Author Topic: Asagio 2nd attempt  (Read 6650 times)

anutcanfly

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Asagio 2nd attempt
« on: December 26, 2011, 05:48:22 PM »
My first Asagio was too bland, so I'm changing the cultures used (1st time I just used 50/50 TA & LH) and adding lipase.  Much the same as the Parmesan I just did, but even more lipase.

Asagio  #2

4 gallons raw Brown Swiss cow milk skimmed to approximately 3%, pH 6.7
2 tlb yogurt with ST and LB
1/8 tsp TA
¼ tsp LH
1/8 tsp MA
¼ tsp mild lipase
¼  tsp rennet
x2.5 floc multiplier

Warmed milk to 92 degrees then added cultures & lipase.  Let rehydrate 5 minutes and stirred in.  Ripened for 40 minutes. Temp 92 degrees & pH 6.5

Stirred in rennet and watched for flocculation.  Took 12 minutes x 2.5 = 30 minutes.

Checked for clean break at 30 minutes and cut curd into pea sized pieces taking 6 minutes to finish, let sit 5 minutes.

Raised the heat to 102 degrees over 20 minutes, stirred 20 minutes.

Raised the heat to 118 degrees over 20 minutes, stirred until curd felt springy (5 minutes?)  Let settle 10 minutes and drained as pH was at 6.1. 

Pressed at 30 lbs for 1 hour, redressed and pressed at 204 lbs for 4 hours.

Brined for 20 hours.  Yeild after brining:

Make mostly went well, but need to reduce starting cultures a bit, and increase stirring time as moisture was higher than desired.

GlennK

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Re: Asagio 2nd attempt
« Reply #1 on: December 29, 2011, 11:52:52 AM »
That's an awesome looking cheese.  I'm new to cheese making and I'm wondering what you use to heat up your milk in?  I can't find a pot locally that will hold more than 2 1/2 gal of milk.  And are you using some kind of double boiler to heat your curds?  I've tried heating my curds in the sink by adding hot water but that system is difficult to control the water temp.

dthelmers

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Re: Asagio 2nd attempt
« Reply #2 on: December 29, 2011, 03:15:00 PM »
GlennK,
Here's a link to thread about cheese vats where I posted pics of the one I built using a restaurant steam table pan:
http://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,7495.30.html
It makes a four or five gallon batch quite easily, and the temperature is easy to control. Before that I was using an electric roaster, which worked OK, but the temperature was fiddly.

anutcanfly

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Re: Asagio 2nd attempt
« Reply #3 on: December 29, 2011, 05:59:19 PM »
Hi GlennK, I had trouble finding a pot that was big enough too, as most the pots big enough can't be used on a glass top stove.  I ended up having to order what I needed from Amazon.  So I have a 21 qt pot that I put into a 36 qt pot. 

To heat I used my stove.  The warmer burner is perfect for maintaining temp.  Medium for the 80's and high for the 90's.  I use the sink for the initial fill at the required temp and the warmer to maintain it.  When it's time to increase temp gradually over a period of time, I slide the pot over a real burner and turned to low or medium as needed.  That part takes some practice as every stove heats different.  I turn the stove off after the water is heated 3 or 4 degrees past target temp and let the milk catch up.  The water/milk should equalize at target temp and then you can slide it back to the warmer for maintenance. 

Once you find the pots you want (people who sell brewing supplies have good ones too), you should fill them with water and find out how you stove heats, so you know in advance of making cheese.  It takes a little practice to get perfect.  If you have a glass top, realize that the weight may hurt your stove... I'm pushing limit!  :)  I really only use the sink to bring my milk up to initial temp.  Then I put it in the big pot on the stove that is at the correct temp and sitting on the warmer.

As dthelmers has noted, there are many ways to heat your milk.  So the trick is to find a method that works for you!  :)

GlennK

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Re: Asagio 2nd attempt
« Reply #4 on: December 29, 2011, 07:06:03 PM »
Thanks for the good info!  I didn't even consider that there might be a weight limit on our glass top stove.  I can imagine trying to explain to DW why the stove top is cracked.  She already thinks I'm "cracked" for wanting to make cheese all the time :D  I have to look into this bucket warmer.  Maybe I can put that in a sink full of water?

anutcanfly

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Re: Asagio 2nd attempt
« Reply #5 on: December 29, 2011, 07:23:54 PM »
Likely anything you come up with, someone else has tried.  Just fish around the threads and soak up what worked and didn't work.  I looked at bucket warmers, but I didn't end up trying one, so I don't know how well it works. 

anutcanfly

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Re: Asagio 2nd attempt
« Reply #6 on: May 07, 2012, 09:11:56 PM »
I just cut into my 2nd Asagio and it came out tasting and smelling like the Asagio I'm used to buying.  So I think this recipe will be fine for future makes.

jrhockey33

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Re: Asagio 2nd attempt
« Reply #7 on: July 24, 2012, 04:32:00 AM »
That looks amazing! What is the red seeping through the rind? The ink?  I know its not in the part you would eat, just curious! You are making me hungry!

jrhockey33

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Re: Asagio 2nd attempt
« Reply #8 on: July 24, 2012, 04:37:19 AM »
what does ST and LB stand for?

linuxboy

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Re: Asagio 2nd attempt
« Reply #9 on: July 24, 2012, 04:48:11 AM »
ST= Streptococcus salivarius ssp thermophilus
LB = Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp bulgaricus

Offline Tiarella

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Re: Asagio 2nd attempt
« Reply #10 on: August 16, 2012, 04:20:33 PM »
This brings up a question I've been having.  How do people mark their cheeses.  I'm starting to have trouble remembering what everything is in my wine fridge cave.  Some are different sizes so no problem but my Parm and Manchego are about the same size and shape.  Food safe markers? 

anutcanfly

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Re: Asagio 2nd attempt
« Reply #11 on: August 16, 2012, 05:07:14 PM »
I've been using  a grease pencil / China marker.  I paint one layer of cheese cream (it's fairly transparent) and when dry I mark with the grease pencil then I apply another layer of cheese cream.  That way the marks don't get rubbed off and I don't have to worry about them bleeding into the cheese.

anutcanfly

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Re: Asagio 2nd attempt
« Reply #12 on: August 16, 2012, 05:12:12 PM »
Hi Jared & Kelly,

I see you've been asking all sorts of questions!  I've been busy with the Orchard and haven't had the time to participate in this forum.

The pink is non toxic water marker ink that bled thru the cheese cream.  I didn't think first...cheese cream breaths! 


Offline Tiarella

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Re: Asagio 2nd attempt
« Reply #13 on: August 16, 2012, 05:18:05 PM »
Sorry, but what is "cheese cream"?  And so the bleeding through was from a water ink marker, not the grease pencil you now recommend?    Do you worry about the safety of the grease pencil?  Lots of art supplies have toxic components and I'm not sure how to find food safe grease pencils.  Maybe the grease pens made for decorating children's faces?  Hmmm.

anutcanfly

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Re: Asagio 2nd attempt
« Reply #14 on: August 16, 2012, 10:41:13 PM »
The grease pencil I use is non toxic, I checked before I used it.  It doesn't touch your cheese, so it doesn't need to be "food safe", but you should be able to verify if it's toxic or not, if you google for the info before you purchase. It's a hard colored wax that is useful for marking all sorts of things with out damaging them.  It won't leak thru like the washable marker that pinked the cheese.  It will rub off, which is why I put another coat of cheese cream over the top.  Cheese cream is a covering you can paint on with a brush.  It comes both with or without mold inhibitors and is a good first layer under wax as cheese wax will also bleed color into your cheese.  I don't like working with wax, so I just use a few layers of cheese cream and so far this has been working for me.  If you do this be careful of moisture falling on your cheese as it will go right thru!  Your cheese will also lose weight over time just like it would with a natural rind.  If a cheese comes off the press with too moisture I will air dry a few days and paint 2 layers of cheese cream on it.  I will then let it hang out in the kitchen until it's lost the extra moisture, without having to worry about it cracking.  Then it goes into the cheese cave.  Mold will form on it in the cheese cave, but it's only the surface and can be brushed off.

There are some very clever ideas for marking cheeses if you dig around the threads on this site.