Doing Double Gloucester

[Al Lewis]

Thank you buddy.  I really like the way this thing has come out so far.  Another day or two of drying and it's in the wax and the cave.

[Al Lewis]

Well I seem to have something strange, just never seen before by me, going on with this cheese.  When I checked it this morning there were a couple of spots on top that clear whey had sprung from and made tiny pools maybe .5" in diameter.  Only thing I can think is that the curds are, tightening?, and sqeezing the whey out of the cheese?  Is that possible?  Back at work today so no pictures until later.

[linuxboy]

Classic whey gradient issue due to uneven curd size when cutting.

[Al Lewis]

Thank you LB.  Will it be okay?  I thought I followed the recipe pretty close but some of the curds broke down when salting.

[Tomer1]

Classic whey gradient issue due to uneven curd size when cutting.

I was just discussing cutting the other day with a fellow home cheesemaker and he expressed his concern about uneven curd cutting , I suggested we build a cheese cuting tool from welded SS frame and SS fishing wire.
 
Given that we make all sort of cheeses (both semi soft to hard), what would be a good "general" dementions for openings.
Should we do just horizontal cutter (perhaps 25-30mm spacings) and continue to use a knife to allow for more flexible curd size?
Obviously I can use a whisk when making a rice sized cooked curd - grana or alp.

[Al Lewis]

Most recipes I've read, not that many, all call for different sizes of cut.  I think the multi-blade knives you may have seen in the videos are specific to the cheese the place makes.  My problem was not in the cutting of the curd in the pot but after stacking it and then cutting and salting it.

[Al Lewis]

Hoping this thing dries out soon.  I want to get it waxed and in the cave.

[Al Lewis]

Cut the Double Gloucester tonight and WOW.  This tastes delicious.  Definitely a keeper for a recipe.

[H-K-J]

WOW!!! that looks excellent AL
A cheese to you :D

[AndreasMergner]

Looks great Al!  That was a short maturation time.  I might have to try this one too. 

[Al Lewis]

Thanks guys.  I was looking for a short aging cheese when I made this and the Wensleydale.  This one has a awesome flavor at 1 1/2 months.  Didn't really want something sharp.  I really like the taste of this cheese and the wife likes it too. ;)

[artemis]

I was actually really inspired by this post so I went and gave it a try myself :)
I'm really new- this is just my 4th cheese.  I used a bit of annatto for colour, loving how it is becoming richer as the rind dries out.

The only thing is that I only have a basket style mold from a kit (only made a 2 gallon batch) so putting that much weight on it didn't quite work out for me.  I pressed under warm whey for 10 minutes or so, then redressed/flipped and into the mold with 20lb weight on it.  Flipped again after an hour, only had 20lbs on it overnight.
When I took it out it felt almost spongy- lots of give.
Now that it's dried for two days at room temp, and one day in the fridge, it's firmed up quite a bit.
I'll post a pic tomorrow :)

Thank you for posting this recipe and images.  It really helped me follow along.  Sometimes recipes really need the photos to explain the steps.   ;D

[Al Lewis]

Glad I could help!! :D