I made my first cheddar yesterday and every went perfectly. This morning, I took it out of the press and it looked great. Well knit and smooth rind.
This evening I took it out of my air drying mini cave (plastic container with lid slightly open and RH ranging between 65 and 75%), and I noticed that the cheese looks marbled. It's as if I can see the milled curds drying in between each other at a faster rate than the body. The rind is smooth though.
I took a few pics but I can't get the lighting right to see the marbling effect.
Anyone know if this is normal for a cheddar (or a stacked and milled hard cheese)? I pressed at 7.55 psi for 11 hours with an ambiant temperature of 22C, btw.
I have had some that showed marbling and some that did not.I think it is from cheddaring to long or to worm.
On mine the marbling disappeared when aged. Pete
Thanks Pete. That's some reassurance. I thought it was slowly falling apart or on the verge or cracking or something. lol.
You might want to watch the humidity. If it dries to fast it might have a tendency to crack.I waxed mine a little early for that reason. Pete
It's showing a bit more now. Noticeable in the pic. The marbling looks dry, but its actually quite smooth. I'll probably cream wax tomorrow morning if the bottom is rather dry.
I've noticed the same thing on my Cheddars while they are drying, then it evens out.
Thanks Dave for the reassurance. I was a bit worried I didn't press well enough but it looks like it's quite common for a cheddar to air dry this way.
Most of my hard cheeses start out this way - right out of the press/brine. After a few days of drying, the colors meld and the mottled goes away. I would think the lighter areas are just where more whey or moisture is between the curds and it eventually dries out.
Ditto what Dave and Cowboycheese said. All my hard pressed cheeses have done that, then it's evened out over a few days as the moisture content evened.
I have had the same thing on my cheddars (http://sdrv.ms/1bbiRKC).
Quote from: Wayne Harris on December 16, 2013, 08:33:57 PM
I have had the same thing on my cheddars (http://sdrv.ms/1bbiRKC).
Hey, Wayne, how's that subterranean cheese factory coming along? :)
-Boofer-
Quote from: Boofer on December 17, 2013, 02:54:45 PMHey, Wayne, how's that subterranean cheese factory coming along? :)
Sadly, I seem to have paused a bit.
Need to build a cheese press, and a better thermal controller for my vat.
Other hobbies have since taken my time, but are begging to ebb a bit. I will again return to this soon...
(got my ham radio license this year... kd8vmo)