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CHEESE TYPE BOARDS (for Cheese Lovers and Cheese Makers) => RENNET COAGULATED - Semi-Hard "Sweet" Washed Curd => Topic started by: JeffHamm on March 24, 2013, 06:01:56 AM

Title: My 4th Gouda
Post by: JeffHamm on March 24, 2013, 06:01:56 AM
This is my 60th Cheese (not counting a bunch of ricotta makes).  I decided to make a Gouda.  I have 1/4 wheel that is over 2 years old, and another full wheel that is a year old.  Seems I have a tendency to age my Goudas out.  This one, however, I'm planning on eating younger, perhaps somewhere around the 4-6 month range.  Anyway, the make has gone extremely well, or so it seemed at least.  I'm pleased with it, but just going into the all night press so we'll see how it is in the morning.  The knit looks superb (did the first 1.5 hours under warm whey, which worked a treat) and the curds seem to have expelled all their whey during the make as there's not been a lot coming out during the pressing.  It was clumping nicely at the bottom of the pot when I drained the whey to move it into the mould as well. 

Since I've aged my gouda's quite long in the past, what is a good time for a young gouda?  As I say, I was thinking 4 to 6 months, but do people find it worth trying closer to 4 or 6?

I'll post photos tomorrow when it comes out of the press.  For now, here's my make notes:


Saturday  March 24th, 2013
Indoor Temp 220C, sunny, Barometer: 1012
11 litres Homebrand Standard (3.3% fat, 3.1% protein; P/H)
3 ice cube buttermilk
1.65 ml calf rennet 280 IMCU
½ tsp 50% CaCl in egg cup water
1)   Add Starter and warm to 32 C (time 7:45 ish am final temp Temp 32.0 C @ 8:02 am)
2)   Ripen 15 min (start time 8:02 finish time 8:17 temp ??.? C)
3)   Add CaCl, stir in, then immediately
4)   Add rennet (time: 8:19:30 floc time 8:33:30 14 m 00 sec 3x multiplier=42m 0sec cut time 9:01:30)
5)   Cut into 1 cm cubes
6)   Let stand 10 minutes (start time 9:11 - 9:21 temp 30.9 -> placed in pot with 36C water -> 30. C)
7)   Stir 10 minutes, cutting any larger pieces (9:21 - 9:31)
8)   Let Stand 10 minutes (9:31-9:41)
9)   Drain 1/3 whey (9:41)
10)   Add 80 C water until temp 33.3 C (start time 9:45 finish 9:57 temp 34.0 C) (didn’t require much as the curds around 32 ; bumped up to 35 or 36, so added some cold.  Still lower volume of liquid added than whey removed)
11)   Stir 20 minutes (start time 9:57 finish time 10:17)
12)   Drain to level of curds
13)   Add 55 C to reach temp 37 C (start time 10:21 end 10:29 temp 37.0 C)
14)   Stir 30 minutes (start time 10:29 finish time  10:59)
15)   Drain whey
16)   Move curds to mold
17)   Press under whey with 10 kg (0.72 PSI) 30 minutes (start time 11:15 finish time 11:45)
18)   Flip and redress
19)   Press under whey with 20 kg (1.43 PSI) 1 hour (start time 11:50 finish time 12:50)
20)   Flip and redress press (30 kg 2.15 PSI) (start time 1:00 – 2:00 pm; great knit at 2:00)
21)   Flip and redress press overnight (35.2kg 2.53 PSI, 2:05–6:50pm flipped/redressed-5:45am; 1442g, 15.5 x 6.2 cm = 1.23 g/cm3)
22)   Place in saturated brine for 1 hour per lb per inch of height (7 hours 45 min) (start time 7:00 am; projected flip at 11 and finish time 2:45; cheese didn't get removed until 3:30 ish)
23)   Air dry then cave.
Title: Re: My 4th Gouda
Post by: hoeklijn on March 24, 2013, 10:03:21 AM
Hi Jeff, we had a discussion earlier about aging small Gouda's and I was really surprised that yours were aging so well. I managed to keep a 1 kilo baby Gouda up to one year and it was delicious. But I adjusted the make a bit for that reason: I washed it only once, which is recommended in a Dutch book called "Around artisan cheese" (free translation) and I added some thermo culture. I'm looking forward to your pictures....
Title: Re: My 4th Gouda
Post by: JeffHamm on March 24, 2013, 06:18:49 PM
Hi,

Thanks for the info.  Here's this one just before going into the brine (1442g, 1.23 g/cm3).  The ones I've aged have been waxed, if that makes any difference for the make procedure for long aging?

- Jeff
Title: Re: My 4th Gouda
Post by: CWREBEL on March 25, 2013, 03:19:29 PM
Another good looking cheese Jeff!  Looks like it knit really well.
Title: Re: My 4th Gouda
Post by: H-K-J on March 25, 2013, 04:41:23 PM
Hey Jeff, Looks Gooouda tuh me, very nice knit ;)
A cheese to you for your 60th born 8)
Title: Re: My 4th Gouda
Post by: JeffHamm on March 25, 2013, 05:19:45 PM
Thanks Chris and H-K-J.

The pressing under the warm whey really helps to get a good solid knit.  It was looking near perfect after about an hour and a half. 

- Jeff
Title: Re: My 4th Gouda
Post by: shotski on April 23, 2013, 01:42:46 AM
Hi Jeff, in your first post you said

" I decided to make a Gouda.  I have 1/4 wheel that is over 2 years old, and another full wheel that is a year old.  Seems I have a tendency to age my Goudas out. "

my question is when you cut a wheel do you wax the cut edge for further aging after cutting the wheel or do you cut the wheel at the start of the ageing into the sizes you want then wax? 
Title: Re: My 4th Gouda
Post by: JeffHamm on April 23, 2013, 03:06:20 AM
Hi shotski,

I wax the whole cheese.  If I'm not planning on using all of it when I cut it (meaning all of it over a few weeks), then I cut and re-seal the edge. 

Curiously, I seem to have some late blow with this one.  It's swelled up quite a bit, even more so than my swiss and this is something I've never had occur before.  I think it's the buttermilk producing gas (similar culture mix as in flora danica, which apparently produces CO2 though buttermilk would have different strains), as there are no off smells.  I'll wait to see how it is when I cut it open.

- Jeff
Title: Re: My 4th Gouda
Post by: shotski on April 23, 2013, 10:19:08 AM
Thanks Jeff,

  that is what I thought. I made a Edan about 2 months ago now and I am trying not to get into to it just yet but re-waxing a half wheel for further ageing sounds like a great option.

John
Title: Re: My 4th Gouda
Post by: JeffHamm on April 28, 2013, 06:16:12 AM
Hi,

This one has swollen up like a football!  I've never had a cheese do this before.  This is even larger than my swiss, which has prop.sherm. in it!  I'm assuming the buttermilk is forming gass, although I've never had it do this before.  I suppose it could be contamination, but there are no off smells?  I used store bought milk (pasturised and homogenized), same brand I always use, and the starter is the same brand of buttermilk I've used before, etc.  I don't recall when it started to swell, but it's only a month now, and I figure it's been swollen for at least 2 weeks.

- Jeff
Title: Re: My 4th Gouda
Post by: george on April 28, 2013, 10:19:10 AM
I had a gouda that did that a while back - after determining it wasn't going to kill me, it was the best one I ever made.  Even if it was full o' holes.   ;D
Title: Re: My 4th Gouda
Post by: bbracken677 on April 28, 2013, 01:01:55 PM
Wow!  Maybe it's pregnant and you will have a bunch'o little cheeses running around!!   :)

Or, maybe not....

Should be interesting when you cut it open. You may have a swiss gouda going there.    :o
Title: Re: My 4th Gouda
Post by: tnbquilt on April 28, 2013, 03:01:43 PM
I read a post about the gouda blowing up like that once. Herman said that they put something in their cheese to keep it from happening, it had something to do with feeding the cows silage in the winter.

I had some gaseous cheese last summer, but I had waxed it and the wax was what swelled. I cut the wax off and rewaxed it.
Title: Re: My 4th Gouda
Post by: JeffHamm on April 28, 2013, 06:02:06 PM
Hi bbracken677,

So, I could be getting a bunch of baby gouda's.  I would be ok with that :)  I am planning on aging it out, so hopefully this will be like george (MaryJ)'s, and not kill me!  Best I ever made would be a bonus, but it's really the not kill me that I'm going for this time.  :)

And I thought I had read something about silage as well, but it's only going into fall/winter here in NZ, and there's grass available year round However, we had quite a drought this summer, so perhaps they've been feeding the cows something they don't normally include and it's come round to haunt my cheese this time?  But if that were the case, I would think this would occur in other cheeses, or at least, to other cheese makers here in NZ as well?  So, anyone from NZ out there who's finding it difficult to wrap your cheeses in anything but your rugby gear bag?

- Jeff
Title: Re: My 4th Gouda
Post by: MrsKK on April 30, 2013, 02:21:39 PM
That is one outrageous looking cheese! 

For aging out my Gouda, I've been vacuum sealing after about three months.  I just cut into a year old Gouda and it was wonderful.

Keep up the great work!
Title: Re: My 4th Gouda
Post by: Boofer on April 30, 2013, 05:02:33 PM
I read a post about the gouda blowing up like that once. Herman said that they put something in their cheese to keep it from happening, it had something to do with feeding the cows silage in the winter.
From one of my Maasdams (http://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,9402.msg67720.html#msg67720), "Also, where I had used sodium nitrate as per Jarlsberg guidelines to control late-blowing in Jarlsbergs I've made in the past, I acquired and implemented Holdbac with this make to achieve the same purpose biologically."

The Dutch use sodium nitrate (saltpeter) to control late-blowing. The Holdbac is an improved, biological corrective.

A clarification. (http://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,7227.msg55165.html#msg55165)

Another datapoint. (http://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,6738.msg47765.html#msg47765)


That's pretty impressive rind control to not have it burst wide open like a ripe melon. My hat's off to you, sir.  ;) 

Pretty scary too. You may be in for a Gouda similar to my Leiden (http://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,9107.msg68820.html#msg68820), which is just a cumin-dosed Gouda from what I gather.

-Boofer-
Title: Re: My 4th Gouda
Post by: JeffHamm on April 30, 2013, 06:04:52 PM
Thanks Boofer.  Some interesting information.  I would think the probability of butyric acid bacteria in the milk would be low (it's pasturised and homogenized store bought milk), but we'll see when it's cut open.  If it is that, then the cheese will be inedible and, presumable, have off smells, etc.  Otherwise, and what I suspect, it's the buttermilk producing CO2 and the rind, pressed under whey, was tight enough that none of it is escaping, hence the large swell.  That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

- Jeff
Title: Re: My 4th Gouda
Post by: Boofer on May 01, 2013, 11:53:29 PM
Sounds reasonable. Yes, I have been made to believe that the butyric acid bacteria would be rare.

I think the bit of insurance from the little bit of Holdbac that I add would be worth it if I ever encountered the problem.

-Boofer-
Title: Re: My 4th Gouda
Post by: Tiarella on May 04, 2013, 10:02:58 AM
Thanks Boofer.  Some interesting information.  I would think the probability of butyric acid bacteria in the milk would be low (it's pasturised and homogenized store bought milk), but we'll see when it's cut open.  If it is that, then the cheese will be inedible and, presumable, have off smells, etc.  Otherwise, and what I suspect, it's the buttermilk producing CO2 and the rind, pressed under whey, was tight enough that none of it is escaping, hence the large swell.  That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

- Jeff

Jeff,  I'm curious about how one would recognize if cheese is contaminated or not.  My brother tells me that a few of the most deadly contaminants are odorless and that my "smelling of leftovers to see if they are still good" is a bit useless.  That made me wonder about cheese contamination, especially since frankly, some stinky cheeses DO smell inedible to me even though they are "fine".   ::). What do you think about it?   -Kathrin
Title: Re: My 4th Gouda
Post by: JeffHamm on May 04, 2013, 07:11:02 PM
Hi Tiarella,

Most contaminations produce bad smells, and the description in Boofer's thread of butyric acid bacteria contamination is for the cheese to become foul and inedible.  So, if I have that and not a CO2 build up, then it will be easily determined.  I'm thinking the likely culprits are CO2, either from the buttermilk or, possibly, a wild yeast got in.  I suppose there are some contaminations that don't get picked up by the sniff test, but there are a lot that do. 

In someways, this cheese is contaminated (in that something is producing gass that wasn't intended to), but it is determining what that contamination is that becomes the challenge.

- Jeff
Title: Re: My 4th Gouda
Post by: JeffHamm on August 23, 2013, 08:06:08 PM
Ok,  this is now 5 months old, and it's down to 958g.  I cut it open, and it is full of holes like a swiss cheese!  Also, had a blue contamination inside, though contained enough that it could be cut out.  It doesn't smell foul, and I've had a wee nibble.  Tastes like a swiss.  A touch bitter on the finish, but so far, no ill effects.  I did make a Beaufort a few weeks before this one, but in between I had made a Lancashire and a Feta and neither of them showed any contamination from the PS I used in the Beaufort.  I've never had a wild PS contaminate any of my cheeses before, so either a weird coincidence, or somehow I got some PS into this cheese and it really took off.  The odd thing is that the strain I have is not supposed to produce a lot of gass, leading back to the wild PS theory.

Still not sure if this should be eaten or binned. 

- Jeff

P.S.  I've had another nibble, and while there are no ill effects, the bitterness that was noticable right out of the cave seemed more pronounced (to me, but Vanessa didn't even notice it before, so ?).  It doesn't taste anything like gouda.  I'm thinking this goes in the bin.  The taste, once warmed up, is not great, there is clearly some sort of contamination (yeast, or a wild PS), so unless Vanessa likes it, I'm not sure this is worth keeping.  Oh well, only the 2nd cheese to get binned, so not a bad run.

P.P.S. Ok, it seems I'm being overly particular.  Vanessa thinks it's fine.  So, we'll eat it.  Not one I would want to replicate, but edible.
Title: Re: My 4th Gouda
Post by: Boofer on August 23, 2013, 11:55:55 PM
Boy, you've been busy today, Jeff. Lots of cheeses out for inspection. :P

Sorry to hear about this poor cheese. Oh, I see there's an opening for it here (http://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,10888.0.html). ::)

I think these little disappointments we experience give us perspective for the other things that we do. Or as my Mom would say "It's character-building." In the military, it was always "Suck it up...and drive on!" :)

-Boofer-
Title: Re: My 4th Gouda
Post by: JeffHamm on August 24, 2013, 02:42:53 AM
Yah, mistakes are learning experiences.  Unfortunately for me, I didn't try anything new and from my notes, all looks well.  I'm assuming that some sort of contamination got into the cheese, yeast or perhaps a wild PS strain (yeast I think the more likely).  At first I thought it was the buttermilk producing gas, but I've used cubes from that batch since and have not had a repeat, so they are off the hook.  Which probably means I owe them an apology. 

- Jeff
Title: Re: My 4th Gouda
Post by: JeffHamm on August 24, 2013, 10:59:21 PM
Although Vanessa thought this was edible, and we each had a nibble with no side effects, I found there was a bitterness that ended up just being unpalatable.  I've binned this as, well, life is too short to eat bad cheese.

- Jeff
Title: Re: My 4th Gouda
Post by: Boofer on August 26, 2013, 01:40:48 PM
I've binned this as, well, life is too short to eat bad cheese.
Agreed. I've tossed a few non-miracles myself. Sometimes things just don't turn out. :'(

-Boofer-
Title: Re: My 4th Gouda
Post by: hoeklijn on August 26, 2013, 02:58:58 PM
The bitter taste and the big crack inside would suggest a buteryc acid bacteria contamination (late blowing). How it is contaminated (together with the blue?) is of course a different story. 
Title: Re: My 4th Gouda
Post by: JeffHamm on August 26, 2013, 06:36:13 PM
Thanks Herman.  Who knows, but from somewhere contamination entered the room and decided to stay.  Fortunately, this doesn't occur often.  However, it also means I've not had much luck with my gouda's.  Must try again.

- Jeff
Title: Re: My 4th Gouda
Post by: hoeklijn on August 27, 2013, 05:40:24 AM
Yes, you're really unlucky with your Gouda. By the way, a young Gouda is only between 4 and 6 weeks old. Personally I prefer them much older...
Title: Re: My 4th Gouda
Post by: Boofer on August 27, 2013, 12:57:03 PM
Yes, you're really unlucky with your Gouda. By the way, a young Gouda is only between 4 and 6 weeks old. Personally I prefer them much older...
Yes, more like 4-6 months might be better. I have sampled a commercial 4-year-old Gouda in the past...not an everyday cheese for my tastes. :P

-Boofer-
Title: Re: My 4th Gouda
Post by: JeffHamm on August 27, 2013, 09:34:15 PM
I've had two turn out pretty good.  I still have some of my first gouda, which is approaching 3 years old.  The third one is close to 2 years old.  Those are both good (though the latter was quite we under the wax).  My second I opened at a month, and it was very mild, and needed more ripening time.  This one, well, it's in the bin.  Will try again.  I would like to get a decent gouda as a younger cheese make though.  Will eventually get there.

- Jeff