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CHEESE TYPE BOARDS (for Cheese Lovers and Cheese Makers) => ADJUNCT - Washed Rind & Smear Ripened => Topic started by: LoftyNotions on October 03, 2012, 09:15:24 PM

Title: My First Reblochon. Might As Well Join The Party
Post by: LoftyNotions on October 03, 2012, 09:15:24 PM
Inspired by iratherfly’s excellent Reblochon recipe and Boofer’s great pictorials, this looked like a cheese I needed to try.

I used about 3½ Gallons of Brown Swiss cream-line milk (That’s all the room I have in my 4 gallon pot). I don’t have many choices here in Montana, so hopefully this will work OK. Per the recipe, I added half the Flora Danica dose to the chilled milk the day before. (1/16 tsp)

Cultures
KL71
SR3
Geo15
MY800
Flora Danica

9:15 After heating the milk to 94 degrees I checked the pH and pitched the cultures and CaCl. pH was low at 6.58. I don’t know if there was a problem with the milk or if the pre-inoculation had started bringing the pH down. Since it started so low, I wanted to make sure the cultures were actually starting to work, so I opted for a target pH for renneting of 6.51. Just a bit below the suggested pH of 6.55.

10:46 Stirred in 1 tsp diluted calf rennet. Top stirred for another minute. Flocculation happened at 7 minutes. With a 2.5 floc multiplier, total time to cut was 17:30.

First cut was to ¾ inch with a 5 minute rest. Second cut with a whisk to ¼ inch with another 5 minute rest. Curds were then stirred for 10 minutes and drained to about 1 inch above curd level and wet-scooped into molds. PH at drain was 6.43, pretty much on target. I need to work on my ¼ inch whisk cutting.

12:00 Started pressing with 3 pounds weight per mould. pH at ½ hour was 6.22 pH at 1½ hours was 5.86. pH at 3 hours was 5.44. The fast acidification was probably due to the 74°F room temperature. Unfortunately, that was my only choice at the time.

This is where I think I had a severe brain cramp and probably made the wrong choice. I decided to put the moulded cheeses into the yeasting “room” and turned the temperature down from 62 to 60, hoping that would slow down acidification. Unfortunately, at midnight the pH was 5.05 when I finally salted the cheeses with 1.8% salt by weight. In retrospect, it might have been better to just salt them after 3 hours of pressing. Oh well. It’ll probably still be some kind of cheese. :) Average weight of the 4 cheeses was 535 grams.

This morning I turned the yeasting room temperature back up to 62°F and will flip them often while waiting for Geo bloom. I’ll make my morge wash tomorrow.

Pictures to follow…
Title: Re: My First Reblochon. Might As Well Join The Party
Post by: LoftyNotions on October 03, 2012, 09:22:42 PM
Pictures, as promised...
Title: Re: My First Reblochon. Might As Well Join The Party
Post by: bbracken677 on October 03, 2012, 09:28:26 PM
Looks great! I bet the smell, right now, is heavenly too!  ;)
Title: Re: My First Reblochon. Might As Well Join The Party
Post by: LoftyNotions on October 03, 2012, 09:35:18 PM
Right now they smell nice, fresh and creamy. They'll smell heavenly when my wife comes upstairs complaining that something smells like her dad's work boots.  ;)
Title: Re: My First Reblochon. Might As Well Join The Party
Post by: bbracken677 on October 03, 2012, 10:13:16 PM
LOL kinda like the last time I made feta....my wife asked me if that smell was the cheese...and then compared to smell to old sneakers.
Title: Re: My First Reblochon. Might As Well Join The Party
Post by: Boofer on October 04, 2012, 05:09:27 AM
Pictures, as promised...
Nice pics. Nice knit.

Congrats...I believe you are the first to use a stopwatch and laptimer to judge the floc time. ::)

A cheese to you for joining the Reb party.

Got spruce?

-Boofer-
Title: Re: My First Reblochon. Might As Well Join The Party
Post by: LoftyNotions on October 04, 2012, 01:17:37 PM
Pictures, as promised...
Nice pics. Nice knit.



Got spruce?

-Boofer-

I knew that question was going to come up. :). Looks like you beat iratherfly to it. It's on my list of things to look for.

And a cheese back to you sir, for all your great threads!

Larry
Title: Re: My First Reblochon. Might As Well Join The Party
Post by: LoftyNotions on October 04, 2012, 05:48:38 PM
Hmm... Sadly there isn't a source of spruce here. From Boofer's 4th edition thread list of woods, it looks like my choices are pine, Port Orford Cedar or possibly birch. I would think pine would be closest in aroma to spruce, but who knows?

Would any of these be better than plastic mats?

Thanls,

Larry
Title: Re: My First Reblochon. Might As Well Join The Party
Post by: bbracken677 on October 04, 2012, 06:56:09 PM
If I am not mistaken, pine would have more resin present in the wood than a spruce. Actually...a spruce is also a pine, just a different variety and if I remember correctly, the wood is a bit lighter colored than the traditional pine lumber.
Title: Re: My First Reblochon. Might As Well Join The Party
Post by: LoftyNotions on October 04, 2012, 07:06:54 PM
If I am not mistaken, pine would have more resin present in the wood than a spruce. Actually...a spruce is also a pine, just a different variety and if I remember correctly, the wood is a bit lighter colored than the traditional pine lumber.

I think you're right, bb. I'm checking in to some on-line sources now. Maybe I should just cut down one of the 40 year old ones in my back yard.

Larry
Title: Re: My First Reblochon. Might As Well Join The Party
Post by: bbracken677 on October 04, 2012, 07:40:07 PM
wow...you have 40 year old spruce in your yard? That's awesome! If it grows in your neck of the woods I would think someone would be able to supply you. Are there any small mills around?
Title: Re: My First Reblochon. Might As Well Join The Party
Post by: LoftyNotions on October 06, 2012, 03:48:16 AM
I've been flipping these cheeses a couple times a day because they've been so wet. As of tonight, they're very slippery and starting to get a nice funky aroma.

Geo can't be far away. :)
Title: Re: My First Reblochon. Might As Well Join The Party
Post by: iratherfly on October 07, 2012, 08:38:11 AM
Yay!!!! They look great!!!!  ^-^

Love that nifty timer, is this an app?

Don't worry too much about the spruce. It has some microbiological properties that are supposedly beneficial and it can get washed with boiling water and salt over and over again without falling apart so they are everyone's favorite. Spruce is rather neutral.

Pine would work but bear in mind that it has tannins in it that leach into the cheese and effect color and flavor. While not typical for Reblochon, this isn't necessarily bad. Many great cheeses are made in pine. In fact, Tallegio is washed and ripened in pine wood boxes all through their affinage period. Smelly tanic woods like Cedar can pose more of an issue.
Title: Re: My First Reblochon. Might As Well Join The Party
Post by: LoftyNotions on October 07, 2012, 10:44:47 AM
Yay!!!! They look great!!!!  ^-^

Love that nifty timer, is this an app?

Don't worry too much about the spruce. It has some microbiological properties that are supposedly beneficial and it can get washed with boiling water and salt over and over again without falling apart so they are everyone's favorite. Spruce is rather neutral.

Pine would work but bear in mind that it has tannins in it that leach into the cheese and effect color and flavor. While not typical for Reblochon, this isn't necessarily bad. Many great cheeses are made in pine. In fact, Tallegio is washed and ripened in pine wood boxes all through their affinage period. Smelly tanic woods like Cedar can pose more of an issue.

Thanks iratherfly.

The timer is a free app and can be found at http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bigstopwatch/id301615836?mt=8 (http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bigstopwatch/id301615836?mt=8).

Given a choice, would you pick pine or the plastic mats?

Geo is coming along nicely. They'll get their first wash this morning. I'll post a couple more pics later

A big thanks, and a cheese to you for your excellent Reblochon guide.

Larry
Title: Re: My First Reblochon. Might As Well Join The Party
Post by: Boofer on October 07, 2012, 01:58:40 PM
Given a choice, would you pick pine or the plastic mats?
Hey, Larry, although I have just recently included spruce boards in my process, I have made wonderful cheeses on plastic mats. I wouldn't sweat it.  ;)

-Boofer-
Title: Re: My First Reblochon. Might As Well Join The Party
Post by: LoftyNotions on October 07, 2012, 04:22:27 PM
Thanks Boofer. I'll just put them on my list of things to watch for.

Larry
Title: Re: My First Reblochon. Might As Well Join The Party
Post by: LoftyNotions on October 07, 2012, 04:45:37 PM
Day 5. Geo seems well developed. I could have probably washed them yesterday, but wanted to see how the bloom developed. I can’t believe how slippery these things are!

After washing, they went into the cave at 50°F.
Title: Re: My First Reblochon. Might As Well Join The Party
Post by: iratherfly on October 07, 2012, 05:13:20 PM
Thanks Larry!

So now comes the 2nd temperature stage, going from 62°F to the 51°F or so in the cave for 2 weeks during the wash regiment. Excellent. Seems to be on schedule.

Given the choice I would give pine a try because it could be interesting. If you have multiple wheels in multiple ripening containers, you can try to do half batch with wood and the other half with plastic and compare.  My personal taste is to give cheese some wilder aspects from nature. I feel that in plastic they often come out well but the flavor/aroma are too sterile and "clean". Like a manufactured cheese rather than a good artisan example. You want to feel some wood, grass, cave, something.
Title: Re: My First Reblochon. Might As Well Join The Party
Post by: LoftyNotions on October 09, 2012, 04:47:50 PM
This is probably going to get boring and repetitive for a while, but I want to capture the color change as it occurs.

This batch is from Day 6, one day after the first wash...
Title: Re: My First Reblochon. Might As Well Join The Party
Post by: LoftyNotions on October 09, 2012, 04:49:46 PM
Day 7, just before the second wash. Cheeses aren't nearly as slippery now...
Title: Re: My First Reblochon. Might As Well Join The Party
Post by: Boofer on October 10, 2012, 05:33:50 AM
This is probably going to get boring and repetitive for a while, but I want to capture the color change as it occurs.
Don't be apologetic. This serves as a record for you and others. Months down the road you'll look back on this and measure the progress of a cheese you're making then to this one. Good stuff.

Don't you love it when something like this comes together? You've got the Geo coming on, feeling a little gritty, protecting and developing that inner paste so nicely. Gotta love it!  :D

-Boofer-
Title: Re: My First Reblochon. Might As Well Join The Party
Post by: LoftyNotions on October 10, 2012, 02:44:42 PM
Day 8. I'm surprised that the Geo is still on the outer edge. I did wash that too. :)

Title: Re: My First Reblochon. Might As Well Join The Party
Post by: iratherfly on October 11, 2012, 02:34:41 AM
They look great!

If you are not using the wood board, you don't need to wash the top side only because there is no danger of it sticking to the board or suffocating. If you are using the ripening board as in your photos - you can just wash the whole cheese at once.

How are the corners? Getting softer? Pillowy?  Really looking perfect.
Title: Re: My First Reblochon. Might As Well Join The Party
Post by: Boofer on October 11, 2012, 01:17:33 PM
Makes me all giddy just to look at them.  :)

We've got the same humidistat. Nice setup.

-Boofer-
Title: Re: My First Reblochon. Might As Well Join The Party
Post by: LoftyNotions on October 11, 2012, 04:04:59 PM
They look great!

If you are not using the wood board, you don't need to wash the top side only because there is no danger of it sticking to the board or suffocating. If you are using the ripening board as in your photos - you can just wash the whole cheese at once.

How are the corners? Getting softer? Pillowy?  Really looking perfect.
Thanks, iratherfly. I'll probably pick up some pine for my next batch. I have been washing the whole cheese, figuring the boards were the reason for one side only. Thanks for the clarification.

The corners do seem to be getting a little softer. I can't see a lot of color change yet, but they're smelling funkier by the day.

Larry
Title: Re: My First Reblochon. Might As Well Join The Party
Post by: LoftyNotions on October 11, 2012, 04:08:59 PM
Makes me all giddy just to look at them.  :)

We've got the same humidistat. Nice setup.

-Boofer-
Thanks Boofer. :) The thing I really like about this humidistat is having 3 sensors. I have 2 monitoring cheeses, and one in with my salamis (salume???)

Larry
Title: Re: My First Reblochon. Might As Well Join The Party
Post by: LoftyNotions on October 11, 2012, 04:11:49 PM
OK, here are the day 9 pics, just before the 3rd wash. Not much color change, but definitely getting smelly.

The boss should start complaining soon.  ;)

Title: Re: My First Reblochon. Might As Well Join The Party
Post by: LoftyNotions on October 12, 2012, 03:41:53 PM
Day 10. Definitely smellier, and just a touch more color today.

Title: Re: My First Reblochon. Might As Well Join The Party
Post by: dbudge55 on October 13, 2012, 02:09:30 AM
Looking beautiful. I think watching them change and develop is the best part of cheesemaking (right up there with eating it of course.)

Title: Re: My First Reblochon. Might As Well Join The Party
Post by: iratherfly on October 13, 2012, 02:45:11 AM
4-6 more days and the corners will soften. You are on target
Title: Re: My First Reblochon. Might As Well Join The Party
Post by: LoftyNotions on October 13, 2012, 02:40:43 PM
Yep, this is kind of like raising children. :) You watch them grow up and hopefully make something of themselves. Speaking of children, I think these need their diapers changed.

Who wants to be the godparent?

OK, anyway... This was day 11. I have pics both before and after the wash. Next wash in 3 or 4 days.
Title: Re: My First Reblochon. Might As Well Join The Party
Post by: Boofer on October 14, 2012, 04:16:10 AM
Yep, this is kind of like raising children. :) You watch them grow up and hopefully make something of themselves. Speaking of children, I think these need their diapers changed.

Who wants to be the godparent?

OK, anyway... This was day 11. I have pics both before and after the wash. Next wash in 3 or 4 days.
Yeah, okay, I'll be a godparent.... Here's my address. Go ahead and send them over for me to look after.  :)

-Boofer-
Title: Re: My First Reblochon. Might As Well Join The Party
Post by: LoftyNotions on October 14, 2012, 06:15:53 PM
I was thinking more along the lines of you coming over and making them less stinky. ;)

Anyway, day 12. Edges are getting more squishy. Getting close to wrap-up time.
Title: Re: My First Reblochon. Might As Well Join The Party
Post by: LoftyNotions on October 15, 2012, 07:39:15 PM
Day 13. Not a whole lot going on with them right now. I'll wash again tomorrow and then decide whether to wrap them up or not.

Title: Re: My First Reblochon. Might As Well Join The Party
Post by: LoftyNotions on October 16, 2012, 03:42:51 PM
Day 14. Washed the cheeses again today after 3 days. I really don't see much color change. When I squeeze the edges, I can see the sides bulge out now.

Decision time... do I wrap in a couple days or wash once more???

Title: Re: My First Reblochon. Might As Well Join The Party
Post by: Boofer on October 17, 2012, 04:59:06 AM
Stinky, huh? Looking good.

Ohhhh, the anticipation.... :P

-Boofer-
Title: Re: My First Reblochon. Might As Well Join The Party
Post by: LoftyNotions on October 20, 2012, 04:07:44 PM
Day 20
I haven't bothered to post any pictures the last couple days because there wasn't much change. They've been through 2 weeks of washing, so right or wrong I decided to wrap them and put them in the regular refrigerator today. Grand opening maybe 3 or 4 weeks.

The edges are nice and soft. I expected more color change, but I'll take what I got.

My wrapping skills need MAJOR work. :)

Title: Re: My First Reblochon. Might As Well Join The Party
Post by: Boofer on October 22, 2012, 05:09:47 AM
You know, they look like little floured rounds of dough.

Nice wrapping & labeling. A cheese for your efforts.

-Boofer-
Title: Re: My First Reblochon. Might As Well Join The Party
Post by: iratherfly on October 23, 2012, 10:32:16 PM
Gotta love the label!

Use a smaller one next time though so the wrapper have more breathing surface unblocked.

They look fine!  The orange will continue to develop.  You can always encourage the B.Linens with a bit of coarse salt for abrasive action when washing. More important than the look - how do they smell?
Title: Re: My First Reblochon. Might As Well Join The Party
Post by: Tiarella on October 23, 2012, 10:51:59 PM
How do you keep them so clean, so uncontaminated by other stuff.......
Title: Re: My First Reblochon. Might As Well Join The Party
Post by: LoftyNotions on October 23, 2012, 11:36:49 PM
Gotta love the label!

Use a smaller one next time though so the wrapper have more breathing surface unblocked.

They look fine!  The orange will continue to develop.  You can always encourage the B.Linens with a bit of coarse salt for abrasive action when washing. More important than the look - how do they smell?

I used the larger label because as a novice cheese wrapper I could just barely get the "paper" around the cheese. It's kinda holding a lot of loose ends together.  ;)

My wife complains every time she goes down the basement, so I think they smell just right.  :)
Title: Re: My First Reblochon. Might As Well Join The Party
Post by: LoftyNotions on October 23, 2012, 11:38:54 PM
How do you keep them so clean, so uncontaminated by other stuff.......
It seems that the Geo and linens keep everything else from growing. 1 week of every other day washes, 1 week of 2 washes. Flip every day.
Title: Re: My First Reblochon. Might As Well Join The Party
Post by: iratherfly on October 24, 2012, 03:03:20 AM
I hope your wife doesn't smell ammonia but just good cheese!

Kathrin, when you wash cheese its a lot easier to prevent foreign things from growing because you keep washing it over and over again, knocking down whatever contaminants are attempting to take hold.  By the time you stop washing you have such overwhelming majority of your desired flora that it's difficult for contaminants to compete.  And then of course, there is a matter of using good sanitizing practices: The wash bottle should be sanitized, the wash cloth should be sanitized, so is the box and the boards, and everything needs to be away from contaminants, trash, baking, pickling, meat curing etc.

EDIT:
Re wrapping, I forgot earlier to add this video. Slow it down. this is how you wrap a cheese such as this. If you can't get it right, head over to a good cheese shop and make friends with the cheesemonger. They do this all day long...
Maison Fischer : Emballage du fromage de Munster (http://www.dailymotion.com/embed/video/xif3l5)
Title: Re: My First Reblochon. Might As Well Join The Party
Post by: LoftyNotions on October 24, 2012, 08:22:00 AM
No ammonia, just a nice funky cheese smell.  She really doesn't mind it, she just likes to have something to whine about. And I give her SO few reasons! :)

 Thanks iratherfly. That video is very helpful. I was trying to start at one corner and work my way around.

Larry
Title: Re: My First Reblochon. Might As Well Join The Party
Post by: hoeklijn on October 24, 2012, 10:39:01 AM
Thanks for the video, Yoav, that's very helpfull. I think I'll have to practise still a bit before I can wrap them so quickly...
Title: Re: My First Reblochon. Might As Well Join The Party
Post by: LoftyNotions on October 24, 2012, 01:01:39 PM
Thanks for the video, Yoav, that's very helpfull. I think I'll have to practise still a bit before I can wrap them so quickly...

For now, I'll be happy to just get mine fully covered. :)
Title: Re: My First Reblochon. Might As Well Join The Party
Post by: iratherfly on November 11, 2012, 07:29:02 PM
...So, I've been away following that hurricane; have you opened the cheese yet? How is it aging?
Title: Re: My First Reblochon. Might As Well Join The Party
Post by: LoftyNotions on November 11, 2012, 07:33:43 PM
I haven't opened any yet. My wife took one to NY to share with our kids, and they thought it was great.  I'll probably get my first taste Tuesday night.

I have 2 more makes that I need to post. Busy roasting coffee today.

Hopefully you made it through the storm(s) without any damage.

Larry
Title: Re: My First Reblochon. Might As Well Join The Party
Post by: LoftyNotions on November 14, 2012, 08:49:20 PM
I opened my first one last night, day 42. Boofer's titles "Gooey & Sinful are very appropriate.

I'm probably a little bit early on this cheese, since the center is still solid, but it's a great way to compare changes over time. Like dbudge, I have 12 of them queued up (well, 10 now. :) ).

The odor wasn't nearly as strong as I expected. The only real linens color was along the edges. Flavor was very mild, buttery with just a hint of acidity.

I've never had a real Reblochon, so I don't know how close this is, but whatever it is, it's my wife's new favorite cheese. Definitely worth making!

Larry
Title: Re: My First Reblochon. Might As Well Join The Party
Post by: dbudge55 on November 14, 2012, 09:05:20 PM
Yay! Looks great! A cheese to you.
Title: Re: My First Reblochon. Might As Well Join The Party
Post by: Boofer on November 15, 2012, 06:57:00 AM
Think I'll move to Montana. :D

Right on target, Larry. Maybe a little early. I opened one a little early, saw it wasn't quite there, rewrapped it, and put it back in the fridge for a while longer. It really is an amazing little cheese, huh? Not too difficult to make either, right? Especially with the roadmap that iratherfly shared with us.

-Boofer-
Title: Re: My First Reblochon. Might As Well Join The Party
Post by: LoftyNotions on November 15, 2012, 03:17:09 PM
It really is an easy cheese to make, thanks to iratherfly. It's nice not to have to stand and stir for hours at a time. PH targets along the way are kind of a new challenge, but the timing in the recipe makes that pretty easy to stay on top of. (Or at least reasonably close.) :)

It's also nice to not have to wait 6 months to 2 years to eat it.

Larry
Title: Re: My First Reblochon. Might As Well Join The Party
Post by: Tomer1 on November 15, 2012, 06:00:44 PM
Quote
It's nice not to have to stand and stir for hours at a time
Alright! anothe reason to make it :)
Title: Re: My First Reblochon. Might As Well Join The Party
Post by: iratherfly on November 15, 2012, 07:30:03 PM
A cheese for you from me too!
Your cheese looks fantastic, though I am with boofer; it seems like you can wait even longer.  The linens will intensify over time but if it's too mild for you - you can just wash it more.  Having said that, Reblochon is a mild cheese; It's on the milky side indeed and shouldn't be too acidic. It's not terribly stinky and it's also not crazy orange-red but rather a little bit of pale orange and a little bit of white (though it is acceptable to have it stronger and more orange). That's why this is a MIXED-RIND cheese; it's semi washed and semi bloomy.  You can add to your wash R2R yeas and SR1 B.Linen and get it all crazy and funky if you want.

I went through so many bad recipes and confusing/conflicting/inconsistent info on this cheese, that once I got it all cross-referenced and checked with cheesemakers and the info I got from the National Dairy School in France ...what do you know? It worked consistently well and was so easy. I realized that as long as you understand the target of this cheese by knowing its story and essence, and have the right fabrication data + a few useful tips - It's really one holly grail that anyone can make.

By the way, if you have a few of those wheels made, this is the season to make Tartiflette with them! A warm comfort winter casserole/gratin dish of potatoes, lardons, cream, optional white wine, onions and mandatory Reblochon - LOTS of it. It's easy to make and everyone always love it, from children to discerning adults. A version replacing the white wine with champagne is called "Tartiflette Royal"
Title: Re: My First Reblochon. Might As Well Join The Party
Post by: LoftyNotions on November 15, 2012, 07:50:40 PM
Thanks for the cheese, iratherfly.

I won't open my next one for probably 2 weeks or so. I really like the flavor as is, but will probably push the stink-limit with some kind of washed/smeared rind cheese in the near future. I'll keep the SR1 and R2R in mind. :). I sense another supply order in my near future.

I have the Tartiflette recipe you recently posted, and will be making that for a French meal we're going to in the next month or so.

I really appreciate all your help along this path.

Larry
Title: Re: My First Reblochon. Might As Well Join The Party
Post by: iratherfly on November 15, 2012, 08:50:31 PM
Awesome Larry!
By the way, I just made some Tartiflette the other night from one of my Reblotins. Was sooo goood! Who needs thanksgiving?
Title: Re: My First Reblochon. Might As Well Join The Party
Post by: Peynirci on November 29, 2012, 04:04:11 AM
Iratherfly, I've been searching for a few hours for your recipe for reblochon and can't seem to find it anywhere!  Can you help me out and share the link?  I'm still figuring out how to navigate this forum and use its search feature.
Title: Re: My First Reblochon. Might As Well Join The Party
Post by: dbudge55 on November 29, 2012, 04:08:07 AM
Ask and you shall receive. http://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,9928.0.html (http://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,9928.0.html)

Welcome aboard.
Title: Re: My First Reblochon. Might As Well Join The Party
Post by: Peynirci on December 01, 2012, 04:59:14 PM
Thanks dbudge.

I noticed the comments earlier in the thread about pine and spruce boards.  If you're still looking around for spruce, you may want to try searching for specialty lumber stores.  It took a few hours of searching but I eventually found one right in my own backyard in Lancaster, PA.  The lumberyard specializes in local and exotic woods, supplying cabinet makers, instrument makers, and others.  They had spruce and pine so I ordered some of both.  I decided to get the pine kiln dried but rough sawn (i.e. not planed) so that the cheese would sit up on the board a little bit, which should help reduce smothering the culture on the side of the cheese that is face-down on the board.

The spruce that I bought was green and they didn't want to kiln dry it for me because they said the sap makes a terrible mess in their kiln, so I bought the planks green and am seasoning them outside over the winter.  I plan to cut them into shelves in the Spring.

If you're in the mid-Atlantic region, here is the lumberyard I used.  My order was quite small, only about 8 planks and about $30, but they were very helpful and accommodating.  http://www.groffslumber.com/ (http://www.groffslumber.com/)

I did a little reorganizing and here's a pic of how the cave looks with pine shelves.  I would think I shouldn't be mixing different types of cheese in here so I'm looking for another fridge on Craigslist so that I can keep my mold ripened and washed rind cheeses in separate caves.

As always, thoughts and suggestions on improvements are most welcome.
Title: Re: My First Reblochon. Might As Well Join The Party
Post by: Boofer on December 01, 2012, 05:47:42 PM
I decided to get the pine kiln dried but rough sawn (i.e. not planed) so that the cheese would sit up on the board a little bit, which should help reduce smothering the culture on the side of the cheese that is face-down on the board.
Does it seem like the rough-hewn boards would poke into a softer cheese? Looking at the shelves in the cheeseries online, it would appear that they are fairly smooth. The caution is that when washing the cheese wheels, the side that goes down on the board does not get washed. It gets washed when the wheel is flipped. Does that make sense?

I would grant that the boards should probably not be planed, sanded, and smoothed as fine as glass, but a little finishing might be better than completely rough.

-Boofer-
Title: Re: My First Reblochon. Might As Well Join The Party
Post by: Peynirci on December 01, 2012, 06:27:51 PM
While I haven't put any softer cheeses on the boards yet I don't think the rough cut will present a problem.  The word "rough" may be a little misleading, they're actually fairly smooth to the touch.  Here's a close-up shot.
Title: Re: My First Reblochon. Might As Well Join The Party
Post by: Boofer on December 01, 2012, 10:48:21 PM
Yeah, that's what I was thinking of. That's the degree of smoothness/roughness I settled on. Works well for me (though I've only used it with Reblochon #4 (http://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,9997.0.html)).

-Boofer-
Title: Re: My First Reblochon. Might As Well Join The Party
Post by: Tiarella on December 03, 2012, 04:10:19 AM
How do you guys maintain enough air circulation in your caves with so much solid shelving?  I've been wondering about that.
Title: Re: My First Reblochon. Might As Well Join The Party
Post by: Peynirci on December 03, 2012, 04:36:03 AM
How do you guys maintain enough air circulation in your caves with so much solid shelving?  I've been wondering about that.

I cut the shelves so that there are about 2 inches in the back, about an inch between the two planks on each shelf, and about 2-3 inches between the front plank and the door, so I would think the circulation is good.
Title: Re: My First Reblochon. Might As Well Join The Party
Post by: iratherfly on December 03, 2012, 06:42:55 AM
Kathrin, if you remember in the recipe I mentioned that washed rind cheeses like Reblochon should have limited circulation on the bottom as they rest on wood shelves. Only the top and side are washed, so that no excess moisture will collect on the bottom, block the air and suffocate the rind. The next day, the top is drier, you turn the cheese and wash the top (which was the bottom until now), and so on and so forth.  Too much circulation over the aging period can make a dry cheese which is also a problem.

Here is a photo of Reblochon Fermier AOC aging in the cave in France:
(http://www.ledauphine.com/fr/images/ACFCD9FC-ED8D-4BF0-AED4-115004ED2065/LDL_06/le-reblochon-est-un-produit-qui-demande-plus-de-soins-notamment-dans-l-affinage-il-faut-le-retourn.jpg)

Tomme de Savoie - same deal:
(http://www.refuge-de-marie-louise.com/images/stories/Fromage_de_Savoie_-_Le_Refuge_de_Marie_louise_9.jpg)

Emmental - still the same deal:
(http://jumi.lu/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/Bild-179.jpg)

I can go on and on... Morbier, St. Necrtaire, Beaufort, Mimolette, Fontina, Cheddar, Stillton, etc. Even some Bries can enjoy wood shelves aging; the common practice is to line the shelf in this case with a ripening mat (such as the stiff one you got from me).  The two-tier crisscross structure facilitates air exchange, yet it keeps the air quite still.
Title: Re: My First Reblochon. Might As Well Join The Party
Post by: Boofer on December 04, 2012, 01:06:16 AM
How do you guys maintain enough air circulation in your caves with so much solid shelving?  I've been wondering about that.
I just ordered one of these (http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1879782&CatId=3486). It will be powered by a small power adapter much the same as the one (http://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,2029.0.html) that has been operating quite nicely for the past 3+ years.

Here is a photo of Reblochon Fermier AOC aging in the cave in France:
Bad pic, Yoav.

-Boofer-
Title: Re: My First Reblochon. Might As Well Join The Party
Post by: bbracken677 on December 04, 2012, 03:41:23 PM
Bad pic, Yoav.

-Boofer-

Looks nice to me!  Lots of cheesey goodness there   :)
Title: Re: My First Reblochon. Might As Well Join The Party
Post by: Boofer on December 05, 2012, 01:08:44 AM
I tried it on another computer and it came up at first but then converted to a bad link.

Guess I'm the only one with sunspot interference. ::)

Late edit: I just went to the website http://www.ledauphine.com/ (http://www.ledauphine.com/) and most of the pics there are corrupted as well. Might be my lack of skill in French culture. ;)

-Boofer-
Title: Re: My First Reblochon. Might As Well Join The Party
Post by: Tiarella on December 05, 2012, 01:14:35 AM
Boof, I think your avatar attracts sun spots!

Seriously, you're just the guy I want to see here.  You vacuum bag your cut wedges of Reb, right?  Do you put them in regular fridge after that or back in wine cooler?  I just cut a couple of mine and bagged them and need to know.  I'll post photos when I can either find my thread or start one. 
Title: Re: My First Reblochon. Might As Well Join The Party
Post by: Boofer on December 05, 2012, 01:17:40 AM
You vacuum bag your cut wedges of Reb, right?  Do you put them in regular fridge after that or back in wine cooler?  I just cut a couple of mine and bagged them and need to know.
Seriously? :P

Back in the big, cold fridge. Matter-of-fact, I just pulled out a wedge of Reb#4 a bit ago for later enjoyment. Works very well.

Seriously....

-Boofer-