Hi -
I attempted blue cheese with some meso culture and then a little bit of blue cheese from my favorite cheese dissolved in water and added to the curd.
Attached you will see what happened in a months time. The inside is the texture of soft brie and a little metal flavor.
I'm about to try again. I bought some Roth blue culture this time.
Guesses on what i did wrong? not enough salt? Curd not dry enough?
Looks like your cheese was contaminated by GEO or Penicillium Candidum mold. This white mold softens the cheese curd pretty fast. Next time I would try to lower the moisture in the cave.
I see you didn't pierce the cheese. Penicillium Rogueforti needs air, it doesn't grow without it. So piercing the blue cheese is a must. I believe your cheese was fully captured by the white mold which didn't allow the blue mold to develop.
Blue mold likes salt much more than white mold. Blue cheeses are always more salted.
By the way how it smelled?
Thanks. For the first week or two it smelled like great blue cheese then well it smelled metallic as it tasted.
I pierced it after the first picture about day 3.
I think I put it away wet and it stayed wet the whole time. Learning slowly..The recipe I have suggest lining the cheese mold with cloth I think the cloth prevented proper drying...
I asked about the smell because this yellow/pink rind reminds me of b.linens which can also soften the curd. B.linens usually smells very unpleasant. Something like rotten vegetables or sewage. B.linens doesn't like salt too.
I am afraid you have pierced your cheese too early and all the holes disappeared. Normally the piercing should be done right after the surface is covered with the blue mold. I have one Gorgonzola Dolce ageing at the fridge. How it looks right now. It's about 1 month old. I pierced it 2 weeks ago. Maybe it was a little bit late.
Thank you for all the help..
I'll get it right soon.
Rinds on Stiltons, as you can see in the photos, can take on all sorts of colors and bacteria. The important part is following the recipe and then caring for the rind throughout the aging period. I age my blues at 54°F and 85% RH. I also take them out of the cave ever day and air them out for an hour or two. If they start to get too dry then leave them in the cave without airing for a couple of days. Your cheese appears to have picked up a multitude of bacterias and cultures some of which have the appearance of mucor. Not good. This is usually the result of too much humidity in the cave. Here (http://www.cheesemaking.com/store/pg/26-Making-Cheese.html) is a link to a simple Stilton that works great if followed to the letter. You can, of course, substitute some blue crumbles for the penicillium roqueforti culture. Good luck with your cheesemaking. You look like you have a good handle on things. AC4U for your excellent efforts!
thanks these looks so sturdy mine never did..
I'm going to give it a go again tomorrow..
Here's hoping!