I'm going to consolidate my gouda making posts here, so I can just expand one post instead of starting new ones for each cheese I make.
Recap: September 2009I began cheese making with a typical 4 lb. mold. 4 goudas were launched one day after another...
Then waxed...
These 4 tasted excellent. To me.
Starter: M4001 Danisco
Rennet: tablets
My girlfriend stayed here in November and ate some of the last of these goudas.
She claimed they were too salty, but I thought they were excellent.
However, she comes from Germany only a dozen miles from the Dutch border.
Recap: October 2009Things were getting carried away, I knew I would have to make bigger cheeses.
Taking a day a week to make cheese was too time consuming.
So I designed a large press for $20...
The mold is a simple bain marie pot for $30 or so.
The follower is a wood disk soaked in olive oil.
Recap: November 2009I made a couple 15 lb./15 gallon goudas...
I used old a brewing pot to set the curds and cook the curds.
Used the giant press in my kitchen...
And had two nicely formed, giant goudas.
These two were made with ...
Milk: 14.5+ Gallons
Starter: M4001 Danisco
Rennet: tablets
CaCL2: 6 Tablespoons
Coloring: 2 Tablespoons Annatto
Flavoring: liquid smoke
Opening the first in the beginning of January, it tasted too CaCl2.
The cheese was Velveeta orange.
Overall, the taste was bland with some chalky CaCl2 tinge.
Not enough salt. Smoke didn't stand out.
My girlfriend returned in February and loved it.
I watched her eat about 2 lbs. with crackers through February.
We used it in a variety of sauces for nachos and pasta--it worked well when mixed.
The cheese was a little soft.
Recap: February 2010We made another large gouda with changes.
Dropped the liquid smoke, 1 Tbsp. CaCl2, 1 Tbsp. Annatto.
Longer brining in salted whey (3 hours/lb.)
The smell of the curds was excellent.
I expect a better gouda.
There was a slightly smaller curd amount due to lower CaCl2.
(the second November and the new, waxed gouda)
I opened my second large gouda from November.
Age helped!
The CaCl2 flavor subsided by half, but it is still a relatively bland cheese.
Not hard to eat alone, better with cracker.
March 2010Planning to make 2 more giant goudas next Sunday.
Gotta buy 30 gallons of Sam's Club milk.
My other gouda is being eaten up daily.
August 2010Made 3 large goudas--2 normal goudas, 1 Bloudas - experimental blue gouda.
Milk: 14.5+ Gallons Whole
Starter: M4002 Danisco (a smidge of blue mold in the blue)
Rennet: 2 tablets
CaCL2: 1 Tablespoon
Coloring: 1 teaspoon Annatto
I will speared the blue with a knitting needle about 100 times.
I'm hoping that by December 20th I have amazing blue!!
Because of the weather at this time, I use my living room and a cake dome as my "cheese cave".
It works well! Just elevate the cake dome and the 15 lb. cheese sits under and does its thing.
The room stays between 59ºF and 65ºF, usually 61ºC through all day and night aside from late afternoon.