Cheddar Pressing & Turning Recommendations

[OlJarhead]

I'm curious, is there any reason NOT to flip your cheese in the middle of a 24 hours pressing?

I'm currently trying to press on this schedule:

1.  20lbs for 45 minutes
2.  40 lbs for 3-4 hours
3.  50 lbs for 24 hours

I'm just wondering if it would be ok to flip in the middle of the 24 hour press?

Also, is there a 'too long' to press?  As in, would 32 hours be too long?  36?

Thanks!

[Sailor Con Queso]

IMHO flipping schedule is not important. However, the time for pressing is. Assume that you are pressing any brined cheese. The longer you press, the more time that the bacteria have to convert lactose into lactic acid, and the more acidic the cheese becomes. You want to press on the schedule recommended and get the cheese into the brine to start slowing acid production down.

[OlJarhead]

IMHO flipping schedule is not important. However, the time for pressing is. Assume that you are pressing any brined cheese. The longer you press, the more time that the bacteria have to convert lactose into lactic acid, and the more acidic the cheese becomes. You want to press on the schedule recommended and get the cheese into the brine to start slowing acid production down.

Thanks -- one question:  do you brine cheddar?  The recipe I have doesn't include brining the cheddar??

Thanks!
Erik

[linuxboy]

I would say flipping is important during the first 60-90 minutes to build up an initial rind free of inclusions, and/or to try and ensure that the cheese doesn't stick to the cloth. But during normal press, I agree. Besides, the knit for most cheeses happens during the first several hours, anyway, so the extended pressing is not usually required.

Time in press is about acidity, as Sailor said, and about pressing enough for the style to get rid of the mechanical openings.

[Sailor Con Queso]

Jar

Cheddar is salted, not brined, but you still don't want to over press it.

I personally flip just one time after 1-2 hours. With Cheddars, or any salted cheese, I start off with full pressure and do not gradually build up the weight like the recipe books call for. With unsalted (brined) cheeses, I start off with 50% of the final pressure, flip one time after 1-2 hours and increase to final pressure. As a small scale commercial producer, this is just a practical necessity. Otherwise I would be flipping cheeses until midnight every day. I try to finish up a batch by 4:00 p.m. every day and then it takes me over an hour to clean up and sanitize everything. So around 5:30 or so I flip once and go home around 6:00. I have to make cheese as my regular business allows, so there are lots of days when I get started making cheese late and I don't get out until 8:00 or 9:00. Long, but satisfying days.

[OlJarhead]

Jar

Cheddar is salted, not brined, but you still don't want to over press it.

I personally flip just one time after 1-2 hours. With Cheddars, or any salted cheese, I start off with full pressure and do not gradually build up the weight like the recipe books call for. With unsalted (brined) cheeses, I start off with 50% of the final pressure, flip one time after 1-2 hours and increase to final pressure. As a small scale commercial producer, this is just a practical necessity. Otherwise I would be flipping cheeses until midnight every day. I try to finish up a batch by 4:00 p.m. every day and then it takes me over an hour to clean up and sanitize everything. So around 5:30 or so I flip once and go home around 6:00. I have to make cheese as my regular business allows, so there are lots of days when I get started making cheese late and I don't get out until 8:00 or 9:00. Long, but satisfying days.

Very interesting!  Thanks -- so what is over pressing?  The recipe calls for a total of 27.75 hours of pressing but I've seen some that called for only 12 hours.

I'm getting close to 24 hours total now but this is because my second pressing was more then double what was called for in time (but not pressure).

I'm about 13 hours at full pressure (50+ lbs).
Thanks Erik