I'm persevering with blue cheeses and my attempt at Stilton number 5 is my most promising yet.
The make and rubbing down went well and I've been aging the cheese in a small fridge which varies between 8-14 degrees C (which I realise is not ideal but is the best that I can do).
The final picture shows the cheese at one month and, although it may not be obvious in the picture, the outside of the cheese is quite moist (even slimy) and is not drying out as I had hoped. I'm taking it out of the fridge and airing it for about an hour each day but I'm not seeing any improvement. The cheese itself feels quite firm so I'm optimistic that things are OK inside - just worried about what's happening on the outside.
Any suggestions?
Not to worry ;)
Just keep airing it out as you are, it will do just fine.
how high is the humidity in your cave, that could be a problem.
If I remember right I think mine stayed 85 to 95% , airing it once a day brought out a nice rind.
this looks really good to me so keep doing what your doing and keep us posted (http://www.z4-forum.com/forum/images/smilies/smilie_thumbsup.gif)
I don't see any wrinkling on the rind so the curds were not too wet. Try reducing the humidity and airing out as suggested. And AC4Y for your persistence!
That looks like a good cheese to me! I am new to cheese making so funky rinds still scare me a little bit, but yours looks fine in my noobie eyes. AC4U for the good work your putting in.
Nice cheese
The problem really isn't apparent on the photo and I'm concerned because although Stiltons #1-#4 have had a selection of issues, none of them have exhibited this 'sliminess'. The slightest touch seems to rub off the rind and expose the paste beneath (hence the 'bald' patches).
The humidity in the little fridge is nothing like 90%. I try to increase humidity by draping a damp paper towel over the shelf. I think that it's around 70-75% most of the time. The cheese itself is in a plastic box with the lid loosely laid on top. I'll carry on airing, maybe for a little longer each day, and see how things progress.
Many thanks for the cheeses. In celebration of having of having reached a total of six cheeses I've decided that I need an avatar. It's a picture of my home city ;D
It looks like quite a nice little cheese .
If you are concerned about the surface moisture try wrapping a dish towel around the circumference for a day or 2 if the towel comes off damp then it was too wet and needed it . Paper towels also work just as well . You can also sit it on a towel then flip for the top and bottom .
I do this with my lactic acid set cheeses after demolding to take out that last bit of surface moisture to control skin slip .
Stilton #5 is now approaching two months old and it is three weeks since I posted the pictures.
For most of the first week after posting I followed the advice suggested - airing the cheese for an hour daily and standing it on a paper towel. There wasn't much improvement. It still felt slimy and the rind was very fragile. But neither did it get any worse...
I then had to go away. My husband aired the cheese for a period of a few days when he was able to, but it certainly had periods of several days without being aired at all.
I've returned today and looked at my cheese for the first time in over two weeks and it has undergone a transformation - but not in a good way. I assume the orange colour is B. linens? It smells slightly unpleasant but not like a 'stinky' cheese smells (which I don't actually find unpleasant at all). And it is very moist.
Can anything be done to rescue my cheese? I was hoping to keep it going to three months but now I'm wondering if I should just cut it and see what's happened inside.
I don't see a problem. Real Stiltons do have orange rinds. Is the rind dry?
Thank you Duntov! Perhaps there is still hope.
The rind is very damp and rubs off at the slightest touch to expose the paste beneath. Daily airing for an hour didn't seem to be improving things very much, but as I explained, the daily airing has been erratic recently.
The cheese is in a small fridge in a plastic box with the lid loosely placed on top. Humidity in the fridge is around 70-75% but I imagine that it would be higher in the box? The fridge temperature varies between 8-14 degrees C.
I suppose that you are right. Stiltons DO have elements of orange in the rind. But can anybody advise me on how to encourage the rind to dry out?
Hi Nym,
The original photo looks great. The orange one isn't too unusual. I wonder if the curds were still really quite wet when you removed it from the mould. That could explain why your cheese is always moist. Have you tried storing it at room temperature? It would likely be at lower humidity than in the fridge...
I think the blinens will not hurt the flavor too much , and certainly not make it unedible .
But I think it needs some wrapping in Paper towel with it changed as soon as it wets through . Maybe a few days of this , it should help keep it stable until time to open. D I do not think you can reverse blinens once you have it .
And I agree with nym. It was probably too wet in the curd stage
Because you have it stored in a plastic box, you are creating a micro-climate with much higher humidity than the rest of the refrigerator. Try leaving the lid off for a few days, or even remove from the box altogether (sitting on a plastic grid), to dry out the rind. Monitor carefully, of course.
Thank you for all the advice.
For the last 24 hours I've had the cheese out of the fridge and sitting in a cool room. I've wrapped it in paper towel which I've changed 4 or 5 times during this period due to the amount of moisture that was drawn out. I think that it's already looking better.
Wish I'd done this a month ago! We'll see..
It all a learning process , I think there is a British blue cheese with a little blinens on it , so it should be fine .
Also blue is so overpowering in flavor nothing will compete . All your really worried about is keeping it together till it ready .
Orange?here's (https://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,12574.msg99290.html#msg99290) Orange
Yours looks fine
AC4U (http://www.z4-forum.com/forum/images/smilies/smilie_thumbsup.gif)
Thank you for the cheese H-K-J.
I read through your thread. Your cheese certainly was orange! Can't believe that you were still eating it at 15 months.
Stilton #5 is looking much happier now since I've been following Gregore's paper towel regime. The rind is much drier and I think that the blue is staging a bit of a comeback. I'll report back at 3 months.
I rubbed up Stilton #6 a couple of days ago :)
Hi All
Stilton #5 will be three months old on Sunday :D None of my previous efforts have made it this far.
The rind has dried up beautifully and the blue has come back in places although the b. linens is still prevalent.
So should I wait for another month or cut it now? If I cut it now, how should I continue to age it? I have a vacuum packer (tho little experience with it). Or should I wrap it somehow (I don't have any special cheese papers). It's currently in a mini-fridge running at 10-12 deg C. Is it time to move to a cold fridge?
Thanks for any advice.
In my experience, 3 months is time to cut. You can vacuum-pack it for further development of the cheese without further bluing (but stop the vacuum before it sucks down too hard - on my, I do this by pressing the "Seal" button when it gets to the desired amount of vacuum).
Looking good! :D :D
That doesn't look good, it looks spectacular!
Have a cheese!
Can someone put words to the smell of the rind as it ages?
Cannot fully appreciate the visuals because they are a trifle small. :(
Need to see the fine character of this cheese a little closer. ;)
-Boofer-
Since you ask...