Author Topic: Slight cracks in the rind of a Cheshire cheese  (Read 2107 times)

medomak

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Slight cracks in the rind of a Cheshire cheese
« on: February 04, 2011, 03:17:28 PM »
Hello,

I just finished pressing a round of Cheshire.  For the most part, the rind is smooth, but there are some minor cracks and as it dries I'm imagining those cracks will get a bit bigger.

I plan on waxing it, but the recipe I'm using (Debra Amrein Boyes 200 Easy Homemade Cheese recipes) specifically says, " Remove the cheese from press and unwrap.  If it has not formed a closed ring, rewrap and return to press and increase the pressure for another 2-3 hours.  Remove from press and rewrap.  If the rind is still not closed, dip cheese in scalding hot water."  It then gives a "tip" that says, "When pressed properly, the rind should be smooth and closed with no cracks or open spaces."  FYI...I made this cheese with a friend and he unwrapped it and decided it was okay as is.  I guess I might have been inclined to follow the instructions to further try and get a closed rind, but I am a bit intimidated by the idea of scalding the cheese (since I haven't done it before, I don't know what I'm doing or what the result would be) AND I guess I'm unsure of what the negative result would be from not having a fully closed rind (other than aesthetics). 

My questions are:
Since I am going to wax the cheese, what, if any are the fatal flaws of me not having been able to achieve a fully closed rind (pictures are included as attachments)?

What does dipping the cheese in scalding hot water actually do?  What is the end result?  Does the rind close on it's own or are you supposed to re-press it?

Thanks for your help.

Dave



zenith1

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Re: Slight cracks in the rind of a Cheshire cheese
« Reply #1 on: February 04, 2011, 11:43:04 PM »
Hi Dave-it looks like you have a minor case of what is typical with the cheddar family of cheese if you let the curds cool too much. The defect in your pictures will surely not influence the flavor of the cheese, but it can be a nuisance to keep the mold from the defects in the rind. The idea of "scalding" the rind is to warm the exterior curd up enough so that it will press more tightly the second time around. I have heard of dong this but I think the temperature of the water was ~100F. You have to move quickly when moving to pressing these types of cheese, to ensure a nice tight rind. Also what PSI are you pressing at? That could also be your problem. Remember that there are three things(at least)  that will contribute to a nice tight rind...temp of the curds, pressing PSI, and PH. The real problem with having these kinds of rind defects is that it is hard to ensure that the cracks are not contaminated before you wax(hard to keep these areas clean).

medomak

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Re: Slight cracks in the rind of a Cheshire cheese
« Reply #2 on: February 05, 2011, 02:12:45 AM »
Thanks, Keith.

zenith1

  • Guest
Re: Slight cracks in the rind of a Cheshire cheese
« Reply #3 on: February 05, 2011, 05:19:44 PM »
Welcome, hopefully you will get some further feedback from some of the more experienced members.

Cheese Head

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Re: Slight cracks in the rind of a Cheshire cheese
« Reply #4 on: February 05, 2011, 09:30:17 PM »
Here's a thread with pictures of what's possibly coming towards you.