Matting Parmesan Curds?

[Minamyna]

I have wreck at least 3 batches of parmesan. Grr. The curds seem to mat or get rubbery and squeaky all the dang time!!

I am using the recipe on the the site, fresh raw jersey milk that has been cream separated, and thermophilic b from the cheesemaker.

Any advice?

[linuxboy]

Normal for them to mat with parm, you have to stir and stir with parm to get the curd size down fast, and then let them mat on the bottom of the pot.

[Minamyna]

so you do let them mat before pressing? Mine I pressed anyways and its like dual colored, some yellowy like parm and some white like mozz..

Sigh-- it feel like I will never get good at this, but that's not going to stop me from trying;)

I can get a picture if you want.

[Gina]

The parmesan recipe from this site says to stir for at least 5 minutes when adding rennet. If you are doing that, perhaps that is part of the problem.

3. Dilute rennet in 1/2 cup cool water, then slowly trickle into the milk stirring constantly with a whisk. Stir for at least 5 minutes.

[BigCheese]

I have not had any matting issues. I stir a lot and have been using my arm (up to about 112F), so I can really feel with my hand and break any small mats that begin to form.

I generally only let them sit 5-10 minutes before draining and hooping, they begin matting then.

Of course, LB knows way more than me (obvious statement, anyone?).

[linuxboy]

Nitai, that's what I meant; I do it same way as you, or use a stirrer for large vats. If you look at the way it's made at the caseificos in Parma, the cheesemaker will stay there and stir and stir, all the while bringing up the heat rather quickly. And then at the end when the temps are reached, the curds will be at the bottom of the pot naturally. And it's so hot, and the pH so high, that they will mat. While the curds are settling, the cheesemaker and an assitant will get a huge piece of cloth and they will insert it at the bottom, and sort of lift the curd cake, and slide the cloth underneath. That curd cake is pretty solid by then at the bottom. Then when they lift it up, the mass of curds is rather solid. It's solid to the point that they take the curd ball and cut it into half or quarter or smaller, depending on the size of the vat. Then those hunks of curd are put into molds and pressed. The parm curd isn't in individual curds when it's pressed, at least not how I saw it done, it's more like very loosely held chunks that hold together but press and come apart easily.

So they shouldn't mat while heating, because if they mat, the curds will retain too much moisture. Stirring keeps them all separate, then when you stop at the end and prep the hoops, the curds settle naturally.

[BigCheese]

Got it. I have seen Gouda done similarly in some videos.

[linuxboy]

Yeah, it's how you avoid mechanical openings, settling/pressing under whey. Many Goudas are actually prepressed in a prepress -press as large slabs, and then those slabs are cut and put into Kadovas to get the final shape.

[Minamyna]

Wow, my recipe says to bring the temp up slowly, to 124.... grrr, ok more stirring for sure.

[wharris]

I have to stir and stir. 
As I approach 124 deg F, if I stop for more than 30 sec, I will get  a mat of curd,

[Minamyna]

Very good info-- Thanks bunches!

[DeejayDebi]

Mine I pressed anyways and its like dual colored, some yellowy like parm and some white like mozz..

I can get a picture if you want.

Keep a nice slow stir going until you are ready to press. You don't want them to mat before they are sufficently cooked and the whey expelled. Parms often come out of the mold with a mottled white and yellow color at first. It will all turn an almost tranlucent yellow after a day or so. I would be more concerned if this didn't happen As I have never made a parm that did not look ths way for at least a few hours and I have made 100's of parms over the years.

Do you mean something like this?

[Minamyna]

I have to say getting mine to do a smooth surface is not a happening thing, they always have crooks and crannies.

[DeejayDebi]

I didn't use cheese cloth on this mold. I cut circle for the top and bottom only - so no wrinkles.

[susanky]

Is there something different about your mold that it doesn't need cheesecloth?  Or is it a usual mold but you just don't use it for this particular cheese?
Susan