply #9 on: February 23, 2010, 03:17:08 AM »
If you want to try for crystal formation, drain higher around 6.3-6.35, and if you want a touch less squeak, drain at 6.1.

Why does a higher pH at draining favor crystal formation? Why does a lower pH favor less squeak?

linuxboy

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Re: Wayne's Cheese: Cheddar022110
« Reply #10 on: February 23, 2010, 04:49:46 AM »
This is one of the key dynamics of cheesemaking. It's what James Aldridge, RIP, talked about at some length on his site.

Let's recap the two key mechanisms by which casein micelles are held together not to each other after rennet addition, but each micelle itself, which is made up of many submicelle structures. One, colloidal calcium phosphate is a "glue" that holds individual submicelles together, acting as a sort of bridge. Two, the submicelles exhibit hydrophobic attraction. When acidity goes up, that calcium phosphate can detach from micelles and go into solution, degrading submicelle bonds and therefore the integrity of the micelle structure. This is very very important to cheese texture.

I've covered rennet action before, and the video I posted does a better job than I did. So I'm going to skip it and focus on the acidity and calcium phosphate relationship.

The pH level of 6.1-6.3 is very deceptive because it's a sort of tipping point. As the acid is produced, it keeps getting "eaten up" by the calcium phosphate. At the beginning, say pH 6.5, the micelles can bond very strongly because the structures are stable and there's a lot of calcium phosphate "glue". As that buffer is diminished, the micelles can't bond as well to each other. This is why when you drain at lower pH levels that 6.0-6.1, the end result of the cheese is crumbly and possibly bitter -- too much acid, too much micelle degradation too fast. Then during proteolysis, the submicelles degrade quickly, leading to too fast of chain reactions during catabolysis. It's also why various cheeses have such different profiles. In an alpine or emmenthaler, you drain at 6.3 or 6.4, and those micelles are mostly in tact and bond to each other. In the finished cheese, the micelles will be in a strong matrix. Ever notice how an emmenthaler is almost rubbery? That's why. Similarly for draining at lower pHs, micelles degrade, cheese becomes crumbly. Sorry getting off track.

If you drain at higher pH, there's more calcium phosphate stuck to the, well, the curd. And that calcium mineral content stays in the cheese. If you drain at lower pH, there's less mineral. When there's more calcium in the cheese, it has to go somewhere, and that tends to form more calcium lactate, or more crystalline amino acids (ie tyrosine). But that's just one of the aspects.

If you drain at lower pH, similarly, the micelles are degrades more. That degradation means the curd sticks together not as well, may form smaller pieces unless put into slabs. The squeak sensation happens at this other tipping point in the curd, which is around 5.4, which represents about the middle point from when micelles are very stable (6.5 ish) and when the have completely lost their charge (4.6). At this point of 5.4ish, the micelles are still bonded to each other and the submicelles still hold, but not to the point where they won't let go. So they physically move over each other, breaking bonds, rebonding, forming long, complex strands, etc. That's a good part of why cheese stretches right at that 5.4 pH, why you make mozz starting at 5.4 and often salt/brine around 5.4. You want that middle ground for proper proteolysis, texture, and flavor. Anyway, when you drain at lower pH than 6.2, it can form an odd situation because the micelles still bond, but they are past the tipping point (about 5.9-6.1, this varies with the milk, not a static number) and would really rather unbond... meaning they're losing their affinity and strength. So you're fighting the natural tendency of the chemistry of the curd and acid development, trying to get the curd bits to fuse in time, and then also to slide over each other for the squeak. So the sensation when munching is a barely perceptible less of a squeak. At least, that's how it always seems to me and that's the explanation I have for it. I haven't done some sort of formal squeak analysis :).

Does that make sense? There's some complex biochemistry going on in the background, hope that was clear.
« Last Edit: February 23, 2010, 05:00:09 AM by linuxboy »

FarmerJd

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Re: Wayne's Cheese: Cheddar022110
« Reply #11 on: February 23, 2010, 05:13:14 AM »
So Wayne when did you drain? I am assuming this is a stirred curd not a traditionally cheddared one. So did you drain right after you got to 102 and then watch the ph drop while stirring wheyless curds? Just wanting to make sure I understand. I cook at 102 til the ph is 6.1 and then drain and cheddar til 5.4. And thanks for the confirmation on the salt and color. I was planning on upping the color next time anyway.
I usually grow the culture overnight instead of directly adding it and it seems to work quicker because it is already active. I just add it to a quart of warm milk and then add the quart next am.
Linuxboy, thanks again for the lesson and for correcting my faulty memory. What I got out of your 'thesis' :)  is that the ph targets are not absolute but are somewhat dependent on the final product you are shooting for. And there seems to be a fairly large window of opportunity (relative to ph) to turn out a decent cheese. So if I miss it, it doesn't mean disaster every time. Am I close? (I'll catch on to the micelles and complex strands later. ;D )

linuxboy

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Re: Wayne's Cheese: Cheddar022110
« Reply #12 on: February 23, 2010, 05:21:09 AM »
Absolutely, Farmer, that was my biggest point. I wanted to cover the two big tipping points (at drain and salt/press) and what higher and lower pH at each may mean to the final outcome. I haven't ever read or heard a discussion of this anywhere but it's crucial to cheesemaking. If you miss pH targets, there's usually still a lot you can do to compensate. And even if it won't be identical to the last cheese you made, it will still be within the acceptable range for the cheese style, and definitely edible (assuming proper aging).

wharris

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Re: Wayne's Cheese: Cheddar022110
« Reply #13 on: February 23, 2010, 06:59:22 AM »
I drained at 1:32pm.  pH 6.25.

I'd say look at the chart, but I can't read it either.

MarkShelton

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Re: Wayne's Cheese: Cheddar022110
« Reply #14 on: February 23, 2010, 01:47:54 PM »
Linuxboy, I love the thoroughness and technical nature of your posts! I imagine you in a white lab coat giving dissertations on cheese biochemistry in front of a lecture hall ;D

And Wayne, where do you find the pH markers for the different steps of cheesemaking? I see a lot of people post about them, but not sure where to find them.