Author Topic: Pressing Pressures  (Read 11981 times)

Tea

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Re: Pressing Pressures
« Reply #15 on: December 01, 2008, 08:39:12 PM »
Good heavens, that thing looks serious.  Next problem will be whether the moulds will be able to handle the pressure?
Are you noticing a difference in the cheese texture with the one that you have used the greater PSI on?

wharris

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Re: Pressing Pressures
« Reply #16 on: December 02, 2008, 12:41:40 AM »
What i am noticing is that i get one solid curd on the  side facing the piston, and a bit of "open" curd on the other.

I did not flip my cheese this time around.

Tea

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Re: Pressing Pressures
« Reply #17 on: December 02, 2008, 07:30:48 PM »
Hence the reason for turning the cheese during pressing!

Offline Cartierusm

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Re: Pressing Pressures
« Reply #18 on: December 11, 2008, 10:06:57 AM »
Wayne, you are figuring out PSI for the cheese not the force, which most recipes call for, i.e. Cheddar 50 pounds. Do you know what commercial recipes call for? Meaning if they are using larger molds do they still use 50 pounds or are they actually calculation PSI? As you know I built a pnuematic cheese press, so I'm trying to figure out which way to go. Thanks.

wharris

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Re: Pressing Pressures
« Reply #19 on: December 11, 2008, 01:36:58 PM »
I have done a fair amount to searching on this, and have come up rather short on specifics.
I think i have found that force and PSI are often used interchangible in forums and recipies.

I am trying to be rather specific on this. 

I am calculating PSI.  Not force.




Offline Cartierusm

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Re: Pressing Pressures
« Reply #20 on: December 11, 2008, 06:33:02 PM »
OK, so let's start charting the results we get and post them here for the benefit for others.

So Wayne, should I take the diamter of a typical mold, 4", and the recipes force, 50 pounds, and use that as a starting point in PSI if I'm goint to be making larger wheels?

bundy

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Re: Pressing Pressures
« Reply #21 on: December 13, 2008, 04:13:01 AM »
i have followed this thread with intrest.in all the recipe books on cheese making i have read i have never seen a recipe calling for cheese to be pressed a X psi.i think we are making a simple process difficult.
i have just made a jack US recipe 900g mold ( 6" )ten pound for 15 min - 15 pound 30 min.- 40 pound 12 hours, what could be more simple.
Bundy

wharris

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Re: Pressing Pressures
« Reply #22 on: December 13, 2008, 12:30:21 PM »
Bundy,

It is entirely possible that you are correct. I have the ability to add too much rigor  to many things in my life. Wife reminds me of this constantly.  ;)

But let me ask you these hypothetical questions Bundy.

What if you were asked to take your jack recipe to make a substantial wheel of cheese. Lets say a bigger 8-10kg wheel that is 14-18 inches in diameter.

or

What if you were asked to take your jack recipe to make a bunch of small tiny wheels (as presents or stocking stuffers!), that were only 2-3 inches in diameter.

Would you still use the same weight for each recipe variation?

I would imagine, (and i am no expert), that a consistent PSI would be the only way to make the adjustments to the different sized wheels.

Your recipe indeed calls for psi settings of: .3537psi for 15min, .5306psi for 30min, and finally 1.415psi for 12 hours.   If you wanted to scale up, or scale down your wheel size, then using your recipe psi figures, it is easy to figure out how much weight to add to your big wheel, or how much weight to take off for your tiny wheels.

And some recipes do in-fact call for PSI.  Peter Dixon is an example.

Yes,  perhaps i overthink it. 

But for me, the constant tinkering, the constant processes improvement,  is at least half the allure of cheesemaking.


Offline Cartierusm

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Re: Pressing Pressures
« Reply #23 on: December 13, 2008, 06:41:42 PM »
Bundy, I think, with me at least, you missed the point. I'm using a pneumatic cylinder press. Meaning I'm using air, measured in PSI, to press the cheese. Normally with my old manual press I would just use weight and deal with PSI.

bundy

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Re: Pressing Pressures
« Reply #24 on: December 13, 2008, 08:15:30 PM »
i make cheese for my family,so i make cheese in 8ltr batches.and have allways kept to the kiss principle.
i do not even think or have facility to make 10kg wheel, as for smaller i would use same weight.
as for pneumatic cylinder i can see you would use psi.
Bondy

Tea

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Re: Pressing Pressures
« Reply #25 on: December 14, 2008, 08:44:10 PM »
And therein I think lies the problem with most of us.  We are either only making for family and friends, and even if we did get lucky and get the opportunity to sell, it most likely would still only be smaller rounds, and quantities.  The thought of making a 50lb wheel of cheese is way out of the reach of most people, in terms of quantity of milk and equipment required.

But still this has been interesting, as there are time where I might divide a 10ltr batch into 4, and press four smaller cheeses, and other times where I will leave the same cheese in one mould and press, so the question is, does the larger cheese require more pressure, or do the smaller cheese require less pressure.  Or in small quantities like I am doing, does it effect the cheese to any great extent at all?

Thinking, thinking, thinking...

Offline Cartierusm

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Re: Pressing Pressures
« Reply #26 on: December 14, 2008, 09:19:20 PM »
I think definately you would need more weight (force) for doing larger wheels.

the_stain

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Re: Pressing Pressures
« Reply #27 on: May 05, 2009, 02:53:01 PM »
Peter Dixon's recipe led me to search the forum on PSI and found this thread.  I have nothing really constructive to add, other than to say, wow.  Dixon says to press cheddar at 40psi.  By my calculations, for a 4" wheel of cheese this would require slightly more than 500 pounds of weight!  That seems a bit crazy to me, considering most home cheddar recipes I've seen call for 1/10 that much.   Interesting topic to say the least.

wharris

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Re: Pressing Pressures
« Reply #28 on: May 05, 2009, 06:07:51 PM »
I have, since posting this original thread, pressed an 8" wheel with 19psi.

The results are still pending.  But I will say this, I bent my follower in the process.

Cheese Head

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Re: Pressing Pressures
« Reply #29 on: May 06, 2009, 02:24:31 AM »
Stain, I think those higher pressures are only possible with leverage as heavy weights like you say become unmanageable.

Wayne uses a levered press bolted onto 2x4" studs, there are many pictures of old presses in this thread in case you get the urge to really get serious ;D.