Hi there,
What could be the reason that the cheese after 3 months of ripening looks like cottage cheese (but is slightly yellow)? Cheese ripened in the refrigerator - 12 deg.C, 75% humidity. When making cheese curds was very good. I use cow raw milk.
Tomek
So are you saying that the cheese just fell apart in your refrigerator? Or are you saying that when you cut into the cheese the interior looked like cottage cheese?
If the second question is correct, I would say that the curds didn't knit well in the press. There can be several reasons for that but the top two would be that the curds got too dry or that the curds were not warm enough when put in the mold to be pressed.
Can you post pictures.
Hi,
I'm saying that when I cut into the cheese the interior looks like cottage cheese.
Thanks for tips. I'll make one more time Gouda cheese on Saturday. Wish me luck ;)
P.S.
I attached foto.
1.Cheese foto (after cutting off another month to mature, and just outside it looks nice (inside is like cottage cheese - I do not have photo).
2.Mold - made from cutlery drainer ;)
3.Cheese press.
That pic of the cheese looks perfectly fine and delicious are you saying that it changed some how from the pic?
Yes I know, it looks good :). But this pic shows after cutting a piece of cheese and maturation for a further month - without paraffin. This layer is only a few millimeters (about 0.2 inch). Inside it looks like cottage cheese.
I made another Gouda cheese last weekend. So, I would like to describe what I was doing. Maybe I did something wrong.
1.Heating milk in sink. Initial milk temp. 10 C (50 F). Initial water temp. 40 C (104 F).
4 L milk (about 1 gal) from milk machine - 4,1% fat.
Final milk temp. 33 C (91 F)
Warming time -30 minutes.
2. Acidifying the milk. 0,4g MFC culture. Stirring slowely up and down for 2 minutes.
3. Rest for 10 minutes (under cover).
4. Adding 0,4 g calcium chloride in 60ml water (1/4 cup). Stirring slowely up and down for 2 minutes.
5. Adding rennet - 10 drops. Stirring slowely up and down for 2 minutes.
6. Rest for 1 hour under cover in 33 C (91 F).
After 1 hour curd was too week.
After 1 hour and 10 minutes curd was fine.
7. Cutting curd (2 cm, about 0,5 inches). Rest for 10 minutes.
8. Pour off 1/3 whey and add water (80 C,176 F) to achieve 33 C (91 F). Stirring slowely. Rest for 10 minutes.
9. Pour off the whey to the level of clot. Add water (80 C,176 F) to achieve 38 C (100 F). Stirring slowely for 15 minutes - keep temp.
10. Molding warm curds.
11. Pressing:
20 minutes - 10 kg (22 lb)
20 minutes - 20 kg (44 lb)
12 hours - 25 kg (55 lb)
12. Salting using brine (in refrigertor - 14C (57F))
Salting time - 12 hours (1L water, 250g salt (0,2 gal water; 0,6 lb salt))
13. Drying over 20 minutes - 25C (77F)
14. Drying in refrigerator for 3 weeks - 14C, 75%humidity (57F).
*You need to let the milk culture for at least 45 minutes to an hour, rather than the 10 minutes you allowed.
*You stirred it too long after adding the rennet, which may be part of the problem. Rennet starts its action immediately when it hits the milk and you don't want to disturb that coagulation. Also, the rennet should be diluted in about 1/4 cup of cool water just before adding it to the milk.
* Also, you say that the milk comes from the milk machine, so I am assuming it is raw, unpasturized milk? If so, you don't need to add calcium chloride. Not that it would harm anything, but no need to buy it to use when your milk is raw.
Are you turning the wheel of cheese when you change the weight?
Hi MrsKK. I don't see a problem with his acidification time, or the stirring when the rennet is added, as the recipe I use for Gouda has rennet and starter added at the same time, and if he doesn't stir it how is it supposed to be well distributed through the milk. Totally with you though on the fact the rennet should be diluted and the calcium chloride not being required.
A few things that do leap out at me though are the processes through the washing and cooking of the curd phase.
- Adding 80C water to the curd seems very hot. Most recipes I've seen call for water at 60C max. Never seen one that high before.
- There appears to be no stirring from cutting curd to drawing off the whey.
- How long did you take to add this water, or did it all get put into the curd at once. The idea is to gradually lift the temp, usually over 15-20 minutes.
- Once at temp, 15 minutes seems quite quick for the actual cooking.
- The drying time once out of the brine at 20 minutes is very quick. Usually air drying takes 2-3 days.
Just some observations that may or may not be affecting your finished cheese.
Are you diluting your rennet in cool water first? If not, that would cause issues.
If your milk came straight from the milking machine, why is it 10 degrees C/50F? Did the milk sit around for awhile first, or did you take it out of the fridge? I just wonder if it is starting at that temperature, it was either not chilled properly or it sat around for a long time...
Bantams. I own a large scale dairy farm in NZ. The milk entering the vat, unless it's gone through an icebank first, is usually at 18 degrees C, having already been lowered from the temp of 38 degrees C (101F) when it leaves the cow. It is then chilled to 5 degrees C within 2 hours of milking finishing, so that temp he gives will be spot on coming straight out of the plant.
I assumed one gallon coming from a bucket milker from a single cow - which would be about 95 degrees (35 C) after milking.
We'll just have to see what Tomek says!
I used Caldwell's recipe with great success before, it calls for the milk to be warmed to 27C only before adding culture, then increase slowly to 31C and maintain temp for 45 minutes
Stirring after rennet is needed but not too long, 1 minute. Target clean break is 45 minutes.
Also Caldwell's recipe calls for stirring before washing the curd. I think this is important so that the curd can expel enough whey.
Thank you all for advice :)
I would like to answer your questions:
MrsKK
Are you turning the wheel of cheese when you change the weight? - Yes. I turn the wheel of cheese whenever I change the weight of press.
ezabel
How long did you take to add this water, or did it all get put into the curd at once - I added water bit by bit.
In step 8. Pour off 1/3 whey and add water (80 C,176 F) to achieve 33 C (91 F). Stirring slowely. Rest for 10 minutes. it takes about 3 minutes.
In step 9. Pour off the whey to the level of clot. Add water (80 C,176 F) to achieve 38 C (100 F). Stirring slowely for 15 minutes - keep temp. I added water all the time (20 minutes: 5 minutes to reach 38C, 15 minutes maintained 38C)
ezabel
The drying time once out of the brine at 20 minutes is very quick. Usually air drying takes 2-3 days. - I Dry the cheese 20 minutes in ambient temperature - 25C, then put my cheese into the fridge for 3 weeks for further drying (without wax). Then I will waxing cheese and mature for 3 month.
Bantams
Are you diluting your rennet in cool water first? - No, I dont ;(
Bantams
If your milk came straight from the milking machine, why is it 10 degrees C/50F? Did the milk sit around for awhile first, or did you take it out of the fridge? - I took milk to the fridge for 1 day. In milkmachine the temp of milk is about 3,5C (38F). The milk is unpasteurized.
Tomek, when you said that you got your milk from the machine, I wasn't thinking of a vending machine like that ;D
I thought so. That's why I added the picture ;)
Quote from: Tomek on June 21, 2016, 12:22:56 PM
I thought so. That's why I added the picture ;)
Tomek, you get points for being so clear in your answers. Have a cheese. :)
-Boofer-
Haha... Too funny...
Am I correct that you are add 170 f water in about 5 minutes or so . Or are you adding for 20 minutes ?
If it is 5 minutes then that is way too fast and it will case harden the outside of the curd and trap,the whey inside .
I would also use a lower temp,water , as 170 f water could also scald the curds causing the same issue .
Try 130 f And take about 20 minutes to get up to 100 f from your start temp and see if that helps .
Every thing else seems okay except maybe the pressing weight is a little high .
Gouda is similar to tommes and I make tommes all the time and my go to recipe calls for 10 pounds or so as the curd should be molded at 6.2 ph or so and this ph will knit back together very easily .
The curd is ready to mold when it wants to stick together when you squeeze a handful of curd but can still be separated again into individual curds .
I recommend you look up linuxboys tommes recipe here on the forum and see what he says about why things are done as they are and then see how the 2 types over lap in technique . I suspect a Gouda has a little more washing and a little higher cook temp.
If you can not find it I will see if I can locate it .
This thread is good reading. I want to, in the near future, try a Gouda. I do like that cheese.
Richard
Just to clarify, I did not mean that he shouldn't stir the milk at all once the rennet was added. Just that 2 minutes is much too long. I aim for 20-30 seconds of stirring time, "lifting" the milk with the skimmer a few times, then back and forth across the kettle, then lift the milk again a few times and stop. That is certainly enough stirring to distribute diluted rennet, yet not break up the action of the rennet.
I am not familiar with Celsius temps, now that I see the conversions I agree that the high temp of the wash water probably sealed a lot of whey within the curd.
Welcome back.
After 5 months I opened cheese. Looks fine (maybe it is too dry). Smells good. It tastes good - it is not the Old Amsterdam ;).
Thanks for all suggestions.
It does look a bit dry, but as long as it tastes good, it IS good! AC4U.
Have you made any more in the meantime? It always amazes me how quickly a 4 lb wheel of cheese can disappear.
Quote from: MrsKK on December 11, 2016, 06:11:53 PM
Have you made any more in the meantime? It always amazes me how quickly a 4 lb wheel of cheese can disappear.
At 1 gallon makes he's not close to 4 pounds. One pound cheeses go even quicker! ;) Great critique BTW! ;)
;D I make 4 lb cheeses and can't keep up, even when I'm making cheese on a frequent basis. I've got two in the cave right now that are 7 months and I don't want to crack them because I haven't got anything in the pipeline.
However, I just weaned the 6 & 7 month old calves and put new babies on the cow, so I'll be milking once a day until they are big enough to take it all, so cheesemaking, here I come!