my first cheeses...

[stuartjc]

This is the result of my experiments in making farmhouse Cheddar.

Cheese on the left is batch 1. It tastes kind of like a feta, but with a more solid, not crumbly texture.

Cheese on the right is batch 2. I added some annatto to make it a buttery yellow colour. The taste is less defined than batch 1, with a smoother texture.

I am very pleased with the results so far :)

[Likesspace]

Stuart,
The texture on both cheeses look great! Nice and smooth with no open places in the cheese.
What size wheels are these? They appear to be 6" diameter, but it's hard to tell with nothing to use as a reference point.
Regardless they really do look fantastic.
Congratulations on a great start.

Dave

[stuartjc]

the mold is about 7.5 inches on the inside diameter. The wheels are about 2 inches tall.

[stuartjc]

and thank you  :)

[Tea]

Stuart they look fantastic, congratulations.  So do you know, apart from the colour, why these two cheeses are so different? 

[stuartjc]

Tea, it's probably because my temperatures were all over the place  ;D

I like the results, but they are not what you'd call "Cheddar"... but hey, only my first two cheeses. I know I will get better!

[Tea]

I agee, as long as they are edible, I don't mind.  Got to learn somehow.

[stuartjc]

I agee, as long as they are edible, I don't mind.  Got to learn somehow.

Exactly my thoughts :)

[wharris]

Congrats.  They look better than the cheese of mine i was eating today...


My recommendations are to develope a system of logging exactly what you did (And did wrong) so you can go back and figure out what works and what does not.

Good luck..

[LadyLiberty]

Congrats.  They look good!  That's the first kind we made too.  How long did you let it age?  Ours is still in the "cave". We will try it in about two weeks.  It will be around 1.5 months old.

I know people who are into "slow" food... They haven't tried making cheese yet to know what real Slow food is!

This is teaching me patience!

[Cartierusm]

Yeah, how long did you age them for?

[LadyLiberty]

Yeah, how long did you age them for?

Carter is 1.5 months long enough aged to have a decent farmhouse cheddar?

[stuartjc]

these cheeses are made to the "farmhouse Cheddar" recipe I got in the booklet with my kit from Leeners. I made them on Saturday and Sunday this week, and they are already edible. I will lay some down in the basement for aging, but having edible results this quickly is giving me the spur to make more, and make it properly.... which is probably exactly the point they were trying to achieve ;)

[Cartierusm]

Really edible already? Mine has zero flavor at that stage. LL, 1.5 is really the bare minimum for cheddar, if you can wait 3-6 months it will be way better.

[stuartjc]

edible, if a little bland. I have no doubt the taste will improve over time, so I have vacuum sealed 2 bags with 1/4 of each cheese in it for later consumption.