Effect of ripening time?

[JeffHamm]

Hi,

Just to let you know where I'm comming from with my question, it's spawed from my readings of threads here on the floc method and as I've been comparing some different recipies all suppose to make the same cheese.  Now, with floc times and multipliers, the longer you wait until cutting the moister the cheese and the faster it ages.  So, if you were trying to replicate a moist cheddar type cheese, you would use a slightly larger multiplier than when targeting a drier cheddar.  Etc.

Now, in the various recipies I've been looking at, I've noticed quite a large variation in the ripening times.  After heating the milk to a target temperature, then adding the starter culture, some seem to have rennet added at the same time, others you wait 5 minutes, and others you can wait up until almost an hour.

From what I can gather from some threads, longer ripening times should increase the acidity and result in a more sour tasting cheese, which is more crumbly, all other things being equal.

Is this correct?  And, are there any other rules of them (similar to the floc idea above0 that one could start with when thinking about the impact of longer ripening times?  (Realising that this will also depend upon starter culture used, amount added, etc).

- Jeff

[zenith1]

Jeff-you have to start thinking about all the parts together. In your post you asked if a longer ripening time will increase acidity-it will.But so will increasing the amount of starter culture, using a faster acidifier for your culture or increase in ripening temperature. You will find that a lot of the recipes give a ripening time-use this as a jumping off point only-unless you are measuring the pH drop or titrating the acidity it will be very difficult to reproduce your results. Adding the rennet at the same time as the starter cultures is cheese type specific. The bottom line is to take one of those recipes and make it your own by adjusting everything till it works to your satisfaction.

[JeffHamm]

Thanks Keith,

Yah, I realise that there are a number of other factors involved.  I had thought of the culture used and the amount used, hadn't thought of temperature but yes, I can see how that works too since it influences the growth rate of the cultures.  As I understand it, all of these are different ways to influence the acidity.  I guess what I'm really wondering is, what aspects of a cheese would make one go "ahh, when I try and make this I'll want to increase/decrease the acidity! So longer ripening time, faster acidifying culture, and/or higher ripening temperature." 

As an idea of what I mean, for example, if I taste a cheese that is moist and I want to try and replicate it but I find my version is a bit too dry, I would think ok, increase the floc time, cut larger curds, and/or keep the cooking temperature a bit lower, or the cooking time shorter.  Or if mine was too moist, I would think "shorter floc time, small curds, cook at a higher temperature, etc."

- Jeff

From what I've read my inclination is that if mine is too crumbly, then lessen, if it's too "creamy" then increase.  Similar, if the flavour should be sour, increase, etc?

[Sailor Con Queso]

Zenith, You are right on most counts. However aging actually reduces the acidity (increases pH). The acidity in a cheese typically peaks a day or 2 after pressing and then starts to go down. Of course if you overacidified the cheese in the beginning, it will not hit the correct equilibrium anyway. It's not just about floc, or temp, or curd size. All the parts have to work together.