2022 - A New Year of Cheesemaking

[rsterne]

After a month of milk rationing here because of the flood in mid-November, we are finally able to buy enough milk to make cheese again.... We started the year with a repeat of a Colby.... This is the third make, we are determined not to give up until it comes out right!.... The first time it was way too moist and stuck to the knife when slicing, and the second time it was too dry and acidic.... This time we are cooking the curds for a shorter period of time (until a "Normal" grip test, where the curds form a ball when squeezed, but tease apart with your thumb), and then draining them 10 minutes after the cool water wash (instead of allowing additional acidification before salting).... The basic recipe we used is the one in "Mastering Artisan Cheesemaking" by Caldwell.... We used 8 litres of 2% P/H milk, plus an extra 700 ml of 18% cream, for a total of 8.7 litres with a butterfat content of 3.3%.... We used MA 11 culture, and 18 drops of Annatto for a nice rich yellow colour.... We decided to use yellow wax, and thought a couple of pics of doing that would be in order.... Here is the first dip, into 250*F wax for 5 seconds to kill any bacteria or spores on the surface....



This produces a thin coat of wax, here is the photo of the cheese before dipping the other end....



After a 5 second dip of the other end, we turn off the burner and allow the first layer to harden, then we built up 4 coats of wax, but all the other coats were just a quick dip, so as not to melt the previous layers....



The label was applied by painting on some wax, applying the paper label, and then brushing wax over it to seal it.... The cheese weighed 2 lbs. 1 oz. before waxing, a yield of 10.8%.... We will be sampling a quarter of this Colby at 1, 2, 3 and 4 months.... It sure is nice to be back in the Cheese Kitchen, after no milk for over a month.... Happy New Year to all of you.... 

PS.... We sampled this Colby at 1 month, and we FINALLY got this make right!.... The first one was too moist and stuck to the knife, the second one was too dry and a bit crumbly, this one is a "just right" Goldilocks cheese!....  .... It has a hint of Cheddar aroma and taste, and a creamy texture that slices well.... It is just slightly sour, we will see if that changes as it ages more....

PPS.... The Colby dried slightly over the 4 months of aging, and became just a bit more flavourful.... but while not having anything wrong, it just doesn't excite us.... We have decided not to make another, although we are going to give it's close cousin, a Monterey Jack, one more chance.... 

Bob

[rsterne]

Our second cheese of 2022 is a new one, a Dunlop.... We have never made one of these Scottish Cheddars before.... It is described as a moist, sweet cheese, and we basically followed the online recipe from Cheesemaking.com, the website for New England Cheese.... We used 8 litres of whole milk (P/H of 3.25%), plus a half litre of 18% cream, for a total of 8.5 litres of 4.1% BF.... This curd is cut to 3/4", and only cooked to 97*F, so it is intended to be moist.... The cheddaring is done in a single slab, without cutting or stacking, and after 2 hours it is milled to 3/4" pieces, salted, and pressed.... After 4 days drying, it weighed 2 lbs. 6 oz., for a yield of 12.7%, and we waxed it in orange....



We plan to eat a quarter of it at 3, 6, 9 and 12 months to see how it changes over that period of time....

PS.... We tasted the Dunlop for the first time last night, at 3 months.... It was smooth, creamy, a bit moist, and sliced great, with a mild cheddar aroma and taste.... It is very reminiscent of a Double Gloucester, which makes sense as the makes are quite similar, as is the fat content.... The next time we sample it (at 6 months), we will be tasting our most recent Double Gloucester (at 8 months) that same week, so we will do a direct comparison....



PPS.... We did our comparison today, this Dunlop at 6 months, and our Double Gloucester at 8 months.... They were, indeed, very similar, both rich and creamy, but the Dunlop was a bit "one-sided", and not as cheddary as the Double Gloucester.... It was a medium cheddar, with a nice complexity the Dunlop lacked.... Since they are so similar, and we liked the Double Gloucester better, we won't be doing another Dunlop....  

Bob

[rsterne]

Next up was a new twist on an old favourite.... Havarti with Montreal Steak Spice added.... The recipe is based on Ricki Carroll's book "Home Cheesemaking", with 8 litres of 2% P/H milk plus a pint (473 ml) of 18% cream, which makes 8.5 litres at 2.9% BF.... We used MM 100 culture and added 1/4 tsp. of Holdbac to prevent late blowing.... We microwaved the steak spice for a minute on high to sterilize it, and added 2 tsp. to the stirred up curds (the consistency of scrambled eggs) just before putting them in the mold.... Here is the result....



It weighed 1 lb. 14 oz., for a yield of right on 10%.... We will be sampling a quarter of this cheese each month, starting at just 1 month of age.... If the Dill Havarti is anything to go by, it should be awesome, it certainly smells great already....

PS.... We tried this at 1 month, and it is WONDERFUL !.... The amount of Steak Spice we used was perfect, flavourful without overwhelming the Havarti....



Like the other Havartis we have made, it sliced beautifully, was pliable, and a lovely table cheese.... Definitely will be making this again....

PPS.... We didn't notice any change in favour between the 1 month and 4 month aging, this is a great savoury cheese that can be eaten young....  

Bob

[mikekchar]

Definitely give a report on it.  My parents (who happen to live quite close to you, worldly speaking) sent me some Montreal Steak Spice for Christmas (I wonder if it's the same brand... I believe it's from the Island)...  I've actually never made havarti even though it's one of my favourite cheeses.

[rsterne]

I will, Mike.... I always add to the post about each cheese, using a PS in blue, as I sample it.... Unfortunately, that doesn't trigger a yellow flag beside the thread to indicate a new post.... We used "Club House" brand....

Bob

[rsterne]

It is still difficult to get milk, for this Wensleydale I had to use 4 litres of skim, 4 litres of whole, and 1.2 litres of cream, for a total of 9.2 litres at 3.8% BF.... The recipe was based on Debra's book "200 Easy Homemade Cheese Recipes", using 1/8 tsp. of MM 100, for a slow 90 minute ripening at 86*F.... Here is the result....



It weighed 2 lbs. 3 oz. before waxing, which is a yield of 10.9%, almost exactly the same as the one we made a year ago.... We will be aging this one 2 to 5 months, consuming a quarter each month along the way....

PS.... We sampled this cheese at 2 months, and it was delightful....



It was creamy, buttery, and had a slight Cheddar aroma and taste.... It sliced well, with only one small crack near the center.... We look forward to seeing how it changes over the next 3 months....

PPS....  At 4 months, this cheese is a delight.... The Cheddar taste is fractionally stronger, but doesn't dominate, it is definitely it's own distinct cheese.... 

Bob

[rsterne]

For the first time ever, I made my own recipe, for a direct salted (rather than brined) Parmesan style cheese.... I call this cheese a "Grana Vecchio", which loosely translates to "Aged Grating Cheese".... I used the recipe from Paul Thomas' book "Home Made Cheese" for a Parmesan, but left the curds 2 hours (instead of 1-1.5 hrs.) in the pot of whey, cooling from 131*F down to 113*F, until they were getting sour tasting, before draining.... We then direct salted the curds before hooping (instead of brining after pressing).... This was our first recipe with "Chy-Max Extra" rennet, in the hope to avoid the bitterness we have frequently experienced in cheeses aged over 6 months.... For the recipe and a full explanation, with photos, check out this thread....  http://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,19662.15.html



The intention is to end up with a grating cheese aged a year (or more) that tastes somewhat like a Parmesan.... We are going to try it at 6 months, and every 6 months after that until 2 years has elapsed.... I'll report here (and in the other thread) what the results are.... 

PS.... We opened this cheese today, and are delighted with the results.... We had a small piece of Parmesano Reggiano for comparison, and we definitely ended up with a Parm, but it is still a bit young, at only 6 months....



It is firm and dry, and slices great.... Half of our first quarter we will set aside for grating on Pasta, but we are delighted with it as a table cheese.... Realistically, I can see no difference between brining it and direct salting the curds before pressing, as we did in this original recipe.... We can't wait until it is a year old to see how it improves with age....

PPS.... At a year, this curd-salted Parmesan style was amazing.... tastes like a true Parm, a bit salty as it should be, and full flavour....  

Bob

[rsterne]

Last Sunday we made another Asiago Pressato.... We used a mix of 8 litres of 2% P/H Milk plus 1 litre of 18% Coffee Cream, for a total of 9 litres of 3.8% BF.... We basically followed the recipe in Ricki Carroll's book, "Home Cheese Making", but used 1/8 tsp. of Su Casu culture.... We used a Floc. multiplier of 3.0 X and used 1/4 tsp. of Holdbac in this recipe.... In addition, instead of placing the pressed cheese back in the mold, with no weight, for 36 hours at room temperature, we only pressed it overnight, but inside our warming cabinet at 86*F.... Hopefully, these two changes will avoid the cracking problem in our first 2 makes....

The other change we made was using Chy-Max Extra rennet.... We have been having an issue with our longer aged cheeses getting bitter after 6 months of aging, and recently found out that could be due to the use of Vegetable (Mucor) Rennet.... Here is a photo after waxing....



After brining and drying, the cheese weighed 2 lbs. 1 oz. for a yield of 10.4%.... We will be aging it for 8 months, sampling at 2, 4 and 6 months along the way.... We are going to be paying close attention to how this ages, compared to the much longer aged Asiago d'Allevio we made last year, with the thoughts of making Asiago Pressato a shorter aged cheeese, maybe consuming it all by 5 months of age (compared to the aged version, Asiago d'Allevio, which we are aging from 6 months to 2 years....

PS.... We sampled this Asiago this evening, at 2 months.... Finally, we got one that did not split!.... I assume that the Holdbac is at least part of the reason for that....



It was delightful.... Lots of flavour, sliced great, and had a nice aroma.... Definitely not a cheddar, balanced moisture, flavourful and really creamy, with a slightly nutty taste.... It will be interesting to see how it changes as it ages....

PPS.... This cheese improved until 6 months, but at 8 months it had a slightly bitter taste.... We did a comparison to a later one, which was only 4 months, and both my wife and I preferred the younger one....   

Bob

[rsterne]

Last Sunday we made our third Manchego-style cheese.... We used a mixture of 8 litres of P/H whole milk plus 1 litre of 18% coffee cream, for a total of 9 litres of 4.9% BF.... That gives a P/F ratio of 0.64, which is about the same as Sheep's milk.... We used 1/4 tsp. of MA 11 plus 1/16 tsp. of LH 100, and added 1/4 tsp. of Holdbac to prevent late blowing.... We used Chy-Max Extra rennet to avoid any bitter taste when aged past 6 months....



We followed the recipe in Ricki Carroll's "Home Cheesemaking" book for the most part, using a Floc. multiple of 2.5X.... We cooked the curds a bit longer, at 104*F, until a ball compressed in the hand would tease apart easily with the thumb, with the hope this one will be just slightly drier.... Before brining it weighed 2 lbs. 9 oz.... After brining in 21% brine for 10 hours at 55*F we dried it a couple of days at 55*F, and then covered it with EVOO and Smoked Paprika.... It sat for 2 days at 55*F to dry a bit more, and then we Vacuum Bagged it, to be  sampled at 3, 6, 9 and 12 months.... The weight after brining and drying a couple of days is 2 lbs. 5 oz. for a yield of 11.7%....

PS.... There was a lot of whey in the bag at 3 months, we probably should have drained it a couple of times by then.... It had a nice aroma, and you could smell and taste the Paprika, but it didn't overpower the cheese.... It was still a bit moist for a Manchego, and next time we are going to try waxing it instead of vacuum bagging.... It tasted a lot like an Asiago, sliced OK, but was slightly crumbly.... This makes us wonder if we should go back to using a bit of Lipase next time.... Good, but could be improved....

PPS.... At 6 months, the Paprika was pretty much deep into the cheese, and kind of covering the other flavours.... To keep it from getting worse, we cut off the rind and re-bagged it....

Bob

[rsterne]

We have taken a month off from Cheesemaking because we have a new Lab puppy, and it has required constant supervision.... Now that Luna is 3 months old, we can leave her for short periods of time, so decided to get back to making Cheese.... This week it was a Gouda, our 4th.... As usual, we basically used Ricki's recipe, using 8 litres of 2% P/H milk and 650 ml of 18% cream, for a total of 8.7 litres of 3.2% BF.... We used 1/4 tsp. of MM 100 culture, plus 1/8 tsp. of LH 100 for a nutty flavour when aged, plus 1/4 tsp. of Holdbac.... We used a Floc. multiple of 3.5, and then cut the curd into 3/8" cubes.... After washing with warm water, to cook the curds per the recipe, we pressed it lightly in the mold under the diluted whey.... and then once we took the mold out of the whey, flipped, redressed and pressed at 10 lbs. for 15 min., 20 lbs. for 30 min. and then 40 lbs. for an hour (1.6 psi) by which time the rind was closed.... We then pressed it overnight at 90 lbs. (3.5 psi) and then soaked it in 21% brine for 8 hours.... then dried it 2 days before waxing....



This is the first time we have used Holdbac in a Gouda to avoid the late blowing we have noticed in the past.... In addition, we are now using Chy-Max Extra rennet, as our previous Goudas have developed a progressively slightly bitter taste (from the Vegetable rennet) once they passed 6 months of age.... We have found that the taste and texture is much improved from 4 months to 6, so this one will be aged 6 months before sampling, and we will consume a quarter each 2 months until the last time at 1 year.... The Chy-Max rennet produces a much firmer curd that discharges more whey during the 5 minute rest between cutting into cubes and stirring, and holds its shape better on stirring.... In addition, we used our new wooden spoon for the first time, and it doesn't break up the cubes compared to the stainless spoon we have used previously.... These two changes to the curb size and consistency added 2 ounces to our yield, which was exactly 2 lbs., or 10.4%.... This cheese may therefore be a bit moister than our previous Goudas, so next time I may shorten the Floc. multiple to 3.0 X.... Time will tell.... 

PS.... For some reason, this cheese suffered from late blowing, both eyes and large splits.... It tasted OK at 6 months, at 8 months it has a slightly bitter taste in the center.... However, it makes the BEST Grilled Cheese Sandwiches I have ever tasted.... 

Bob

[rsterne]

Last Sunday we made our 2nd Cotswold, which is a Double Gloucester with Onions and Chives.... We basically used the recipe in Debra's book "200 Easy Homemade Cheese Recipes".... We used 8 litres of 3.25% P/H milk plus 700 ml of 18% cream, for a total of 8.7 litres of 4.4% BF.... We used MA 11 culture and 18 drops of Annatto colouring, and used Chy-Max rennet.... We added 1/2 tbsp. Dehydrated Onions (rehydrated in 1/4 cup boiling water) and blanched some fresh Chives from our garden, chopped them fine and used 1 tbsp. of those also.... They were added along with the salt after milling, following 1 hr. of cheddaring.... Here is the result....



The yield was 2 lbs. 4 oz. which works out to 11.8%.... We will sample a quarter at 1 month, and then another quarter each month until it is 4 months old.... The first one we made was one of our favourite cheeses, I have no doubt this will be just as good.... 

PS.... This cheese did not disappoint.... Our first sample at 1 month showed this result....



It was creamy, sliced well, and the onion and chives did not overpower the cheddary taste....  

Bob

[Mike Cross]

Bob, if you want to taste test at different ages, why not make 4 separate wheels?  That way you get a true test rather than aging a cut cheese.  Also, if you are aging only a short period, why the wax?

[rsterne]

Our makes are quite small, if we made 4 wheels they would only be 1/2 lb. each.... The wax provides control over molds and humidity.... I vacuum bag after each sampling, which does the same thing.... Bottom line is, it works for us, we get very consistent results.... and the aging process seems to be OK....

Bob

[rsterne]

Last Sunday we made another Edam, made with 8 litres of 1% P/H milk and 650 ml of 18% cream for a total of 8.7 litres of 2.3% BF.... We used MM 100 culture, and before waxing it weighed 1 lb. 10 oz. for a yield of 8.6%.... about perfect for an Edam.... The difference this time is that we added Holdbac to prevent late blowing and used Chy-Max rennet to prevent it becoming bitter with age....



We again used our new Wooden Spoon to stir the curds, and the result was the largest curds we have ever managed to get (they were cut 1/2").... The spoon is great as it doesn't slice up the curds like a metal one.... As before, we will be sampling a quarter at 2, 3, 4 and 5 months....

PS.... At 2 months this Edam is incredible!.... It did have one split, but the paste slices great and is very piable.... and tastes just as it should.... creamy, buttery, and with a mild aroma....



It has a few very small holes, and it melts great on a grilled cheese sandwich.... We are looking forward to trying it each month as it ages....

PPS.... As the Edam aged, the flavour developed more, and by 5 months it tasted like a low-fat young Gouda!.... Great table cheese, especially for those who like a mild one....

Bob

[rsterne]

Our latest cheese was our third Cheddar, based on Ricki Carroll's recipe in "Home Cheese Making".... We used 8 litres of 2% P/H milk plus a litre of 18% cream, for a total of 9 litres of 3.8% BF.... We used MA11 culture, and 1/4 tsp. of Annatto to get a deep yellow-orange colour.... and a Rectangular mold to make it easy to slice for grilled cheese sandwiches.... We reduced the Floc. multiple to 3.0 from 3.5, using our new Chy-Max rennet, and stirred the 3/8" curds with our new wooden spoon, which leaves them much more intact.  We cheddared it for a total of 2.5 hrs. and it was difficult to get the curds to knit, but by installing the second set of springs in my press, which allows me to reach 170 lbs. (7 psi), it tightened up overnight....  We pressed it in our warming cabinet at 86*F....



After drying for 3 days, the cheese weighed 1 lb. 13 oz., for a yield of 9.2%, a bit low for a Cheddar.... We waxed it, and plan to age this cheese 2 years, sampling it first at 1 year, and then every 4 months along the way....

Bob