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CHEESE TYPE BOARDS (for Cheese Lovers and Cheese Makers) => RENNET COAGULATED - Hard Grana (Grating Cheesee) => Topic started by: Cartierusm on February 06, 2009, 08:38:20 AM
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Starting another large Parmesan tomorrow, well I guess it's today right now. My objectives are making it with some PH control and a nice knit. I'll be trying some different things this time. Plastic Cheese Cloth on sides and 2 circles on top and bottom. I'll do this for the initial presses, then for the final press I'll use my Embossing plates and no cheese cloth.
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Some "during pics" it's in the rennet stage now.
I'm trying some new things this time. Such as the second pic, I'm stirring during the heat up. I use a pump in the boiler to circulate the water bath and I figure what's good for the goose is good for the parmesan. It worked well heated up quicker but I'm sure it was more gentle, no hot spots or milk lingering at the bottom of the vat.
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I don't know if CaCl supposed to be stored in the frig but mine has some odd small growth floating in it so I didn't use it this time. I knew this was going to be a test.
The curds are definatley softer looking, but they don't fall apart as when I use CaCl. So they are a little softer but nice, I don't get so many little bits.
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This wasn't a perfect batch as far as the handling. I had a bug die in it while it was cooking but it was at the top not near the curds. Also the mixer doesn't work that well, either it's too slow or the blades are in the wrong configuration. What it does is push the curds around and they still mat because they're not being mixed but pushed. So I think I'll make a cork screw type paddle as in the picks of Parmesan being made. I ended up using my braun stick blender to get the curds to the rice size. Seems to work fine, this was, mind you, at the end of cooking, before going into the mold.
As I said earlier the curds were great without CaCl, very firm. Also they, so far are knitting together and I did as Dave and the pics suggested, left the curds in the whey as I ladeled them into the mold, and the mold was in a deep bucket, the one I use to catch the whey as it drains. So it was covered with whey until I pressed it. I'll post pics when it's out of the mold.
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I'm looking forward to seeing this one, Carter.
Good luck!
Dave
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Looks good. Always fun when you have to improvise at the last minute! Did you check or monitor pH at all? If so what was going on? I'm also interested to hear how the 'cloth' worked out in the press.
It's always impressive when you make a cheese!
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I will not be detailing the saga of the cloth in this thread. Please refer to the equipment room. Thank you for attention to this matter, please direct all questions to the administration.
Now that, that is out of the way. I just finished watching The Day the Earth Stood Still, they should have called it the Day My Brain Stood Still, stupidest, weakest plot in the history of cinema.
Oh sorry we were talking about cheese.
Ryan, Ryan, Ryan, of course I monitored PH. I almost mointored it with acid titration but thought that, that might be over doing it at this point. My text books call for titration readings at different points. For the parmesan it's only after rennet is added, so I figure by that point it doesn't matter I can't change anything unless I'm taking readings every 5 minutes checking for change so I said screw it. My PH was on target I got a PH off of the press whey at 5.6, which is pretty good.
Ryan, sorry about the phone, I was seriously distracted, my GF just showed up for the weekend my brother had a voluntary case of terets and I noticed that one of my deck chairs was out front of my house. I was like what the hell is my chair doing there? I brought it back to my REAR deck and it was dry, and it had been raining all day. Then I noticed that it hadn't been peeling like the other chairs. So I must assume that one of my neighbors at one point had taken my chair, or something? I do have video surveillance on my property, I'll have to check it out at some point. So if I wasn't very helpful it's because I had a lot on my mind and I just finished making the Parm and was complining my mental notes.
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Carter?
(Dave: arms crossed and tapping his foot rapidly)
Any pics of the finished product yet?
You know I have patience issues.
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........tap, tap, tap
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We're waiting.........
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LOL was at a Bat' Mhitzva today...thank god I'm not religious, when they tell you to pray for something I wished for death. (P.S. not pushing my point of view, this is my belief and i'm not trying to offend anyone.)
Here are some pics.
P.S. As you can see it knitted perfectly, it's not wet at all, firm, rubbery and can be handles without being scared of it breaking apart which I get with most cheese (which is normal in the early days). I did use higher pressure in the beginning and it might have made a difference, plus I made sure to mill the curds a lot before pressing.
To quote Mayor Goldie Wilson from Back to the Future, "Progress is my middle name". I read in my text book to air dry the Parm for 2 days before brining and I am always trying new theories. So I put it in the cave at 55F 85%. WORKED freakin' great. The rind is already hard and no cracks. Just flipped and will brine once the new side has a rind too.
P.P.S This first pic is of course the side that was down on the bamboo in the drying stage so it doesn't have the rind yet and has bamboo marks.
P.P.P.S. The white blotches are under the surface and the surface is smooth. I've got white blotches everytime I make Parm. This time some Lipase, even though I rehydrated for 1 hour, rose to the surface. I don't know that lipase like to be mixed in, it likes to separate, that is my theory behind the white blotches.
P.P.P.P.S. I cut off the nubs on the top and bottom before putting in the cave as they have to go, but left the ones on the side. I hate sitting there for 10 minutes doing teadious things. But that was good since I air dried this in the cave when I took it out just now to take pics the nubs were hard so I could cut the sides ones way easier than when they first come out of the mold. Next time I'll not cut any until it has air dried in the cellar for a day or so.
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Wow, looks wonderfull..
Interesting that the coloring has a mottled(sp?) look, like my cheddars... wonder what that is....
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Gosh Wayne did you even read my post or did you just look at the pretty pictures and get distracted?
I said above that the lipase doesn't like to disperse in milk much, and this time I got some that floated to the top so I think it's just the lipase doesn't get into every nook and cranny. This is what all mine look like.
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Carter, once again that is an impressive cheese! Thanks for the info on the phone the other day even if it was a little disjointed I still got the gist of it! ;D
This cheese really did look to knit about perfectly! That is a curious observation regarding the lipase...what observations, other than the white blotches, do you have to support that theory. Did you notice a concentration of the lipase smell/flavor there? Could it be some butterfat that coagulates together? Is it very superficial in the sense that it could be rubbed off or cut off? If it has some 'substance' to it.. it likely had to adhear to something to create a mass behind it. How much lipase did you add for 15 gallons?
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It was late, and I had several glases of wine in me.
Your big long post had lots of boring words and big pretty pictures.
Of course i didn't READ your post.. I just looked at the cheese porn.
(Ok, I've read it now.... jeez)
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Carter and Wayne.....thanks for the laugh. That cracked me up.
Carter......
That is impressive. Maybe even worth the wait!
In my opinion it simply could not look any better than it does and I think that the white blotches, really give it a good parmesan look.
Also, the designs are fantastic. Looks as if you got a perfect press on this one.
Fantastic job. Wow!
Dave
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LOL with Wayne.
Chili of course I have no proof, I'm american I don't need proof my word should be....well that's another conversation all together...LOL
I just notice this batch particularly the lipase had risen in one spot to the top. And I've always had blotchy parms and the parms are yellow I suspect from the lipase. For my 15 gallon batches I use 2 teaspoons.
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Well done Carter, and I still am envious of those followers. So what are you going to do with all the parm?
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Since it takes a minimum of 10 months to age and I use a lot of it in cooking. I'll just keep making it and aging it. I'm going to try for some 5 year and more.
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Just an update, this cheese is doing fantabulous. It's still in the brine until Saturday, but no cracks, still one solid mass, nice tight curd knit. I'll post pics when it comes out of the brine.
I'm starting to take different kinds of notes in my recipe sheets. Such as how much whey got expelled at different stages, so if a new batch is not releasing enough I can look back and see if that's normal or maybe I drained too much or not enough. I always press with the same regiment so that's not an issue. Also I take close up high res pics every few days of all my cheese when I go to turn them so if I see a surface defect I can go back and see if it was always there. I love digital cameras, no cost no matter how many pics you take. I'm also taking notes on my aging procedures. So after a few weeks I'll be sure on how to air dry without getting cracks or excess whey during aging.
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I hate to toot my own horn, but this Parm is PERFECT. No surface blemishes, aside from one I got trying to push it back in the mold after flipping. It's outside is hard no cracks or decay. The color is uniform, nothing leaked out and my brine is as clear as water. I'm very very happy with this cheese. This is why we make and make until we get it perfect. The embossing is crystal clear too no erosion. Here are some pics.
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Carter...
I think you have just produced the best looking home cheese wheel I've ever seen.
I'm not joking.
That is perfect.
Congrats!
Dave
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These pics really don't do it justice, in person it looks beautiful.