Author Topic: Blue Mold on the outside?  (Read 3781 times)

kenjin

  • Guest
Blue Mold on the outside?
« on: April 20, 2010, 04:25:42 PM »
Hi all,

I am experimenting with soft blues such as Stilton, but as far as I see most of the people on here making blue cheese are happy to have the blue on the outside, now surely this is incorrect??


If you see a real Stilton it has no mold on the outside, only a brown crust, The blue mold should radiate from the inside out not vice-versa?

Now  in my humble opinion, the Stilton ought to be Air dried for 2 reasons 1.) to prevent the start of the blue mold forming on the out side, this is why its smoothed and 2.)The crust will stop the holes from closing once its pierced.

Or am I missing something here?

I have tried my method but I don't think I air dried it enough as a small amount of blue is forming on the outside, I am thinking about scraping it off  (I believe living in a tropical climate may also have something to do with this)

Please, what are your thoughts on this subject?

Nick

Sailor Con Queso

  • Guest
Re: Blue Mold on the outside?
« Reply #1 on: April 20, 2010, 05:27:57 PM »
When making a Stilton (or most Blues) the blue mold is added to the milk at the beginning. You definitely want the blue to form on the outside and cover the rind. As the cheese ages, the mold runs out of food and starts dying off. The blue will then turn tan. THAT'S the brown that you see on  finished Stiltons.

kenjin

  • Guest
Re: Blue Mold on the outside?
« Reply #2 on: April 20, 2010, 05:33:27 PM »
now that makes sense, I was watching a video on You tube, they pierced their Stiltons after 20 days, and it looked like the crust had formed. So should the blue die off an turn brown in around 20 days?

linuxboy

  • Guest
Re: Blue Mold on the outside?
« Reply #3 on: April 20, 2010, 05:39:35 PM »
To add to Sailor's excellent post:

Now  in my humble opinion, the Stilton ought to be Air dried for 2 reasons 1.) to prevent the start of the blue mold forming on the out side, this is why its smoothed and 2.)The crust will stop the holes from closing once its pierced.

Kind of. Stiltons should be air dried for a few days, just like most cheeses, for proper rind formation. Blue cheese mold hates physical moisture, but loves a lovely ~92% humid environment with good airflow. If you don't dry the surface, you impede proper mold formation and give other molds a chance to colonize the rind.

You want blue mold on the outside, because as a penicillin mold, it will kill other species, and will also give you protection during the prolonged 60+ day aging. A 90-day stilton is a thing of beauty.

The crust does not prevent holes from closing up. The right water content of the cheese paste does. By the time you get to this stage, when there is a rind, it's already too late. The cheese paste is made in the vat and to a lesser degree draining and forming. The gas-formed and mechanical openings in blue should already be there. The piercing just introduces some extra oxygen.

Now, of course, you may have discovered a new and fantastic way to make blue cheeses. But traditionally blues are made just like Sailor has posted here and in other threads.

kenjin

  • Guest
Re: Blue Mold on the outside?
« Reply #4 on: April 21, 2010, 03:32:41 AM »
Well thanks guys for clearing this issue up.
This is such a great forum
once again thanks  :D