Pressing cheddar

[susanky]

Getting ready to make my second cheddar (but the first on that I will 'cheddar')  But I'm having a hard time finding a pressing schedule for cheddar.  I am using RC book and 200 recipies.  I'm making a 3 gallon batch so splitting the difference (one recipe 2 gallons, the other 4).  RC book gives pressing in number of pounds.  But I'm not sure size mold she is using to convert to psi.  The other book just says 'medium' and 'heavy' weight.  I have another table from this forum says 25-40psi.  But do I need to start low and gradually increase?  How slow?  Thanks as always!
Susan

PS shoot.  Milk got 2 degrees too warm while I stepped away to do this.  Better play closer attention!

[Sailor Con Queso]

Susan,

Because it is a salted curd cheese, Cheddar needs to be pressed with more weight/pressure than other cheeses. You should try to shoot for a final press of 10 psi if you can. I go right for the heavy pressing and do not gradually build it up. My premise is that the curds get colder and harder to meld as time goes on.

It really helps to start with very warm curds. At home I used a technique I call "Pressing In The Pot". This is a fabulous technique for small production. Here's a link.

Pressing In The Pot

I have not found a good way to implement this in my commercial operation with multiple wheels so what I do now is wrap the molds with greenhouse seed starter mats during pressing. This keeps the curd mass reasonably warm (80F) and makes a huge difference in the knit.

FYI- Cantal, also called French Cheddar, is the biggest challenge for pressing, but well worth the effort. Great cheese that matures quickly.

[susanky]

Thanks Sailor!  Just in time!  I started to guess.  Did 2.7psi for 15 min then 5.4 psi.  Has only been there about 10 minutes.  Will up the pressure now.  I did make a (feeble) attempt to keep it warm. Heated the bowl I mixed in salt and got it in there as quickly as possible.  Next time will look at pressing in the pot.  Thanks a million!
Susan

[susanky]

I increased the pressure.  My scale doesn't measure that high but I bet I have close to 10psi or a little more.  I've attached pictures (I think )  The first is the curds going into the mold.  Too big?  Seem to be knitting together OK.  Recipe said 1/2" x 2".  I made them a littel smaller than that.  Next is the cheese in the mold.  I was able to get these pressures hanging just 20lbs of weights thanks to the pulleys (the arm is heavy too.. it is the second one after the first, nicely stained one, broke!)
Susan

[Sailor Con Queso]

Your curds seems a little big, but it's looking good. FYI - I use a stainless cooling rack with 1/2" squares to mill my curds. I just take a handfull of curd and press it thru the squares. They come out looking like French Fries.

On a commercial note. I don't often do true Cheddar, because it has become such a cheap commodity in the grocery stores. However, I do several cheeses that are in the cheddar family like Cheshire, Cantal, Derby, and Wensleydale. These are much harder to find and worth more to the informed consumer. I do 35 gallon batches that makes (to me) a huge pile of curds. It takes me about 45 minutes to press and mill those curds (I'm looking for a curd mill). By then, everything is stone cold. So I have added heat lamps underneath my stainless drain/milling table to keep things fairly warm. However, the top layers of curds still get pretty cool. The seed heating mats around the hoops has really helped.