“Thermophilic Farmhouse Cheddar”…oops!

[Scarlet Runner]

I’m new to cheesemaking and tried my second hard cheese ever last night: Ricki Carroll’s Farmhouse Cheddar. 

As I added my Direct Set Starter, I noticed it said “THERMOPHILIC” on the packet…. Ergghhh!!!  Grabbed the wrong one out of the freezer. In a frenzy, I let it ripen for 15 minutes at 90 deg while I figured out what to do.  I decided to add an additional half a packet of Mesophilic Direct Set Starter (what the recipe originally called for) and let it ripen for 35 more minutes (for a total ripening time of 50 minutes- 5 minutes longer than recipe called for).  I am hoping: (a) thermophilic bacteria will not produce significant activity at lower temps, (b) adding some of the Helveticus will just add extra flavor to my boring, sterile store bought milk, and (c) I’ll get lucky and not have too much acidity!  Note: I used 2 gall storebought whole milk + 1 pint cream.

(Ricki’s direct set starter packets are used for “up to 2 gallons milk”; Meso = s.lactis, s. cremoris; Thermo = s. thermophilus, d.s.lactis, helveticus).

So far the cheese looks fine (it's still pressing)... Anyone have any ideas about how they would have handled my Thermophilic blunder, or how it might turn out?   

Thanks!

[MrsKK]

I think that it will be okay.  If you had used meso for a thermo cheese, it probably would have been more problematic.

I hope someone who actually knows the answer will chime in.

[Sailor Con Queso]

Your cheese will be just fine. In fact, many high end commercial cheddars are actually made with a combination of meso & thermo. HOWEVER, you probably used too much bacteria and ended up with too much acid, too quickly. You are going to need to age this one longer than normal. I wouldn't think about cutting this for at least 90 days.

[Scarlet Runner]

Thanks for your reassurance and advice, Karen and Sailor.  Funny that I've stumbled on "high end" cheesemaking on my first attempt with Cheddar!

So far the cheese seems fine.  I tasted a bit of pressed curd (cut a tiny lump off the wheel) when it came out of the press, and it was mild, creamy- not overly tangy at all.  The cheese has developed a small crack while drying (day 3 today), and I tried to poke a small bit of hardened rind in there, as well as swabbing the area with brine.  That hasn’t helped much, so I read on the forum about increased humidity and I think I’ll try that.  Probably will try increasing overall humidity to 85%, keep temp around 65 F, and also perhaps add a bit of moistened (in brine) paper towel to the crack to see if that will heal it. 

What I think I’ve learned generally from reading forum posts is: Aging is a process that starts once you are out of the press, and includes the short drying period as well as more “formal” aging (after waxing); all drying/aging should occur at humidity around 85% to avoid cracks- regardless of whether you are drying the cheese after pressing, or aging the cheese after waxing; but it sounds like you want to dry the cheese around 65F, and then age the cheese (after waxing) a bit cooler- 50-55F; if you get a crack, help it heal with humidity before you wax it.

I’ll take your advice, Sailor, and age the cheese for 3 months before cutting!  Guess I'll update this in another few months...  

[MrsKK]

How much weight did you use to press this cheese?  And how big is the cheese (size of your mold)?

Seeing that it is bowing out, my guess is that there is still some whey trapped in the cheese.  I have a Havarti right now that is doing the same thing.  I probably should have pressed it at a higher weight, but I was following the same directions as I had previously, so didn't realize just how soft the cheese still was until it started getting the odd shape to it after a few days in the ripening container.

I honestly use yogurt as a culture for my colby now, having discovered that I like the flavor better than when I use buttermilk.

[Scarlet Runner]

This cheese is made from 2 gallons, and was pressed in a mold that is not quite a perfect cylinder and measures: Height: 6" and Diameter - bottom: 5" and top: 6.5".  (I modeled it off of Ricki Carroll's small basket mold that comes with her hard cheeses kit, which is nearly identical measurements but not tall enough to hold a 2 gallon batch of curds).  I poked small holes in my mold, spaced about 1/2" all around (including bottom). It seemed to drain fine.

My pressing schedule was based on Carroll's Farmhouse Cheddar kit recipe, which asks for 10 lbs/ 15 minutes, 20 lbs/12 hrs, and 20 lbs/12 hrs (with flipping in between).  That's what I did.  This recipe, if you aren't familiar with it, I *think* is a "cheater" Cheddar recipe- meaning, there is no formal Cheddaring step. After you cook curds (30 min + 5 min rest), you drain curds 1 hr, then mill, salt and press.

I noticed in the same author's book, there is an identical recipe that has a different pressing schedule (10 lb/10min + 20 lb/10min + 50lb/12 hrs).  Not sure what to make of that!

Your comments raise questions: Do all cheeses out of the press shrink and bulge out some- or are mine unusual?  Out of the press, this cheddar was about 4" tall, and close to 5" diameter; now, after a week of drying, it's 2.5" tall and about 6" diameter (bulged out in the middle, as you see in the pics).  Am I not pressing hard enough, or perhaps not cooking curds properly? Or perhaps I am drying too quickly- I just learned that I am supposed to be drying the cheese in higher humidity than I thought ( I think?)- so I first had it drying at 65F and 55% humidity, and then moved it (after cracking!) to ~62F/85% humidity.

You mentioned "ripening container"- do you air dry your cheese in a container regularly, or is that just for a softer type of cheese, like your Havarti?

And lastly, you say you use yogurt to start your colby- meaning, I think, that even if I had made my cheddar entirely with thermo starter alone, it might have turned out just fine?  Interesting- that's good to know!

Thanks for your comments!!

[MrsKK]

"I noticed in the same author's book, there is an identical recipe that has a different pressing schedule (10 lb/10min + 20 lb/10min + 50lb/12 hrs).  Not sure what to make of that! "

Exactly why I tell people to avoid Ricki Carroll.  When I was new to cheesemaking, I started out with her online mozzarella recipe...then later found three other variations on her recipe that were all supposed to give the same results.  I'm not sure what is going on there, but it is very misleading for newbies in particular.

I'm wondering if the shape of your mold is causing some issues.  Are you removing the cheese from the mold  when you flip it?  Or are you just turning the mold over?  With the slanted sides, I could see removing the cheese and turning it over may cause some integrity issues with the sides of the cheese.

All of my cheeses shrink a bit when removed from the press and during the drying and ageing process, but not all of them bulge out.  Unfortunately, I didn't take very good notes during the make of my bulging Havarti, so I'm not sure if I didn't get the curds shrunk enough intially or if I didn't press it long/hard enough.

I dry cheeses at room temp (about 60-62 degrees at this time of year) in a closed cabinet, unless the instructions say to put them into a ripening container just out of the mold, as with Havarti and blue.  In the summertime, I have dried them in the refrigerator, but got cracks forming.  These cracks, though, were in the upper rim of the wheel. 

I'm thinking the crack on your cheese is from the bulging because it is in the middle of the side of the wheel.  I really wish someone with more knowledge would chime in with their opinion on this one, though, because it is just my instinct working here, rather than true experience.

And, yes, I think your cheddar would have turned out just fine with only the thermo culture.  But the combination may give you some really great flavor, too.

[Scarlet Runner]

Your comments are great, and so appreciated.

I am pretty well over my inital "ricki" phase- a little too many typos and contradictions for a detail-oriented beginner like me!

Shape of mold: Is it advisable to use a perfect cylinder for a mold?  You touch on my own concerns when flipping the cheese in my asymmetrical mold- that every time I flip, it's kind of hard to get the larger end of the cheese to fit in the bottom of the mold, which is narrower at the bottom. It makes perfect sense that this would stress the cheese, and I hadn't thought of this.  ( I flip only the cheese).

So you don't make a point to dry at 85% humidity... that is one detail I am still trying to figure out.  How does one dry a cheese when it's so humid! But it makes sense as a way to prevent cracks.  Again, many thanks for helping me figure this all out!!

[Boofer]

Shape of mold: Is it advisable to use a perfect cylinder for a mold?  You touch on my own concerns when flipping the cheese in my asymmetrical mold- that every time I flip, it's kind of hard to get the larger end of the cheese to fit in the bottom of the mold, which is narrower at the bottom. It makes perfect sense that this would stress the cheese, and I hadn't thought of this.

I would highly recommend you invest in a straight-sided mold, depending on what volume of milk you use. There are enough problems and gotchas to keep you guessing without having to worry about whether your cheese is going to squeeze back into the mold when you flip it. If you are comfortable with doing 3 to 4 gallon cheese recipes, a Tomme type mold (7.5inx3.75in) will serve you well and can press many different cheese styles (not just a Tomme cheese).

-Boofer-

[MrsKK]

Even at 85% humidity in the ripening container, for example, it is still dryer than it is in the center of the cheese, so the dampness in the cheese will still pull outward, unless/until the rind gets dry enough to seal off the middle of the wheel.  I think the scientific term is "diffusion" - it's been a LONG time since high school science!

However, at that high of humidity, you will be battling rapid mold growth, so it is a balancing act.

[Scarlet Runner]

A straight mold seems ideal, then.  (But the Tomme is also tapered- from 7.5 to 7"; website says this is for stacking). I guess we strive for as straight as possible.  I'll need to think a little more to find the right mold for my situation (2-4 gallons cheeses).  I know a few have done 2 gallon recipes in the 7.5" Tomme (a little small) and I read that 4 gallons is a little tight... it's odd that a 6" mold (which seems ideal for 2-4 gallons) is so hard to find. I'm going to peruse the Tupperware selection out there today...

BTW, the crack in my Cheddar is healing fairly well after increasing the humidity and applying a wet salt patch (paper towel soaked in brine) to that spot for a day or two. With the increased humidity, I am indeed "battling mold" (with vinegar).   I'll continue to dry it for a while and then wax it up.  I plan to use hotter wax (230F) this time, given the mold; cross yer fingers for no kitchen fires!!!!

[MrsKK]

It's looking good.

I bought 6" PVC food grade pipe from the plumber.  I had to buy a ten foot piece, as they don't stock it, so it was a special order, but very much worth it.  I cut it to 8" long as my mold and used my Dremel tool to make drainage holes around the bottom edge - four of them that are actually half circles.  I've been very happy with it.

Some people have a problem with using PVC, but it is all personal preference.