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GENERAL CHEESE MAKING BOARDS (Specific Cheese Making in Boards above) => STANDARD METHODS - Forming Cheese => Topic started by: Cheese Head on February 12, 2010, 06:43:45 PM
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I made two Gouda cheeses (records and pictures here (http://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,2344.msg25163.html#msg25163)).
When cut at 56 days is had some noticeable white spots in the pate. The attached picture is at 3.5 months age, the last half of which was in wax paper in household fridge's cheese drawer where it had dried out a lot more and is basically a grating type cheese now. In the picture at 3.5 months, the white spots are more noticeable and 3-5 mm diameter. They are not tiny and hard crystalline like Calcium Lactate Crystals (http://www.cheeseforum.org/Glossary.htm#Calcium_Lactate_Crystals).
Anyone know what they are, the cause, and how to remedy?
(Ridged line are because I cut the cheese with a small serrated steak knife).
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They look like little air pockets. Were the curds really spongy and wet? Sometimes air can get trapped where the whey was if they are pressed to hard initially and the curds are spongy.