Ah the consistency of DVI Cultures

[OzzieCheese]

This might seem a weird way to start my Cheddar make notes but, the regulars here might remember I started a project using Kefir as the culture source.  Not very successful I'm afraid.  It made cheese but not to the standard I and my family enjoy. So,  Here we are, back using the 'Evil' and 'Industrial' DVI cultures we have come to enjoy.  Not that using Kefir doesn't work - it does - but I like my Cheddars to age out 1 to 2 years and that sort of investment in time is just too long for the prospect of a bland Cheddar.

I'll post as the day progresses - and yes photos not that they will different from the others but... you never know.

-- Mal

[OzzieCheese]

What a nice change from the Kefir experience.   pH markers all hit - Temperatures within a degree C and the timings back where they should be.

The cheese making today was a nice relaxing one enjoyed with good music and a nice beer..

Attached are a range of photos from start to finish - only basic this time.  I find myself taking the same pictures I have enough to fill a book.... now there's an Idea !

[OzzieCheese]

1. As always - My kitchen ready for a cheese session.
2. Clean Break - Although I use the Flocculation calculation, I still like to test this way.
3. Curds just after cut
4. Curds after raising to 38 deg C
5. Curds after cooking for 60 minutes @ 38deg C

[OzzieCheese]

The Cheddaring stage.

1. Just after removing from the Colander
2. first turning.
3. Cut into slabs

The transformation is really quite remarkable.

4. Pressing

I love this press - it gets me all the force I need.  This is using a 2 litre (2kg) at 12 X = 24 Kg the next step in the pressing is a 5 and a 2 Litre bottle to give me 84 Kg..  Just perfect..

[AnnDee]

This might seem a weird way to start my Cheddar make notes but, the regulars here might remember I started a project using Kefir as the culture source.  Not very successful I'm afraid.  It made cheese but not to the standard I and my family enjoy. So,  Here we are, back using the 'Evil' and 'Industrial' DVI cultures we have come to enjoy.  Not that using Kefir doesn't work - it does - but I like my Cheddars to age out 1 to 2 years and that sort of investment in time is just too long for the prospect of a bland Cheddar.

I'll post as the day progresses - and yes photos not that they will different from the others but... you never know.

-- Mal

Same here, I tried few cheese with kefir and it was quite a lot of tinkering and adjusting on the process I decided it's just not for me. I like to know I will get pretty much the same result with the same recipe 
Nice pictures, I always enjoy the cheese pics from your post.