I started a new batch today. Same basic recipe with a few tweaks.
2gal whole past/homogenized milk
4gal 2% past/homogenized milk
.4g TA61
.7g LH100
3/4tsp (4.50g) Lipase (Same amount as always but will be added this much later in the process. Just to try it.)
3 tsp CaCl2 (This used to be 3 tablespoons. But in checking, It should be tsp.)
2 drops Annatto (Just a hair for a slight tinge of yellow.)
Time | Task | Water Temp | Milk Temp | pH |
1:05 | Start | 104.3 | 37 | 6.87 |
1:15 | Added 2 drops annatto | 96 | 43 | 6.9 |
1:25 | Added 3 tsp CaCl2 | 100 | 58 | 6.7 |
1:55 | Started Reydration of Lipase | 103 | 76 | 6.7 |
2:21 | added culture | 120 | 90 | 6.64 |
2:25 | lipase added | 120 | 91 | 6.64 |
2:54 | Rennet Added | 112 | 91 | 6.62 |
3:30 | Curd Cut (looked good) | 112 | 91 | 6.57 |
4:51 | Final Curd stir | 151 | 124 | 6.35* |
*Very happy with final pH. (CHR Hansen indicates a target pH of between 6.3 and 6.4)
Started pressing regime. Using a coarse muslin, not Cheesecloth.
2.1 PSI for 15 min (muslin)
3.2 PSI for 30 (muslin)
3.7 PSI for 2 hours (no muslin, mesh screen on bottom)
4.6 PSI for 12 hours (no no muslin, mesh screen on bottom)
Wheel will now spend 60 hours in salt brine.
Notes:
Was happy with the curd. I used much less CaCl2 this time. I can't believe that I was using 3 tablespoons and should have been using teaspoons.
I was very happy with the pH.
It was dead on.One other note, I observed a 5 min settling time at the end of the cooking time. Basically I held the temp of the curd at 124 deg F for 5 min and did not stir. Let the curd settle under the whey. I am not sure about that step, but it did not hurt anything so i will continue it.
Also, I am happy with the color. I really do not like my cheese to be snow white. The 2 drops of annatto in 6gal of milk provided just enough yellow to give the final cheese a barely-perceptible off-white color. I liked that.
Looks good Wayne! Thanks for collecting and documenting the pH data. That will be helpful for my next batch. What are you using for a cave again? I assume you will just wash and age these traditionally and not waxed?
How do you like that new pH meter!? :)
Ryan
I will use the upright freezer with external thermometer untill i get a regular fridge.
The pH meter is really nice. I really really like it. The nice thing is that I can now check the pH of solid cheese.
My wheels of parm in the cave for example are around pH 5.4.
That look excellent Wayne, congratulations.
Wayne, that wheel looks fantastic.
As Ryan said, thanks also for the Ph information.
Parmesan is one of the cheeses I plan to make more of in the coming year since it is one of my favorites and one that also seems to be quite a challenge to do properly.
Thanks for the post.
Dave
Thanks for the kind words.
But I will add that from a relative effort stand-point, to me at least, its easier to make than Cheddar.
But, I have not eaten any yet, so. Who really knows.
Good job. To me parm is easy, once you get your process down that is. I mean cheddar can look a whole lot of different ways and still be good. When you make parm correctly you know instantly it was made correctly.
Noticed that some of my other wheels of parm had some mold on them. Small spots of mold that some brine was able to remove.
Actually, I just wiped ALL my wheels off while i was at it. Waxed or not.
have you tasted it yet,I would be tempted .
Oh, I am tempted, but smell, feel, and appearence are all the senses i will indulge at this point. Dec 13 2009 is opening day!
So soon Wayne? I'm waiting until Y2K Version 2.0 to open mine, you know at the end of the world.
Wayne:
Thanks for documenting your process in detail, and providing pH levels along the way. I think we will all be better cheesemakers due to your hard work.
Which pH meter do you employ?
Greg
Thanks. You might want to look here (https://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,1071.msg8643.html#msg8643) for more discussions about what pH meters folks use.
Thanks for this!
While I'm new to the whole cheese making "scene", I'm perhaps most excited about trying my hand at a parm. A few questions (feel free to ignore them if they are redundant!)
1) Your pH readings, how difficult do you think it would be to make this cheese sans a pH meter? At the moment, I don't have one, and frankly it's not in the budget anytime soon, perhaps a month or so down the road I could afford one.
2) I was under the impression that parmesan should never be made with fat content higher then 2.5. By my very terrible calculations, 4 gals of 2% and 4 gals of whole (3.25%) that would bring you just barely above that. Does the fat content really not matter THAT much (i.e. being a tiny bit over is ok), and either way why not just go with a total fat content around 2-2.5?
Thanks for the awesome post!
At this stage in my Parm, what should the exterior of this cheese look like?
At the moment, its hard-ish, but not rock hard. It stays moist as the RH in the cave is 80-90%
And i have to keep washing the mold off the outside. I wash them in brine about once a week (There is actually some permanent mold staining as I cannot scrub hard enough to get all the mold off)
Very lovely cheese Wayne! Perfect color too!
I cut this wheel up today.
This was a dense wheel that was tough to cut. Good rind developement. The smell was powerful and the texture was dryish when compared to other types i have made. I would describe it as dense, but ever so slightly damp. A tiny bit salty. (too long in the brine?)
The curd was almost 100% closed.
The taste and smell was spot on. Very very good. My wife grated the wedge and melted it over her grilled chicken leftovers.
I cannot wait till december when its 10 months.
Sounds wonderful Wayne! Parmesian tends to be salty. When it ages the salt will be balanced by the sharpness of its bite. Looks like a real winner to me!