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CHEESE TYPE BOARDS (for Cheese Lovers and Cheese Makers) => RENNET COAGULATED - Hard Cooked (Swiss) => Topic started by: cmharris6002 on September 13, 2009, 06:39:00 PM
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I made a traditional Swiss with 4 gallons of goat milk. After ripening at 55F for 10 days I brought it into my kitchen to allow for eye development. The rind is getting oily, should I move it to a cooler room?
Christy
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Probably too warm and it's oozing milk fats.
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You need to keep swiss below 65, 60 is better, to keep fat off the rind. If you keep it too warm, and it keeps oozing, it will dry the interior out signicantly.
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Thanks! I moved it to the basement. This is my first attempt with eye development and I wasn't sure what to expect :)
The recipe said to move it to a warm humid room 68F-74F. I brought it up from the cave this morning but when I saw the oil excrete I thought it was getting too warm.
I have an Emmental in the press today made with a recipe from a different book and it also recommends 68F-75F for two to three weeks for eye formation. I’d be lost with out you guys!!
Christy
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My recipes have also said 68 to 75F (room temp), but over 70 is DEFINITELY too high. The oozing seems to be affected by barometric pressure and humidity. As Francois said, 60 to 65 is much better.
I did an Emmental a few months back that oozed like crazy. When we cracked it 3 months later, the cheese had a wonderful flavor but was very dry.
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Well I'm glad caught the Traditional Swiss after just 8 hours at room temp. I doubt it will be too altered.
I am so glad I asked though, or I would have been very disappointed.
Christy
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I find the Emmentals work better for me in the fall, winter and spring (much like fermented sausages). My house gets very hot and humid in the summer.
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That is good advice Debi. I guess I can put off making more until October. The thing is, November 1st I go to once a day milking then the goats are dry from Thanksgiving until mid January. I don’t make cheese with milk from once a day milking so I have very little cheese making time left this season.
I checked this morning and the cheese is still excreting oil. I put it back in the cave at 53F. Can I make my Swiss style cheeses now and take them out this winter when the basement is 60F-65F for eye development?
Christy
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No. The Propionic bacteria need to develop early and release CO2 to make the "eyes". If you wait, all of the lactose may be consumed by your starter bacteria, or there may be lots of other things that will stop the CO2 process. Just try to keep them as cool (close to 65F) as you can.
FYI - eye formation is VERY few home cheesemakers obtain good eye formation. The bigger the cheese, the more that the CO2 gets trapped and makes eyes. On small cheeses, the CO2 escapes thru the surface without making the classic big eyes. Historically, the Alpine cheesemakers would typically do a 200 pound wheel.
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Hmmmm... 200 lbs is only 25 gallons I can get that much milk in just a few days. Now, if I can find a way to turn this 30 gallon drum and this cider press into a cheese press I might try it some day :D
(http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f144/cmharris6002/30gallon.jpg)
(http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f144/cmharris6002/CopyofCiderpress.jpg)
I guess I'll just do the best I can with the two I have made and try again in February. Now I'm thinking big :o
Christy
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Gosh Christy you'll need us all over there to sit on that cheese! NOw that's when you really need hydraulics!
Does your basement stay cool in the summer? Maybe a small cooler with some ice in the bottom? That's a trick we used to use for brewing beer in the summer.
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I get about 1.25 pounds of cheese per gallon of raw cows milk. That's 160+ gallons of milk to make a 200# wheel.
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Gee even Wayne can't do that much milk! I did see some used 150 gallon vats on slae someplace though ... Hey Wayne! Only $1200!
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I'll have 12 goats in milk in Feb. Each one will give an avarage of a gallon a day, so it would take me two weeks to get that much milk! And I can just forget about finding a drum big enough LOL! I must have done the math backwards ??? I think it would be fun to make a 25lb wheel sometime though.
Christy
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A gallon of milk is around 8 pounds. So 25 gallons of MILK would be 200 pounds.
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Way to big for me to handle!
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I was thinking we could move it on a pallet with a fork lift and age it at the winery but I have no idea how we would flip it or brine it.
Christy
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The Alpine cheesemakers (men) made really big wheels of HARD cheese that could survive travel down the mountains on pack animals. Don't know how they did it. Have not seen any references on techniques.
The French (women) on the other hand were content with making softer cheeses because the land was so much flatter.
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Gee even Wayne can't do that much milk! I did see some used 150 gallon vats on slae someplace though ... Hey Wayne! Only $1200!
Don't temp me...... :)
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Oh come on Wayne. Don't be a cheese weeny. Go 4 it. Just a LITTLE bigger pot and you're there anyway. Brining??? Now that's another question. I'm thinking kiddie swimming pool..... ::)
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Someday