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CHEESE TYPE BOARDS (for Cheese Lovers and Cheese Makers) => ADJUNCT - Blue Mold (Penicillium roqueforti) Ripened => Topic started by: Neil on January 12, 2015, 03:54:58 PM

Title: 1st Blue of the year
Post by: Neil on January 12, 2015, 03:54:58 PM
Some shots from my first blue cheese of the year.  This was a 4 gallon make with half PV & half PS cultures. 
Title: Re: 1st Blue of the year
Post by: Danbo on January 12, 2015, 04:15:58 PM
Looks great! :-)
Title: Re: 1st Blue of the year
Post by: H-K-J on January 12, 2015, 11:44:10 PM
Looks like it going to be yummy a lot of veining in there :o
Title: Re: 1st Blue of the year
Post by: Neil on January 12, 2015, 11:44:34 PM
1/2 Danisco Choozit PS  &  1/2 Danisco Choozit PV

I got both from Yaov at artisangeek.com.

The first two I did were only PV so I thought I would try something new and see what I get.


Neil
Title: Re: 1st Blue of the year
Post by: pastpawn on January 13, 2015, 03:13:34 AM
Nice mold extenders :)
Title: Re: 1st Blue of the year
Post by: Neil on January 13, 2015, 11:03:20 AM
Thanks.  :)  I got lucky having a couple of small cutting mats laying around.  They worked great.  I started with about 1.5-2" of extra curd above the mold and by the time it settled it was right at the rim. 
Title: Re: 1st Blue of the year
Post by: Frodage on January 14, 2015, 12:04:51 AM
In the second picture, there is a little electronic box to the right of your vat. Is that an electronic thermometer or is it a heater? Where did you buy it?
Title: Re: 1st Blue of the year
Post by: Neil on January 14, 2015, 01:20:02 AM
It's a PID controller I put together.  I plug the vat into the controller and the white wire going from the controller to the vat is the thermometer.
Title: Re: 1st Blue of the year
Post by: pastpawn on January 14, 2015, 01:32:49 AM
Quote from: Frodage on January 14, 2015, 12:04:51 AM
In the second picture, there is a little electronic box to the right of your vat. Is that an electronic thermometer or is it a heater? Where did you buy it?

You can get all sorts of PID controllers from http://www.auberins.com/. (http://www.auberins.com/.)  I've bought a bunch of stuff from them. 

Look at this nifty gadget for controlling humidity in your fridge:

http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=37&products_id=456 (http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=37&products_id=456)
Title: Re: 1st Blue of the year
Post by: Frodage on January 14, 2015, 05:09:16 AM
Well, I need a PID controller for my Rival turkey roaster! [url]http://www.rivalproducts.com/cooking/roasters/CKRVRS16-W-115.html#start=3[/url
I went to the Auberins website, but there are so many to choose from :(. Do you have a parts list that I can build from?
Title: Re: 1st Blue of the year
Post by: pastpawn on January 14, 2015, 05:34:07 AM
Quote from: Frodage on January 14, 2015, 05:09:16 AM
Well, I need a PID controller for my Rival turkey roaster!

I use this one on my Weber smoker:

[url]http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=14_27&products_id=396]http://www.rivalproducts.com/cooking/roasters/CKRVRS16-W-115.html#start=3[/url
I went to the Auberins website, but there are so many to choose from :(. Do you have a parts list that I can build from?
(http://www.rivalproducts.com/cooking/roasters/CKRVRS16-W-115.html#start=3%5B/url%3Cbr%20/%3EI%20went%20to%20the%20Auberins%20website,%20but%20there%20are%20so%20many%20to%20choose%20from%20:(.%20Do%20you%20have%20a%20parts%20list%20that%20I%20can%20build%20from?%3Cbr%20/%3E%5B/quote)

I use this one on my Weber smoker:

http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=14_27&products_id=396

If you are going to use that turkey roaster for making cheese, you probably want to use something like this $69 sous vide controller.  I haven't tried it, but looks like a good fit.

http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=8&products_id=471 (http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=8&products_id=471)

I've bought many of their individual PID controllers and built them into panels for homebrewing, but my cheesemaking doesn't require that kind of investment (yet). 
Title: Re: 1st Blue of the year
Post by: LoftyNotions on January 14, 2015, 05:58:00 AM
Looking good Neil.
Title: Re: 1st Blue of the year
Post by: Fundy Mental on January 17, 2015, 12:51:37 AM
great work
Title: Re: 1st Blue of the year
Post by: Neil on February 10, 2015, 12:29:16 AM
Day 35 update.

Middle was creamy and spicy.  I can taste the difference the lipase added.
Title: Re: 1st Blue of the year
Post by: OzzieCheese on February 10, 2015, 01:09:48 AM
Oh now that is lookin' good :) 
Title: Re: 1st Blue of the year
Post by: Danbo on February 10, 2015, 04:28:29 AM
Yummy! :-)
Title: Re: 1st Blue of the year
Post by: LoftyNotions on February 10, 2015, 08:12:10 PM
Gnarly! :)

Larry
Title: Re: 1st Blue of the year
Post by: Neil on April 06, 2015, 10:45:25 PM
I pushed it as long as I could and opened it this past weekend. ( it went in the cave on 1/6/15 out 4/4/15)
The outer edge is a bit dryer than I planned but the center has a nice cream to it.  The taste is bit milder than expected also.

Title: Re: 1st Blue of the year
Post by: H-K-J on April 07, 2015, 12:10:56 AM
NICE!! My personal preference is small piercings, this turned out very nice  8)
AC4U (http://www.z4-forum.com/forum/images/smilies/smilie_thumbsup.gif) 
How does it smokeuh taste?? very nice :P ^-^ :)
Title: Re: 1st Blue of the year
Post by: Al Lewis on April 07, 2015, 12:28:58 AM
How did I miss this?  That's one great looking blue you have there.  AC4U!!
Title: Re: 1st Blue of the year
Post by: Stinky on April 07, 2015, 01:54:41 PM
Very pretty! ACFORYOU.
Title: Re: 1st Blue of the year
Post by: LoftyNotions on April 07, 2015, 07:53:41 PM
Really nice, Neil. AC4u.

If you seal it up nice and tight it'll still get a lot sharper.

Larry
Title: Re: 1st Blue of the year
Post by: John@PC on April 07, 2015, 09:29:14 PM
A cheese to Neil in Va :).  Trust what Larry says as it will get sharper and more crumbly in the bag as time goes on.
Title: Re: 1st Blue of the year
Post by: Neil on April 08, 2015, 03:06:19 PM
Thanks all!  I divided it up and vacuum sealed it.  That way I could try different pieces without exposing all of it to elements.
Title: Re: 1st Blue of the year
Post by: Frodage on April 29, 2015, 04:16:55 AM
Quote from: Neil on April 06, 2015, 10:45:25 PM
The outer edge is a bit dryer than I planned but the center has a nice cream to it.
When you formed the cheese, I noticed you smeared the outside. Does that help to make the center creamier?

Also, it seems like you have many, many poke holes to get so much bluing. Doesn't that also help to make the center creamy?
Title: Re: 1st Blue of the year
Post by: Neil on April 29, 2015, 09:33:44 AM
I'm not sure if smearing the outside has much if anything to do with the center being creamy or not.
My understanding is that you do this to help form an outer seal to keep nasties from getting inside the cheese.
Yes, I poked  a lot of holes in this one. My last one didn't have as much veining as I wanted so I decided to go extreme the other way.  If anything I would think letting more air into the center would remove more moisture causing the center to dry out. 
I'm no expert just my thoughts.

Neil
Title: Re: 1st Blue of the year
Post by: OzzieCheese on April 30, 2015, 02:49:41 AM
What a Gruesome - Awesome - Bluesome :)

+ a Cheeseome

-- Mal