Hi all,
I am wondering if anyone has used wooden ring mould to form you cheese.
I have been into making swiss type and especially with raclette I want to have bigger wheels with not so high width. I saw the wooden ring mould is sold in one of the cheesemaking shop but it didn't have a good review (difficult to use and overly complicated).
So I'm wondering if anyone has used this type of mould before, maybe you can advise whether it's worth it to get 1 and how to use it.
The other thing is, what do you think of using a nonstick detachable cake tin with strap? I think the design is spot on but whether you can use it to make cheese I'm not so sure.
What metal is the spring form cake pan made of? If not stainless I would be reluctant to use it due to the acidity of cheese.
Susan
I think it is steel or aluminum with non stick coating, so will that be a no go?
Ann, I don't know what effect, if any, the non-stick coating would have on cheese. I would strongly expect the underlying metal to be plain steel (not stainless, and not aluminum), so if the coating gets a scratch, you'll have acidic curds acting on the steel - probably would impart some unpleasant taste. Note that the thin edge of the inner leaf is likely to lose any non-stick coating pretty easily.
But another issue is the method of use for the wooden molds. As I understand it, they are designed to be packed with curd just a bit higher than the sides; this will subside as the curd drains, so then the mold is tightened to bring the curd again just above the side; and repeat as needed. With the spring-form pan, you have only two settings, open or closed -- unless you come up with your own string-based or other method for gradually tightening the mold.
What diameter are you looking for? If it were me, I'd either go with the wooden type, accepting the more difficult and complicated use, OR I'd go for a "regular" mold, e.g., plastic or stainless steel, using a follower. Note that you could probably get a wooden mold made, possibly not very expensive there in Malaysia, BUT you will want to be sure to use a wood with a very neutral effect on food. Some woods, like the oak or walnut common here in the US, would be terrible choices because of the amount of unpleasant flavor they would impart to the cheese. Ideal would be beech, since it is very neutral with regard to flavor.
Thank you Andy.
So far I'm using regular mould with follower and I get taller than the witdh proportion.
It's just during pressing I have slightly problem with this high cheese. PH target is met but I can tell the cheese still needs to be pressed more, so I ended up with lower PH level before brining.
I tried St. Paulin mold and bigger tomme mold. I usually make 7-14 gal batch in 1 time (7 gal will make 1 wheel), so with tomme mold I end up with left over curd.
I think I will try first using hdpe plastic with rope strap like brie. If that doesn't work I'll get the wooden ring.
I made my own version of it , it seemed to work okay but it is not easy to know how much pressure you are using so some experimentation and recording will be needed , and they do need a heavy enough topper to stop the curd from lifting the top .
link to a video of a guy using one
http://youtu.be/2iDIuth93hE (http://youtu.be/2iDIuth93hE)
I think that might be a way of knowing how much pressure as one would think that if you had ten pound on top and the curd lifted it when you tightened then you were putting More than ten pounds ????
Any one have an idea if that is correct ?
But they do certainly have a nice form factor
Hi Ann,
I have one of the wooden ring cheese moulds, they are a little more fiddly to adjust but well worth it.
The trick seems to be to use a rubber mallet to knock the adjustable part to tighten after flipping and replacing the ring around the cheese. I observed this method in use on a YouTube video offGruyere or compte making I think and has made things heaps easier. In my experience , if I adjust the ring then put cheese back it seems to fold the bottom part of the excess cheese curd over.
I would thoroughly recommend a ring cheese mould, I would like to get a plastic version though.
Good luck
Mathew
Gregore, I enjoyed the video, thanks for that! Love his copper couldron!
I think the wooden ring that was on the video has already flexible with use, so maybe soaking the new one in water might help (hopefully) like the spruce bark.
Quote from: Gregore on October 30, 2016, 05:14:30 AM
I made my own version of it , it seemed to work okay but it is not easy to know how much pressure you are using so some experimentation and recording will be needed , and they do need a heavy enough topper to stop the curd from lifting the top .
I think that might be a way of knowing how much pressure as one would think that if you had ten pound on top and the curd lifted it when you tightened then you were putting More than ten pounds ????
Will you show your version of the ring? Does it snap the curd upwards therefore the weights lifted? That was the review of the ring mould on the cheesemaking shop anyway.
Matthew,
Thanks for the info, rubber mallet will be part of my cheesemaking equipments repertoire! I think I will get the wooden ring, let's see how it goes I might come back here asking for help :)
I think you can use hdpe/food grade plastic sheets with rope ties but I'm not sure if you can use it on semi hard cheese, it works on bries though.
Ann if you have a problem with moulds have you ever thought of using 8" or larger water supply pipe ? I picked up different sizes around construction sites, they throw the cuttings away. I drilled weep holes in them and use $2 plastic cutting boards for the bottom and the follower. I use them on all my hard cheeses
Hi Reg,
I haven't see those around where I live, thanks for the suggestion!
I finally got my wooden ring mould though. :)
Sorry mine is long dead , I did not make it very well so I converted it into a normal wood ringlet that does not adjust . But is do look forward to seeing how your works as I might get one .
I hope someone can tell me how to use this, actually.
Do you soak it first to make it flexible?
In the video I sent a link to they do not look wet , but they are well used , so maybe they need to be soaked when newer .
I am assuming they are very stiff?
Yes, stiff coil of wood. I do not know how to adjust it yet. I have to see the video again before I use it. I'm planning to use it this coming wednesday.
I have no idea what he is saying , but I think his mold is aluminum. It would be so easy to make these out of stainless steel
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LAiWaw4IWeA
Ughh - aluminum and cheese do not go together well in my experience. When I first started making cheese, just fresh cheeses, I used a stainless steel pot, but I unthinkingly used the aluminum colander that I already had. Even with cheesecloth lining the colander, I got a distinct metallic taste - fortunately faint, but definitely there. I bought a stainless colander, and the problem disappear. Absolutely no aluminum for me, from then on, anywhere involved in the cheese making process!
I agree with the aluminum bit...but if you use stainless steel it will probably make a good ring mould, it will be easy to clean too. Now I have no clue how am I going to make my wooden ring flexible enough, I'm planning to soak it today to test it. And I suppose I will boil it to sanitise.
If you use it right after you boil it, it should be very flexible. But whether or how long it will stay that way ... that is the question!
So I finally used my wooden ring mould yesterday. I boiled it just before using, cool it down first of course. It was a little stiff, I think because it was new, but I managed to figure out how to tightened it. I think with time it will be more flexible.
What did you think compared to,normal molds ?
I bought this primarily because I want the cheese to be not too thick (wider wheel) so during pressing I don't have to press so much to squeeze out the whey. And it did the job quite well, I am happy with it. I am using it again today for another make of raclette, this ring needs some breaking into I think. Once it is flexible enough, I think I can also use this for brie.
Should be great for emmentaler. ;D
Yes Al, I reckon this is good for a lot of Alpine cheeses :)
I think I might look into making a stainless version of this , if the price for a roll of metal is reasonable
If it is successfull, please let me order few from you ;D
FYI, I bought another wooden ring mould from europe (Netherlands) and it is so much more flexible and easy to handle. It is thinner wood but still strong to hold the curd. I highly recommend it.
Do you have a link to the molds?
Thanks
http://www.thecheesemouldshop.com/index.php?action=home&lang=EN (http://www.thecheesemouldshop.com/index.php?action=home&lang=EN)
They reply promptly too.