Can I fix this munster mistake???

[rolandfarm]

Hi everyone,
I made munster for the first time using Ricki Carroll's recipe.  Put it in saturated brine but forgot to take it out after 12 hours.  Ended up in the brine for 24 hours.  Is there any fix to this problem?? 

When I took it out this morning, I put the cheese in some unsalted water hoping to draw out some of the salt.  After a little more than an hour, it felt like the surface was getting softer so I removed it.  Any advice?

Also, another question...per Ricki's recipe, the cheese is not pressed, but curd molds under it's own weight.  The rind on the top and bottom is smooth and well formed, but the rind on the sides is rough, showing the shapes of the curds.  Is this right??

Mary Ann

[mtncheesemaker]

Hi Mary Ann;
I would leave it out to air dry for a bit before putting it into an aging container. I have only made munster 2 times; the first had a very sticky rind which was impossible to keep clean from unwanted mold intrusions. The munster I am aging right now still has a soft rind but not a sticky one.
I now "press" these softer cheeses (made in a tomme mold with a follower) with a very light weight, like 3-4 lbs weight for a 3-4 lb cheese, and I initially "press" them under the warm whey in the pot. My curds never quite consolidate to form a perfectly smooth surface, but over time, with the washing process, they smooth over just fine.
Here is a pic of the current cheese, made 16 May.
I think you should proceed with your cheese and see what happens. It may not be perfect but you'll learn a lot from doing it.
Pam

[DeejayDebi]

Hello Mary ann and welcome. The cheese doesn't require pressing but I always add a glass of water ro something to help settle the curds some and flip several time to get the tops and bottoms somehwat smooth. As for over brining it's hard to say without knowing what size cheese you made but the water soak won't do much.

[iratherfly]

Welcome Mary Ann,

I have never done Munster but brining time has to do with the weight if the cheese. The worst that could happen is that you have an over-salted cheese (better than under-salted where pathogens can form and the bacteria or enzymatic activity fails to start).
Brining is essential in creating your rind (when you dry the cheese after the brine bath). If you dilute it now with clean water you can reverse the rinding and end up with the inside of the cheese that turns drier towards the outside gradually - instead of a sudden nice rind with clearly defined moist paste under it. Such rind also protects the paste from drying out.

The salt does an osmosis action in the cheese. It sucks the water from the curds, then salts it, then returns it into the curds salted. It flavors, sanitize and provide food for the cultures. This osmosis movement of water in and out of your cheese does not happen with unsalted water because they don't have the power to suck the salted water out of the cheese. Salt is hygroscopic - the water always choose to go towards it, not towards the unsalted area. Your dilution may help somewhat but will not be as effective as brining. I would also strongly advice you to add Calcium Chloride to your dilution (just as you do to the brine) in order to prevent calcium depletion in your cheese (which may weaken your curd structure)

[rolandfarm]

Well, I have decided to go ahead with this cheese, although I suspect it will be a poor cheese because the overbrining will inhibit activity of the starter culture. 

I don't have any calc chloride on hand since I work only with raw milk but maybe I should get some. After the attempt to desalinate by putting in unsalted water and feeling that the rind was starting to get soft, I didn't dare to do it for any longer than those initial 80 minutes.  I dried it off thoroughly at room temp and now have it in my aging fridge undergoing the washing period.   The cheese looks very nice but does not yet have any signs of b. linens which is not surprising since I just started washing it a few days ago.  So, I'll just have to be patient and see what happens.

Thanks so much for the advice.  I sure do need the help!! 

Mary Ann

[FRANCOIS]

Over brining in this case is no big deal.  I doubt the cheese soaked up more than 1.8% at most unless it was a triple cream.  Oversalting usually occurs in dry salted or curd salted cheeses.  In any event the salt has nothing to do with starter cultrue activity, so you are fine.  if anything you may have caused some issues with soaking it in plain water.