CheeseForum.org ยป Forum
CHEESE TYPE BOARDS (for Cheese Lovers and Cheese Makers) => RENNET COAGULATED - Semi-Hard "Sweet" Washed Curd => Topic started by: GlennK on November 17, 2013, 12:37:41 PM
-
Now air drying, this is my first attempt at a Colby. It's been challenging to find a water bath that I can control, but I think I got it (mostly). I had one problem; During the heating of the curds to 100F it happened in about 10 minutes, instead of the recommended 30. Do you think that will make a difference? And if so, how? What should I watch for?
-
If the temperature rises too quickly it can "cook" the outer skin, making the curds retain more moisture/whey rather than slowly shrinking and expelling the whey. Also, I believe that means there will be some uneven moisture gradients in the pressed cheese. Keep an eye on it, and it should be ok, but the excess whey could lead to it being acidic and crumbly or a bit sour. Time will tell. Looks good though I'm not sure how you got it to stick to the wall! ;)
- Jeff
-
Looks good though I'm not sure how you got it to stick to the wall! ;)
- Jeff
I nail all of mine up. LOL Good looking cheese!!
-
Cheese forum rotates the images for me. ;D
-
Is there a way to know how much this cheese should weigh right now (1 day old) and what happens to the weight over the next 2-3 months? I started off with a gallon of whole milk. If I know the weight, does that reflect the moisture content of the cheese? What other factors would influence weight at this point?
-
Hard to say, but I have at times taken daily measurements of weight and plotted them in excel. The variability from one make to the next can be quite large. Off the top of my head, my makes are usually around 1400 to 1600g for 11 litres out of the press. I've I've not made colby. They usually end up around a kilo or so after a few months.
- Jeff
-
Still more questions for you seasoned veterans...What would be a good humidity range to age this Colby at? The recipe says 55F but doesn't mention humidity. My cave, naturally, is about 60%..if I put a wet sponge it's 72%..I haven't tried higher. Thanks, Glenn
-
So I had a delay (so far) of 5 days before I can wax my new Colby. It's been air drying in my kitchen and a rind has formed that is cracked in some parts. I'm assuming it's from the low humidity of my kitchen. I put in my cheese cave where the humidity is higher (72%). My cheese wax is hopefully arriving tomorrow and I can wax then. Will these cracks be an issue?
-
Nice cheese Glenn!
60% humidity for drying should be ok, but 5 days might be too much at such low humidity. I'm not sure it would cause the rind to crack though. One thing that causes rinds to crack during air drying is too much air circulation. It needs to be well vented, but no "wind" on it.
As for your cheese cave, if waxing or vac sealing, you don't need to worry about humidity.
-
Thanks Spoons. I hope my wax arrives today.
-
Waxed today. 15oz. Aging at 55F & ~ 70% humidity. See you in a few months baby! ::) (Why is CheeseForum rotating my images?)
-
Maybe the forum likes to have all photos in "landscape" (horizontal) mode? I haven't noticed this problem elsewhere.