Author Topic: Salt - Methods vs Cheese Type Discussion  (Read 1858 times)

lwybrant

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Salt - Methods vs Cheese Type Discussion
« on: December 14, 2011, 11:39:31 PM »
Well this week is cheese week at my school, well thats what i call it.  I wrote a grant and recieved supplies to make 200 pounds of cheese. The only down side is the milk is from the local dairy and raw.  So this week we made cheddar, parmesan, swiss, bleu, cream cheese and also butter.   

Many of my sources say to salt the outside of the blue and swiss cheese or to brine the parmesan and swiss.

I pretty much have salted the outside of all of them as they air dry.

I have been told to olive oil the parmesan rind when it starts to crack?  I was a little concerned it was so bland and tasteless when i tasted it after cutting the cheese in half.  Is that normal?

This is my first doing bleu and swiss so i am not sure what to expect.


Tomarrow, I plan to make gouda or cheddar.

I have cheddar, gouda and parmesan that has aged since last march in my barn fridge and will cut them and taste in march.


Go Army Hooah



zenith1

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Re: Salt - Methods vs Cheese Type Discussion
« Reply #1 on: December 15, 2011, 03:28:11 PM »
Hey Army..I would consider the fact that you have raw milk available a plus in your cheese making not downside. Anyway seems like you have a lot of questions about your processes. It would be best for you to re-post with your notes for each type of cheese, that way we can give you ideas for each to help on your make. To answer briefly though each type is made based more or less on tradition and also in some cases if you are speaking of for instance Parms(and others) by government regulation. Parm's and Swiss types are brined-along with many other varieties. Cheddars and blues are dry salted either by mixing into the curd before pressing or by applying the salt to the outside of the wheel  to create a salt gradient. Salt plays a big part in the cheese making process-it of course adds flavor, but more importantly it helps control acidification, it increases syneresis, helps in body texture, and in developing the rind. So it is important to use salt in the correct amounts/ times/ and type(dry vs. brine) for the type of cheese you are making. You can use olive oil rubbed on the rind to help slow the drying of the wheel. You of course would apply it before it starts to crack, but the best way is to age at proper conditions to start although most people struggle with this aspect of aging. Another option is to age with natural rind for a couple of months and then vacuum bag the wheel. It seem like you are pretty gung ho on your cheese making. If I could give you one piece of advice it would be to pick a couple of types and try making them a number of times until you have the process understood as far as what to look for in how the curds look and feel(yes feel) at every step of the make. It will greatly benefit you in your growth as a cheese maker when you progress to a new variety and  run into a problem.

lwybrant

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Re: Salt - Methods vs Cheese Type Discussion
« Reply #2 on: December 16, 2011, 02:09:04 AM »
We had a week before break, i had the supplies so we made multiple varieties.  The chedder was really good even though it was not aged.  The parm look like it always has before i think it just needs a bit of aging, it seemed so bland and tastless.  The other wheels look good so far, i dry salted the blue and swiss even though they had a bit of cheese salt mixed in.  I think i may brush off the salt, let them develop the rind and get them in the fridge in my barn after waxing.  Waiting seems to be the hardest,  I have rotated about 9 wheels of cheese in my barn fridge since march.

zenith1

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Re: Salt - Methods vs Cheese Type Discussion
« Reply #3 on: December 16, 2011, 01:01:59 PM »
How old is the Parm? It will take all of a year and more for it to become a really good wheel.