CheeseForum.org » Forum

CHEESE TYPE BOARDS (for Cheese Lovers and Cheese Makers) => ADJUNCT - Washed Rind & Smear Ripened => Topic started by: dbudge55 on October 08, 2012, 03:29:51 AM

Title: Joining the Reblochon Party
Post by: dbudge55 on October 08, 2012, 03:29:51 AM
This is actually my second Reb make. I made one last night but I had some problems with my ph meter. It was “drifting up so I ended up with a pretty acidic cheese. After 12 hours in the molds they were at 5.18 ph so I salted them and decided to make it again. So, here's the make notes from my second try.

4 gal Pasteurized COT Whole Milk
1/4 tsp PLA
1/8 tsp MY800
1/8 tsp Flora-Danica

Warmed milk to 94.5 degrees F – ph 6.63

3:30 added cultures and molds let rehydrate for 5 minutes
3:36 finished stirring cultures and molds put cover on milk to retain heat.

I checked the ph and I'm still having some problems with my meter so I recalibrated it then checked it against the buffer as I went forward. I'm pretty sure the readings are close but, who knows, maybe my buffer solution is off. Anyhow, Yoav is right, the curve on the acidity goes from slow to fast quickly. I caught it, though, pretty close to the target. 

4:29 added ½ tsp CaCl, ph 6.52, 94degree F.
4:31 added ¾ tsp single strength calf rennet
4:46 Floc time 16 minutes → total set time 40 minutes
5:11 Cut curd to 3/4” finished cutting at 5:16
5:16: 5 min rest

Like Larry, I have a hell of a time cutting the curd to a consistent 1.4th inch. Using the whisk the final product was all over the map from rice size to ½ inch. Did my best. 
 
5:21 cut to 1/4” curd finished cutting at 5:26 94 degree F
5:26 5 minute rest
I'm still too inexperienced to have a real strong feel for when the curd is ready. I stirred for about 11 minutes checking the cured at minutes, 8 minutes and finally at 11 minutes it felt like it matted easily. One of those things, I suppose, where experience will pay off at some point in the future. But the ph target seemed to be about right.

5:31 stirred → 5:43, ph 6:48

I don't know if I actually needed to use cheese cloth when I filled the hoops. Seemed like the right thing to do at the time but I'm wondering if anyone has an opinion on it.

6:06 finished hooping press with 3 #s

When I flipped them I had a pretty good knit so I decided to leave the cheese cloth out for subsequent pressing.

6:41 flipped continued to press at 3#s
7:43 flipped continued to press at 3#s

9:15 Checked ph and at three hours was 5.58 decided to de-press and set it in the yeast room. . Seems to be acidifying faster than expected.

Here are some pics. I'll post more  tomorrow after I de-mold and going forward.
Title: Re: Joining the Reblochon Party
Post by: LoftyNotions on October 08, 2012, 04:15:34 AM
Cool! Two Montana boys get to fumble through this together. :)

I used cheese cloth for my first two flips and then went bare. That seemed to work pretty well for me. Do you have 8 Rebs in your yeasting room right now?

It'll be interesting to compare your 2 makes. Mine ended up at 5.05 pH, and I'm accepting that for now.

What pH meter do you have? I felt like my Extech was drifting around a little bit, but probably never more than .05 or so. I ended up recalibrating several times during my make. Letting it stabilize for at least a couple minutes seems to help.

Anyway, congratulations, and a cheese for all your cheeses.

Larry
Title: Re: Joining the Reblochon Party
Post by: dbudge55 on October 08, 2012, 04:23:00 AM
Yep, there's 8 of those bad boys in the yeast room. I'm interested in seeing the difference too. I have the Extech 100 as well. I had to replace the electrode last week and this is it with the new part. But I had the same problem with the first one drifting when I first got it but then it seemed to stabilize - or maybe it's just the operator  ;D.

Are you going to use pine under your Rebs? I can't find any spruce here either. I think I'll use pine on half of them as Yoav suggested since I have 8 of them.
Title: Re: Joining the Reblochon Party
Post by: Boofer on October 08, 2012, 03:32:25 PM
Looking good!

My ExStik PH100 drifted here & there, up & down, and was pretty frustrating. I soaked it in cleaning solution, recalibrated, and (voilà!) problem solved. Mind you, it will drift a bit homing in on the identified pH & temperature. It is not like a digital thermometer that nails the target BAM!

FWIW.

-Boofer-
Title: Re: Joining the Reblochon Party
Post by: dbudge55 on October 08, 2012, 04:04:04 PM
Thanks, Boofer. I just ordered some. Hope it works.

BTW, I was just informed by Yoav that his recipe says use 1/4 tsp of PLA but should be 1/8 tsp. We'll see how it affects the make.
Title: Re: Joining the Reblochon Party
Post by: LoftyNotions on October 08, 2012, 04:17:41 PM
I soaked it in cleaning solution...

-Boofer-

Hi Boofer,

What do you use for cleaning solution? I've been soaking mine in 4.01 cal solution, rinsing it and wiping with a paper towel. Maybe I need to be doing more?

Thanks,

Larry
Title: Re: Joining the Reblochon Party
Post by: bbracken677 on October 08, 2012, 06:36:26 PM
I use a water/vinegar solution for cleaning. Mine isnt as precise as Boofer's but have only had to calibrate it twice. I think it is important after a make to clean it in an acidic solution to help get any milk residue off.
Title: Re: Joining the Reblochon Party
Post by: Boofer on October 09, 2012, 02:20:29 PM
Thanks, Boofer. I just ordered some. Hope it works.

BTW, I was just informed by Yoav that his recipe says use 1/4 tsp of PLA but should be 1/8 tsp. We'll see how it affects the make.
I used 1/16 tsp in my Reb #3 (http://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,9898.0.html) and it seemed to do just fine.

I use a rinsing solution (http://www.amazon.com/Extech-BUFFER-SOLUTIONS-INCLUDES-Product/dp/B000NI4AVE/ref=pd_bxgy_hi_img_y) I bought a while back. Since then, I have bought 4 oz. bottles of pH4.00 and pH7.00.

I've attached a couple of saved docs for your reading pleasure.  ;)

Perhaps someone has an updated cleaning solution?

-Boofer-
Title: Re: Joining the Reblochon Party
Post by: dbudge55 on October 09, 2012, 02:46:06 PM
Thanks, Boofer. You da man! And, yes, I have been doing it wrong...

Learn, start over, and never give up. Never!
Title: Re: Joining the Reblochon Party
Post by: bbracken677 on October 09, 2012, 03:29:20 PM
Boofer: I read somewhere that rinsing the probe in a vinegar/water solution would help keep the probe clean (in reference to the use in milk)...I do this before and after each make. So far, I have only had to recalibrate once since I purchased it. In between uses during the make, I keep it in a cup of sterile non-chlorinated water.
Granted, it is not as precise as yours, but I haven't had any problems with fluctuation or the need to recalibrate often...soon I will be buying one with a 2 decimal readout. Have been checking out various options that are accurate, 2 decimal read-out, and yet reasonably priced. Amazon is a great resource since they have reviews by people who have bought and used the items.
Title: Re: Joining the Reblochon Party
Post by: LoftyNotions on October 09, 2012, 03:52:14 PM
Thanks Boofer and bbracken. Good stuff.

Speaking of pH measurements, what pH did your second batch get salted at, dbudge? And at how many hours after starting to press?

Thanks all.

Larry
Title: Re: Joining the Reblochon Party
Post by: dbudge55 on October 09, 2012, 03:55:56 PM
It was at 5.2 at de-molding after 8 hours. That said, I'm not confident in my ph readings since my buffer solution was both old and not stored properly - which ensures I'll have to do it again this weekend (I'm going to be giving a lot of cheese away one way or another  :) )
Title: Re: Joining the Reblochon Party
Post by: LoftyNotions on October 09, 2012, 04:33:52 PM
You can send one over the hill, Dave. I'm sure I can find it a good home. ;)

Larry
Title: Re: Joining the Reblochon Party
Post by: iratherfly on October 11, 2012, 02:46:02 AM
Sometimes if it's low on reference solution (inside the pH probe, you can't see it), if your pH meter is on its side the solution will run off the probe junction and the probe will be out of whack. Make the thing stand upright on the probe for 10 minutes and it's back to business as the solution flows back to the junction.

As for the 1/4 vs 1/8 tsp PLA - it's not really such a huge deal on a 4 lb batch. It would have been a serious problem if I would have quoted the starter culture wrong!

Anyway, can't wait to find out how this one goes! Post photos, will you?  Oh my, two Reblochon makers in Montana. That's as insane as having two American Football players in the French countryside! I love it!!!
Title: Re: Joining the Reblochon Party
Post by: dbudge55 on October 13, 2012, 02:03:10 AM
Day 5. I took those out of the yeast room yesterday and put them into a 52 degree F cave after washing them with the morge and rubbing them with a dusting of salt. Today I finally got my pine boards together (since I can't find spruce here) and washed them with boiling water and salt. They seem to be coming along as planned. Starting to get rounded at the edges and, as you can see, there's a dusting of geo just before I washed them here.
Title: Re: Joining the Reblochon Party
Post by: iratherfly on October 13, 2012, 03:27:09 AM
Looks great Dave!  Getting softer on the edges - do you mean they are just rounding or they are pillowing? It's a little too early for pillowing (should happen close to the end of the wash regiment). They look perfect. Did they feel slick/slippery due to the geo mocasse growth?

I wonder how you did your yeasting environment. Some people are lucky to have a perfect space at home. Others need to change the temp of the entire cave and take anything incompatible out of it. What did you do for your 4 days at +60°F?
Title: Re: Joining the Reblochon Party
Post by: dbudge55 on October 13, 2012, 04:11:31 AM
I wouldn't call the edges "pillowing".  They're just rounding over. And yes, they did feel slick/slppery by day 4.

I have a dedicated small apartment fridge that I set up just for yeasting - although I will surely re-purpose it as must needs. It's just perfect to hold 4 six qt ripening boxes and I set the controller for 61 F. It seemed to work.   

One more question. Both Larry and I used cheese cloth when we first molded the curd. Given the slow drain nature of the molds do you think that's necessary? It seems to me that it might not be needed.
Title: Re: Joining the Reblochon Party
Post by: iratherfly on October 13, 2012, 08:14:15 AM
I don't use it, but I think that for a producer who works with many of these at once it may be easier to turn them over quickly and forcefully push the curd and load it up more and more without it protruding/extruding from the weeping holes and blocking them.  The cheesecloth also gives the rind a nice texture that with its groove crisscross pattern makes a better and more abrasive rind to wash when it dries out. Do what's comfortable to you.  You can use a more coarse mesh such as the synthetic draining bags for chèvre - they make an excellent coarse cheesecloth for this.

One of the things that I don't like about cotton cheeseclothes is that they can easily contaminate and leave lint behind. The bleached types can also leach out bleach which disturbs flora growth. Then, if you wash it with water, particles of old curd may remain and be a problem. You can't wash them in the laundry because the detergent traces can fight off flora too. The synthetic types are so much better, you can wash them with detergent and they are not porous so they won't absorb any of that. You can scrub them and boil them too. They don't leave lint behind or interfere with rind flora. They last a really long time and just take a beating over and over again. Easy.  (I am talking about the nylon and PP mesh types, not ply-ban which is disposable)
Title: Re: Joining the Reblochon Party
Post by: dbudge55 on November 07, 2012, 06:39:01 PM
Cracked this one open at 34 days and am quite happy with it. It's very creamy and gooey but I think the others will get more so as they age. I'm pleased with it (and it's a good thing too since I have a dozen of them.)
Title: Re: Joining the Reblochon Party
Post by: JeffHamm on November 07, 2012, 07:37:05 PM
Looks really good!  A cheese to you.  How's the taste?

- Jeff
Title: Re: Joining the Reblochon Party
Post by: dbudge55 on November 07, 2012, 07:45:48 PM
Very nice, Jeff. Mild with a hint of B-linen. If I were a Brit I think I would call it "lovely."  :)
Title: Re: Joining the Reblochon Party
Post by: LoftyNotions on November 07, 2012, 09:58:51 PM
Awesome, Dave!

My first batch is probably about a week away from the first tasting (by me anyway). Sent one with the wife to New York, and she'll probably crack it open this weekend with son and DIL.

I have a second make about 6 days in and will be starting a 3rd batch tomorrow. Threads and pics to follow, along with confessions. ;)

Oh, and a cheese to you.

Larry
Title: Re: Joining the Reblochon Party
Post by: Boofer on November 08, 2012, 03:22:26 PM
I have a second make about 6 days in and will be starting a 3rd batch tomorrow.
Sounds like there's a Reb factory sprouting in Sky Country.  ;)

-Boofer-
Title: Re: Joining the Reblochon Party
Post by: dbudge55 on November 08, 2012, 03:24:37 PM
Well, Boof, if there isn't there should be, by damn!
Title: Re: Joining the Reblochon Party
Post by: LoftyNotions on November 08, 2012, 04:06:06 PM
I just want to get one right. ;)
Title: Re: Joining the Reblochon Party
Post by: Boofer on November 09, 2012, 02:45:14 PM
I just want to get one right. ;)
There you go. Right attitude. Keep on truckin'. 8)

That's all I'm trying to do too. Probably a few more folks with the same thought.

-Boofer-
Title: Re: Joining the Reblochon Party
Post by: iratherfly on November 11, 2012, 07:08:21 AM
Nice Dave! 34 days is a bit early in my opinion but it looks right for such early release.  Also, remember that this is a surface ripened cheese so the thicker you make it, the longer it takes for the rind to ripen the paste and affect the center.  Think of it as cooking something thick vs something thin.  That last part of the aging when you put it in the fridge - that's really the simmering to get it to "cook thoroughly" but stop "burning the outside" and "evaporate the liquids".   Also remember that the B.Linens continue to intensify in terms of color and organoleptic qualities.
Title: Re: Joining the Reblochon Party
Post by: dbudge55 on November 11, 2012, 01:02:05 PM
Actually, I knew it was a bit early but since I did three consecutive makes I have lots of them and figured I would open one up early so I can see the progress. I'll put up pictures as I open the others. I can see the b-linen development on the others continuing.
Title: Re: Joining the Reblochon Party
Post by: Boofer on November 13, 2012, 02:47:14 PM
Also remember that the B.Linens continue to intensify in terms of color and organoleptic qualities.
If you find that you're overrun with these cheeses, you can PM me and I'll respond with my mailing address. ;)

Alternatively, I have had decent success in stopping the linens advance by wedging the cheese wheels and vacuum-sealing the wedges.

-Boofer-
Title: Re: Joining the Reblochon Party
Post by: george on November 14, 2012, 10:58:44 AM
Don't send me to the timeout corner, but I got my first laugh for the morning at the visual produced by the phrase "wedging the cheese wheels".

Thanks, Boofer!! ;D
Title: Re: Joining the Reblochon Party
Post by: Boofer on November 14, 2012, 02:58:19 PM
Don't send me to the timeout corner, but I got my first laugh for the morning at the visual produced by the phrase "wedging the cheese wheels".

Thanks, Boofer!! ;D
Um, I think you have the wrong visual. ;)

-Boofer-
Title: Re: Joining the Reblochon Party
Post by: LoftyNotions on November 14, 2012, 08:06:51 PM
Butt seriously...  ;D :o ;D
Title: Re: Joining the Reblochon Party
Post by: george on November 15, 2012, 11:45:32 AM
Um, I think you have the wrong visual. ;)
Not if I wanted to laugh I didn't.   ;)

But I WAS wondering where you got widdle bitty undies for the cheeses ...
Title: Re: Joining the Reblochon Party
Post by: Boofer on November 15, 2012, 02:14:45 PM
Thanks for my morning smile, george.  :)

-Boofer-
Title: Re: Joining the Reblochon Party
Post by: george on November 15, 2012, 02:33:18 PM
Turnabout's fair play.   :)
Title: Re: Joining the Reblochon Party
Post by: iratherfly on November 15, 2012, 07:34:55 PM
Boofer you kill me