Flavor

[Phogi]

Hello.

I've been making thirty minute mozzorella, queso blanco, and some similar cheeses. Lots of fun, but to be honest I'm a little disappointed in the flavor and texture. The flavor is generally weak, and I can't put my finger on it, just something I don't like about them. I'm thinking about getting the gear for hard cheeses so I can make other flavors, but I thought I would ask a few questions:

What can you do to get the best flavor? I've been using very fresh store bought milk that is locally made...I might be able to get other milks, this will be my first move. I've tried a local milk and also some milk from whole foods. I think my next move is to try to get some goat milk, or find someone who will sell me milk right from the cow.

My next move is to buy some lipase powder....then some things to control PH, maybe that helps?

I'm also thinking of adding cream, or maybe I'm doing something wrong in the process?

[smilingcalico]

The cheeses you've mentioned are pretty mild flavored to begin with.  Once you get into working with cheese cultures you'll find the bigger flavors you seek.

[dthelmers]

Try the fresh cheddar curd recipe at the Washington Cheese Guild site, www.wacheese.com. It develops a lot of flavor, even with pasteurized milk. He talks about what happens in the long pre-ripening process, which gives a lot of flavor. I do that with my farmhouse cheddars. Anyway, this is basically a way of making some cheddar even if you don't have a press, and they're just great on fries!

[zenith1]

I agree with comment about your prior cheese makes being of the mild flavored types. When you progress to hard cheeses you will need the appropriate starter cultures for the type of cheese your making. That along with the proper ripening and aging will give you the flavor you are looking for. Lipase is not a starter bacteria, but a enzyme. You will not want to add it to all your cheese makes-just the ones that call for it(Romano for instance) according to the recipes or your own preference. It is frequently used to add sharpness to the make when using cow's milk and the recipe calls for sheep's milk. Start slow when you head down the hard cheese road. Start with something you like and make it a number of times paying attention to the look/smell/feel of the curds at each step along the way. Once you have the process down for one type of cheese it makes it easier to move to the next one-you will know what to look for if problems arise as they often do(slow acidification/low yield/sour taste). Good luck with your new hobby.

[MrsKK]

You may want to try making a cow's milk feta (or the original with goat's milk).  It is kind of a step between the cheeses you've been making and a hard cheese, with no real requirement for any equipment other than what you already have.  If using cow's milk, you can use lipase to add more sharpness to it.

I've got some in brine in the fridge from last June.  It has developed a nice sharpness but is quite salty - so we cut it into smaller chunks and soak it in fresh milk for an hour to remove a lot of the salt. 

Don't give up!