Farmer Cheddar forming gas

[msandlie]

I just created a wheel of farmers cheddar about 2 weeks ago.  I've been flipping it every day.  for a while it has been leaking.. i'm assuming i didn't press it as much as i should have..  The problem i just discovered 2 days ago was the wax is seperating from the cheese and it's starting to give off an odd smell in that area.  After reading some other threads, other people tend to have the same issue with this recipe. 

So my question is, can i save the cheese?  I was making it for one of my sister's in law as a gift for x-mas... 

[zenith1]

I would not use it as a gift if the smell is "odd". As for the reason for your problems it could have been a number of things. The off odor could have been from a contaminant. You haven't given any information about the cheese make to help much. You obviously have too moist a cheese to have waxed it already. Some of that could have come from your pressing technique but it is more likely from the way that you handles the curds during the cutting and scalding phase. That is a bigger determinant in how much whey is still contained in the wheel. Another issue is how long you let the wheel dry before waxing. Again, practice is the best teacher here, but it needs to be pretty dry before proceeding to the next step whether that is waxing , bagging, or bandaging. We would need much more information than you have posted to narrow the problem(s) down.

[msandlie]

From what I remember, I do dry the cheese on a bamboo mat, everything was cleaned with bleach before hand.  I do remember even though the cheese had somewhat yellowed, dry corners, the very top and bottom were slightly damp to the touch.  During aging, it was leaking for about a week, the first one i made leaked for around 4 days but stopped and was fine, so i thought this time it was still normal.  From what I have learned, leaking isn't the best thing in the world

I pressed the cheese as directed at exactly 15 pounds, i remember the first one i used a 1 gallon bucket of rocks and i'm sure it was more than 15 pounds..  But doing as directed in the leeners book, doesn't seem to be enough.

I'm not sure what gas is suppose to smell like.. it is odd and because there's no way of telling how bad the problem is, i'm assuming there's no saving it. 

[msandlie]

One other question I wanted to ask..  Since the gas is forming along the edge of a small portion of the cheese..  If i were to cut a big chunk off.. at least down to half and discard the portion with the bad area...  then rewax the the cut edge, i could smell it and examine it to make sure theres no visible contamination on that portion...  would you think i'm crazy for doing this?  Even if i cut it open for christmas and not use it as a gift, or at least taste test it and then give  someone a quarter instead?  I'm really trying to salvage something here lol

I would not use it as a gift if the smell is "odd". As for the reason for your problems it could have been a number of things. The off odor could have been from a contaminant. You haven't given any information about the cheese make to help much. You obviously have too moist a cheese to have waxed it already. Some of that could have come from your pressing technique but it is more likely from the way that you handles the curds during the cutting and scalding phase. That is a bigger determinant in how much whey is still contained in the wheel. Another issue is how long you let the wheel dry before waxing. Again, practice is the best teacher here, but it needs to be pretty dry before proceeding to the next step whether that is waxing , bagging, or bandaging. We would need much more information than you have posted to narrow the problem(s) down.

[Sailor Con Queso]

Be more specific about "odd smell". Does it smell like feces, sulphur or ammonia?

[msandlie]

very sorry about my lack of specification.. i'm a cheese noob..

it's not Feces.. it's more of a metalic smell on the portion where the gas is forming..  it's so hard to tell from memory as i'm at work and I don't have access to it yet.  I want to say amonia but at the same time I know what amonia smells like and it's not 100% amonia.  it could be a mix between the 2, amonia and sulfur.. I'm going to need to wait until i get home before hand.  But i do recall it being more of a metalic smell.  so maybe more sulfur..  Can you explain what could cause the 2?

[msandlie]

ok i smelled it.. the gas is going around the whole portion of the cheese.. probably from build up...  But without taking the wax off, it seems to smell kinda like wine in a way.  i think at this point i'm going to take the cheese off and see if i can get a better idea.

[msandlie]

alright, I took the wax off.. i noticed 2 small spots of green mold on the surface.. otherwise the yellowing at the corners is still there from drying..  The wine/Vinigar smelling gas is coming from the water that was building up under the wax.  as it was being pushed to the surface of the cheese.. obviously it wasn't pressed enough. 

so that being said, can it still be saved?  can i give it a saltwater  bath, clean everything up, let it dry and rewax it? 

[msandlie]

k I decided to cut into the actual cheese.  Even the inside feels a bit slimy and diffinately wet.  It even has a similar smell.  I just didn't press it enough.  I pressed it with a 1 gallon milk jug full of water thinking that was 15 pounds.. I guess i was wrong.

I took all the cheese wax off and i would like to salvage it.  Do I soak the wax in something to kill anything on it?  Or should i throw that away too?  What a waste :/

Any additional information anyone can add would be greatful and helpful to other cheese noobs like me.  Otherwise thanks a ton for the help help you have given me.

[Sailor Con Queso]

A gallon of water is just 8.6 pounds. Definitely sounds like you under pressed and have whey remaining that has soured. You probably waxed too early as well. The mold likes the moist environment under the wax. Yes you can reuse the wax. Just clean it well and melt it down).

As far as the cheese, you MIGHT be able to salvage it. Clean the mold off with a vinegar/brine solution then put it back in your "cave". Where/How were you aging this cheese? How big is the wheel? The cheese needs to dry really well if you plan on waxing it again. It's going to need to age for quite a while to mellow out the sour flavor.

Don't feel frustrated. We've all been there.

[msandlie]

Thanks so much for your response... I don't know where i read it but i thought 1 gallon was about 14..  my huge mistake.

I did toss the cheese into the garbage though.  Not knowing enough about it, I didn't want to take a chance.  I'll try again soon after I buy more supplies.  I'm happy with the traditional cheddar wheel i made though.  took 7 hours of processing before pressing   I actually bought a set of weights to use so I know I pressed it right.  It's nice and solid too.  I can't wait.. 6 months! 

At least others will be able to learn from my mistakes though.. so there's some value there lol