Failures I have known

[tnbquilt]

I don't know what I would have said at the exact moment when I discovered that, but I'm sure that I would have regretted it when I cooled off. All you can do is try again and tell your husband to stay away from the sink.
I also think that cheese making teaches us patience and I know that I could not have done it when I was younger. I would have been frustrated with the waiting. I was doing more instant gratification hobbies back then.

[Boofer]

Maybe by tomorrow I will manage to be civil again.

Wow. I'm speechless.... ???  Well, sort of. ;)

Chin up, Margaret. The next cheese you make will eclipse what this lost cheese would have been.

-Boofer-

[Al Lewis]

My worst so far has just happened. Spent the afternoon making a blue, the sort where you drain the curd for a while, then tie it in a bundle and press it overnight. I decided to use two 2l milk containers (now filled with whey) as my weights. Didn't want the lot to come tumbling down so for safety's sake (ha!) put in one side of our double kitchen sink - a baking dish/the cheese bundle/a cutting board/ two milk containers balanced delicately on top. Didn't think I needed to explain all of this to my husband. Who took the dirty dishes to the kitchen, took the milk containers and the board off (I wonder what he thought the bundle was? I wonder why he thought I'd put two full milk containers on top of this arrangement?) and proceeded to rinse the dishes onto the bundle. Yes folks, I've never before had to ditch a cheese at such an early stage. Maybe by tomorrow I will manage to be civil again.  It was raw goat milk too, which I'd driven a round trip of 50km to get.  I read once that gardening taught you acceptance of whatever nature throws at you; I think cheesemaking is in the same league.
Margaret

So when's the funeral? LOL

[margaretsmall]

The internment (of the cheese that is) was immediate. My husband is forgiven and I've been reminded that things that are blindingly obvious to me are simply invisible to others. It was only some milk, I keep telling myself.  Thank you for your sympathy! But it will be a little while before I make any more.
Margaret

[mjr522]

Being that husband--the one who's oblivious to things--i just want to point out--he was rinsing off the dishes!  That's pretty good for some husbands...  It seems I mess stuff up most when I'm trying to be helpful--wash and dry the clothes without spraying the stains, wash (and dry) a new dark colored towel with some light colored things with warm water, put the baby in pajamas that are too big or too small ("but they say 0-3 months, how can they be too big?"), etc.

I feel really bad for you and the cheese.  I can understand your husband, too.

[Vina]

My worst so far has just happened. Spent the afternoon making a blue, the sort where you drain the curd for a while, then tie it in a bundle and press it overnight. I decided to use two 2l milk containers (now filled with whey) as my weights. Didn't want the lot to come tumbling down so for safety's sake (ha!) put in one side of our double kitchen sink - a baking dish/the cheese bundle/a cutting board/ two milk containers balanced delicately on top. Didn't think I needed to explain all of this to my husband. Who took the dirty dishes to the kitchen, took the milk containers and the board off (I wonder what he thought the bundle was? I wonder why he thought I'd put two full milk containers on top of this arrangement?) and proceeded to rinse the dishes onto the bundle. Yes folks, I've never before had to ditch a cheese at such an early stage. Maybe by tomorrow I will manage to be civil again.  It was raw goat milk too, which I'd driven a round trip of 50km to get.  I read once that gardening taught you acceptance of whatever nature throws at you; I think cheesemaking is in the same league.
Margaret

auch!! I'm very sorry to hear that! Yes, and I can understand you becoming wild for a while.

[rosawoodsii]

I've definitely had my share of failures, but I'm so good at hiding the results that I don't have any photos.  ;D  Mozzarella continues to escape me.  For every time I've made it well, I've failed 2-3 times.  I don't make it anymore. It doesn't stretch, it's hard as a rock, and my hands protest putting them into hot water.

My Jarlsburg may or may not be a success; I'll know at the end of this month.  It swelled hugely before it was supposed to--and didn't swell at all when it was supposed to. 

My most spectacular failures, though, were from storing the cheeses in my farmhouse basement and forgetting about them.  Talk about gross!  The brown mold ate through the thick layer of was on 5 cheeses and destroyed them.  I even threw the photos out, because it was hard to tell what they were.

[chefrjmarvin]

thanks for this post.  its reassuring to remind myself over and over that this is new and there WILL be mistakes.

Thanks!

[tnbquilt]

Brew Curd Cheddar\ from Mary Karlin's book. The recipe said to cook the cheddar for 30 minutes without stirring, so I did. My regular cheddar recipe cooks it for 30 minutes stirring, and let rest for 20 minutes. I know that a cheddar should be cooked longer than that but I thought that I would follow the recipe. The ph level at draining was 6.6, way too high. The curd was very soft at the end of the cheddaring. Next time, I will use the cheddar recipe that I know works, and add the beer to it.

After the cheese sat out on the counter for 4 hours, it sank down, like a bell. It got fat at the bottom and the outside busted. I did not take it's picture, so I can't post that. Next time I will think of that.

This is a picture before it sank. It looked good then

[Boofer]

Felicitations, Tammy. :'(

-Boofer-

[BobE102330]

An attempt at Muschli that I didn't knead enough so it retained far too much whey. As seems to be my usual failure mode lately, it wouldn't be a failure if I was trying to make Muenster.  Somewhat firm with a mild linens bite.

[Boofer]

That looks pretty good, Bob. Failure?

-Boofer-

[Tiarella]

An attempt at Muschli that I didn't knead enough so it retained far too much whey. As seems to be my usual failure mode lately, it wouldn't be a failure if I was trying to make Muenster.  Somewhat firm with a mild linens bite.

Bob, I think this is more about needing to change what you do to address the changing qualities of milk at this time of year than something you did wrong.  I think your make behaviors would have made just what you wanted with different seasonal milk.  I'm having this problem too and some good experts weighed in and confused  me offered suggestions.  I can't remember the name of the thread but it was something in the Problems/questions board, maybe the title starts with "Help!"  Can't remember and don't want to look for it right now.  But check it out......I think it's the milk and there are some suggestions on how to adapt what you do to address this.   :D

[rosawoodsii]

Yup, I have two doe goats newly fresh, and the milk at this stage is sooo much different than mid or late lactation.  It's almost like learning all over again.  This year I promised myself I'd make note of the lactation point (not something that most people can do because they're not doing the milking themselves).

[BobE102330]

Thanks Tiarella, I'll take a look.

Boofer, not a total failure, but this was supposed to be a fairly hard alpine style cheese and it's rather springy and softish, almost spreadable.   I tried to make manchego, it turned out a lot like this, too.