Author Topic: Chunky Cheddar?  (Read 2177 times)

CheeseSnipe

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Chunky Cheddar?
« on: February 12, 2011, 06:58:19 PM »
So I've only made about 3 batches of cheddar so far and I'm consistently having issues with the cheese not pressing together. I made a stout cheddar with extra homebrew I had available, after 24 hours of pressing at 50lbs I still had a pile of curds. After reading around it appears maybe I should have warmed them up again before pressing.  However I just made another batch yesterday of plain cheddar and I put the curds into the mold immediately and quite warm, but after a day I have huge air gaps and cracks where the curds aren't sticking together. So I'm guessing either I need to cut the curds into smaller chunks than what the recipe tells me, or maybe my curds are getting too firm duing the cheddaring process (but they seem fine when I eat them).  Looking for tips on how to get a smoother surface!

Sailor Con Queso

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Re: Chunky Cheddar?
« Reply #1 on: February 12, 2011, 10:05:16 PM »
Cheddar curds should be "milled" into 1/2 inch cubes. You are pressing WAY to light. You need to triple your weight (pressure). If you are using a simple screw press, that's difficult to do. Search the forum and look at Dutch lever presses. Much more efficient.

Another technique that helps is "pressing in the pot". (search the forum)

FYI - that cheese is like a theme park for molds and is probably going to have serious aging issues. I would vacuum bag it.

zenith1

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Re: Chunky Cheddar?
« Reply #2 on: February 12, 2011, 10:10:44 PM »
A typical problem with cheddar. What type were you shooting to make? It looks like the curd was milled way to big for most of the cheddar types. For most of them you would be shooting for ~ walnut size pieces. I know that there are some types I think like a Wenslydale that are milled into larger chunks after the curd has matted maybe 1/2'' by 2" size. Also could be a problem with your make. Also hard to tell from your photo how large the wheel is but 50lbs is too light for Cheddar. Post your complete make process from your notes and I'm sure we can find some answers for you.

cheezwhizz

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Re: Chunky Cheddar?
« Reply #3 on: February 12, 2011, 10:23:52 PM »
  WOW !!!!!....That is one ugly cheese !!!!! :o :o :o :o    ;)

  Sorry i just had to say it.....Ive had a few look like that too. :)      When you say you made a" stout" cheddar with "homebrew". Do you mean you added BEER to the make?   If you did ill bet that's the problem. I think beer is usually used as a rind treatment and NOT as a component to the initial make....  Also ..I would suggest you eat that cheese  immediately. Dont waste your time trying to age it. Youll be fighting a loosing battle to mold, due to all the irregularities in the rind.   

Bishop

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Re: Chunky Cheddar?
« Reply #4 on: February 12, 2011, 10:43:07 PM »
I have had this similar result making other cheeses, I found that I wasn't managing the temp of the curds when in the hoops, something I think is fixed by pressing in the pot as Sailor recommends.

Offline DeejayDebi

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Re: Chunky Cheddar?
« Reply #5 on: February 12, 2011, 11:01:10 PM »
Aside from the fact that your curds look a bit large  and not uniform. I would definately check the calibration on yor thermometer. Looks like you are way over cooking the curds and turning them to rubber. I don't think the pressure is the issue - although it could be a contributing factor in later makes.

I highly recommend sticking to a plain simple cheese until you get a feel for what you need to do and have several sucessful makes under your belt.

CheeseSnipe

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Re: Chunky Cheddar?
« Reply #6 on: February 13, 2011, 01:09:21 AM »
Cheeswhizz, LOL glad its not just my imagination. For the stout cheddar I took the curds before salting and soaked them in a beer bath to absorb into the skins (just like the stuff you find in the super market). Maybe I soaked them too long or they just had the same issue that those above had. I don't give up easily. :-)

zenith1 & Sailor - How much weight would you recommend? 50lbs is straight out of the book "Home Cheese Making by Ricki Carroll".  My cheese press uses free weights (since I'm not using them to work out these days) so I can add enough to make it bullet proof if neccesary. The pic above is a round about 3" tall.

Also the book I used today said to cut the cheese into 1/2" x 2" french fry strips. Looks like I will cut them down to smaller cubes instead but contrary to the pic those were fairly uniform, just facing different directions when packing the mold.

So far I've had good luck with my other pressed cheeses, just not traditional cheddar. I shall try again.

Sailor - I may bronze it and put it on my desk. ;-)

Thanks All

Offline Boofer

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Re: Chunky Cheddar?
« Reply #7 on: February 13, 2011, 02:00:45 AM »
And the envelope please for QUOTE OF THE DAY...

that cheese is like a theme park for molds
All good advice:
  • warm the curds when pressing
  • more pressure (6x what you had)
  • do an easier cheese style when just starting out
  • eat it now and do better the next time
  • vacuum seal it now and check on it 6-12 months from now
  • really...beer added to the curds before pressing?  ???

-Boofer-

Let's ferment something!
Bread, beer, wine, cheese...it's all good.

Buck47

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Re: Chunky Cheddar?
« Reply #8 on: February 13, 2011, 02:19:39 AM »
Boofer,

I agree Sailors comment was outstanding and deserves special recognition.

I do hope CheeseSnipe is basking in the warm welcome of our membership.

Welcome aboard CheeseSnipe.  ;)

cheezwhizz

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Re: Chunky Cheddar?
« Reply #9 on: February 13, 2011, 04:03:49 AM »
  I second that...Welcome aboard Cheesesnipe....  Boofer and Buck, You guys had me in stitches..

CheeseSnipe

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Re: Chunky Cheddar?
« Reply #10 on: February 14, 2011, 05:26:35 PM »
Thanks for the welcome ya'll. I'm glad I found this forum. There are lots of good conversations that I've found helpful.

Boofer
Quote
•really...beer added to the curds before pressing?
You've never heard of that? It's fairly common. Go to the supermarket sometime and look around. There are lots of variants out there. Porter, stout, sage, port, etc. When you cut the cheese (no pun intended) you will have a marbled vein of the flavored liquid. Example: http://www.yumsugar.com/Would-You-Eat-Porter-Cheese-2508825
Since I also brew, I wanted to see how I could combine these two pleasures.

As for my original issue, I'm getting there. 
See pic:  Mo betta?

Sailor Con Queso

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Re: Chunky Cheddar?
« Reply #11 on: February 14, 2011, 07:16:48 PM »
Yes, beer in cheese is possible, but you are adding yeasts that complicate the process. I would get a LOT more experience under my belt with standard techniques and procedures before you jump into advanced stuff. Otherwise you are making things MUCH harder on yourself.

CheeseSnipe

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Re: Chunky Cheddar?
« Reply #12 on: February 14, 2011, 08:30:53 PM »
Sailor, yes I had factored in the yeast, so I nuked the beer to boiling point to kill them off. (supposedly 140 degrees kills them)

I did a similar process a few weeks ago for a Sage Derby. It looks beautiful, just need a wait a few months to find out if the sage flavor is prominent enough.

Offline Boofer

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Re: Chunky Cheddar?
« Reply #13 on: February 15, 2011, 01:26:01 AM »
See pic:  Mo betta?
Yes, indeed, much improved.

I think Sailor voiced what I really meant to say. Yes, I'm familiar with beer-enhanced cheese. We're all into some kind of experimentation, so go for it. If it works out, publish your efforts here.

-Boofer-
Let's ferment something!
Bread, beer, wine, cheese...it's all good.

cheezwhizz

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Re: Chunky Cheddar?
« Reply #14 on: February 16, 2011, 04:00:11 AM »
Good post Snipe..  I was more concerned about the alcohol in the beer, and how it would effect the starter bacteria... Kill it?   What if the beer was heated just enough to kill the yeast AND evaporate the alcohol off (173F +).  Leaving a beer (or wine) reduction for and adjunct ?....Gotta try this on my next make!