Hello everyone
So I tried my first semi soft cheese this weekend and choose Fontina since it seemed simple and I had all the ingredients already. I need simple since this is my first attempt at a pressed, aged cheese.
After searching thru a few recipes on the internet I settled on one and got started. After I had the cheese in for the final press I realized I made two big mistakes as the author called this " his version"
First I did NOT wash the curd since the author did not specify to do so.
Second, his pressing method doesn't match all the other. I pressed two cheeses on top of each other at 30lb for 2 hrs, flip 2 more at 30, then 40 for overnight.
Since this is my first attempt at using a cheese cave and aging am I going to end up with something completely " off the wall" and not worth the effort? Or should I just start over?
Any thoughts
Lesson learned? Read more closely!
Thanks
NEVER discard anything. Just keep on going and, who knows? You might have invented a great cheese, and whatever comes of it, you shall enjoy it in the end.
What recipe did you use Mike?
Probably shouldn't give names so I'll just say I followed the recipe found in a popular you tube video
I went to the only popular youtube vid that I know, and he did wash the curd when he removed some of the whey and added the hot water.
Also did you double the pressing weight? You should Not double the weight if you are stacking the molds. You Would Double It if you were
pressing them side by side. I hope this helps you.