My first Cheshire with Fied's recipe

[Cloversmilker]

Friends loaned me a dutch press, so I'm trying Fied's Cheshire recipe. 

3 gallons this morning's warm milk; 1 gallon yesterday's milk, skimmed
3/32 tsp kazu
1 tsp calcium chloride
1 tsp rennet
3 1/4 tbsp pickling salt
7.5 inch diameter mold

8am left yesterday's milk in warm water bath while milking Clover
8:30 combined milk and added starter (temp about 88F)
9:00 added calcium chloride
9:05 added rennet (temp holding at 88F)
9:50  cut curds about 1/2 inch
9:55  poured off whey to level of curds and moved to sink to cook
9:55- 10:45  gradually raised temp to 93F (oops, should have stopped at 90F) while stirring occasionally
10:45  let curds settle
10:55 let rest at temp
11:35  poured off whey, curd in large cake at bottom of pot, still at temp
12:05  poured off whey and broke curd cake into fist sized chunks, pot on heating pad
5:05pm poured off whey, broke into 1 inch chunks, added salt gradually while stirring
5:15  put in press with 31 pounds pressure
5:45  redressed, turned, and returned to press with about 62 pounds pressure
6:15  redressed, turned, and returned to press with about 120 pounds pressure

[Sailor Con Queso]

Are you pressing in a pot with no holes?

[Cloversmilker]

No!  A 7.5 inch food grade white plastic mold with drain holes and follower is inside the pan.  The pan is just serving to catch the whey. 

I added a little more weight last night.  With this press, 16 pounds hanging from the hook should give 16x9+4=148 pounds pressure.  With 33 square inches surface area, this should be about 4.5 psi.  This is the first time I've had a press that has allowed calculation of psi.     With my screw press, I've just cranked it down as tight as possible and hoped for the best.  This dutch press is great! 

I've just removed the cheesecloth, turned the cheese, and returned it to the press.  It feels so much denser than the goudas and montasios I've been making recently.      I'll weigh it and post a picture when it comes out of the press.

[anutcanfly]

I like your press! 

[Cloversmilker]

The press is wonderful.  Easy to use and the psi can be calculated.  It's not mine though, just on loan.  My friends designed and built it.  One of them is an engineer. 

[anutcanfly]

That's a pity... you're going to hate giving it back!  What would they charge for one? 

[ArnaudForestier]

Agreed, that is a beautiful press, Clover.  Mine is in mothballs till the summer, Boof's design, but my carpentry skills are at the level of a 4 year old.  Very elegant, yours.

[Cloversmilker]

They are thinking about producing presses to sell.  I'm to troubleshoot, but haven't yet found any trouble.    I suppose that it would be a little more convenient to have a double/triple/quadruple hook on the cord so that it is a little easier to use multiple jugs to weight it.  Or perhaps a way to attach free weights easily. 

[dthelmers]

I use clothesline on mine, so I can have one of those handy clothesline fasteners on the cord. I use an S hook to hang a milk jug on the cord, and another S hook to hang another milk jug to the handle of the first. In my opinion, milk jugs have a few advantages over free weights:
1. You can get exactly the weight that you want by varying the amount of water in the jug.
2. They cause less damage to your toes if you drop them.
3. I have milk jugs lying around every time I make cheese (though if I had a cow, that wouldn't be true).
That's a real nice press, and you could double the mechanical advantage by using double pulleys instead of single pulleys when you make cheddar.