Author Topic: My 6th Caerphilly  (Read 5782 times)

JeffHamm

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Re: My 6th Caerphilly
« Reply #15 on: February 25, 2012, 04:20:18 AM »
Hmmm, what about "It weighed more than usual"?  :)

- Jeff

anutcanfly

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Re: My 6th Caerphilly
« Reply #16 on: February 25, 2012, 05:05:29 AM »
Sorry, that's definitely in the painfully obvious category...   ;)  Unless... your milk now has higher total solids... winter milk?  There's an escape for you!   ;)

JeffHamm

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Re: My 6th Caerphilly
« Reply #17 on: February 25, 2012, 06:13:38 AM »
Summer here I'm afraid!  Sigh.  LOL.

Actually, I had noticed the curds were quite a bit larger than usual after the stirring phase.  I had been much more careful in my stirring this make, so I thought it might have retained more mositure (less curd fractures, etc) as a result.  Everything has continued to support that conclusion as well.  The end result is very good, though it may be a bit saltier than some of the others.  That's fine though, as it should be a salty cheese. 

- Jeff

anutcanfly

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Re: My 6th Caerphilly
« Reply #18 on: February 25, 2012, 04:28:01 PM »
Now that's really when you know you're learning.  When you know what went wrong and how to fix it next time.  I made a lot of cheeses before I started to get to that point, and much of the time I'm still clueless!  :)  I don't mind my cheeses being overweight if they are only aging a short while.  It's the grating cheeses and long term agers that concern me.  I would have though my cheeses would be underweight give how often I brutalize the curd!  I think I'm hopelessly bad at cutting.  My curds always end up all different sizes and some are always fractured by the end of the make.  Thank goodness we have this forum.  It's wonderful to be able to ask for help as needed.  This hobby has a big learning curve!  :)

bbracken677

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Re: My 6th Caerphilly
« Reply #19 on: September 11, 2012, 11:42:31 AM »
Jeff....what do you mean, in Step 9: "9)   Stir for 40 min with curds at 33 C (Start time: 2:00-2:40)
2:40-2:45 : Pitch and drain after 5 minutes (temp is 32.5 C)"  by "pitch and drain after 5 minutes"?

Preparing for my first Caerphilly make...using your recipe  :D

JeffHamm

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Re: My 6th Caerphilly
« Reply #20 on: September 11, 2012, 06:38:41 PM »
Pitch means give the curds a good stir to get them to collect in the centre, and then sink to the bottom to form a curd cake.  Often, this just doesn't work, and you pour off the whey and place a follower on top and press with a bottle of water. 

Good luck with your make.  I've got a caerphilly that is ready to cut now.  Was going to cut into it last weekend, but I had some other cheeses to finish off, so this weekend looks good for it (or is that good for me?) :)

- Jeff

bbracken677

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Re: My 6th Caerphilly
« Reply #21 on: September 11, 2012, 08:41:23 PM »
haha yeah...and I also gave an attempt at a smooth rind by pressing with some heat so we shall see how that turns out...

Seems like a lot of salt...you apply salt to the curds before pressing and then salt at each turn/flip while pressing?

JeffHamm

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Re: My 6th Caerphilly
« Reply #22 on: September 11, 2012, 09:24:41 PM »
Hi,

Yah, caerphilly has a fair amount of salt.  It was said the Welsh miners would eat it to replace the lost salt from sweating while they worked.  You can cut back on the salt during the flips if you want; much will get washed off anyway as the whey is pressed out.  It might help a bit with mold prevention.

- Jeff

bbracken677

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Re: My 6th Caerphilly
« Reply #23 on: September 11, 2012, 09:53:04 PM »
No problem...when I first read through the recipe I noted the salt to the curds but for some reason didnt notice the salting during pressing or I would have asked earlier to make sure I was doing the right thing lol  As I executed the recipe I ran into it and was like...oops? maybe? maybe not...haha

I skipped one salting during flipping just cause I wasnt sure, but no great shakes that   :)

Thanks for the guidance!  I am looking forward to trying this out .... I nibbled on some that squeezed out of the press and tastes rightly nice for a fresh cheese!

anutcanfly

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Re: My 6th Caerphilly
« Reply #24 on: September 11, 2012, 11:00:22 PM »
Hi Jeff,

Have you tried salting the curds yet?  What was the outcome?  I did on my last Caerphilly as I was going out of town unexpectantly and didn't have time to brine it.  I salted the curds and left it on the press until I got back.  I cut into it at five weeks and it's very different from the last Caerphilly I made.  Still mild, so I put it back in the cave.  I have no idea what to expect from this, very exciting!

anut  :)

JeffHamm

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Re: My 6th Caerphilly
« Reply #25 on: September 11, 2012, 11:17:13 PM »
Hi anut,

I always salt the curds for my caerphilly.  I've only brined it once, and that was my first make (where I both salted the curds and then stuck it in the brine as well!  It was ... quite salty).  It's always turned out with the fresh tang that I associate with caerphilly, although I also tend to cut into it by 3 or 4 weeks.  I know it is suppose to mellow with age, but I'm surprised it didn't have the fresh taste at 5 weeks.  I'll be cutting into my most recent one soon, so hopefully it will be much like the others as it's a favorite of mine.

- Jeff

anutcanfly

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Re: My 6th Caerphilly
« Reply #26 on: September 12, 2012, 01:36:54 AM »
Guess I should have read your make notes slooower.  I didn't notice that you had been salting your curds all along.  :-[   I certainly hope it's not going to get milder!  I loved the sharp tang it had last time. 

JeffHamm

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Re: My 6th Caerphilly
« Reply #27 on: September 12, 2012, 03:15:48 AM »
Hi anut,

I think if it's mild already then you probably want to age it out to see if it develops some sharpness, like an aged cheddar.  That's different from the fresh cheese tang that it has when quite young.  I've never aged a caerphilly more than 3 months and it hadn't become sharp by then, but that's still pretty young for a cheddar type.  Maybe take it out to 6 months or so?  It's a pretty quick make and age, so you could easily have another one or two out of the press and eaten by the time this one makes it to half a year!

- Jeff

Offline Tiarella

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Re: My 6th Caerphilly
« Reply #28 on: September 12, 2012, 12:10:10 PM »
Jeff,  Would you be willing to share how you decide what to vacuum seal and what you age without?  I've ordered a vacuum sealer since my cave is full and I figure I can fit more cheese in if I can stack some vacuum packed rounds.  And, is the result the same between vacuum sealing and waxing?  And, what do you (and I hope others share their ways also) brush/wipe off mold with?  (both implement and solution). Thanks in advance.....I've been on a Caerphilly kick also, other than a mistake which produced a Dudephilly (Dutifully instead of Carefully)

bbracken677

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Re: My 6th Caerphilly
« Reply #29 on: September 12, 2012, 04:30:18 PM »
Jeff...what are the appropriate aging conditions? Temp and RH...and how many days should I let it "dry out" before putting it in the cave?