Ageing my blues? Any tips?

[Gregore]

How long did the rennet take for a clean break / curd cutting ?

[Shalloy]

Five minutes after adding the rennet I put the bowl in to start spinning for the floc test and it didn't spin at all.  So I used 5 as my multiplier x 6 = 30 mins. But I left it for 45 mins as per the recipe. 

I must admit they do seem a bit better tonight so I've spiked them and put them in the fridge at 10C.

I'm calming down  soseattle..lol

[Gregore]

You reAlly  should trust the floc x number , it is very accurate  .  If you are able to pierce them and they do not weep , then they will probably  be fine . 

But remember the extra 15 minutes of rennet set  may have added extra moisture ( which will mean faster ripening)

but not always , some times the extra set causes the cut edges to be jagged and allows fat  and whey to leak from  curd faster than it should.

And never throw a cheese out until there is no doubt that it can not be eaten.  The cheese world is full of happy accidents.

[Al Lewis]

They typically contain moisture.  You may have a bit too much but you should still be okay.  Just quit salting them and do as I described in my earlier post.  The blue should show up after five days outside of the cave.  Turn them over ever day.  You may be surprised.

[Shalloy]

They typically contain moisture.  You may have a bit too much but you should still be okay.  Just quit salting them and do as I described in my earlier post.  The blue should show up after five days outside of the cave.  Turn them over ever day.  You may be surprised.

So I shouldnt have them in the cave yet? Ive put them in at 10C and around 90% humidity.  When I spiked them no moisture leaked out but they did sort of crumble and break apart a little bit on the surface as I pulled the skewer out. The bits that came out tasted okay and not rubbery.

Is it okay to keep the one I broke apart in the mould for a few weeks in the hope that it fuses back together?

@ Gregore...Yeah I suppose I should have cut the curds at 30 minutes and next time I will follow the floc multiplier times.

Thanks aonce again gents.

[Gregore]

I have never had to go more than 5 minutes past the final flock number ,

I start to look when the timer goes off and when I see the curd just start to pull away from the edge of the pot and or a little whey above the curd I know it is cut time.

[Shalloy]

I'm glad I didn't give up on these.  They are just starting to show the slightest hint of blue mould growing.
And I still have the second batch that I've been salting for 3 days and letting dry out a bit in the laundry before I move into the cave with my first lot.

I'm getting excited, hopefully my cheese will finally be edible for once.

[Shalloy]

I'm getting a nice blue mould developing on these but I'm concerned they might be drying out too much.

The RH is around 85-90% and I've kept the lid slightly ajar but they feel dry to touch.

Shouldn't they feel slightly damp or sticky to touch?

Last time I made blues they dried out too much and ended up as hockey pucks. But it was due to the fact that my recipe said to scrape all the blue mould off after 30 days. I did this and they ended up very thin, around 3/4 of an inch.  These Are a lot thicker and I'm not going to scrape the mould this time either. 

Today I put some wet paper towel in the container and have fitted the lid on tight.

This is the hardest part of cheese making I think.  Trying to work out if they are too dry or too wet.

[John@PC]

The RH is around 85-90% and I've kept the lid slightly ajar but they feel dry to touch.

I would err on the high side: 90 to 95%.  You should be seeing some condensation on the inside surfaces of your minicave if you have enough humidity.  When I do blues I don't "snap" the lid but I do set it on square and wipe condensate every couple of days of so.

[OzzieCheese]

Hi... I'm no raging expert on Blues - or any really   -  here is how I make my blues.  I have only made two and both have been an experience to make.
https://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,14026.0.html

I wouldn't be too worried about the rennet issue, nor the excess moisture. They will drain eventually.  The thing I would watch is that they get plenty of air as the Pr needs oxygen to do it's work.  Also, in about 3 week I would pierce the same holes again. Now, without the benefit of xray specs and the squishiness you mentioned earlier, you might find that there are not too many 'caves' inside as the paste will settle over time.  Keeping the airways open will help the PR but don't be too surprised if there ends up being only a little blue.   And there is nothing wrong with a creamy blue

Bits falling off - happens -  and I again wouldn't be too alarmed.

A cheese for you perseverance

-- Mal 

[Shalloy]

Thanks gents, I will follow the advice and keep the RH up with the lids loosely on top. I will spike them again in 3 weeks time too.

When you say they need plenty of air is 3 of them too much in those red containers like you use Mal? I think I read a post of yours where you said you only had 2 in there but I can't recall if they were blues or cams.

I have the vent open and I turn them and let them air out for 30 minutes every 2 days.

[OzzieCheese]

sounds good.

[Shalloy]

I need to use one of my brew fridges so I can ferment a beer for our clubs Oktoberfest competition. But currently I have these blues in one and salami and cured meats in the other.
I was just wondering if I could possibly store my blue cheese in the household fridge at around 6-8C for a month?

Will that pose any problems?

[Stinky]

It'll ripen a lot slower.

[Shalloy]

It'll ripen a lot slower.

But Im assuming thats not a problem at all if they ripen slower?