Author Topic: My my, Maasdam...again?  (Read 10199 times)

Offline Boofer

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Re: My my, Maasdam...again?
« Reply #15 on: June 20, 2012, 02:01:35 PM »
I'm not sure if the same products are available to you, but I buy (off of EBay) and use rolls of 8-inch (20.32cm) and 11-inch (27.94cm) x 50 feet (15.24m) plastic bagging. It works well. The two sizes allow me to bag a regular size Tomme wheel (7.5inch/19.05cm) or to seal up smaller wedges and chunks of cheese.

The absence of air to the food product really extends its viability for not just cheese, but other foods as well. Simply amazing.

A lot of folks have different inventive schemes for identifying their cheeses. I simply use a Sharpie indelible (permanent) marking pen to mark the vacuum bag. Quick and efficient...not necessarily all that elegant, but it works for me. It doesn't touch or corrupt the cheese like a food-safe marker on the rind might or an embossed rind might. The unasked question for those methods is how do you then mark them when you cut the cheese?

FWIW....   ;)

-Boofer-
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hoeklijn

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Re: My my, Maasdam...again?
« Reply #16 on: June 20, 2012, 05:28:35 PM »
Same brandname and several types available. Plus several sorts of foil, bags and vacuum containers. But for now I will continue coating. Summer holiday is coming up and before that I will make some gouda types and then continue after holidays again...

Offline Boofer

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Re: My my, Maasdam...again?
« Reply #17 on: June 29, 2012, 01:49:32 PM »
I have had some difficulty getting my alpines with Propionic shermanii (PS) to successfully create eyes. I do realize that these styles, Emmentaler and the Goutalers (Maasdam, Jarlsberg, etc.), possess a lower level of salt which facilitates PS growth and viability. I also realize that smaller form cheeses have a more difficult time developing large eyes. Could part of that difficulty arise from the need to have reduced salt paste towards the interior of the cheese and that depth of paste from the rind is not available in smaller cheeses? The attached document indicates that the further from the rind, the better chances of growing PS.

In the past I have brined a 4 pound wheel for 10-12 hours. With this particular make, I brined for 12 hours and then dry-salted the exterior. As can be seen from the pictures posted, this does not prevent rind growth of blue or other molds. I think I need to do a make, exclude the brining step, and do a limited dry-salting to the rind.

Alternatively, I am considering taking the cheese from the press and not brining or dry-salting at all through the Cold Period and Warm Period. Then, after eyes have hopefully been maximized in the Warm Period, either brine or dry-salt normally. Rind maintenance during the Warm Period would include wiping/brushing with vinegar-salt. Hopefully the salt from that would be low impact to the PS viability.

Opinions?

-Boofer-
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Offline Boofer

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Re: My my, Maasdam...again?
« Reply #18 on: August 18, 2012, 04:15:41 PM »
Just past the 3-month mark....

I was going to remove a little moisture from the vacuum bag when I decided to cut it instead. Looks fairly decent inside. Smaller eyes than I imagined, but they are okay for this size wheel. The texture is spot on, salt level is good, Swiss flavor is good.

There is a characteristic that I have had in some of my other Swiss-type cheeses, but it isn't in this cheese...and that is GOOD. What I am referencing is the tendency for the cheese to be propionically acidic. I believe the PS added to the milk creates too much acid which normally creates that "Swiss" taste, but if it's too much, the taste is slightly acid and "off". Wonderfully for this cheese make the PS profile is within margins and the taste is pretty much on target.

-Boofer-
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JeffHamm

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Re: My my, Maasdam...again?
« Reply #19 on: August 18, 2012, 07:07:12 PM »
That's a nice looking swiss boofer!  A cheese to you.  Sounds like you've got your PS level tweaked as well.

- Jeff

Offline Boofer

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Re: My my, Maasdam...again?
« Reply #20 on: August 18, 2012, 11:05:36 PM »
Thanks, Jeff, workin' it.

-Boofer-
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george

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Re: My my, Maasdam...again?
« Reply #21 on: August 19, 2012, 10:32:15 AM »
Nice one, Boofer!

In reference to your prior question about salting - don't you need to do SOME sort of salting after press to slow down the acidity buildup? (I'm thinking pretty much all cheeses.)  The notes I have for the Baby Swiss from Sailor and LB said that although the original recipe called for brining AND dry salting, Sailor had brined only - and for a shorter time - with no dry salt, and it came out just fine.  So did mine, actually (well, except for the fact that it melted on the shelf).  So I'd think to go one or the other, but not both - and I'm thinking brine, only for less time, else maybe it would take too long for the dry salting to penetrate all the way through the paste and stop the acidity demons?

(Wow, was THAT a big run-on post, or what?)

Offline Boofer

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Re: My my, Maasdam...again?
« Reply #22 on: August 19, 2012, 03:21:06 PM »
I've been trying to achieve a decent salt content that doesn't impact the PS development (eyes & Swiss flavor). With this make, it seems I'm closer to the answer. Still too early though. Several more run-throughs of this recipe could nail it down.

-Boofer-
Let's ferment something!
Bread, beer, wine, cheese...it's all good.