Gouda Attempt #2

[wcaprar]

Yay! Attempt number two! I used the same recipe as last time, which is just the generic one from cheeseforum.org. I am quite pleased with this cheese so far. I fixed some mistakes, which I type in bold, and am seeing a big improvement in quality. After making the cheese, I did some research. I found Linuxboy's recipe for Gouda and it mentions whole milk having too much fat and to use a combination of cream and skim milk, which is why my first attempt ended up creamier than expected. Here are my notes!

9:25am begin the cheese making process with 2 gallons of Fry's whole milk
9:59am milk has reached 85 degrees, add CaCl2 and culture
10:05am ripening begins This time I let the milk ripen for the full 45min instead of 30 minutes, in hopes of a more pronounced flavor
10:50am Rennet is added This time I used the flooculation method, I liked it much better
11:02am Flocculation not acheived
11:05am Flocculation is acheived - 15 minutes Used a multiplier of 3 so I could cut after a total of 45 minutes (last time I waited 1 hour and 15 minutes for a clean break, so we will see what works out better)
11:35am Cut curds
11:38am Allow curds to heal
11:48am Began stirring curds for 15-20 min
12:06pm Allow curds to settle at the bottom
12:11pm Began switching out whey with water
12:20pm Allow curds to rest in whey/water
1:07pm Began pressing curds in whey-3lbs
*Things were kind of weird at this step because I decided to press the curds, in the mold, in the whey. It was such a process for me, but I realize what I should have done and what I will do next time. I will get a second pot or large bowl, and set my mold inside. Pour out the curds and whey into the mold — effectively making it a strainer where the whey is contained. Then move the mold back into the first pot and pour the whey over the curds, just to make sure to get every little bit. I would imagine that there would be some heat loss from all this pouring and from a colder second pot. This seems like the most logical, straightforward way to do this. What I tried to do was scoop out the curds into the mold, but it just wasn't working and I ended up with a huge mess of whey everywhere. 
1:27pm Began pressing curds outside of the whey - 4lbs
2:00pm 10lb press
2:50pm 15lb press
2:55pm Bolted out the door to try to make it to work at 3:00 From now on, I refuse to ever make cheese on a day that I have work or school...
3-9pm Weight slipped and the cheese is slightly slanted
9:30pm 20lb press
7:50am 25lb press
3:00pm Brining began This time I used a 26% brine solution, just short of saturated, and actually let the cheese sit in the brine for the full 12 hours. I now have a better rind and hopefully the cheese won't be so bland this time.
3:00am Air drying began.

I'll post a couple pictures very soon

[wcaprar]

As you can see in the photo, the brine is cloudy (in the big jug). What's up with that? Is that un coagulated milk or something? I noticed that the cheese turned out lighter than last time. Should I expect that from checking from flocculation instead of checking for a clean break?

As a side note, I am quite pleased with my air drying area that I have. I wanted it somewhere where there wasn't a ton of airflow and somewhere where humidity could be higher. After checking the humidity of everywhere in the house, I settled on this spot. It's in a little nook area, so while there is airflow, it is minimal to prevent it drying out too fast. Also, I had hoped that leaving it in the nook with a bowl of water would help to contain the humidity at least a little bit, and it is actually working! everywhere in the house it is 30% humidity and the nook is hanging out at 40%-ish humidity. I'm so excited!

[kookookachoo]

You know what, my Edam whey was a bit cloudy yesterday, too.  It wasn't like that with the other cheeses I made before, definitely a more clear nice color of greenish-a-bit-yellow (??) & it actually made me a bit nervous.  Did I stir too long?  Were the curds not firm enough?  I checked though & they "felt" right.  All this uncertainty!

I'm taking notes of your notes, too.     My printed recipe/notes have chicken scribbles all over with stars (**Note!**) as FYI to myself.  I'm learning, albeit slower than what I'd like (I'm just a really impatient person), but I'm learning that impatience will probably cause me to waste my time & milk (in this case), so I'm baby-stepping! 

I'm doing gouda next, so I'm going to be peeking here, too, wcaprar! 

[MrsKK]

Keep a close eye on your cheese.  40% humidity is still pretty dry.  If it starts getting dry on the edges or starts forming cracks you can put a large bowl over the top of it to help hold in some more moisture.