Fourme d'Ambert style cheese, 1st attempt at cheese ever

[Honey Badger]

Hi everyone, from London UK. My first post.

Got here in search of some answers and read a lot of useful advice from the knowledgeable folks here, so thanks for that!

I have made an attempt at FdA style cheese following a video on youtube and so far, looks like I'm doing alright. Cheeses look fine and smell very nice. Not a trace of stink of ammonia or anything else equally undesirable.

This images posted are today's and it is a day 14 of ageing in my little wine cooler where I keep the temperature at about 10C and RH under the plastic bell that cheeses are under is just over 80%.

I've never made any cheese before and this is my very first time, so please be gentle with me.

Here is my 'cave':



Note to self: clean the cave door.


And here are my cheeses:



My questions are:

How do they look to you? Is there too much PR molud and should I wash it with brine and when?

It looks like I lucked it so far but at my wits end of what to do next.

Btw, great forum, probably the best cheese-making advice bank on the planet. Keep it up.

[Honey Badger]

I couldn't wait any longer and washed cheeses with brine. They are airing under some paper towels on the kitchen table. I'll put them back in the cave after an hour or so.

Here are the pictures:

[Duntov]

I think they look fantastic.  Glad you are posting.  AC4U for a great cheese!

[Honey Badger]

I think they look fantastic.  Glad you are posting.  AC4U for a great cheese!

Thank you Duntov, much appreciated.

Do you think I'm doing it right? It is my first time at cheese making and I'm quite proud of this so far.

They smell like a nice blue cheese already, I'm planning on checking them with a trier potato peeler in couple of weeks time, tasting some, then vac-pack the rest for further development.

Am I thinking right?

[Danbo]

First time? I don't believe you.... Looks great!

A cheese for you... :-)

[Honey Badger]

First time? I don't believe you.... Looks great!

A cheese for you... :-)

I swear it's my first time. Totally virgin cheesemaker, blessed are we.

Didn't wan't to start with ricotta or queso fresco, or anything like that, jumped straight into a deep end with blue cheese.

And now I'm hooked on this. It's terrible.

So difficult to wait for things to happen.

[awakephd]

HB, they look good to me. Have you pierced these? It looks like it from the picture, but not completely sure. If so, have you pierced them on more than one occasion?

And by the way, welcome to the forum!

[Danbo]

Can't wait to see the final results...

I started making Feta... and then I just went crazy (see attached photo of my cave when it was all full)...

Exciting! :-)

[Gregore]

Keep in mind that if you vacumm bag , it will kill all blue growth. It will still age and get better just not more blue.

[Danbo]

Yes. Vacuum is for cheeses where you don't want the blues...

I'm actually not sure that vac.bagging is a good idea. Most of my cheeses are a bit bitter and I think that it is because the moist can't escape. I will go back to waxing or making natural rinds.

[Andrew Marshallsay]

Great looking cheese and for a first ... Wow!
The rewards of jumping in the deep end.
Have a cheese from me and, by the way, welcome to the Forum.

[Honey Badger]

Yes. Vacuum is for cheeses where you don't want the blues...

I'm actually not sure that vac.bagging is a good idea. Most of my cheeses are a bit bitter and I think that it is because the moist can't escape. I will go back to waxing or making natural rinds.

Hmm, I really wanted to get vacuum packer for other things as well as cheese, now not so sure...

Would natural rind occur if I keep brine washing? I got an inspiration from this post: https://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,15512.0.html, this guy seems to know what he's doing.

How do I know if the cheese ready to cut? It already smells like a nice blue and it is very difficult for me to leave it alone.

Thanks everyone for replies, I'll keep you updated with the progress.

[Honey Badger]

HB, they look good to me. Have you pierced these? It looks like it from the picture, but not completely sure. If so, have you pierced them on more than one occasion?

And by the way, welcome to the forum!

Hi awakephd, thanks for welcome.

Yes, I pierced them twice. First, according to the instruction on the video, just after they finished draining and before I put them in the cave, second time on day 10 or thereabout. They seem to have developed nice blueing in the holes. You can see it in the close up images.

[Danbo]

In my experience the cheeses in the bags will start expelling moist and that makes the cheese sour/bitter (I think). You can then remove it from the bag and revac.

Vac. is a lot easier than washing or waxing, but my results are not that good. I know that other members in the forum have better experiences wirh vac. Most (all?) Industrial cheddar are vac.packed to age.

I know of bags that allow damp from the cheese to pass through but I haven't found a shop that has them.

I once made two blue cheeses (search for Big Blue in the forum) and vac.pacled them when they were ready. The blue mold stopped developing futher but stayed put. The cheese became very soft and damp.

[Honey Badger]

In my experience the cheeses in the bags will start expelling moist and that makes the cheese sour/bitter (I think). You can then remove it from the bag and revac.

Vac. is a lot easier than washing or waxing, but my results are not that good. I know that other members in the forum have better experiences wirh vac. Most (all?) Industrial cheddar are vac.packed to age.

I know of bags that allow damp from the cheese to pass through but I haven't found a shop that has them.

I once made two blue cheeses (search for Big Blue in the forum) and vac.pacled them when they were ready. The blue mold stopped developing futher but stayed put. The cheese became very soft and damp.

Thank you Danbo.

I just took my cheeses out of the cave for an hour to air a bit. They smell so good already. I wonder how so soon, it's only been two weeks.

I've ordered vac-packer and some waxed papers, just in case. Still none the wiser what to do next. I'll wash them with brine every other day (as the forum member Boofer did to his FdA) for another couple of weeks, then I'll try to take out the segment with a potato peeler and than either vac-pack it or leave it for a bit longer. That is if they don't get spoiled by then.