Author Topic: What was I thinking?  (Read 4398 times)

Offline Boofer

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What was I thinking?
« on: July 01, 2011, 02:07:06 PM »
June 25, 2011

I figured I'd take the leap and try my first Stilton-like cheese. I had a gallon of local raw milk and I just happened to have some leftover (Mmmm!  ;) ) Royal Blue Stilton to use as an innoculant.

Following linuxboy's "Stilton Approximation How-To", with slight variations, I proceeded with my make.

1 gallon Cozy Valley raw milk from "Cinnbad, the Jersey cow"
1/8 tsp Flora Danica
1inch x 2inch x 1/4inch piece of Royal Blue Stilton, pureed with distilled water
1/32 tsp dry calf rennet

5:20AM pH 6.80
Warmed milk to 86F
Added FD and puree, stirred in

8:22AM pH 6.45 @ 86F
Dissolved rennet in 1/4 cup cold, distilled water
Stirred into milk

8:39AM
flocculation @ 13 min
multiplier = 4
52 min until cut

9:27AM
Cut to 1 inch
Rested 15 min

9:33AM pH 6.40 @ 82F (yes, I know...temp control)

10:55AM pH 6.54 @ 89F

Drained off 1 gallon whey for whey-brine later on

11:00AM pH 6.46 @ 87F - curds after whey-drain

Covered pot of naked curds to rest for 6 hours.

1:00PM pH 5.50
4:00PM pH 5.15
5:00PM pH 5.10

Decided to process curds.
Added 2 tsp salt to curds as I milled them to smaller pieces.
Placed a needlepoint disk under the cam mold in the minicave.
Filled cam mold half-way up. Wait a minute...all this work and just this little bit of cheese?
   Wait for it...what was I thinking?

As I loaded the curds into the mold, I pressed down just a bit to try to gain a better knit.
I covered the cam mold with a needlepoint disk and let it drain for 15 min.
Flipped the mold and waited another 15 min.
Continued to flip and wait over the course of another hour.

I set the minicave aside at room temperature and flipped it twice a day for the next several days.

June 28:
Removed the mold.
Smoothed all surfaces, filling in the crevices, using the back of a spoon. Not bad. Maybe a little dry.

Placed small containers of water in minicave.
Put minicave into the cave @ 55F/87%RH.

June 29:
Flipped cheese.

June 30:
Flipped cheese. 52.8F/88%RH
Can't seem to get the RH up. The lid of the minicave is sealed with those small dishes of water inside.

So I wait.

I should have used a P. Roquerforti culture for this first effort, but again...what was I thinking?  ::)

Last night I bought 4 gallons of milk for a more focused effort with the fresh culture from Glengarry.

But for this one, I will carry it through and see what happens.

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

Helen

  • Guest
Re: What was I thinking?
« Reply #1 on: July 01, 2011, 02:53:32 PM »
I feel your pain Boofer.

I never get even results with my Blues even with the culture from Glengarry. Sometimes, the blue is everywhere, sometimes it is nowhere, sometimes it is outside only and not inside.

However, even if you don't have blue showing, it does not mean that you will not have a great tasting cheese. My "white" Fourme d'Ambert was delicious... :p

Tomer1

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Re: What was I thinking?
« Reply #2 on: July 01, 2011, 04:01:04 PM »
Basically any time your putting in unpure culture (piece of cheese) your risking contamination or low concentration of  mold which cant seem to take on.

I recently had a fail trying to inoculate a cambozola with my home grown blue.
I suggest you trying using pure cultures during first attemps so you know what to expect.

george

  • Guest
Re: What was I thinking?
« Reply #3 on: July 02, 2011, 10:19:33 AM »
Boofer, I've really got to hand it to ye - when I have an extra gallon of milk, the most industrious thing I ever do with it is some 30-minute mozz.  Or on my laziest weeks, I just drink it.   In any event, welcome to the Fun with Blues Club!   >:D

JeffHamm

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Re: What was I thinking?
« Reply #4 on: July 03, 2011, 12:45:53 AM »
Hmmm, I wonder if it would be worth letting a piece of blue cheese "sit around" in the cave for a few days before starting the make, just to see if the blue mold will grow, or to get it growing so that the innoculation piece is "revved up", so to speak?

- Jeff

linuxboy

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Re: What was I thinking?
« Reply #5 on: July 03, 2011, 07:37:58 AM »
I don't know, Boof... but I bet you knew what you were feeling :P



Sorry for the hijack :)

It's sometimes tough to use store bought inoculants for blues. The best results for me have actually been the cheap crumbles, because those tend to be made in large plants with good sanitary practices. Or I'll isolate first.

Offline Boofer

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Re: What was I thinking?
« Reply #6 on: July 03, 2011, 04:14:53 PM »
Classic.

Another linuxboy gem for the archives.

This response aside, it seems there are two schools of thought in action here.
  • One relates to the quantity of the end product...a small cheese for all the effort.
  • The other is concerned with the use of pureed blue cheese as the innoculant rather than a standard P. Roquerforti culture.
I hadn't put much consideration to the second theme. My dismay was with the little cheese I got for the hours of work I put in.

Yesterday I put that feeling of disappointment behind me when I used 4 gallons and ended up with a more respectable portion of cheese for my work. That effort will be documented in another thread.

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

Helen

  • Guest
Re: What was I thinking?
« Reply #7 on: July 03, 2011, 11:26:08 PM »
Quote
Yesterday I put that feeling of disappointment behind me when I used 4 gallons and ended up with a more respectable portion of cheese for my work.

Funny how making cheese from 1 or 10 gallons takes us the same amount of time or energy.

I am having an experiment right now to make cancoillotte with clabber. Since my last attempt was far from successful, I just used half a gallon of raw milk.
It is in the press now, very much a thin galette. All those efforts for half a pound of cheese.  :o


Offline Boofer

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Re: What was I thinking?
« Reply #8 on: July 07, 2011, 12:03:49 AM »
Yeah, it's coming along quite nicely now. Let's hear it for the morge!

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

Cheese Head

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Re: What was I thinking?
« Reply #9 on: July 07, 2011, 12:39:21 AM »
Side question, Boofer where did you get those nice round food grade mats? TIA.

Offline Boofer

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Re: What was I thinking?
« Reply #10 on: July 07, 2011, 01:42:41 PM »
Side question, Boofer where did you get those nice round food grade mats? TIA.
Our local crafts store chain: Michael's.  In the needlepoint section. They come in cam size, tomme size, and various hole density flat sheets about 10"x12".

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

Sailor Con Queso

  • Guest
Re: What was I thinking?
« Reply #11 on: July 07, 2011, 05:31:04 PM »
You want to look for "5 count" (holes per inch) if possible. Too many holes will wick & retain moisture.

Offline Boofer

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Re: What was I thinking?
« Reply #12 on: July 07, 2011, 06:09:06 PM »
You want to look for "5 count" (holes per inch) if possible. Too many holes will wick & retain moisture.
Yeah, I found that out. I'm constantly draining the netting and wicking it away with paper towels. I am also using other webbing that does a better job.

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

dthelmers

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Re: What was I thinking?
« Reply #13 on: July 07, 2011, 08:16:11 PM »
I've started draining on straw. So far, so good.
Dave in CT

Offline Boofer

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Re: What was I thinking?
« Reply #14 on: July 23, 2011, 04:24:06 AM »
Coming along nicely now. I pierced for the second time yesterday. The outside seems a little dry, but the little bit that comes out when the piercing skewer is withdrawn is nice and creamy.

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