Author Topic: my first cheeses...  (Read 5582 times)

stuartjc

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my first cheeses...
« on: February 11, 2009, 11:58:41 PM »
This is the result of my experiments in making farmhouse Cheddar.

Cheese on the left is batch 1. It tastes kind of like a feta, but with a more solid, not crumbly texture.

Cheese on the right is batch 2. I added some annatto to make it a buttery yellow colour. The taste is less defined than batch 1, with a smoother texture.

I am very pleased with the results so far :)

Likesspace

  • Guest
Re: my first cheeses...
« Reply #1 on: February 12, 2009, 02:09:24 AM »
Stuart,
The texture on both cheeses look great! Nice and smooth with no open places in the cheese.
What size wheels are these? They appear to be 6" diameter, but it's hard to tell with nothing to use as a reference point.
Regardless they really do look fantastic.
Congratulations on a great start.

Dave

stuartjc

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Re: my first cheeses...
« Reply #2 on: February 12, 2009, 03:55:33 AM »
the mold is about 7.5 inches on the inside diameter. The wheels are about 2 inches tall.

stuartjc

  • Guest
Re: my first cheeses...
« Reply #3 on: February 12, 2009, 03:55:48 AM »
and thank you  :)

Tea

  • Guest
Re: my first cheeses...
« Reply #4 on: February 12, 2009, 04:02:19 AM »
Stuart they look fantastic, congratulations.  So do you know, apart from the colour, why these two cheeses are so different? 

stuartjc

  • Guest
Re: my first cheeses...
« Reply #5 on: February 12, 2009, 04:06:59 AM »
Tea, it's probably because my temperatures were all over the place  ;D

I like the results, but they are not what you'd call "Cheddar"... but hey, only my first two cheeses. I know I will get better!

Tea

  • Guest
Re: my first cheeses...
« Reply #6 on: February 12, 2009, 04:13:26 AM »
I agee, as long as they are edible, I don't mind.  Got to learn somehow.

stuartjc

  • Guest
Re: my first cheeses...
« Reply #7 on: February 12, 2009, 04:17:56 AM »
I agee, as long as they are edible, I don't mind.  Got to learn somehow.

Exactly my thoughts :)

wharris

  • Guest
Re: my first cheeses...
« Reply #8 on: February 12, 2009, 07:15:26 AM »
Congrats.  They look better than the cheese of mine i was eating today...


My recommendations are to develope a system of logging exactly what you did (And did wrong) so you can go back and figure out what works and what does not.

Good luck..

LadyLiberty

  • Guest
Re: my first cheeses...
« Reply #9 on: February 12, 2009, 08:42:21 AM »
Congrats.  They look good!  That's the first kind we made too.  How long did you let it age?  Ours is still in the "cave". We will try it in about two weeks.  It will be around 1.5 months old.

I know people who are into "slow" food... They haven't tried making cheese yet to know what real Slow food is!

This is teaching me patience!

Offline Cartierusm

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Re: my first cheeses...
« Reply #10 on: February 12, 2009, 09:10:26 AM »
Yeah, how long did you age them for?

LadyLiberty

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Re: my first cheeses...
« Reply #11 on: February 12, 2009, 10:34:06 AM »
Yeah, how long did you age them for?

Carter is 1.5 months long enough aged to have a decent farmhouse cheddar?

stuartjc

  • Guest
Re: my first cheeses...
« Reply #12 on: February 12, 2009, 01:02:28 PM »
these cheeses are made to the "farmhouse Cheddar" recipe I got in the booklet with my kit from Leeners. I made them on Saturday and Sunday this week, and they are already edible. I will lay some down in the basement for aging, but having edible results this quickly is giving me the spur to make more, and make it properly.... which is probably exactly the point they were trying to achieve ;)

Offline Cartierusm

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Re: my first cheeses...
« Reply #13 on: February 12, 2009, 07:28:16 PM »
Really edible already? Mine has zero flavor at that stage. LL, 1.5 is really the bare minimum for cheddar, if you can wait 3-6 months it will be way better.

stuartjc

  • Guest
Re: my first cheeses...
« Reply #14 on: February 12, 2009, 07:30:39 PM »
edible, if a little bland. I have no doubt the taste will improve over time, so I have vacuum sealed 2 bags with 1/4 of each cheese in it for later consumption.