Well I am starting my 1st batch of Parmesan cheese.
I am still putting my recipe together. With Carter's help, I have chosen a 6 gallon batch. (doing 2 batches)
8 gal 2% pasteurized/homogenized
4 gal Whole pasteurized/homogenized
Batch1:
4 gal 2% and 2 gal of whole
3/4 tsp Lipase
3/4 tsp TA 61
3 tbsp CaCl2
1 1/2 tsp of animal renet
Some pictures:
(http://www.firelandcheese.com/site/ImageGalleryHandler.ashx?id=137bb894-eb39-4106-87d2-8474f1cd7995&blobId=a01c538f-950d-43f5-bee0-cc4ac819b5c5&prefix=Fullscreen&cache=True)
(http://www.firelandcheese.com/site/ImageGalleryHandler.ashx?id=07910f04-1c4a-49c5-b1bc-203250f49e3c&blobId=645adbeb-0f62-4a0a-8a29-a91cd8040cc7&prefix=Fullscreen&cache=True)
(http://www.firelandcheese.com/site/ImageGalleryHandler.ashx?id=06f435b6-0ebf-4cd5-ad21-96b1e89d36fa&blobId=b4fbb458-10a9-4da6-97c3-7caf40e3c0e7&prefix=Fullscreen&cache=True)
(http://www.firelandcheese.com/site/ImageGalleryHandler.ashx?id=64d53032-ee94-4093-8dec-84a806ee2c9a&blobId=a20150a9-63e6-46ca-9c7d-63654f484aac&prefix=Fullscreen&cache=True)
The curd:
(http://www.firelandcheese.com/site/ImageGalleryHandler.ashx?id=70c44190-0bb7-4321-96e1-fbd515bac979&blobId=ac87031e-3dfb-40b0-8ae6-481706767fc6&prefix=Fullscreen&cache=True)
(http://www.firelandcheese.com/site/ImageGalleryHandler.ashx?id=74ca1d64-f0cb-4c77-be85-b6d3d9453d20&blobId=f5b9ae7f-75bd-423d-b108-4a41775bb1e9&prefix=Fullscreen&cache=True)
After 15 min pressing with 5lb (.39psi)
(http://www.firelandcheese.com/site/ImageGalleryHandler.ashx?id=10eb18f7-90b2-45d3-b319-743e419a625f&blobId=37a3f0d6-5099-4871-9102-74a1af473cec&prefix=Fullscreen&cache=True)
After 30 min pressing with 10lb .8PSI
(http://www.firelandcheese.com/site/ImageGalleryHandler.ashx?id=f21620b5-dbfc-4927-8025-82e4d7f392fb&blobId=fe15ddbc-88ad-4236-9c86-4f733a4ab4cc&prefix=Fullscreen&cache=True)
After 2 hours of pressing with 15lb (1.2psi)
(http://www.firelandcheese.com/site/ImageGalleryHandler.ashx?id=d6f2e83a-e17b-43cf-8248-960d981667a8&blobId=96349c5a-d0a8-4d04-a0fc-9f9e70363407&prefix=Fullscreen&cache=True)
Wayne....
This is actually sort of funny.
Tomorrow you give your first parmesan a try. Tomorrow, I give me first traditional cheddar a try.
Just as you are feeling nervous about the parmesan, I'm feeling nervous about the cheddar.
I have made a few batches of farmhouse cheddar and more than a few batches of stirred curd cheddar but I've never tried the true "cheddaring" steps.
Well now that I have my new PH meter, (thanks for the recommendation on the Hanna model), and information that I got off of Carter's post about the University of Gelph site, (thanks to Carter), I think I'm finally ready to take my cheese making to the next step.
I think you will find that parmesan is a fun cheese to make and hopefully my cheddar will be the same.
I've made exactly two batches of parmesan in my cheese making life and the first was a disaster.
The second attempt seemed to have gone perfectly but of course you have to wait a minimum of 5 months to find out if this truly is the case.
If you have any tips on a "true" cheddar, I'd love to hear them.
Dave
Parm021309, sounds like a Chicago song, "Wayne is sitting on the floor 25 or 6 to 4"
Good luck both of your, Dave and Wayne, what I've learned just recently and reunderstood what my good text books talk about. You don't care what PH is at the beginning or PreRipening stage. You still take the readings but you just ripen by time in your recipe. What I haven't figured out is the part after during cooking when it ripens a lot, do we adjust time to conicide with the changing of the PH. So what this all means is by all means take 10 reading during the making and take explicit notes, but don't worry about reaching target PHs, just make it.
Looks good Wayne.
Choosey Mothers Choose Choozit (jiffy).
Carter..
I'm still working on my first traditonal cheddar and I decided to hit my target PH readings at each step.
Actually, by just following the recipe I was pretty close. The only measure I've had to take (so far) was during the secondary cooking stage when I was forced to raise the temp to 104 degrees (from 102 degrees) to retard the culture. This did work nicely at slowing down the PH drop so the reading I did on the university of Gelph paid off.
I am now cheddaring and the PH is dropping nicely. Right now I am about 10 minutes over on my target time but I am not going to mill until I hit the target.
My wife asked what I was going to do if I didn't reach a target PH at a certain point in the recipe.
My response was that a PH meter is not there to tell you that you are screwing up. It is there to KEEP you from screwing up.
Because of that, even if I did start the next process 10 minutes early, or 10 minutes late, I was still moving to the next step at the proper PH.
Of course you should all listen to me since this is my very first experience at using a PH meter. I'm sure that qualifies me as an expert on the process. ;D
Honestly, I"m just doing what makes sense in my mind. I could be completely off base here but I've always been one to follow my instincts.
Dave
Good job Dave, seems like your progressing faster than me. NOW WE NEED TO KNOW, what PHs you have on paper and at what stage, then what PH you got at what stage and at that stage if it didn't match your paper what you did. This will be very helpful. Maybe this should be a thread of it's own.
Wayne...
Didn't mean to hijack your thread!
I mean to post this in my last response but I had to take a PH reading which turned into milling the curd on my Cheddar.
Your Parmesan is looking great.
It looks as if you've gotten a perfect knit on the curd at this point.
Great work and keep us posted as to how it comes out of the brine.
Thanks for the pics, also.
Dave
Okay, like I said, I don't want to hijack this thread but Carter...ummm.....did you really look over the university of Gelph website that you posted (just kidding).
The one thing that I really liked about that site was the recipe section.
They have recipes for Cheddar, Romano, Provolone, Colby, Gouda, Blue and and many others that give the proper PH readings at every step in the process.
Yesterday at work I copied all of the recipes and followed the Cheddar recipe for what I am doing today. It also tells you that if you are having problems at a cetain step you can do "such and such" to remedy it (for instance increasing the cooking heat to retard the culture and slow down acid production).
I've decided that this little PH meter is going to change EVERYTHING that I have done in cheesemaking up to this point.
Yeah, I'm pretty excited right now (imagine that). :-)
Dave
Crap I missed the entire recipe section I think, I haven't look at it in weeks, I guess I missed the best part...I feel stupid. I'll go check it out.
This is looking real good.
6gal of milk yielded 5.11lbs of Parm.
(http://www.firelandcheese.com/site/ImageGalleryHandler.ashx?id=ccc997c1-abf0-4149-a1d7-c4320e6d9da4&blobId=7c414990-1ff3-43c2-bb93-3934c7685338&prefix=Fullscreen&cache=True)
Wayne, it's looking fantastic!
Make sure you post some pics once it's out of the brine.
Isn't parmesan a fun cheese to make?
The process seems fairly easy but it is fun.
Of course seemingly easy and great aging are two different things. Hopefully we'll both have luck with our first attempts.
Dave
What's with the teasing, I want more pics! ;D
It is a fun cheese to make. And I finally got a good curd set. I had to reduce slighly the CaCl i had to add.
(http://www.firelandcheese.com/site/ImageGalleryHandler.ashx?id=ad3f2f54-1a72-4963-ab01-f8f9f9ae3351&blobId=29a4aaa7-3748-4052-950a-b8a5b4df1a0b&prefix=Fullscreen&cache=True)
(http://www.firelandcheese.com/site/ImageGalleryHandler.ashx?id=8c2a2de3-ac9d-45cc-a1b6-954062503c01&blobId=bb0321a6-5030-4f2f-a088-f6d55996c5ae&prefix=Fullscreen&cache=True)
Some picts.
I pulled them out of the brine to take a picture.
(http://www.firelandcheese.com/site/ImageGalleryHandler.ashx?id=80362a7d-e36e-44c0-8d98-d7994c4befab&blobId=5fdcb8ae-1efd-4cb8-bab7-2aac94bbd6d9&prefix=Fullscreen&cache=True) (http://www.firelandcheese.com/site/ImageGalleryHandler.ashx?id=80362a7d-e36e-44c0-8d98-d7994c4befab&blobId=5fdcb8ae-1efd-4cb8-bab7-2aac94bbd6d9&prefix=Fullscreen&cache=True)
I added a drop of annatto per gal on the second batch. I just don't like bone white cheese. Also, I opted to not use cheesecloth on the final press on this one...
(http://www.firelandcheese.com/site/ImageGalleryHandler.ashx?id=f72e9934-4f99-4678-b254-7c4040e99217&blobId=17f26cd6-2346-4da0-a999-789b0e2dff30&prefix=Fullscreen&cache=True) (http://www.firelandcheese.com/site/ImageGalleryHandler.ashx?id=f72e9934-4f99-4678-b254-7c4040e99217&blobId=17f26cd6-2346-4da0-a999-789b0e2dff30&prefix=Fullscreen&cache=True)
Looks good seems as though one has Character.
Wayne, looks great!
It appears that you got a fantastic looking knit on the wheel.
I just realized that I did not add any lipase to the parmesan that I made. While looking at your photos I noticed that you had a bottle showing.
Is this a necessary ingredient in parmesan?
The recipe I used does not list it and I think it's the same recipe that John had listed on this site.
I wonder if it's necessary to get that "true" parmesan flavor and aroma?
Dave
I will say that I have never made parm without the lipase, so I cannot be sure.
I will add that when i smell it now, it is quite aromatic. So, I would not change anything.
Smells like strong parm at this stage.
Dave i'm pretty sure it's necessary, but it'll still be a good cheese.
Well Dave, you and I will be in the same non-lipase boat on our Parms I guess! I didn't add it to mine either... maybe I should just throw it out now! :) kidding!
A thought just occurred to me.
I decided to not use cheese cloth on the final press of my second wheel in order to not have cloth marks.
I seem to have traded cloth marks, for cheese nipples.
But it occurs to me that I noticed almost no visible loss of whey during the final press of the parm.
(I did not weigh it before or after.)
Assuming there is almost no loss, I would love to have a "finishing" press. One whose purpose is to both knit the curds, and to establish a nice finish to the cheese.
Good idea Wayne. That would work for Parm, but I do get whey loss on final press with cheddar.
I can't believe that i am gonna ask this, but its legit, and i need to know.
Carter,
How hard is your parmesan? As you know, I am traveling on business and my wife had to pull my parmesan out of the brine. She commented that she was surprised at how hard my Parmesan was.
5.1 lbs. 60 hours in heavy brine.
Oh it's dense, just like you, no really it's pretty hard, going in the brine it will be sort of rubbery but firm and out of the brine will be definatly hard. If I had a bench rockwell tester I could tell you exactly.
I think i messed up.
I did not add any LH100 Thermophilic starter culture
As i read, I am finding that the Lactobacillus helveticus is necessary.
"Lactobacillus helveticus finishes the acidification process, consuming the remaining sugars (lactose and galactose). In Grana manufacture it is very important not to have any sugars left after 24 hours."
-CHR Hansen
I may eat this sooner than 10 mo
I think most recieps these days call for Lactobacillus helveticus, but traditional Parmesan calls for Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus, I've got some but it's $8 per 15 gallon batch so it's not cheap.
Wayne...
No LH100 in mine either...only TA Thermophilic and a touch of Italian Starter from Leeners.
So what does this mean?
Why would you not go ahead and age it the full time?
Dave
Well, primarily if its destined for failure, then there is no need to age it.
Secondly, one of the things excess sugar does is turn the cheese brown over time. The LH100 prevents that.
So, i may crack this in a couple months
or tomorrow
I dunno. I'm pretty mad at myself. I knew some recipes called for it, but I did not have any, and instead of waiting, (some will arrive by UPS this weekend), I wasted 15 gallons of milk.
BTW, the R. Carrol book does not call for it.
Beginning to not like that book.
Wayne where did you read that about the cheese turning brown, very interesting. You know I wouldn't worry about it all cheese turns brown eventually :D
"Lactobacillus helveticus has a very important role in the ripening of the cheese. Because it is galactose positive, this strain will prevent the "browning" of the product. For more details see section on Causes and prevention of faults." (https://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,593.0.html)
-Grana.pdf from Chr_Hansen
OOOO I forgot about those. Thanks I'll have to reread them.
Well crap..
Now I'm wondering just what type of cheese I have sitting in my cave.
No lipase, no LH100.....Looks like another proper parmesan is in my future.
Thanks for the information Wayne.
Let me know when you break down and crack yours and I'll do the same with mine. Maybe we can then compare the results.
Dave
The thing is, it smells great.
I dunno.
Quote from: Likesspace on February 19, 2009, 01:58:37 AM
Wayne...
No LH100 in mine either...only TA Thermophilic and a touch of Italian Starter from Leeners.
So what does this mean?
Why would you not go ahead and age it the full time?
Dave
I am interested in a parm cheese also and was looking through the various webstores. According to Leeners store their Italian starter contains "Lactobacillus helveticus, lactis". So it looks like you are covered.
This is good to know because Leeners is my local store.
Craig
I do not use Leeners for cultures. All my clultures come from DairyConnection.
I'm pretty sure that the one wheel here that I was referring to did hot have any Lactobacillus helveticus in it.
But I would have to go bacl and check
Wayne your parms looks great! I wouldn't worry about the cheese browning to much until after about 18 months. Mine usually change about then. but by then there are just tiny pieces left anyway I grate as a go and it doesn't affect the taste.
This wheel has developed a reddish mold on its surface.
The surface of the wheel is a bit softer to the touch where it has turned red.
I cut this wheel in half and the cheese on the inside is pristine. the surface was the only affected area.
It has a strong parm smell with a side of "funk". Having never smelled a 5 month old parm before, i don't know what to expect. I hope, but am not sure if that funk will go away in time.
Anyway, what I have done is to use a cheese plane to remove the entire rind and place back into the cave.
I have notice a ting of red on the other parm wheels.
Should i be worried?
Does it have that "sweat sock" smell if so then it's probably bac. Linens? The kind of linens you get at Bed Bath and Beyond.
A good aged parmesan should smell like stinky feet and have a little dry after bite to it but melt in your soup like mozzarella. Yummm!
I am just concerned about the red stuff. I've never seen it before.
Should I disinfect?
If you are concerned you could cut it off. I have never seen red on my parmesans just deep yellowish brown.
It may be just a bit on the suface. Try shaving it then wipe it with a damp cloth dipped in vinegar and brine solution.
Thanks I have done that, it was only surface mold. But I never saw a red mold before.
Long time no talk all :)
I had a dark yellow brownish mold on my parms, but I cut them off when I was ready to eat the parm and it worked out great. I'm not dead yet.
Also, personally I did a few things with my last parms that I think ended up great (taste wise). I realize you're much more of a perfectionist/good cheese maker then me, and I do realize there are reasons to use a cheese cave, but after about 2 months in a cheese cave at 55 degrees and 80ish percent humidity I moved a few parms to a refrigerator. I have to say, 3 months later they tasted awesome. Maybe I just got lucky though, I've got a few new parms in my cave and I'm probably gng to dot he same thing. I just find it much easier to keep things in the fridge. The cave requires me switching out frozen bottles every morning/night.
Also, from now on I'm going to not just coat, but soak my parms in olive oil. I did that with two of my last parms and it helped to keep them from drying out too much in the low humidity fridge.
A normal fridge seems to age them faster once they get past the first few months.