CheeseForum.org ยป Forum

GENERAL CHEESE MAKING BOARDS (Specific Cheese Making in Boards above) => Problems - Questions - Problems - Questions? => Topic started by: Tiarella on September 30, 2013, 12:12:04 AM

Title: Help, I left cheese in brine too long!
Post by: Tiarella on September 30, 2013, 12:12:04 AM
I made a nice little Caerphilly style cheese yesterday, took it out of the press this morning at 7 am before I went to the barn and then my day got going and I totally forgot about it until it had been in the heavy brine for 12 hours!  Yipes!  It was partly because I went to the next town to consult on some landscaping/grading issues and was gone so long I didn't remember my cheese and gosh it was chore time....

This cheese did get cheddared with 1 1/2 tsp salt and then rubbed with a teaspoon of salt between pressings.  It's a 3 gallon make and it was supposed to be in the brine for 45 minutes per 2 pounds of cheese.  I didn't weigh it before putting it in the brine.  (I was late for milking already) It weighs 3 pounds, 8.3 ounces now.  Is there something I can soak it in that will have the salt leach out?  or should I just accept that it's going to be WAY too salty???  I am selling off much of my milking herd so I won't have as much milk for experiments so it's a bit hard to lose this cheese to a salt brine fiasco.   :-\
Title: Re: Help, I left cheese in brine too long!
Post by: hoeklijn on September 30, 2013, 05:56:52 AM
Hi Kathrin, that's too bad. I read once that you can try to soak it in milk for a couple of hours. Didn't have to try that myself, so I don't know if it will help. I hope so....
Title: Re: Help, I left cheese in brine too long!
Post by: Boofer on September 30, 2013, 01:29:10 PM
I thought the Welsh miners needed that saltiness in the Caerphilly to replenish their body salts lost in the hot, sweaty mines.

That problem is solved!

Kathrin, you just need to find some Welsh miners. ;)

-Boofer-
Title: Re: Help, I left cheese in brine too long!
Post by: linuxboy on September 30, 2013, 01:47:36 PM
Soak in water adjusted for pH and calcium.
Title: Re: Help, I left cheese in brine too long!
Post by: Tiarella on September 30, 2013, 03:09:07 PM
Soak in water adjusted for pH and calcium.

Without a pH meter I'm not sure how to proceed with that.  I thought I remembered that doing something like this would cause it to balance out but need more precise instructions if you have some. 
Title: Re: Help, I left cheese in brine too long!
Post by: Tiarella on September 30, 2013, 03:11:59 PM
I thought the Welsh miners needed that saltiness in the Caerphilly to replenish their body salts lost in the hot, sweaty mines.

That problem is solved!

Kathrin, you just need to find some Welsh miners. ;)

-Boofer-

And the Boofmeister leaps in to save the day again!!!!! ^-^.  if you see any salt deficient Welsh miners wandering around you be sure to send them my way please!!!   ;D
Title: Re: Help, I left cheese in brine too long!
Post by: linuxboy on September 30, 2013, 04:54:20 PM
Soak in water adjusted for pH and calcium.

Without a pH meter I'm not sure how to proceed with that.  I thought I remembered that doing something like this would cause it to balance out but need more precise instructions if you have some.

Oh right. Sorry. 1 gallon water, 2-3 tablespoons CaCl2, 1-2 Tablespoons vinegar. It's like making a brine but without the salt.
Title: Re: Help, I left cheese in brine too long!
Post by: Smurfmacaw on September 30, 2013, 05:18:33 PM
Anti-brine!
Title: Re: Help, I left cheese in brine too long!
Post by: Tiarella on September 30, 2013, 06:16:52 PM
Thank you SO much, Linuxboy!  Unfortunately I'm away at my downtown office now but will do this when I get back home.  Hope it isn't too late/too dry then.
Title: Re: Help, I left cheese in brine too long!
Post by: linuxboy on September 30, 2013, 07:22:32 PM
You'll be fine. Target the water temp to be the same as the cheese
Title: Re: Help, I left cheese in brine too long!
Post by: Tiarella on October 01, 2013, 01:19:51 AM
 :(
You'll be fine. Target the water temp to be the same as the cheese

oops, forgot to ask how long to leave it in there.  The logical mind, the one that believes the entire universe is made up of pasta and anti-pasta, thinks I should leave it in there the exact number of hours it was in the brine too long which would have it in there for about 11 1/2 hours.  But then, I am totally clueless about this.  I hate to bother you again but I'd love a sense of how long I should leave it in there.
Title: Re: Help, I left cheese in brine too long!
Post by: linuxboy on October 01, 2013, 01:31:57 AM
I don't like anti-pasta; long story. Nah, that's a bit long. 8 hrs or so should do it. What final salt % are you targeting?

If you are a fellow pastafarian, may you be touched by his noodly appendages http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Touched_by_His_Noodly_Appendage.jpg (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Touched_by_His_Noodly_Appendage.jpg).

Title: Re: Help, I left cheese in brine too long!
Post by: Tiarella on October 01, 2013, 02:50:20 AM
I don't like anti-pasta; long story. Nah, that's a bit long. 8 hrs or so should do it. What final salt % are you targeting?

If you are a fellow pastafarian, may you be touched by his noodly appendages [url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Touched_by_His_Noodly_Appendage.jpg[/url] ([url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Touched_by_His_Noodly_Appendage.jpg[/url]).


This is sort of  ("sort of" because it's rare for me to do more than use recipes as guidelines or ideas) from Gianaclis Caldwell's book.  She has one salt it twice, once at the cheddaring stage  (she says 1 % of curd weight) and once rubbing the salt on when flipping between presses.  (again, 1 % of weight)  She doesn't seem to mention final salt %.  Any hints? 

Because I really need my sleep tonight I'll take it out of the anti-brine and go to bed and then wake up and put it back in for whatever amount of time is deemed necessary.  (or whatever time period my squirrelly brain comes up with)  Again, hints welcome......  and very much appreciated.  I'll check out the pasta link.....    ;D
Title: Re: Help, I left cheese in brine too long!
Post by: scasnerkay on October 09, 2014, 07:59:12 PM
Tiarella, I am curious what happened with this cheese? I just left a 3.5 # tomme in the brine 5 hours longer than intended... It is now in the "anti-brine" for a 4 - 5 hour attempt at reversal....
Title: Re: Help, I left cheese in brine too long!
Post by: John@PC on October 09, 2014, 09:08:38 PM
Thanks for reviving this Susan as I've wondered what you could do in this situation so I'll use Pav's "solution" if I over-brine :). 
Title: Re: Help, I left cheese in brine too long!
Post by: Tiarella on October 09, 2014, 11:03:07 PM
You know, Susan, I really don't remember.  I might still have it doing a long term aging but I probably ate it.  I will probably check out what is aging sometime soon because I don't really have enough milk production going on to make hard cheese.  I HAVE been having loads of fun with small batches of "Lackadaisical Cheese" that are coming out very tasty no matter what I do as far as timing, etc.  In fact, I'm expanding my frontier of exactly what you can omit from a recipe's instructions and still have amazing cheese.  This week I'm doing a Humboldt Fog style cheese in a jar.  It's in the pre-drain stage now and will go into the mold soon. 

if I find the cheese that this thread references I'll post about it.  Otherwise consider that it's calories have been burned already.

 ;)  -Kathrin
Title: Re: Help, I left cheese in brine too long!
Post by: H-K-J on October 10, 2014, 01:23:54 AM
if I find the cheese that this thread references I'll post about it.  Otherwise consider that it's calories have been burned already.

 ;)  -Kathrin

Ms T, (http://www.z4-forum.com/forum/images/smilies/smilie_thumbsup.gif)
Title: Re: Help, I left cheese in brine too long!
Post by: Tiarella on October 10, 2014, 01:59:57 AM
if I find the cheese that this thread references I'll post about it.  Otherwise consider that it's calories have been burned already.

 ;)  -Kathrin

Ms T, ([url]http://www.z4-forum.com/forum/images/smilies/smilie_thumbsup.gif[/url])


Hey there, HKJ!!!!!  Nice to see you!   ;D  Yeah, consider me just a cheese calorie incinerator.  Burn through them all getting ready for winter.  hooves to trim, strawberry beds to replant, hazelnuts and quince to pick along with a late MASSIVE crop of raspberries.  Breeding season is here for the goats and sheep, etc. etc.  It's all good but there's too much of it!
Title: Re: Help, I left cheese in brine too long!
Post by: Mermaid on April 14, 2015, 02:28:10 PM
So I just discovered a batch of cheese I forgot about in the brine- an appenzeller brining since March 31. I usually brine it for 3 days because they're 25 lb wheels. It's april 14th now and I'm feeling really stupid. Is this going to make it too salty? Could I just age it out longer to make a grating cheese? Help?
Title: Re: Help, I left cheese in brine too long!
Post by: Stinky on April 14, 2015, 03:07:10 PM
Hmm, this is interesting. For starters, I'd put it in an anti-brine. Water with vinegar and CaCl2 but no salt. This will draw out some of the salt. You could also shave off a bit and see how salty it is. If it's really salty, maybe cut it into cubes and make feta sort of with it, or try aging it for a very long time.
Title: Re: Help, I left cheese in brine too long!
Post by: Mermaid on April 14, 2015, 03:22:39 PM
Thanks. My only aversion to doing the anti brine is the size of the wheels and the volume of the brine tank. Not sure where I would anti brine them...
Title: Re: Help, I left cheese in brine too long!
Post by: Tiarella on April 21, 2015, 11:08:15 AM
Mermaid, I'm in Chester, MA. Where are you?  Nice to see another MA person here!