Brian...
I have two pieces of advice for you...
1. Make the Stirred Curd Cheddar
2. Definately follow Carter's recommendations on pressing.
Tonight I opened a 2 months old Stirred Curd Cheddar (mainly because I noticed a mold spot under the wax) and I have to say that this is the best tasting/textured cheese I've made to date!
The texture actually LOOKS like cheddar and the best part is that it slices without crumbling! I can take a very....VERY thin slice off of the wheel and it still holds together. I'm pretty pumped about this. :-)
The taste of this cheese is not only correct, it is really very good for how young it is. I kept a small piece out for the family to snack on and the rest is going back for further aging.
I contribute all of this to Carter and Wayne's research and experimentation on pressing weights (and of course my own fantastic cheesemaking abilities
).
Honestly, all of my other cheeses have had an open texture since I moved from a 4 inch mold to a 6" mold. I could never figure out the problem.
Once I moved to an 8" mold I knew I had to seek help with this problem. That just so happened to be the same time that I registered on this forum and right away the help and answers came.
Now I'm looking forward to cracking open some of my other 8" wheels (which number about 8 right now) to see how they are doing.
Many thanks to Carter and Wayne and good luck on your next cheese.
Dave