Now pressing at about 1/4 psi to start. Not enough?
Susan, the press schedule for all tomme types has to coincide with your moisture target and rind types.
Generally:
-regardless of final moisture target, if you're using a hairy rind, like on a tomme de savoie with mucor, some external inclusions are fine because the mold fills them in.
- If you're targetting a different rind, like one with geo, or multi-species, or washed, then it's better to try and achieve a very tight external knit by pressing with a high PSI for a short burst and using cloth to create an impression, and then pressing very gently during the prolonged acidification time. Something like .3-1 PSI works.
- If you're targetting a lower moisture, you can get there by pressing at higher PSI. it will not drastically lower, though.
Make sense? It depends on the approach you're using. Generally, I try to achieve as even of a rind as I can, even when working with hairy rinds like tomme de savoie has. For tomme de pyrenees, it's essentially the same core cheese, but rind progression differs.