My first Colby, cultures, ph

[Caseus]

I'll be making my first Colby later this afternoon.  This will be my second cheese.  I plan to use this recipe here, although I've also looked at the recipe in the 200 Easy Homemade Cheese Recipe book.  They are fairly similar, though there are differences in amount of rennet, plus the 200 Easy recipe doesn't specify the type of mesophilic culture, include the addition of annatto, or clarify what is meant by "firm pressure" when pressing the cheese. 

I'm inclined to use MA-011 culture since I believe that is equivalent to the C101 that the recipe I'm following calls for.  But I also have MM-100.  My understanding based on a few threads on this forum is that MM-100 would yield about the same flavor as MA-011, but might produce some small gas holes.  That idea appeals to me since, even though I have never seen a grocery store Colby with holes, I've read here and here that it historically had an open texture and tiny holes.  So my first question is whether MM-100 would produce that?  Or would I need a propionic culture in addition?

Next, I have seen references to monitoring pH during the make, but the recipe books I have (200 Easy Cheeses and Ricki Carroll's Home Cheesemaking) don't discuss it or include information about it in recipes.  I have a pH meter, but what I lack is information on pH targets at various stages of the make, and proper measuring technique.  I may not be able to use such information for this make, but I'd like to know where I can learn more about it so I can utilize pH monitoring in future makes to help me make better cheese.

Edit:  I forgot to mention, I'll be using low temperature vat pasteurized non-homogenized milk from Jersey cows that comes from a local farm, in case that makes a difference. 

[DeejayDebi]

I use MA-100 for many cheese so that's what I've used the most for my colbys. I wouldn't worry about holes there are supposed to be any in the real sense of the word but sometimes tiny holes just happen through trapped air bubbles, whey or whatever.

You can go here for target ph values:

[Caseus]

Thank you for the flocculation chart, Debi. 

I'm going with the MM 100.  I don't mind holes if I get them.   

Regarding the MM 100 and other bulk dry cultures, the NEC web site says "1/2 tsp will inoculate about 6-12 Gal".   So 1/8th tsp should be right for 1.5 to 3 gallons of milk.  Based on your experience, does that sound like a reasonable amount for my 2 gallons?

[DeejayDebi]

Yes that should be fine.

[Caseus]

The process went smoothly.   The pressed cheese looks more or less identical to the Farmhouse Cheddar I made last week.   That's not surprising considering that I used about the same amount of annatto in each, and pressed them in the same 6 inch diameter mold.   I wanted to use a smaller 4.25 inch diameter mold so I'd have a taller, more cylindrical shape, but my small diameter mold wasn't tall enough to cram all those curds from two gallons of milk into.  Now that I think of it, I suppose I could have filled the mold, pressed it lightly for 10 or so minutes, then filled it again, pressed again, and so on until I got all the curd in.  I'll try that next time.

[anutcanfly]

Looking good!

I found I prefer the wheel shape you used.  The cheeses stack easy and I like to pack them in!  I should have gotten a bigger cheese cave.

[Caseus]

Thank you. 

I ordered a cheese cave from Walmart a few days ago and a Ranco temperature controller from Patriot Supply.  The cave should be delivered to my Walmart store for pickup sometime next week.  I saved the shipping charge by having it shipped to the store rather than to my home.  It's a Danby DAR440BL 4.4 cubic foot refrigerator.  I found a reference or two to it on the forum.  It is smaller than I want, but it will do for starters.  At least there is no freezer section in it, so it has potentially more usable space than some similar small refrigerators. 

That particular model is apparently being discontinued, from hints I've seen here and there.  The version replacing it may not be as suitable for a cheese cave.  It has glass instead of wire shelves and has a crisper in the bottom. 

Is there any harm in storing my waxed cheeses in my regular refrigerator for a short time while I wait for my cave to arrive?  I know the temperature in my fridge is too cold for aging, but I hope that aging will resume when I move the cheese to the temperature-controlled cave.

[anutcanfly]

The cooler temp will just slow the process down, it won't hurt it.  They're sealed in wax, so humidity won't be an issue either. 

[Boofer]

Alright! This is exciting stuff. A new cave with a Ranco controller! Woo woo! 

Good for you for finding one without the useless, space-eating freezer () space.   

-Boofer-

[Caseus]

I'm pretty excited about it Boofer.  I believe I can increase the usable space inside by removing the inside door molded panel that has drink holders and nooks for cartons and such.  I think I can replace it with a flat sheet of plastic panel like you sometimes find in showers.  I'll retain or add insulation, if necessary.  I'll evaluate when it gets here.  I'm also planning on wiring in a low speed PC fan to circulate air.  I may need to do something to control humidity also, but I don't know yet if it'll be too humid or not humid enough.  For now my cheeses will be waxed, so I'll skirt that problem initially.

[Caseus]

Well, I am completely daft, it would appear.  After taking the cheese out of the press today, I was supposed to brine it for 8 hours in a saturated brine.  I made up the brine ahead of time, and it was in the fridge just waiting for the cheese to be added.  And I forgot it!   

I had the cheese out drying at room temp for 9 hours, completely unsalted.  I just now went and put it in the brine.  I have to flip it in another four hours.  Yuck.  Bad timing.  I'll have to flip it at 12:45 AM, and take it out of the brine at 04:45. 

I'm sure that what I did will have some affect on the cheese.  Brining has some affect on the bacteria and acidification, doesn't it?  Slows it down? MIght this cheese end up being more like a cheddar than a colby as a result?  Also, it had already started forming a dried rind, especially on the edges, but the cheese was still quite springy. 

I hope it's not spoiled due to the lack of salt for 9 hours after pressing.  Well, I'm betting it'll be cheese when it's all said and done.  But what kind? 

[Boofer]

There are a couple things that come to mind:

• Because the salt hasn't come into play, the bacteria continues to work on developing acid which would create a tangy, crumbly, possibly chalky paste.
• The rind has possibly dried so much that the salt uptake might possibly be impaired. Coming out of the press, the rind is still moist and pliable which would allow a more aqueous transfer of salt to the inner paste. With a drier rind, that action would most likely be inhibited.

-Boofer-

[Caseus]

Thank you Boofer.  I had occurred to me also that the partial rind formation during my initial drying might inhibit salt uptake, so I brined it for a couple of hours longer than the recipe called for.   I'm not sure whether an extra couple of hours in a saturated brine would help much, but we'll see.

Who knows?  I may have invented a new cheese?  A washed curd re-acidified tangy-sweet cheese.  Time (a couple of months) will tell.

[Boofer]

There is that saying "time heals all wounds". Perhaps your cheese will come out just fine. At any rate, this nudges you for the next time. 

-Boofer-

[anutcanfly]

Having made a number of acidic crumbly cheeses, I can assure you they are great for cooking!  They don't melt well so they stay as distinct yummy morsels in a potato/hash-brown fry or whatever.