cheese sticking to cheesecloth?

[AnneDygert]

I just finished a swiss cheese which stuck like glue to the final press.   It also stuck to the first one,so i changed the cheesecloth and it was fine with the next ones i did . And the final one i just washed the cloth and re-used it and the cheese stuck again.
 my final swiss is now pitted and pockmarked - what is this going to do as it ages?  Is this going to compromise the swelling and formation of holes?  I'm just not sure where to go from here - seems a shame to toss it out.

Thank you!  Newbie here.
Anne

[mikekchar]

Many people omit the cheesecloth on the last press.  This gives a smooth final finish on the cheese.  The cheesecloth is good for keeping the initial curds together and to soak up whey so that you don't get pockets of it along the side of the cheese, but once you've flipped the cheese a few times, there is no need for it.

As for ageing it, you may have difficulty with mould growing in the pockmarks, but other than that it won't make any difference.

[AnneDygert]

thank you!!  I was planning on waxing it after the holes have developed (hypothetically, if they develop), so maybe that will reduce the mold potential in a couple of weeks, anyway.

[River Bottom Farm]

That is usually caused by a difference in acidity between cloth and cheese (search the forum for it). Soak the cloth in whey or in citric acid mixture before hooping the cheese sometimes helps. Can omit cloth in last press like Mike said too

[H-K-J]

That is usually caused by a difference in acidity between cloth and cheese (search the forum for it). Soak the cloth in whey or in citric acid mixture before hooping the cheese sometimes helps. Can omit cloth in last press like Mike said too

River bottom is right,you need to soak your cheese cloth in the whey this makes the ph the same  for cheese and cloth, they shouldn't stick.

[AnnDee]

This usually happen to cheese that has been cooked above 40 and/or cheese using fast acidifier cultures (like MA4000 series), the PH of the curd/cheese fall rapidly and PH of the cloth kind of lagging behind. I agree with what the others suggested which is to soak the cloth with whey but I prefer to add vinegar to the whey so the cloth is acidic enough and the cheese doesn't cling to it. For best result, soak cloth on every flip.

[awakephd]

I think you might run into trouble with mold developing in those nooks and crannies, especially during the warm phase. Here's a couple of options:

• Don't do a warm phase, but instead get it waxed (or vacuum sealed) as soon as it is dry. You won't get the holes and flavor of a swiss; instead you'll get something like an Asiago.
• See if you can get b. Linens going on the surface (and in the nooks and crannies). On a hard cheese like a swiss, it will not produce a stinky cheese (though it might stink a bit), but it will add a distinct flavor profile ... and it will inhibit mold from developing.

I should add that I am more confident about the success of #1 than of #2 - not sure how it would go getting a good schmear going on a pitted surface.

[AnneDygert]

i do have some mold that has developed in the pits, but it seems that all cheeses that are aging have mold growing on their rinds.  i also have done some reading that said that the purpose of wiping the cheese down is not to get rid of the mold but to retard it's growth? 

  i guess i dont know how to tell the difference between unfriendly mold and friendly mold?  There are no cracks that go into the center of the cheese, just pits on the surface - it is a hefty cheese, for me, about a 4 or 5lb wheel of cheese, i was assuming that when it was done aging i could discard the half inch or so of messed up rind and see how it did on the inside.  is this a bad idea?

also, as to waxing- is it okay to wax a cheese that has shown mold on the outside? or should the surface be completely mold free before waxing? 

[awakephd]

If you go with a "natural rind," then yes, mold is inevitable. In that case, the idea is to let the mold develop, but brush it down periodically to keep it from getting too wild. After a time it will consume all of the food at the surface, and stop growing. This WILL add flavors to your cheese, flavors which will not necessarily be limited to (though will be strongest at) the rind. I don't know the exact mechanism, but just as salt works its way through the cheese, the flavor (or enzymes, maybe?) seem to make their way through as well, though not nearly as quickly.

If you go with a b. Linens rind, you are actually encouraging a reddish bacteria to take over, and it will out-compete the molds. Again, it will add flavor(s) to the cheese, again not necessarily limited to the rind.

If you vacuum seal or wax, in theory you will deprive any mold of oxygen, thus keeping it from growing. If you wax hot enough, the heat may also help to kill off mold on the surface. However, keep in mind that blue mold in particular is extremely aggressive, and can tolerate low-oxygen environments, so you may get some growth under the wax/plastic.

If you are getting a blue mold, that will probably be obvious. If a whitish mold, that is likely geotrichium. (Could be PC, but I don't find that that grows without specific encouragement - YMMV.) If you get other colors - reds, yellows, etc. - you have the "natural flora" at work. My understanding is that none of them will be dangerous - ?? - but some may lead to objectionable flavor.

[AnneDygert]

I have a predominantly blue and white, with areas of red and yellow.  the red and yellow look very thin almost like someone colored in a circle on the cheese with a highlighter. it's kind of wild.  and then spots of darker like brown.  the mold is slowing down as the weeks progress so i guess that makes sense with the food decreasing!

this is raw milk straight from my morning milking - the two cows it came from were an ayreshire/jersey cross and a jersey.   i know the milk is super clean and high quality just not sure about my cheesemaking

thanks everyone for all this insight!!
anne