1st Traditional Cheddar Attempt

[ancksunamun]

Yesterday I had a full day at home (for the first time in ages) and 12 litres left of raw milk so I decided to attempt a traditional cheddar.

The process seemed to go really well. I followed the recipe to the most minute detail but after pressing for 12 hours at 20kg it seems that the curd hasn't knitted that well. On the first flip after 15 minutes it crumbled slightly. This didn't happen after the 12 hour press but there are definitely gaps and crevices in the curd.

Will the final 24 hour press fully knit the curds? I am pressing at 30kg for the last press.

BTW: I am really happy with my other cheese batches for the weekend. 1 baby Gouda and 1 Gruyere. I love this hobby!

[Majoofi]

The recipes are a bit vague on pressing pressure as the size of the mold will redistribute the pounds per square inch.

that said it's not uncommon for a cheddar to have gaps, and fissures that can lead to crumbliness, some of my favorite cheddars actually get a veins of blue running in the fissures.

If you're worried you could always add more weight. On my first raw milk cheddar I stacked as much weight as I could find on the thing and even used my whole body weight for a few minutes.

The best thing is to see how it comes out and adjust for the next time.

Also not knitting could be due to having over cooked the curd.

[ancksunamun]

Thanks Majoofi

What would I notice if I had over cooked the curd? The instructions called for 2 hours at 38c with the curd turned over every 15 minutes. I followed this religiously.

[Sailor Con Queso]

You need much more weight.

[ancksunamun]

Really?

I am running by Ricki Carroll's recipe which calls for 50lbs (22kg) as a maximum pressing weight. On my current (24hr) press I have gone above that and put 65lbs (30kg) on it. The second (12hr) press I had 44lbs (20kg) despite the recipe calling for only 30lbs.

[Sailor Con Queso]

Cheddar, and most direct salted cheeses, can be very difficult to press properly. Immediately after salting, the curds start to develop a skin, a localized rind if you will, so the curds just don't want to knit together very well. So you either have to raise the temperature of the curds or press with a LOT more weight. In small batches, under 6 gallons, I use a technique I call "pressing in the pot". Search the forum. If you can't find it I'll give you more details.

Recipes are generally written for simple 4" hoops and do not account for variations in hoop size. IMHO her pressing weights are wrong. I feel this is in part because the equipment that they sell can't handle more weight. I did six 8" Double Gloucesters, a salted curd cheddar type, this week. They were pressed at 250 pounds, which is only about 6 psi.

[Gina]

It's been my impression that many of the starter books/recipes give pressures way too light for many cheeses so inexperienced cheesemakers simply will be able to deal with the lighter weights suggested. In addition to good molds, most beginners either don't have cheese presses (I still dont have one), or are not yet effective, safe 'stackers'.

[ancksunamun]

I went home last night and flipped my cheddar and increased the weight with every single last weight I had left. It got to 100lbs (46kg).

I turned it again today for the alst 8 hours and it definitely seems to have pressed a lot better with much fewer crevices in the sides. It has a few on the top/bottom and only 1 or 2 smaller ones on the side. The block feels heavy, dense and solid. I hope this is a good thing!

I will post a picture tonight after I unwrap it for the next stage.

Overall I am not to unhappy with how it is turning out considering it was a first go but I definitely take on board Sailor's comments regarding the salting and the curds getting a localized rind even before pressing. That makes sense and they did feel like that. I wondered at that point how they would press together.

Learning for next time is that I will press at a much heavier weight from the start, rather than follow Ricki's suggestions.

[ancksunamun]

Well it seems that my positive spin on this cheese has spun right back around and I'm not so hopeful now.

Last night when I finally unwrapped it, it looked ok but having air dried overnight it's not looking so great. The curds seem to have cracked apart with the drying and I now have more crevices than ever. I think I will be putting this one down to experience and trying again.

Is there much point in waxing and seeing how it goes? Or will all these crevices cause problems?

Thank goodness my Gruyere and Gouda from this weekend are looking good or it would feel like a lot of effort for a bad result.

Pictures posted of before air drying, and after. 

[DeejayDebi]

It looks to me like the curds were heated to fast during/shortly after the healing phase. This will lock whey into the curds and make the outsides harder so they don't release whey properly. Eventually after pressing the whey will try to seep out and swell the areas suroundung the curds.  Hope this helps.

[ancksunamun]

 

Sorry, healing phase? What step was this?

Your help is appreciated so I know what to do differently next time.

Wax or throw?

[wharris]

The healing phase occurs immediatly after cutting te curd.  I let my curds heal, or rest for about 5 min after cutting just prior to stirring and heating.

[Gina]

""Wax or throw?""

Others might suggest to "throw", but if it were my cheese, I'd make and cool/solidify some ghee (or use lard), spackle the cracks with it, and then bandage it with more ghee (or lard) and cloth, then toss it into the cave. It would be a way to practice bandage wrapping a cheese, and many cheddars are traditionally bandaged anyway. It also might taste good after some aging.

You can always toss it later.

[ancksunamun]

Thanks Wayne

So this would suggest that the heating afterwards might have been too rapid?

I don't think it was from memory (i'm fussy about this part), but it's definitely a clue for watching next time to be sure.

[wharris]

i don't know what your heating protocol was. So I cannot comment.
From the looks of your wheel. I would simply keep clean with white vinegar,  and get it into a cheese cave that sits at about 80% Relative Humidity.  I would not toss.  No way.
The tough part you will have with that is keeping strange molds from growing deep in the cracks.
I would clean it regularly.

Here a portion of my cheddar recipe to show my heating protocol for cheddar
....
•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) 
•Cut curd, then let Heal 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
.....