Hello all.
Firstly, I'm new here, so sorry if I'm posting this in the wrong place.
I've just made my first cheddar, and although I made a few errors it seemed to go ok and I'm excited to see what comes out.
When making it, I was afraid to deviate from the recipe, to the extent that I got up at 3am to take it out of the press!
So, my question is, at what stages in the process is it safe to break off and resume later, or does the entire cheese making process have to be done in one go?
For example, can I get to the draining curds stage and then leave it for a few hours and come back and press later?
Are there certain stages where it is ok to step away from the cheese, or not?
thanks in advance for any advice.
Quote from: jessie on January 23, 2014, 10:36:07 PM
I got up at 3am to take it out of the press!
Welcome to the forum, Jessie.
You're on the right track. If a recipe says to brine it for so many hours and the end of that falls at a time when you'll be asleep, you'd better wake up and tend to the task at hand. I have done that many times.
I'm going to make a general statement and say that you should set some time aside to make your cheese: ripening, renneting, floc'ing, cutting, resting, cooking, stirring, draining, milling, moulding, pressing, weighing, brining, drying, schmiering/waxing/vacuum-bagging, and aging.
Actually, a typical make session for me might be 6-8 hours making a cheese. From "ripening" up through "moulding", I expect to be there tending to whatever the milk wants me to do. When the curds finally get into the mould, then I can rest while the press does its thing. Then I'm "on-call" when the cheese goes into the brine, concluding that process after a specified time. From that point, the cheese will be out to dry and then be protected, either by schmier, wax, or vacuum-bag.
I don't know if that's what you were asking about. Don't just leave the curds to play among themselves. Deal with them.
-Boofer-
Great topic! One that has been on my mind since I've been doing a lot of washed curd cheese lately and most of them require a pressing time of 4-6 hours and an additional brining of about 6 hours (for a 2-pound wheel).
In this case, the whole process is a 13-15 hour adventure. I read that you can brine certain cheeses later the following morning, but I haven't read up on the details, so I haven`t tried it yet.
So, yes, you do need to plan your time ahead. Certain cheese makes more than others.
I look at it this way, Follow the recipe, PERIOD.
I plan a full 10 hour day plus, and then again, after a few makes I have found I can work in a pint or two ^-^(toward the end of the make)
Timing is everything tasting is everthing ;D
Interesting topic! When it comes to brining, ripening etc., yes. Timing is crucial. When it comes to pressing, I don't bother too much. With Gouda's, most of the time I plan the making that they will stay in the press during the night, like some farmers I know also do...
Quote from: hoeklijn on January 24, 2014, 07:00:05 AM
Interesting topic! When it comes to brining, ripening etc., yes. Timing is crucial. When it comes to pressing, I don't bother too much. With Gouda's, most of the time I plan the making that they will stay in the press during the night, like some farmers I know also do...
I am the same way, Herman. A few extra hours in the press don't seem to be an issue and I also don't worry about flipping the cheese in the press quite as often as some recipes call for. I roll my eyes ::) when a recipe calls for flipping every 15 minutes for an hour and then every 30 minutes for another couple of hours. I do a couple of flips and then it's either time for evening barn chores or bed depending upon how early I started.
I generally have 6-hour makes - doing a cheese with a 5-hour make is just a bonus. By the end of that time, the cheese is in the press for "8 hours or overnight" and that puppy sits there till I get up in the morning. :P It just sort of works out that way, with the ones I do - cheddar, gouda, fontina, the occasional Port Salut, that sort of thing. That makes it easier for any brining that needs to be done as well - I get out of bed, plop the thing in the brine, and 9-1/2 hours later I'm still up to take it out without stressing over it.
Of course, I also choose cheeses that AREN'T supposed to take longer than a 5-6 hour make. I even changed the stirred curd cheddar recipe I used because the old one was an 8-hour make, and the new one is 6. Lazy, me.
By the way, I see you are from Wakefield. Probably too good to be true that the state is RI, huh? :)
Quote from: jessie on January 23, 2014, 10:36:07 PM
For example, can I get to the draining curds stage and then leave it for a few hours and come back and press later?
Are there certain stages where it is ok to step away from the cheese, or not?
Yep , stick to the recipe you are using as close as possible , like the others have said here , a little more time in the press doesn't seem to be too much of an issue , as for brining , I find if you have to deviate a little , a few hours more in the brine , doesn't seem to hurt much.
But I have found taking it out of the brine too early is not good , just my experience.
Oh , and welcome to the forum.
I have let the drained curds for mozzarella sit in the refrigerator overnight and then stretched them a day later with the only disadvantage being the difficulty of warming the curd evenly - which is solved by breaking it into chunks and microwaving with turning.
I guess this is why I like to make soft fresh cheeses and kefir - they fit my schedule - or lack thereof
Quote from: Juan Fries Widdat on January 24, 2014, 03:01:23 PM
I guess
ROFLMAO!! ;D
Juan, your avatar name is classic. Kudos, sir.
-Boofer-
Quote from: Boofer on January 24, 2014, 08:16:50 PM
Quote from: Juan Fries Widdat on January 24, 2014, 03:01:23 PM
I guess
ROFLMAO!! ;D
Kudos, sir.
-Boofer-
Thank you Boofer, not everyone notices. I suspect your name has an interesting origin as well.
Quote from: Juan Fries Widdat on January 25, 2014, 12:00:06 PM
Quote from: Boofer on January 24, 2014, 08:16:50 PM
Quote from: Juan Fries Widdat on January 24, 2014, 03:01:23 PM
I guess
ROFLMAO!! ;D
Kudos, sir.
-Boofer-
Thank you Boofer, not everyone notices. I suspect your name has an interesting origin as well.
I'm glad he pointed it out! I don't usually pay much attention to forum names......other than the one that was cryptorchid, which when, I asked why he's chosen the name of a condition of an undescended testicle, appeared to get changed. It was a cool appearing name but the meaning less satisfying as a moniker I guess. I love the creativity of your name choice! :)
Quote from: Tiarella on January 24, 2014, 12:38:45 PM
Quote from: hoeklijn on January 24, 2014, 07:00:05 AM
Interesting topic! When it comes to brining, ripening etc., yes. Timing is crucial. When it comes to pressing, I don't bother too much. With Gouda's, most of the time I plan the making that they will stay in the press during the night, like some farmers I know also do...
I am the same way, Herman. A few extra hours in the press don't seem to be an issue and I also don't worry about flipping the cheese in the press quite as often as some recipes call for. I roll my eyes ::) when a recipe calls for flipping every 15 minutes for an hour and then every 30 minutes for another couple of hours. I do a couple of flips and then it's either time for evening barn chores or bed depending upon how early I started.
Hi Kathrin, above all, for my Gouda's I've got Kadova moulds and I only flip them once, since the rind is so perfectly formed and closed...
Quoteother than the one that was cryptorchid, which when, I asked why he's chosen the name of a condition of an undescended testicle, appeared to get changed.
...and there's my morning laugh. Thanks K!
Quote from: Geo on January 25, 2014, 08:03:53 PM
Quoteother than the one that was cryptorchid, which when, I asked why he's chosen the name of a condition of an undescended testicle, appeared to get changed.
...and there's my morning laugh. Thanks K!
You're welcome! It sure had me confused as a choice. I think he said he'd used it on forums and no one knew what it meant....wasn't an issue in those instances. ???
Quote from: Tiarella on January 26, 2014, 03:58:16 AM
Quote from: Geo on January 25, 2014, 08:03:53 PM
Quoteother than the one that was cryptorchid, which when, I asked why he's chosen the name of a condition of an undescended testicle, appeared to get changed.
...and there's my morning laugh. Thanks K!
You're welcome! It sure had me confused as a choice. I think he said he'd used it on forums and no one knew what it meant....wasn't an issue in those instances. ???
What's in a name? An
orchid by any other name would.....I think I'm relieved to know that it wasn't just another case of TMI..
...some people just don't think about names having meanings - i met a young girl named Latrina
thanks everyone, sounds like I'm right to stick to the recipe.. even if my friends and family think I'm mad to get up in the night to tend my cheese!
Once I get a bit more confident I might risk leaving it in the press overnight. This would probably mean pressing it for 17 or 18 hours rather than the stated 12. I can't really put it in the press later, as my cheese making window is earlier in the day - later I have a toddler to look after!
And george (MaryJ), nope, not RI, I'm in Wakefield, UK!
When I am going to make a cheese I sterilise everything the night before get up early and make sure I have the whole day to make the cheese 8)
Thank you for this, from another newbie. I have learned to devote at least 6 hours to staying close to the kitchen on "cheese day". ANd using the timer on my phone if I need to walk away.
Juan Fries Widdat - are you the same on KFC? Hope I learn as much here as I do there!
Quote from: debbielincoln on February 24, 2014, 05:40:32 PM
Thank you for this, from another newbie. I have learned to devote at least 6 hours to staying close to the kitchen on "cheese day". ANd using the timer on my phone if I need to walk away.
Juan Fries Widdat - are you the same on KFC? Hope I learn as much here as I do there!
C'est moi. But lately I'm mostly on the tractor! And not enough milk for cheese - but agistry pays the bills! Isn't there an old saw about time and no milk or milk and no time? Something like that... I've got 2 first fresheners for June. Right now it's quark & mysost for the house, teach classes with mozz and ricotta. Repeat. And get that garden in. Did you find new England Cheese pumpkins?
DebbieLincoln - good to "see" you - you can learn a lot here - WHY is the part I always feel like I need to know - and what if -
Quote from: Juan Fries Widdat on March 02, 2014, 01:40:41 AM
"They say my motto should be pro cras tenere.
I'm gonna look it up tomorrow."
Once again you have turned up the corners of my mouth. It's all in the nuance. ;)
-Boofer-
Quote from: debbielincoln on February 24, 2014, 05:40:32 PM
Thank you for this, from another newbie. I have learned to devote at least 6 hours to staying close to the kitchen on "cheese day". ANd using the timer on my phone if I need to walk away.
Juan Fries Widdat - are you the same on KFC? Hope I learn as much here as I do there!
Okay, now I'm curious. What is KFC? I thought it was Kentucky Fried Chicken but if "Juan" is there too it can't be what I'm thinking. And Juan, what are you doing on a tractor? All we have is snow here and I'm longing to think about gardens, pasture, etc. And I agree with you about time and milk.
And "Hi," to Boofer! Haven't been here much and I miss you all!
"Hi" back at you, Kathrin! :)
Maintaining a low profile, keepin' on...keepin' on. Life's distractions keep me on the sidelines for now.
Getting lots of rain today...and yesterday...and last week...and last month. No chance of flooding in my neck of the woods. Whew! :P Looking for Spring growth of some lush pastures so I can grab some sweet raw milk. 8)
-Boofer-
Good to see you back Kathrin. Hope the does are doing well. We have KFC's here is SC too but I personally perfer Bojangles. Their Bo-Berry biscuits are (almost) as good as a descent brie :).
Quote from: John@PC on March 05, 2014, 11:56:08 PM
Good to see you back Kathrin. Hope the does are doing well. We have KFC's here is SC too but I personally perfer Bojangles. Their Bo-Berry biscuits are (almost) as good as a descent brie :).
Hi John, I don't think Juan was talking about the KFC that is the fast food chain. Not sure what it was but suspect another forum or something.
It's nice to be back but it's not for long I think......expecting baby goats any day now.
Quote from: Boofer on March 05, 2014, 02:34:33 PM
"Hi" back at you, Kathrin! :)
Maintaining a low profile, keepin' on...keepin' on. Life's distractions keep me on the sidelines for now.
Getting lots of rain today...and yesterday...and last week...and last month. No chance of flooding in my neck of the woods. Whew! :P Looking for Spring growth of some lush pastures so I can grab some sweet raw milk. 8)
-Boofer-
So, no drought for you, eh? And by no flooding do you mean that you're not on low ground? I love rivers but I can't imagine building/living where it's going to flood regularly. I always choose mountains. No flooding risks and no risk of getting bored since all snow and ice storms make getting home an exciting adventure! Yeehaw! We have so much snow still that walking through the woods to the barn I am 2-3' higher and having to duck branches I never have to duck under during the rest of the year. Both livestock guardian dogs have sprained their front legs running at full speed and having a paw fall through the crust. My 5' exterior fence is only 2 1/2 feet high right now and I'm lucky none of my livestock are interested in walking over the fence. I lock them in at night since the coyotes are likely not as inhibited about that. I can't let my pregnant goats out because it's total ice all round the exits and they have little chance of remaining upright given that they are wider than tall and not very graceful at the moment. (don't tell them I said that) I am SO ready for bare ground. I'm even done whining about the temps that don't get over freezing more than a day or so every other week. Just bare ground would be nice about now even if it is in the single digits most nights. :P
Quote from: Tiarella on March 03, 2014, 04:49:21 PM
Quote from: debbielincoln on February 24, 2014, 05:40:32 PM
Thank you for this, from another newbie. I have learned to devote at least 6 hours to staying close to the kitchen on "cheese day". ANd using the timer on my phone if I need to walk away.
Juan Fries Widdat - are you the same on KFC? Hope I learn as much here as I do there!
Okay, now I'm curious. What is KFC? I thought it was Kentucky Fried Chicken but if "Juan" is there too it can't be what I'm thinking. And Juan, what are you doing on a tractor? All we have is snow here and I'm longing to think about gardens, pasture, etc. And I agree with you about time and milk.
And "Hi," to Boofer! Haven't been here much and I miss you all!
KFC is "Keeping a Family Cow" - another forum chock full of info and nice people.