Suggestions for easy-ish hard cheese? Thoughts about pH meter necessity?

[momo]

Hello,

I've enjoyed reading on this forum and expanding my cheesemaking knowledge base. This is my first post. 

I'm early in my cheesemaking with some experience (I've successfully made Feta several times and recently Camembert). Several years back I made a few attempts at hard cheeses (a farmhouse Cheddar and a goat milk tomme, both recipes from new england cheesemaking company) and in both cases was dissatistfied with the taste and texture after aging them for a few months, so gave up on hard cheeses for a while. Some of the issues were with technique and equipment, and I have since gotten a cheese press, better molds, and a horizontal curd cutter.
After my success with the Camembert I am wanting to try hard cheeses again. My questions for you all are:

-What would be a good hard cheese to start with - fairly straightforward, short-ish aging time (1-2 months) for quicker gauging of success?

-So far I have used basic recipes with set culturing time & renneting time. I've discovered flocculation time on this forum and plan to try that out with my next cheeses. How important is a pH meter for successfully making hard cheeses? Would it be worth investing in one at this point?

Thanks in advance!

[rsterne]

I think many recommend a Caerphilly as a good starting point for hard cheeses, because it doesn't need a lot of aging, allowing you to learn faster.... I have been making cheese for a year now, with no pH meter, and I find that learning the "Grip Test" is key to knowing when the cheese is done cooking.... Compressing a small ball of curds in your hand, to see how they mat together, and then teasing them apart with your thumb to see how easy they separate again.... gives great insight into whether it is time to proceed.... It is amazing what a difference 5 or 10 minutes make.... 

Pressing is an art, and not pressing too hard, too soon, is the biggest beginner mistake, I think (it certainly hurt my first attempts).... The weights in recipes may not apply to your mould, and cranking on too much weight too soon will trap whey in the paste, causing cracks and voids when it continues to acidify.... This can lead to a sour (acidic) taste, and a crumbly texture.... Make SURE you don't have a stream of whey running out, just dripping or weeping is the correct pressure.... Then increase with time, aiming to close the rind at 2 hours from starting to press.... except for Cheddars, of course, which require more pressure to knit....

I have resisted getting a pH meter because of what I have read about cleaning and calibrating them.... I know many would be lost without them, perhaps I just don't know what I am missing.... 

Bob

[Aris]

Gouda, Asiago and Raclette aren't that difficult.

Don't blindly follow the recipe's pressing time and weights. The cheddar recipe at new England cheesemaking company for example want you to press for 30 hours! If I follow their recipe to the letter, I would get an over acidified crumbly and dry cheese. You have to consider your ambient temperature. My recent cheddar was only pressed for 4 hours and 30 minutes with 20 lbs (2 hours) and 50 lbs (2 hours and 30 minutes) and still got a good knit. Many of their recipes also don't tell what pH to look for. I have a crap 4 dollar pH meter and pH strip but they are useless. When making semi hard/hard melting cheeses like Cheddar, Raclette, Caciotta, Asiago and etc. I do a stretch test to figure out the pH of the cheese. Same technique in cultured mozzarella. I always reserve or leave a small piece of curd while the main curds are draining in the mold or being pressed. This curd is what I test by heating it to see if it stretches. If it stretch, pH is in the right range. The cheese is now ready to be salted and put in a cool environment to stop pH from further dropping. I also smell the curds and taste the whey and curd to know if it is slightly sour. That is when I know it is near the right pH. I do a stretch test to be absolutely sure. I let the pH/acidity dictate my next move not time or their recipes. I think your previous failed attempts at hard cheeses are likely caused by over acidification.

A decent pH meter is expensive and a lot of hassle to take care of. You also have to buy buffering solutions and calibrate it before using it. Simply too much hassle. Just keep making cheese and you will develop instincts to time pH/acidity.

[broombank]

I too have not gone down the ph meter route but I find the high quality ph sticks with a range from 4-7 are very accurate and easy to use. At £20 for 100 they are expensive but on average I use 4 for a recipe. They are most useful to determine the salting point which can be reached much more quickly than some recipes indicate.
I agree that Caerphilly is a good starter if you like it ( which I don't particularly) I have found Lancashire matures quite quickly. I am afraid there is no substitute for patience. My best hard cheeses were all muslin/lard wrapped and have a quite different texture from waxed/vacuum packed ones which in my eyes ( or should it be taste buds) is vastly superior and really does taste like artisan cheese. I did a cheddar , a lancashire and a red leicester like this in February and when I opened them in July they were fantastic. You could try some blues which don't take so long and taste amazing. Shropshire blue takes about 3 months and is semi hard. My latest favourite is Castle Blue from Debra Amrein Boyes book 200 Easy Home Made Cheeses.It took only 6 weeks or less to produce and is so tasty several friends have described it as one of the best cheeses they have ever tasted. ( It is soft like a double cream brie ) Good luck !

[rsterne]

I would second Asiago as a good choice, or Gouda for a washed-curd variety.... Asiago Pressato can be very good at only 3 weeks to a month, but will also age out to 6 months or more.... Gouda improves with time, with 2-3 months being where it really starts to change....

Bob