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CHEESE TYPE BOARDS (for Cheese Lovers and Cheese Makers) => ADJUNCT - Rennet Surface White Mold (Penicillium candidum) Ripened => Topic started by: cam_bert on January 25, 2009, 01:53:21 AM
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I have just started my first batch of Camembert cheese also. It has now been in the fridge for about 6 days and the white mould is covering most of the cheese. Everything seems ok and there are no suspect moulds, but mine smells bad too... bit like very strong mouldy cheese or mouldy socks!
I have used an electrical timer to turn the fridge on and off to try and achieve a temperature between 11-15 degrees C.
Will my cheese be ok? Is the smell normal or is it recoverable??
Thanks!
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As I haven't made white mold ripened cheese for years, can't tell you on the smell but others here make it all the time and I'm sure they'll chime in soon.
About your frig. You know you can buy an outboard temp control that has a probe that goes in the frig and you can set the temp from -20 to 350 degree Fahrenheit.
Here is a link to a home brew shop that sells them. You can buy them prewired where all you do is put the probe in the frig and then plug the frig into the module and the module into the wall. Of if you are handy at wiring electronics, very easy BTW, you can buy one cheaper. Here is a link to the prewired one.
http://morebeer.com/view_product/16664//Ranco_Digital_Two-Stage_Temperature_Controller_-_Wired
you can find them much cheaper on line, the non-wired ones can be had on ebay for $50.
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Hi guys....
I have my third batch of Camembert going right now (second batch was better than the first, but still not perfect) and it does have a pretty strong odor after 7 days.
I am still in the "fuzz forming" stage and plan on wrapping this batch in the next few days.
The odor that I get from Camembert at this stage is a mild ammonia smell, which seems to be normal.
Although the smell is somehwhat strong, it is nothing like the 7 week old Stilton that I have aging in another cave. If I even mention that I'll be opening that cave, the wife and kids run, screaming from the room. :D
The process that I'm trying on this batch is:
1. rapid formation of the white mold and 2. very slow aging over a period of 6 - 8 weeks in a very cold environment (38 degrees F).
Only time will tell if this is the proper way to do it, but I do feel that I am getting closer with every batch.
This is rapidly becoming my favorite cheese to eat. I just cracked open another wheel from my second batch (at 7 weeks from pitching the rennet) and it really does have an excellent flavor. About two thirds of the cheese had ripened properly but there was still some firm cheese in the very center of the wheel.
I still have two wheels left, from this second batch which I plan on opening over the next few weeks.
I'll post results as I give them a try.
Dave
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cam_bert, welcome to the forum, my Camemberts, while don't always so far turn out great, are not strangely smelly.
I built a Camembert Recipe (http://www.cheeseforum.org/Recipes/Recipe_Camembert.htm) webpage based on a bunch of research here (http://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,225.0.html). Both are interesting reads and hope help, if not, you could post your methodology and ingredients preferably in a new thread and then a few of us here could try and find the root cause.
Again, welcome.
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hi,
Wrapped my camembert about 5 days ago, using the plastic cheese wraps supplied, and the smell seems to be getting even stronger!
When ever I open the fridge the whole room is filled with the smell!
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Can you take a pic of it and post it so we can see what it looks like.
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Here is a photo of my camembert....
I have a lid on the container and is stored in a little bar fridge at about 5ish degrees. I have a little container of water as seen in picture.
Seems to look ok to me!
(http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/benjyman/cheese/cam_bertphoto1.jpg)
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cam_bert, congrats they look great!
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What kind of smell, amonia? Because that's normal to an extent, but your cheese looks good.
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I don't really know what amonia smells like to be honest
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cam_bert, congrats they look great!
Hi again,
My cheese has been aging 6 weeks now - since wrapping with the cheese wrap. The instruction say to age the cheese for 2 - 4 weeks at 11-15 degrees, but my fridge is only set at 5 degrees, so it will take longer. Not really sure how much longer???
Anyway I have noticed there is a bit of drying out of the edges of some of the cheese wheels and the cheese shown top right in the photograph below has a small patch of red.
What is this red bit, is it bad mould? Will it be ok??
(http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/benjyman/cheese/P3150190.jpg)
Anyway the smell has now stopped and the cheese is becoming much softer, but the centre is still firm so this is a good sign.
Thanks Heap! :)
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Hi cam_bert, looks great, congrats!
(Hope you don't mind me splitting these posts of into new thread.)
I'd take Dave's guideline below on aging, In which case I'd try opening one now, especially as you have four. You could open them all at ~1 week intervals, would be very interesting to see their development over that time.
If you do, I'd start with the one with the abnormal red mold and cut that bit off. Just my 2 cents.
As a side question, where did you get your kit including the clear wraps? I suspect they are more sealing than the dual layer white ones I bought from CheeseMaking.com (http://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,1073.0.html) in USA.
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I got my camembert cheese kit, including the cheese wraps from the country brewer. The materials are shown on there online catalouge at: www.countrybrewer.com.au (http://)
Thanks for your suggestion!
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Hi,
I tried my first Camembert a week or two ago. It had ripened up nicely and had a nice subtle bite to the taste and aroma.
Will hopefully be preparing for my next batch soon.
I'm thinking of using nice creamy Jersey cows milk for the next batch!
Out of interest and experimentation sake, how do you make the strength of the taste stronger, or milder?
Thanks! :)
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And therein is the question that most of us are asking.
So far it seems to come down to two issues, the ability for the ammonia gasses to escape, and the cheese to be kept cool enough.
Proper wrapping and air flow is important, and I have resorted to aging these in the fridge for a couple of weeks longer, as it seems to give me better success.
HTH
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And therein is the question that most of us are asking.
So far it seems to come down to two issues, the ability for the ammonia gasses to escape, and the cheese to be kept cool enough.
Proper wrapping and air flow is important, and I have resorted to aging these in the fridge for a couple of weeks longer, as it seems to give me better success.
HTH
So aging longer times makes the cheese stronger in flavour I presume?
Warmer Conditions - stronger????
Cooler Conditions - Milder???
(Obviously within the temperature range required for cheese making)
Has it got anything to do with the amount of cheese mould used?
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Cam
Sorry, didn't see this post and answered most of your questions in a somewhat similar post you made here (http://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,1374.0.html).
Most of us are having troubles with our Camemberts getting the right pate consistency, and it looks like it is down to a both mold forming and aging temperatures. If go warmer then get runnier cheese.
I don't think it has to do with amount of mold as that is self replicating.
If not too late, would love to see pictures of your cut Camemberts and what temp you aged them at.
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Storing for a longer period as cooler temps does not give stronger flavour, it just allows for a slower ripening of the cheese, which seems to be more favourable than ripening at a higher temp quicker, which does seen to give a much stronger flavour.
I also think that the larger the area that they are originally bloomed in, also help in dispersing the ammonia gasses, where as a small closed off container seems to retain this, which also seems to taint the flavour of the final cheese.
This has been my experience anyway.
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Hi all again!
I just checked on the remaining Camembert wheels left in wrapped in the fridge and noticed the edges have become very dried out and it looks like some white (bad) mould is growing.
I wouldn't have thought this would happen this quickly!!!
Can anyone shed some light for me?
I will post a photo later.
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Hi all again!
I just checked on the remaining Camembert wheels left in wrapped in the fridge and noticed the edges have become very dried out and it looks like some white (bad) mould is growing.
I wouldn't have thought this would happen this quickly!!!
Can anyone shed some light for me?
I will post a photo later.
I have taken some photos of the remaining Camemberts which have dried out a lot on the edges and seem to have a bad white mould and also discolouration growing. I would not have thought this would happen so quickly as they are stored correctly in the fridge and where fine during aging and tasting. I have noticed when I turn the Camembert wheel over it seems fine on the otherside... so it is only the visible side which is effected.
Any ideas or help much appreciated! Thanks!
(http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/benjyman/cheese/mini-P5080937-1.jpg)
Click here for full size picture --> http://s30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/benjyman/cheese/Full%20Sized%20Images/?action=view¤t=a87f11a1.jpg (http://s30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/benjyman/cheese/Full%20Sized%20Images/?action=view¤t=a87f11a1.jpg)
(Note: Once you have clicked on the link you need to click the photo again to make it full size)
(http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/benjyman/cheese/mini-P5080938-1.jpg)
Click here for full size picture --> http://s30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/benjyman/cheese/Full%20Sized%20Images/?action=view¤t=bb9822ba.jpg (http://s30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/benjyman/cheese/Full%20Sized%20Images/?action=view¤t=bb9822ba.jpg)
(Note: Once you have clicked on the link you need to click the photo again to make it full size)
(http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/benjyman/cheese/mini-P5080941-1.jpg)
Click here for full size picture --> http://s30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/benjyman/cheese/Full%20Sized%20Images/?action=view¤t=6442ffdd.jpg (http://s30.photobucket.com/albums/c329/benjyman/cheese/Full%20Sized%20Images/?action=view¤t=6442ffdd.jpg)
(Note: Once you have clicked on the link you need to click the photo again to make it full size)
Thanks Again! :)
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^^ Bump ^^
Surely someone has some ideas? I would have thought that it would last a while in the fridge before going bad! It is not exactly old!!!!
Thanks
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That doesn't look too abnormal to me. January 24 to May 8 is, what, ~100 days? That's nearing the lifespan for a camembert. The outsides look a little rough, but nothing that would scare me off, frankly. How is the pate? dripping out like white soup, or soft and creamy? What's your refrigerator temp? And how were they wrapped? I don't know how'd they'd dry out wrapped in what looks like saran wrap.
Did you inoculate with a strain of B. Linens? Because I assume that'd contribute to the darkening of the rind. And how do you determine that it's a bad white mold forming -- the good while mold will definitely continue to propagate as the cheese ages, so... maybe that's nothing to worry about?
OK, that was a lot of questions. And I'm not sure I'd have any good reply to any of the answers, but those are the things that come to my mind, and more eyes on a problem are better than nothing.
The upshot from my perspective is: I'd probably skip the rind, and eat the pate if it tastes good (and if you like it strong, which I imagine it is). All this with a grain of salt, however, because I eat plenty of things I probably shouldn't.