A Question about Muenster (and maybe a disaster now????)

[kookookachoo]

Hi, all!

I would like to make Muenster this week, but I'd like to look into it more.  I have 200 Cheeses as my source, as well as a recipe posted by DeejayDebi.  Now, the thing is..I'm kinda a little squeamish about it.  Not the cheese itself, but just doing this "advanced" cheese.  I've been sticking to the lactic, Caerphilly, Lancashire, etc.  For the past year...cheeses I've already done & comfortable, and have had success with, so why rock the boat, right?  Well, I had some really good Muenster a few days ago..and mmmm this is a cheese I would like to make.  Before I start this rather daunting endeavor, I would like to ask you guys if there are any tips, info, etc that I need to know? 

This is the recipe I will be following...this & the 200 Cheeses, as I mentioned earlier. 

Muenster cheese

Ingredients:
4  gallon whole Cow Milk
1/4 teaspoon Probat 222 or Mesophile Aromatic Type B
Optional: Calcium Chloride if using store bought pasterurized milk.
Rennet, amount as per package directions or your experience.
1/4 teaspoon of Brevibacterium Linens.
Rennet per manufacturers instructions
Salt for brine.

Procedure:
-Warm to 90° F  stiring gently. Turn off heat.
-Sprinkle culture and B. linins over milk. Mix using up and down strokes. Let sit for 5 minutes.
-If using store bought  milk then dissolve the calcium chloride in 1/4 cup pure water and mix well.
-Mix the rennet in 1/4 cup pure water and stir into milk for 1 minute. cover and set aside at same temperature for 45 minutes or until get good curd break.
-Leave for 40 minutes covered maintaining  90° or until a clean break is achieved.
-Cut the curds into 1/2 inch pieces, cover, settle curds and maintain temperature for 30 minutes.
-* Strain curds in cheesecloth lined collander for 10 minutes then carefully laddle curds into molds. The curds are very soft and delicate at this stage!
-Cover - avoid drafts and drain for 24 hours, gently flipping cheeses several times.
-If curds are still to soft to handle after 24 hours wait another 5 or 6 hours
-Remove from molds and sprinkle each side with 1/4 teaspoon of salt then place on mat in a ripening container at 55°F and 85% humidity.
-Turn cheeses daily, remove whey for about 3 days or until no more whey is released.
-**Wash cheeses every other day with cloth dipped in brine mix of 1 cup water and 2 teaspoons of salt.
-After about 10 days an orange smear will appear. Continue to wash cheeses every other day for at leat 2 weeks for small cheeses and 3 weeks for large cheeses.
-Ripen for up to 3 months.

* After draining curdsfor 5 minutes try adding cooled boiled cumin seeds over the curds mixing in gently.
** Cheese may be washed in 1 teaspoon salt anf 1 cup of Alsatiam white wine.

**************

I really appreciate the input in advance!

Steff

[DeejayDebi]

One thing I would change ....

I started using a spray application of the Brevibacterium Linens from a tiny sprayer that was for salad dressing very tiny holes. I found it worked better and used less Brevibacterium Linens which are very pricey! Instead of adding the Brevibacterium Linens to the make I add a tiny pinch to about 1/2 cup ofwater and very lightly mist every few days. Seemed to work better and I got a lot more bang for the buck!

[kookookachoo]

Thank you, DeejayDebi! 

I made this yesterday morning & you're right..it is more cost-effective to make it with spraying as opposed to adding.  I caught this before I started, so yay!  

They're now still releasing whey, so I'm going to wait til later this evening to get them out of the molds.  I didn't have a big enough mold to hold my 3 gallons of milk make, so I improvised & used my "ricotta" basket molds that I have.  I'm a little nervous about this, as they aren't really rigid & the sides have a give to them, so I'm hoping that it's enough to press the cheeses enough for them to be more compact inside.  The outsides look fine, though.  I'm babying them when I flip them, they're still in cheesecloth, so they're holding pretty well.  I'm taking them out of the cheesecloth tonight, too, when I remove them from the mold & will start salting them later.  I ran out of the Kosher salt (non-iodized) I've been using, so I'm going to use the non-iodized (regular?) salt I use for baking, instead.  I'll take & post photos later. 

[DeejayDebi]

I've used cheap softdrink pitchers for molds got one to spare? WalMart has some really cheap sometimes for a few dollars that are pretty rigid and with a few holes will make a nice cheese. I find the rectangular ones make nice loaf cheeses. Just cut a follower from a cutting board from the dollar store. Nice to have a handle too.

[kookookachoo]

Sigh.

This has been just since last night.  There were a few spots, I cleaned it with ACV+salt mix.  Now it's a little "tacky" in some spots..and a profusion of this mess!!  The other 2 I have don't seem to be affected too much.  Little spots here & there that I'm gonna knock down here in a bit.

I had these in my "cave", a MacGuyver'd wine cooler.  Humidity has been a constant 85, temp set at 54.  They were in plastic tupperwares, lids cracked open slightly for circulation.  One top of a dozen bamboo skewers lined up, side by side, on top of a plastic mat (the perforated craft ones). 

I also have a manchego & Caerphilly in there that are as happy as can be, free of any spots.  Thank God!   

After how many weeks, the b. linens hasn't really taken over, or done any kind of anything.  Most of the surfaces are, in fact, free of any kind of bugs at all!

Can I save these guys?  Do I need to start with a linens spray again, after washing down/scraping off everything? 





The other cheese, with a couple of spots...



Any & all help would be GREATLY appreciated! 

TIA,

Steff

PS. By the way, these are my poorest-knit, ugliest outside surface cheeses I've ever made. 

[DeejayDebi]

You got some blues in there too? What kind of cheese was/is that?

[kookookachoo]

It *is/was* to be a muenster.  I've washed back the blues on the other two rounds since they didn't really have that much to begin with...and so far, this morning (overnight), no recurrence.  A huge sigh of relief there.  This one...I'm kind of just...letting it go..and seeing where it will.  However it turns out.  I'm not feeling optimistic at all, it's mostly just curiosity now. 

[DeejayDebi]

Maybe you are spraying to much on them. Don't put them away wet just light little mists and if you see wet dab them with a papper towel. Don't loose faith!

[kookookachoo]

I've taken them out of my cooler & have them sitting on racks & bamboo sticks that I've cut down to size, cleaned & sterilized, hoping that the gaps between them will dry them out even more.  There's still a slight stickiness to only one of them now..thank God!  And I'm keeping my faith, too! 

[DeejayDebi]

they do get sticky with b.linens so maybe you are over worring. That was a prolific mold for 1 day though. I am still itching just looking at the pictures!

[kookookachoo]

I itch every time I check on them!     I'm letting the other one just go to town with whatever bugs want to fight for dominance.  I'm interested in what kind of cheese this will turn out to be.  Ha!  I've knocked down the blues on the other 2 cheeses & the b. linens are surely making their presence known.  Just a faint orange tinge, though.

I don't know where this problem with the blues is coming from.  Never have, in the past year.  I'm probably going to end up completely sanitizing the cave area, and re-sanitizing the cooler again.  Fun times! 

[DeejayDebi]

Always good to start clean spores can be hidning anywhere.