Parmesan Making General Questions

[cheezwhizz]

 Hi all,
my name is Hugh. This is my first post.

    First things first...Thank You !!!..to everyone here for all of your posts and advice. It has taught me how to make cheese.... Wow !!!..I love this hobby 

    My questions...
 
   Im getting ready to do 10-15 Parms @ 3.5LB  in the next 30 days. Ive already used this make plan 3 times in the last week so i could get the "feel" for making Parms. And im feeling good about my results so far.  But, Im not overly confident.  And i dont want to waste 40 gals. of milk and  wait 12 months to find out i made some mistakes.   So before i get started with my Parm marathon, i was hoping some Parm experts could critique my recipe and make plan.
   Ive concocted this recipe from threads here at the site. And thrown in my own tweeks that have been working well for me with other cheeses.


         Reggiano Parm Recipe

  2 gal.  2% milk  +  1.5 gal. whole milk

  1/4 tsp  TA61

  1/2 tsp  LH100

  1/2 tsp Lipas ( extra sharp)

  1/2+ tsp  CACL

  1/2 tsp Veal Rennet

  Warm milk to 90-95 ...add CACL, Lipas, and Cultures....let rippen for 40-45 mins....add rennet and multiply floc. (12 mins. optimal) x 2.5...cut curds to 1/2 inch and let rest 5 mins...then cut to 1/4 inch cubes and let heal for 10 mins....begin to warm slowly and raise temp to about 112-114 in 40 mins..wisk curds to rice size at this point..then raise to 124-126 in 20 mins....continue at about 125 for aprox. 30-40 mins until curds are cooked to proper doneness.( curds will be firm and will crumble rather then smear)...put in mold and press under warm whey, maintaining 125 degrees whey at 20 lbs. for 20 mins...take out of whey..flip and press at 30 lbs. for 30 mins...flip...increase wieght to 60-80 lbs and press for at least 12 hours (24 hours is better)....do not brine for at least 24 hours from time of make (leave cheese at room temp for this 24 hours to give cultures a chance to work).

   Brine for 12 hours at 60 degrees using 1/2 cup kosher salt to 4 cups of whey. And 1/4 tsp of CACL.

   Take out of brine and give cheese a light  dry salt rub.. Age at 50-55 degrees for 6 - 24 months.

   Clean rind with salt solution if needed.  After about 3-4 months (aprox.) oil with olive oil.

   These are the things im not sure about.

   #1....Brine strenght and time of submersion for a 3-3.5lb wheel, measuring 6.5 x 2.25 inches ....Ive been all over the site but cant seam figure out how much kosher salt (by volume) to add to 1 qt. of whey, to get to a 18- 20% solution and how long to brine for. Or,  should i go for a full saturation brine ? And if so how long?

   # 2 ....After pressing. Should i let the cheese sit  at room temp for a "rippening period"?...or should i just get it into the brine imediatly after pressing ? ( i know a ph meter would help here. but i dont have one.)

  # 3....milk fat ratio?...is it to high for a good Parm that is aged for 1 year+ ?


   Well..whata ya think? Will i be eating nice Parms next year?.......Thanx...Hugh


   

[linuxboy]

Congrats on getting your recipe down! Hope it works well for you.

   #1....Brine strenght and time of submersion for a 3-3.5lb wheel, measuring 6.5 x 2.25 inches ....Ive been all over the site but cant seam figure out how much kosher salt (by volume) to add to 1 qt. of whey, to get to a 18- 20% solution and how long to brine for. Or,  should i go for a full saturation brine ? And if so how long?

Is that 6.5" diameter or height? You measure salt by weight for brine because by volume it doesn't work because salts can have different sizes. See my chart http://www.wacheese.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=65

   # 2 ....After pressing. Should i let the cheese sit  at room temp for a "rippening period"?...or should i just get it into the brine imediatly after pressing ? ( i know a ph meter would help here. but i dont have one.)

12-24 hours in the mold should be enough, assuming your ambient temp is at least 70 F. pH would be the driver here, you're right.

  # 3....milk fat ratio?...is it to high for a good Parm that is aged for 1 year+ ?

It is just a little too high, but not terrible. Depends on the milk and casein solids.

[cheezwhizz]

    Hi LB and thanks for looking over my make plan.

 I'll decrease the M/F ratio by subtracting a 1/2 gal. whole milk and making up the difference in 2%...I knew the fat %  was a little high but was trying to squeeze out as much yield as i could per 3.5 gal. makes. (my limit)

   Thanks for sending the salinity chart. I think ill make a 20% brine by weight and go with it

   Asuming I brine with the 20% solution. Would a 12 hour soak give me the "right" salt content for a Parm?...The Parms have been measuring 6.5" diameter x 2.25" ht...

     Thanks....Hugh

[linuxboy]

Hi Hugh,

That thin of a wheel and a 12 hour brine will give you a very salty cheese, even when the brine is at 20%. I would cut that time in about half to 6 hours or so, especially if you will be rubbing with salt afterward.

[cheezwhizz]

    Wow...only  6 hours ?....Thanks for saving me from 30 lbs. of xxx    salty cheese. Its a good thing i posted my make plans and got some feedback.
   Ive decided to make a tests parm today and give it a 6 hour soak. Then in about 3-4 weeks, after the salt has had a chance to equalize. I'll cut it open to check the salt content. Im thinking this will give me a good handle on the salt uptake in the cheeses im making.

   Thanks again.      Hugh
       

[linuxboy]

The other thing is that remember with a parm, you have about a 12 month aging. And during that time, unless you vac seal or wax, it will be losing moisture. As it loses moisture, the cheese will get more salty. In a year of aging, it's common to lose about 20% of the water in the cheese.

But yes, that thin of a wheel, the salt will penetrate it faster and get to the center faster. So there's no huge need for a very long brine.

It's a good idea to try it on a sample wheel, though. Also, these lower-fat cheeses, they tend to be less salty than a full-fat cheese. So if you had done a very long brine, I don't think it would have been that drastic. Just unnecessary.