Coliform Bacteria Contamination & Cleanliness Discussion

[CheesyJ]

Hi All,

So I have a newby cheese question to ask everyone. 

I am new to the cheesemaking world, and have just pressed my first farmhouse cheddar.  The cheddar was made from 2 gallons of supermarket pasteurized milk that I added 1/4 tsp calcium chloride to.  I cleaned all of my pots and utensils in the dishwasher, and I thought everything was very sanitary.

My question is, how do you know if your cheese has been contaminated with coliform bacteria, or if it looks and smells the way it should?

My cheddar has been sitting out at room temperature for the past couple days while it's been drying so I can wax it.  I just read in Ricki Caroll's book that one of the issues some cheesemakers face is coliform contamination.  She says that the contaminated cheese would be difficult to pull from the mold, there would be spongy holes when you cut into it, and the cheese would smell like bread yeast.

What is the normal smell and look for this type of cheese while it's drying?  Currently it has some small depressions on one side of it, but no holes.  It has a unique smell, rather mild, mostly of cheese.  I'm not sure exactly what bread yeast smells like, so I don't know if that's what it smells like.  It was also moderately hard to get out of the mold, but a firm push knocked it out.

The cheese should be dry in a few days, but is it dangerous if it was contaminated?  Also, is this just the normal look and smell for this type of cheese?  One side of the cheese is still very smooth.  It mostly smells like cheese.

Whatever help you can give me would be appreciated.

[Alice in TX/MO]

The time I had that problem, the cheese had MILLIONS of tiny bubble holes inside.  There was no doubt.

[Mondequay]

The spongy feel is very easy to identify. When I had a spongy feta, I tossed it since we eat that fresh. Since this is a hard cheese I believe the contamination would die out as it ages but I will leave that up to the experts.

[Gina]

I dont know how well a dishwasher sanitizes things (mine wouldnt do very well). More than just clean is needed. If you are worried, I would suggest using a sanitizer such as starsan, and/or boil any utensils that withstand heat.

[CheesyJ]

Thanks everyone.  I just ordered some Starsan, so I'll start using that from now on.  I don't think the cheese is contaminated, I think I'm just a paranoid new cheesemaker.  I'll wax it soon enough and keep my fingers crossed.

Do you guys have an opinion on brushing on the wax vs. dipping.  I've read that dipping is better at getting rid of the mold spores, but I don't have enough wax to dip for this round.  If you feel it's worth it, I'll order more wax for future cheeses.  I can also start doing washed and natural rind cheeses to avoid this step altogether.

I think I'll make a manchego tomorrow, that doesn't require wax.

[CheesyJ]

Also, Alice, could you see any of the holes on the surface, or did you not know there was a problem until you cut into the cheese?  I'm wondering if there's a way to know it has a problem before I've aged it for all that time.  Regardless, I think I'll age it and hope for the best.

[Chris K]

I dont know how well a dishwasher sanitizes things (mine wouldnt do very well).

Excellent point. Our old unit would not. Our new unit has a very high-temp "sanitize" setting.

[9mmruger]

I boil metal implements and starsan the plastic's and bamboo matts.  I have (knock on wood) not had an issue so far.

[Gina]

It's not just the pots and utensils, it's also one's hands that need to be sanitized constantly throughout the hours of the cheese make. I am always washing mine. In the past after washing I also used that alcohol hand stuff (as seen in one of the 'official Stilton videos), but thanks to Sailor's explanation about it's actual efficacy, I now spritz my hands with starsan instead.

As to using wax on cheeses, dipping is better than brushing to get rid of spores, etc. because you can dip at higher temps that kill stuff. But before you order enough wax to do that, brush a few cheeses with wax to see if you even like what happens to your cheeses that have been covered with wax. Personally I've always loved working with wax, but after covering a few cheeses even after well-dried, I have found I dont especially like how they age in wax.