Second Jack, not as good as the first

[thwaps]

I have many hobbies. Some I'm quite good at and others I feel like I'm just getting going, like cheese making. When I am starting something new I love to see how other people mess things up so I don't feel so bad. So here is my second Monterey Jack.

My first Jack was very good, although a bit dry. I used Mary Karlin's technique, pressing it in a cheese cloth bag configuration between two boards for a rustic look (the last photo is of the first rustic Jack). I wanted to do that again, but with a more defined circle, but still wide and flat. I thought that using my big tomme mold would do the trick. I had never used the mold before and didn't realize that the follower wouldn't go all the way down on an only 2 gallon cheese. So it didn't get pressed all the way, and curds didn't knit together. And there were huge crubles on top. And wild blue mold came which I couldn't get rid of.

Anyway, as silly as it looks, it actually tastes quite good, Jack-like, if not a bit dry. And the blue mold is very, very mild and not unwelcome.

Maybe I should call it a "loose blue jack". 

[mikekchar]

That's super interesting.  The blue actually looks nicer to me. :-)  I love the rustic look of both of them, though.  How much weight did you put on the boards? Typical schedule for a jack?

[aghIV]

Hey, if it tastes good, it's still a success! Interesting you got such a nice blue on the second cheese. The 'wild blues' in my cave are usually unpleasant.

I think I have the same tomme mold and have had that exact problem. The Karlin book says to use an 8 inch mold for 2 gallon cheeses, but that comes out really thin. I don't think that tomme mold is intended for any less than 3-4 gallons makes. Not knowing this at the time, the first time I tried to make a cheddar using a Karlin recipe, I ended up with the mold less than half full of curd that I couldn't press because the follower got stuck on the tapered sides. I shaved the sides of the follower down a bit, but it was hard to do evenly and it still didn't press well.

[GortKlaatu]

When I first got my Karlin book, I was so excited. The general quality of the book, the hardcover, the pictures, the number of different cheeses and some interesting background info, etc. all foreshadowed high quality.  Unfortunately, I rarely use it for most recipes anymore, because so many of the recipes have faults that create flawed results. (And I have the most updated version that has had all the initial errors corrected.) I still refer to it for some comparisons and there are a few recipes (like the Cabecou) that are great.  But by and large, like many other folks on this forum, I have not found it to be as valuable a tool in my cheese arsenal as I had hoped.

[Hambone]

re Karlin, I was just about to order this book.

The errors are a concern, and Amazon reviews state no metric though I could manage without it.

Would you be able to recommend a better resource ?  Thanks in advance!

[panamamike]

Her book that I bought, all the errors were corrected.

[GortKlaatu]

Hambone
I can not recommend any better book that Giancalis Caldwell's Mastering Artisan Cheesemaking.
It goes into great depth from scientific/chemistry perspective, but not so much so that if you're just beginning it is too "hard."
But as you progress in your cheesemaking and understanding of the process you can go back and reread those sections and continue to gain greater and greater insight.
It is not just a "recipe" book like "Your Favorite 2500 Cheeses" but there are many recipes that are backbone recipes for each and every type of cheese. And it even has little "quiz" type sections to help you think beyond a recipe, and by understanding the process, correct whatever happens if your make suddenly "goes off the rails."


Spend you money here. I HIGHLY recommend it.
The only other book I can recommend as highly is: Mastering Artisan Cheesemaking by Giancalis Caldwell.  Ummm....errrr...LOL.

[GortKlaatu]

Her book that I bought, all the errors were corrected.

So was my copy, Mike.  But many of the recipes are just not quite right.


It seems to me that the cheeses that are normally made with smaller quantities of milk (Camembert, Blue, Chèvre, etc) are all pretty good. But the cheeses that normally are much larger (6-12 gallons or more) and that she has scaled down to 2 gallon makes are all off. 


Just my observation

[panamamike]

You are right. Giancalis Caldwell's Mastering Artisan Cheesemaking is an extremely good book. I always use it for reference and have read it two times now.

[River Bottom Farm]

You are right. Giancalis Caldwell's Mastering Artisan Cheesemaking is an extremely good book. I always use it for reference and have read it two times now.

I agree the Caldwell book is a good one. Has lots of theory and background info on making cheese as well as a good collection of solid recepies

[thwaps]

Wow, responses to my post. How cool. (first time user).

Someone asked about the weight used on the cutting boards. It was almost a full gallon of water in the milk jug, weighing 8 lb. (First, sucessful Jack). The "pressing" in the big tomme mold didn't really happen due to the tapered sides.

A note about the big tomme mold. It is the M19 mold from cheesemaking.com. In the description:
..."3.5" high, diameter is 7.5" at the top, tapering to a 7" closed bottom, which allows for stacking of multiple molds. Also includes a follower for more serious pressing. Will accommodate a 4-5 lb cheese. This mold is ideal for Blue, Tomme, or Trappist/StPaulin style. This is a tapered mold designed for a light pressing weight of 8-12 lbs..."

I see now that it "accommodates" a 4-5 pound cheese, but it may actually "need" a 4-5 lb cheese. Due to the tapered sides. Yes, I did think about filing down the sides, but didn't want to ruin the mold. I'll use it for a larger cheese if I can get a bigger pot.

As for the wild blue, I have not purchased any Roqueforti or made any blue cheese yet, so it couldn't be in my wine fridge cave. Its a cute wild mold, almost no flavor.

As for Karlin's book, yes, I am beginning to see that some of the recipies differ quite a bit from other sources (I just got the 200 Easy Homemade Cheeses). And although I have the version with the corrections, I think that she uses too much culture for sure. And there may be other problems, just with the basic ideas behind the recipies. However, I am drawn to all those great pictures, variety, and fun "gourmet" variations on the cheeses though. And I like that she suggests specific cultures so a beginner like me has a place to start. I will look into getting a copy of the Caldwell Book.

Yes, I did make the cabecou, and OMG, its great! And super easy, picture added...

And yesterday I made my first Montasio (Karlin version, will do the chipotle paste). So I'll see if that works. Post to follow soon.

[GortKlaatu]

Isn't the Cabecou great? And really easy.  It is often the favorite cheese when I offer several.


I wasn't happy when I made the Karlin Montasio. I later learned that it really needed to age much longer than she said. So I threw it in the back of the fridge and forgot about it for almost a year.  Now it's a very good grating cheese.  As I recall, that is not how she described it.