Can I chill my curd before pressing?

[alden]

Hello to all.  I am a new member and new at cheesemaking.  I have a question about my cheesemaking method.  I make a rather simple cheese: raw cow milk; yogurt to ripen; rennet for culture; and salt.  I press small 6" wheels for a week and then let them rind up for a few weeks and then I vacuum pack.  My question concerns the fact that after pouring out the whey and straining my curds, I like to refrigerate the 'big lump' overnight.  I find that it makes pressing into the mold a bit easier and there is less whey being squeezed out during pressing and filling up my pan.  The wheels seem to be just fine.  They rind up nicely and I never have any whey continuing to leak out or any mold at all forming.  But am I missing something?  I have never found any mention of this in my research.  Thank you.

[Chetty]

I'm not too familiar with any cheese you would press for a week or put in the fridge prior.  I think for most hard cheeses they require warmth to finish there fermentation in the press.  I'm sure there's exceptions.  If it works for you great but I wouldn't refrigerate other styles curds, does this cheese have a name/family. 

As for other things, if your using yogurt that would be considered your culture.  Rennet is an enzyme that's purpose is to break proteins and cause the milk to coagulate. 

Welcome and happy cheese making,
Chet

[alden]

Chetty, the type of cheese I am making would be like a jack.  It is from a vintage homesteader's guide.  I do not give any warmth for the cheese production.  I take my curds out of the fridge the next day and press them into a 6" mold by hand.  I then put a follower on the mold and a cinder block that weighs about twenty pounds (not sure of the exact weight).  The cheese comes out of the mold a week or so later.  It is nicely hardened up and I then let it rind for about a week to ten days.  It always rinds up nicely (to my eye).  I then vacuum it and keep an eye on things for another week when it goes down to the cellar and ages at some 45 deg.f. for some indefinite period.

[Chetty]

Interesting, I make large batches of a dry jack style cheese weekly, I've never seen a recipe quite like that. 

If you like what your making great, but a true jack is almost like making cheddar but instead of cheddaring, you cold water wash to 87 degrees.  The ph drops from 6.3 to 5.2 over night at room temp.  If it doesn't drop like it should the texture would be way off.  Also if the ph is high there's a chance of bad microorganisms getting a foot in and ruining the whole batch. 

Just my thoughts, not trying to put down your cheese in any way.  If you would like a true jack recipe peter dixon has a great one I use for reference. 

Chet

[alden]

Chetty, perhaps I misspoke: the cheese recipe I am using is just a general farmhouse cheese.  To me it seems like a jack, but I am a complete novice here, just starting out, and trying various easy recipes.  So, no, of course, my cheese is not going to be a true jack.  Probably not any type of jack, lol.  I will be happy if it just tastes decent on my favorite crackers.  How do I look up the recipe you mentioned?  And how exactly does one rinse the pot of curds?  Just let cold water pour over it all and sort of nudge it in a bit with my fingers?

[rsterne]

Here is Peter Dixon's recipe for a Monterey Jack....

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/552d4535e4b03d0c390b51a0/t/55632791e4b08f92bdb9330c/1432561553669/dfc+monterey+jack.pdf

Good Luck with your cheese.... 

Bob

[Chetty]

To wash curd it means you remove whey then replace with water.  In jack it's a cool water wash.  But others like gouda you would remove when then add the hot water. 

When you get ready to try another cheese I'd give jack a go.  On new england cheese company they have an unwashed version that's pretty simple.  It too is more of a farmer's cheese but has step by step pictures that might be helpful for you.  https://cheesemaking.com/collections/recipes/products/jack-cheese-recipe

Another thought when using yogurt as a culture it is a thermophilic bacteria that works best at higher temps.  For lower temp cheeses I would use cultured buttermilk.  There alot to learn in cheese making I've been making it over 10 years and I'm always learning. 

Good luck,
Chet