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CHEESE TYPE BOARDS (for Cheese Lovers and Cheese Makers) => RENNET COAGULATED - Semi-Hard "Sweet" Washed Curd => Topic started by: Ginger on December 18, 2009, 04:28:45 PM
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Last weekend I made a 2 gallon batch of Havarti. I used store bought milk and the meso starter I made from buttermilk. I have used both of these ingredients the last 12 batches of either Monterey Jack or Farmhouse Cheddar and all my batches have been great. However, this is the first time I used the calcium chloride in the pellet form. I mixed 1oz pellet to 16oz water and used 1/4 tsp in the milk. My Havarti is bulging and as you can see in the pics there are a couple of small "volcanoes" on the sides of each one of which has erupted and there are other soft spots on the sides. I have never had a batch do this. My cave has a kind of sweet yeasty smell when I open it. Need some input. In the meantime, I will just keep checking them every day.
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That would seem to be some form of gas producing contamiation. Havarti does not produce gases that bulge.
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So now what? Open and try or throw it out. I really want to learn from this.
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If it were me I'd keep it and see what happens. You could have a blow out. One of those cheeses seems to have a huge bulge on the side. You could also cut them and see what's going on inside. Looks like a mistake you can learn from. Do you have zip lock bags or containers big enough to hold the cheeses so you can watch them but contain them in the event they do blow? Keep the mess to a minimum so to speak?
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The wheel on the right if you can see where it is really shiny has blown or erupted like it had to breathe. They are in a plastic shoe box so they will be fine. The smell has almost a citric odor. Do you think I should open one now and check. Will it be bad or do I have a swiss havarti? Should I taste it when I open it?
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Unless you really need the space, I would let them go to 60 days before cutting. Whatever is causing that has already done it's deed. 6o days will give the bacteria time to do their thing and start dying.
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Well if it's already blown no need to worry. How bad was it? One loos like it's got a stick poking its way out.
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Did you use penicillium spray mold to help the Havarti age? Or on any other cheese that you made at the same time?
:)
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Havarti does not use penicilium it gets curd bath instead. ;)
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Yah, I knew it doesn't... was asking in case she did use it.
Or, also was thinking that it could have become in contact with another cheese being done at the same time, one that does require the mold, and gotten it that way.
The white dusty stuff on her cheese makes me think that, though I may be all together wrong.
:)
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You never know do you? Mold is catchy!
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Do you live in cold weather? US East Coast? ...A friend of mine has suggested that lower quality store-bought milk during the cold season is problematic; As I understand, the cows no longer have grass available and are fed fermented food - silage and wet hay that apparently causes gas production when met with the enzymes in aging cheeses. This happens less with small local producers that take better care of smaller herds and feed them quality feed. Can anyone here confirm that?
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No, I haven't used any penicillium spray. I haven't ventured into the mold cheeses yet. I live in the northwest but I have always used store bought and usually make more cheese in the winter and haven't had this problem. There isn't any mold on the outside it is just drying and turning a little white. The bigger one is still recuperating and has a couple of small eruptions that are healing. It is still a little spongey when squeezed. The smaller one is looking very good. They are 12 days old and I have hope for them. By the way, I used the recipe out of 200 Easy Homemade Cheese Recipes and it didn't say to do any brining after you remove it from the mold.
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I wonder if there is a proper known technique to release excess gas from cheese. Does anyone know?
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I guess you just let the gasses use that stick and poke themselves out. I love that. Good one Deb!
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No, I haven't used any penicillium spray. I haven't ventured into the mold cheeses yet. I live in the northwest but I have always used store bought and usually make more cheese in the winter and haven't had this problem. There isn't any mold on the outside it is just drying and turning a little white. The bigger one is still recuperating and has a couple of small eruptions that are healing. It is still a little spongey when squeezed. The smaller one is looking very good. They are 12 days old and I have hope for them. By the way, I used the recipe out of 200 Easy Homemade Cheese Recipes and it didn't say to do any brining after you remove it from the mold.
According to your description, that the eruptions are healing, looking at the first pictures, the eruptions look like very wet spots that dried out with time. Just a guess.
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I am in CT it's pretty cold and snowy right now. I usually only make cheese and fermented sausages, beer etc in the winter because I close off a room to use as a huge refrigerator. I just recently got an extra Mini fridge for summer cheese making. I have never had any trouble with gas blowing in my cheeses.
I am very curious about this gas blowing cheese syndrome. I have never seen it but I have heard and seen pictures of cheeses totally destroying themselves. Maybe urban legends? I would imagine it would have to be highly contaminated for that to happen.
A very ole 1918 or something book I downloaded once said that when the critters are milked )cows, goats whatever) the contaminants are introduced to the milk through falling dust and dander etc and showed a cheese that looked like it had a fire cracker inserted into it. My guess is with all the sanitation in milking and milking equipment today that would be almost non existant.
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Ginger, How did your bulging Havarti turn out? Mine has done much the same thing as yours, but I'm thinking it had too much humidity when it was being tended by a neighbor while I was out of town. Looks like I've stopped the spread of whatever-it-is by brine washing it for two days in a row and dramatically lowering the ambient humidity, but I was wondering if I'm likely to get an edible cheese if I wait. Thanks!