Author Topic: First tomme in the works.....quel bordel ici.  (Read 5078 times)

Buck47

  • Guest
Re: First tomme in the works.....quel bordel ici.
« Reply #15 on: February 10, 2011, 08:58:26 PM »
 

Edit:  Sorry, just noticed.  I'm doing my initial presses - 15 min/flip, 30 min./flip, 1 hr./flip, in the press, out of the whey - looks like you're doing your first 3 under whey.  Correct?

Well not exactly, The photo showing 30 min press under whey was taken from the very first Tommes I made. I needed to do that to get a tight knit.

Since then I've become more adapt at knowing when the curd is ready ( What I've been doing is taking a small amount of curd in my hand and gently squeezing together - at first they don't stick to each other - but after 15 - 30 min a point is reached where they look like a poor knit. I can take my thumb and break them apart. So they do stick but not to the point they will not separate again. )


What I do now is press under whey (like in photo) for 5 min -flip & 15 min & flip. After the second press and flip the knit has been looking good. The next press & flip is 60 min and if the room is warm I leave out at ambient temp. If the room is cool I place the hoop and weight back into the vat - which by this time has been emptied of whey. The vat still has a water bath so I simply cover the vat with a bath towel and set the temp of the vat at 68 - 70F. I then complete my 60 min press & flip. The Tommie is left in the hoop overnight in the vat at 68 -70F till morning.

A one gallon salt Brine ( 2 pounds 10 ounce Canning & pickling salt) is made the same day as the make and is held at room temp ready for morning. I want the cheese and the whey brine the same temp.

Soak in brine 3 1/2 hour per pound of cheese ( 4 pound Tommie X 3 1/2 hour brine time) = 14 hours

Regards: john
« Last Edit: February 10, 2011, 09:03:41 PM by Buck47 »

Offline ArnaudForestier

  • Old Cheese
  • *****
  • Location: Madison, Wisconsin
  • Posts: 1,546
  • Cheeses: 45
  • Default personal text
    • Paul's FB
Re: First tomme in the works.....quel bordel ici.
« Reply #16 on: February 10, 2011, 09:56:51 PM »
Thanks, Pav and John.  I think I am still taking the cook just a bit too far - not much, with this last one, but a bit too much.  I'm going to use the primer I made a few days back, and do it again, this time, hopefully, with more mis en place in, well, place. ;D
- Paul

linuxboy

  • Guest
Re: First tomme in the works.....quel bordel ici.
« Reply #17 on: February 10, 2011, 10:26:18 PM »
The stirring and temp and curd size are about getting the right moisture level, and the ripening and timing are about the acidity. You need to get the acidity and the moisture-in-curd to coincide, which for tommes happens somewhere around 6.3, usually. The draining point and feeling of the curd has to do with getting those two to match up. Make a few, keep taking notes, not many other ways to learn. Even if you saw it in person, wouldn't be enough, have to get a feel for it on your own.

Offline ArnaudForestier

  • Old Cheese
  • *****
  • Location: Madison, Wisconsin
  • Posts: 1,546
  • Cheeses: 45
  • Default personal text
    • Paul's FB
Re: First tomme in the works.....quel bordel ici.
« Reply #18 on: February 11, 2011, 06:59:42 PM »
Well, 3rd time and everything great (with the exception of the curd wash - still having a $%$%$#34#(&^%$@ time removing whey...so I thought of something ....for next time:  using a bread cooling rack and covering it with coarse plastic matting, swiping the vat side-to-side, securing to get a pool to draw from.  I think this will work - the colander/chinois thing still didn't fly, for me).

Everything great....until ONCE AGAIN I got a radical pH drop after the pre-press.  At cooking knockoff, I was at 6.5.  By the time I had pre-pressed, gone through the first 1:45 hours on the initial (light) press, I was at 5.38.  I calibrated and re-calibrated, even took the batteries out of the Extech per:

Quote
Hi Paul,

Thanks for your inquiry. Temperature over time will affect your readings. You can attempt to do a default reset of the meter by holding down all three function buttons simultaneously while counting to ten slowly. Then re-install the batteries and power on the unit. At this point rinse the electrode and proceed to calibrate the unit via ph7 buffer. If successful , move to ph10 or ph4. Hopefully this is successful. If the problem persists after this, if within 30 days from date of purchase, please return the PH100 to your distributor. If you have had the PH100 for more than 30 days but less than 1 year, please contact our Returns Department..

-and when I did a direct wheel measurement, I was at 5.20.  This should please all the non-pH meters folks out there.  :o

I've decided to just wrap my baby in a seedling mat and let her press at 25 lbs. for six hours. 

As to this meter, I am about to use the Extech for a ceremonial fire ceremony.>:D
- Paul

OudeKaas

  • Guest
Re: First tomme in the works.....quel bordel ici.
« Reply #19 on: February 12, 2011, 01:07:51 AM »
I'm going to use the primer I made a few days back, and do it again, this time, hopefully, with more mis en place in, well, place. ;D

lol.

"don't f**k with my meez" - Anthony Bourdain

Offline ArnaudForestier

  • Old Cheese
  • *****
  • Location: Madison, Wisconsin
  • Posts: 1,546
  • Cheeses: 45
  • Default personal text
    • Paul's FB
Re: First tomme in the works.....quel bordel ici.
« Reply #20 on: February 12, 2011, 02:20:15 AM »
I'm going to use the primer I made a few days back, and do it again, this time, hopefully, with more mis en place in, well, place. ;D

lol.

"don't f**k with my meez" - Anthony Bourdain

Bourdain's king.  Have you read his bistro cookbook - description of a customer complaining of....fat.  On a ribeye?  So priceless...and so close to home. ;D
- Paul