September Cheddar

[OzzieCheese]

My Monthly Cheddar time.  Not sure if you all are bored to tears about hearing of yet another Cheddar.  But there is something therapeutic about making these types.  It's basically all over in one day and then the long wait.  Attached is the make Control sheet and how it all went.  Though one thing I would mention is that there are stages that you need to watch.  I find that the Texturing process is one that can make or break a good cheddar.  Leave it too long and curds become tough and pressing becomes more difficult and the result is a crumbly cheese and left not long enough and the cheese might not have enough Acid to take it out for the long wait.  pH measurement is a wonderful tool to determine time optimal time to mill and add salt.  Before I had access to both the MA4001 culture and the pH meter, they varied in quality but now I currently can get the texturing over in about 1 hour.  The Thermo in the MA4001 really kicks in as the 36 to 38 Deg C mark and if you don't keep an eye on it will drop way past the 5.3 mark.  As you can see by my note I did catch it fast enough and milled and salted at 5.2 - I'm not concerned but it's a thing to watch.

[OzzieCheese]

I didn't take too many photos as apart from a pH over-run, everything went well.  The pressing of last months Cheddar was a little light so this month I ramped it up.  This is also the first time I have employed a pulley system pressing cheese.  It was good test for the new press -  and it performed well up to expectations.

1-2. I'm sure you have all seen my play space but may be a good time just to remind us that if it ain't clean then the cheese will tell you sooner or later  . 
3.  The cream really is this colour.
4. Under the pump - 150 Kg !! and this press will go higher.  Andy  - this is a truly awesome design.

[OzzieCheese]

Just going back over the notes for the press I might have loaded the final with 180kg !  woot !! 

If I understand your measurements, it is a total distance of 50 cm from the fulcrum to the first weight loop (10 to the pivot + 40 more to the weight = 50), and 60 cm to the second -- is that right? If so, you actually have 5x MA at the first point and 6x at the second. The calculation is (distance from fulcrum to weight) / (distance from fulcrum to pivot). But keep in mind that the secondary lever multiplies the MA of the primary lever by 2, so your total MA would be 10x or 12x.

Better than expected !  which mean that the figures on the sheet are wrong
1st press was 20kg
2nd press at 20kg
3rd 60Kg
4th 180 kg

or maybe a little manic ??

-- Mal

[awakephd]

Mal, great to see the press in action, and fulfilling its potential!

And that cream ... sigh. I just made another batch of "Malemberts" and added more cream than usual to see what would happen. Well ... what happened was a terrible shattering of the curd. I'm guessing the culprit is the fact that the only cream I can get my hands on is ultra-pasteurized. Since the milk is already iffy, being P&H from the store, the 1 quart of UP light cream (because the heavy cream has all sorts of additives) in 2 gallons of milk seems to push it past the limit of what will hold together. But I'm draining it, and I think I will still get something worthwhile -- it is not shattered to the point of, say, ricotta.

In any case, what I wouldn't give for some cream like that!