Success!!! YAY!!

[megdcl]

I've finally had a cheese that I really liked!! My others were alright, and might be considered great if I had a taste for a slightly stronger cheese, but this waxed cheese turned out my favorite. It was more a mild cheese, which I like; aged 54 days. I know it doesn't look perfect, but it tasted amazing, and that's what counts, right?

I also was really happy with this very informative-but-simple, no-fuss recipe, and will continue to use these instructions in hopes of getting the same results. Here's the recipe I used: http://creativeliving.10.forumer.com/viewtopic.php?t=304

And here's a picture of my wonderful cheese .

[CheeseSnipe]

Congrats! Doesn't look too bad. I would say you pressed too quickly (airspace) or not heavy enough to compress fully.

[tananaBrian]

Could be a bit over-acidic from the ripening.  Is it crumbly?

Brian

[darius]

That recipe sounds like the basic hard cheese on Fankhouser's site. http://biology.clc.uc.edu/fankhauser/Cheese/Cheese_5_gallons/CHEESE_5gal_00.htm
I made it a month or more ago but haven't cut it open yet.

[Brie]

Congrats, Meg--you are absolutely right--if you enjoy the taste you have reached your destination. Enjoy!

[megdcl]

Congrats! Doesn't look too bad. I would say you pressed too quickly (airspace) or not heavy enough to compress fully.

I would say you're right, it wasn't pressed heavily enough. I had to come up with a spur-of-the-moment makeshift press for this one, so that's understandable .

Is it crumbly?

Actually, it was surprisingly firm. Not as crumbly as some of my others, anyway.. but still a bit. I expected worse when I cut it open.

That recipe sounds like the basic hard cheese on Fankhouser's site. http://biology.clc.uc.edu/fankhauser/Cheese/Cheese_5_gallons/CHEESE_5gal_00.htm
I made it a month or more ago but haven't cut it open yet.

You know, I tried this recipe, too! I had a problem with that batch, though, unfortunately (my fault, not the recipe's).

Congrats, Meg--you are absolutely right--if you enjoy the taste you have reached your destination. Enjoy!

I know I should've clarified before, but I'm actually Meg's daughter, Annie. When I took an interest and started making cheese, I used her account on this forum to ask some questions. With that said, thank you! My success certainly encourages me.. maybe we'll get this cheese thing after all!

I'll be interested to open my next cheese that was made with the same recipe as this one, the only difference being it was bandaged instead of waxed. I hope it's as good. We'll see. I'll post the results when I open it (always an exciting moment!).

[MrsKK]

Boy, are you hooked now!

Congratulations!

[OudeKaas]

Would be interested to see pics and hear more about the progress of your bandaged cheese too!

[ArnaudForestier]

Congratulations, Megdel. Nothing more satisfying than crafting pleasure like this, and I'm happy for you.  All the best on all your future makes. 

Paul   

[megdcl]

Would be interested to see pics and hear more about the progress of your bandaged cheese too!

I opened my last bandaged cheese the other night. It had accumulated more mold than the other ones (I think because I'd heated the ghee before I applied it so it didn't go on very thick) so I had to cut off some of the edges once unwrapped, but it had a good flavor and the texture wasn't too bad. It's the kind of cheese that would be most enjoyed with wine, I think .

Personally, I preferred the waxed, just because I tend to enjoy a milder cheese, and it's easier. I think with my current cheeses I'll do more of the waxing. The wax I used was from recycled candles with a part beeswax.. it seemed to work well. And I was happy that all my waxed cheeses all stayed mold-free .

I didn't get any pics while unwrapping this last one, but here's what it looked like with the bandages: