And it's a knit!

[scasnerkay]

Finally, I have a replacement cheese cave! So, I am able to make a cheese for the cave rather than fresh cheeses. What to start back in with.... A cheddar of course! When I saw the cream level on the jars of milk, it just had to be! So 2 days milking, and 4 gallons of fresh Jersey, and a culture mix of MM100, Kazu, and LBC...
Make went well, but knitting was tough. I probably took the cloth off because of the marks it tends to make, and let it press overnight with about 120#. Next morning, insufficient knit, so I tried something I had read about as a test....  I gave the cheese a spa treatment with a 1 minute dip in 160 degree water, then back into the press, no cloth, and 160#. A few hours later there was no change in the knit. So back into the cloth, and increased the pressing weight to 180#, and 2 hours later, a good knit! I think the lesson was that the cheesecloth is necessary for helping to drain the curd mass and form the knit. Probably I would not bother with the hot dip again...
By the way, 4 gallons of milk with a 5# cheese... excellent yield!

[Kern]

Susan, "And it's a cheese" 

[Frodage3]

Hi Susan,
When you say it's a bad knit, or that it didn't knit well, do you mean that it would crumble? It looks fine to me, but I still haven't had the courage to try a cheddar. 180 pounds is a lot!

[awakephd]

Based on the pictures, I'd guess Susan is using a 7" diameter mold, or something in that vicinity. 180 / (3.5^2 * π) = 4.6 psi. (If it is an 8" diameter mold, psi is down to 3.6.) That's respectable, but certainly not excessive.

As a comparison, I have been doing the final pressing for my cheddars at 300 lbs. on a 7" diameter mold, for a psi of 7.8. This is where the compound press really comes in handy!

By the way, Susan, a great looking cheese ... and I'm envious of the milk!

[scasnerkay]

It was an 8 inch form. My learning from this was to keep the cheesecloth on until a good knit is confirmed. The cheese would not have crumbled, it is just that I wanted a smooth finish so I could do a natural rind.
I had taken the cloth off because the form lid barely fits inside the form, and the cheesecloth makes it an even tighter fit. Really what I need to do is file the perimeter of the form lid so it is just a wee bit smaller!

[awakephd]

Susan, sounds like we have the same 8" mold. I had to do exactly what you say, reducing the diameter of the lid by a wee bit, except that I used a drum sander to do it.

[scasnerkay]

Andy, I have no access to a drum sander, do you think filing will work?

[H-K-J]

Just get some 100 grit sandpaper and do it by hand (it will take awhile)

[awakephd]

Sure, filing will work. Or 100 grit sandpaper. Or find a local woodworker and bribe her/him with some cheese.