3rd Cheddar on the way!

[9mmruger]

Looking good.  I might suggest that you age this longer if you can stand it.  I just opened a cheddar that is 8 month old and the flavor is great.  A tad dry, but great flavor.  I still have 3/4 in wax and will let it age longer.  I hate waxing, so before I do my next hard cheese I will have a vacuum sealer.

Congrats on the make.

[OlJarhead]

Looking good.  I might suggest that you age this longer if you can stand it.  I just opened a cheddar that is 8 month old and the flavor is great.  A tad dry, but great flavor.  I still have 3/4 in wax and will let it age longer.  I hate waxing, so before I do my next hard cheese I will have a vacuum sealer.

Congrats on the make.

Thanks

I finished off my first cheese which was about 5 months old.  The saltiness was down quite a bit (surprisingly) and the texture had improved however the flavor, while good, was a little bitter.  My son commented that he liked the 'sharpness' of the cheese though and we ate it all.

I was thinking that the bitter flavor was due to the veggie rennet I used so I've ordered animal rennet for the next batch

[OlJarhead]

WhooHoo -- just ordered another mold, some starter (for soft Italian cheeses), butter muslin, animal rennet and Ricky's book

Can't wait!  Also got a cheese basket for the soft cheeses -- I plan to make Provolone or Mozzarella soon

[OlJarhead]

My son and I cracked open the cheese for a sample.  It's very young but we wanted to check and make sure all was well.

I've noticed that the young cheeses seem to crumble more then one that is 3-4 months old.  Thoughts?

[megdcl]

Looks yummy! How'd it taste?

[OlJarhead]

Looks yummy! How'd it taste?

Mild and young but quite edible   I liked it melted on crackers.

My son thought it tasted like weak sour cream..hmmm

[Boofer]

Congrats on your cheeses. Thanks for posting in such detail.

I have a few observations:

• A Colby is washed. That is, some of the whey is replaced with water to reduce the acidity. Were your curds washed?
• I might recommend you begin your make 12 hours earlier. 6:00AM, rather than 6:00PM. You'd most likely be less impacted and less rushed to get it done.
• How much rennet did you use in how much milk?
• Do you use the spinning bowl method for testing when the rennet has done its magic?
• Wow! 40 drops of annatto per gallon!!  And I thought my 11 drops per gallon was extreme! The color will intensify as the cheese ages and dries. Perhaps you could get away with using less.
• Patience.... An edible cheese may be "okay" at an early age, but you might be surprised at what a little extra aging can achieve. Make more cheese and give some a chance to reach sublime maturity.
• And yes, that press does look a little iffy. Hey, I like the clamp to hold it onto the table. 

-Boofer-

[OlJarhead]

Hi all,

Well it's been 3 months since making this cheese and I decided to open them again and see what was going on.

I'd opened the cheeses each earlier (about two months) and noticed a white mold (which I've read about in here so wasn't surprised) and decided to wash the cheeses in a vinegar and salt brine (just a quick non-scientific one I tossed together) and resealed them in wax and left to age some more.

This time I opened them and found them WET!  This is what I have now:


The first one was a little moldy so I wiped it off but I noticed it was wet and a little sticky.

I sliced some off and ate it and it tasted ok, albeit a little bitter.


Second cheese had been untouched longer then the first and was a lot wetter with the wax separating from the cheese easily.


After tasting I decided to vac seal and put back in the cave while investigating here to see what I can do -- or should do.

I look forward to your help!
Erik

[OlJarhead]

Congrats on your cheeses. Thanks for posting in such detail.

I have a few observations:

• A Colby is washed. That is, some of the whey is replaced with water to reduce the acidity. Were your curds washed?
• I might recommend you begin your make 12 hours earlier. 6:00AM, rather than 6:00PM. You'd most likely be less impacted and less rushed to get it done.
• How much rennet did you use in how much milk?
• Do you use the spinning bowl method for testing when the rennet has done its magic?
• Wow! 40 drops of annatto per gallon!!  And I thought my 11 drops per gallon was extreme! The color will intensify as the cheese ages and dries. Perhaps you could get away with using less.
• Patience.... An edible cheese may be "okay" at an early age, but you might be surprised at what a little extra aging can achieve. Make more cheese and give some a chance to reach sublime maturity.
• And yes, that press does look a little iffy. Hey, I like the clamp to hold it onto the table. 

-Boofer-

I didn't wash the cheese but am thinking of doing that since buying Ricki's book.

I used the prescribed about of rennet (vegetable because I didn't have animal and didn't know it might make a difference) and calcium chloride but will have to go back and check my notes to the exact amount used this time.

I used the 'clean break' method of determining if the rennet had done it's thing -- which didn't seem right but I was tired and decided it was as good as it would get --DOH!

And yes, I won't EVER start making cheese that late again! hahaha but I'm learning!