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CHEESE TYPE BOARDS (for Cheese Lovers and Cheese Makers) => RENNET COAGULATED - Hard Cooked (Swiss) => Topic started by: janij on June 10, 2012, 04:16:25 PM
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My first Swiss is in the swelling stage. I made the cheese on 5/25. It has been sitting out in a box for over a week. i think it is starting to swell, but I am concerned about the rind. The rind is, not wet, but not dry either. I have been having a blue mold problem. I have been wiping it off daily and cracking the lid on the container til the surface dry a little. Should I let it air and dry out the rind some? Or is this normal? Any tips on what swiss rinds should be like?
I have 2 more swiss makes that I am about to take out to swell today so was looking for suggestions.
Thanks,
Jani
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I've been having good luck just at room temperature without any added humidity. At first I covered my cheeses with an overturned bowl to increase the humidity, but it seemed unnecessary. My cheeses exude some oil which I think helps keep the rind pliant. Before they started doing that I wiped them with some olive oil to prevent overdrying. Give it a try and see how it goes!
Good luck!
Below are some pics of the swiss's I have in progress now.....because swelling cheeses are so cool!
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Myrrh,
Those are some beautiful looking cheeses!! I have taken the lids off and covered the containers with loose cloth. We will see if that helps.
Thanks for the suggestion.
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I've been having good luck just at room temperature without any added humidity.
Myrrh, what is your room temp?
-Boofer-
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70 degrees- without much variation since it is AC derived.
Thanks Janij! I'm sure yours will be lovely as well.
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Can you share any make details?
-Boofer-
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Boofer, I am not sure you are asking for mine or Myrrh's but I used the Traditional Swiss recipe in Ricki Carroll's book.
4 gallons whole raw milk
1/4 t thermophilic starter
1/8 t Propionic shermanii
1 t rennet- I used 1/2 t the third time around and did a floc test that time
Heat milk to 90. Add starter and Ps.
Let ripen 10 minutes.
Add rennet. Let set 30 min. (The third time I used a floc multiplier of 2.5 and the floc was at 8 min, cut at 20.)
Cut curds into 1/4" cubes. Maintain 90 for 40 min. I waited 5 minutes before stirring.
Heat curd 1 deg a minute to 120 deg. Should take 30 minutes.
Let settle 5 minutes.
Pour off whey.
Mold quickly. press at 8 # for 15 minutes.
Flip. Press 10# for 30 minutes
Flip. Press 14# for 2 hrs
Flip. Press 14# for 12 hrs.
Brine 12 hrs flipping once.
Put in the cave for 1 week. Then at room temp for 2-3 weeks to swell.
Then back in cave to age.
Myrrh, my rinds are looking so much better. I may need to oil them soon. But the mold is in check now. I think it was just too humid. Thanks.
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Thanks, janij. I was looking for Myrrh's secret for a marvelously swelling alpine, but every little bit of knowledge helps.
I have attempted around a dozen different alpines over the years. Those with PS added have never really swelled like the ones Myrrh pictured. So I am still in search of the secret.
-Boofer-
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I hope Myrrh posts about those as well. They are fun to make but mine are no where as good as those!
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Hi Guys!
Sorry it took me so long to get back to this topic. I had to take a cheesy break for finals. Last final exams ever! I've been working from Sailor's adaptation of Peter Dixon's recipe. I will attach it so you can look at it. I've made two slight variations to see how they differ. The first has been giving me some trouble with the rind (cracking), but the second seems to be holding up perfectly.
First- 4 gallons goat, 2 gallons whole cow, 1 gallon skim cow
1/4 tsp MM100, 1/8 tsp proprionic shermanii
Second- 5 gallon goat, 1 gallon 2% cow
1/4 tsp Aroma B, 1/8 tsp proprionic shermanii
Boofer, I am certainly no expert since these are my first two alpines ever, but could over salting be an issue? I think I remember reading that the proprionic is particularly salt sensitive.
Thanks for the kind words. Hopefully they will turn out well after ageing- I am looking forward to comparing the flavors.
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Boofer, I am certainly no expert since these are my first two alpines ever, but could over salting be an issue? I think I remember reading that the proprionic is particularly salt sensitive.
Yes, I am keenly aware of the salt sensitivity in propionic and have tried to limit the brining. So how long do you brine yours and is it saturated brine?
-Boofer-
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I brined for a bout 8 hours at 18-22%
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Wonder if I OD'ed mine on salt.
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I suppose it's possible. How long have you been brining for?
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I brined them all for 12 hrs in a saturated brine.
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The rule of thumb is 3-4 hours per pound.
Edit: I need to include the consideration of form factor. If you have a thinner, wider cheese, you would want to limit the salt uptake as opposed to a taller, thicker cheese.
-Boofer-
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Oh nice. I always make 4 gallon batches. So maybe not too far off.
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I have bagged all 3 of the swiss cheeses I made. Here is a picture of the 3 about to go back to the cave. The one on the left is the first one I made. it swelled, then shrunk. See the raisin look of the rind? is this normal? I am thinking not. Why did it shrink?
The one in the middle was the second attempt. It swelled the most, but had weird brown dots on it. The one on the right was the 3rd make. They all swelled. Just not very pretty. Any suggestions?
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Anyone has a brine calculator which takes shape (Diameter and hight) into consideration? I keep questioning myself regarding brining in saturated brine with fear of over or under salting.