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All,
Fist try at a large batch of stirred curd cheddar

List of Ingredients:

• 24gal whole pasteurized/homogenized off the shelf milk (1.89/gal at local grocery)
• 2 tsp Choozit MA11  (4.9g)
• 240 drops double strength Annatto 14.6g (diluted in 2/3 cup distilled water)
• 12tsp CaCl (77.7g)
• 6tsp tsp veal rennet (diluted in 3 cups distilled water)
• 9 tablespoons of flaked salt
• 10 drops Annatto/gal

My Goals:

• Get accustometd to the logistics of a larger wheel
• Make a cheese that reaches pH markers on time (quicker)
• pH Marker:  6.15 at end of cook/scald
• pH Marker:  5.4-5.7 after salting

Here is what I am gonna try.

• Mill the curds as well as stir them to a smaller size.  no more than .5in

Basic Process:

• Add milk to vat, start heating to 90degF
• Add Annatto
• add CaCl2
• When milk is at 90, add Culture.  Stir in for 1 min
• Wait 45 min then add Rennet Solution
• Wait 45 min or until clean break, cut curd, then let rest for 15min
• Stir curd and begin heating protocol from 90-100 degF  That is 2 deg/5min
• Let sit at 100degF for 30 min.
• Drain curd, not too long to avoid matting
• place in pan, stir curds with fingers, avoid mashing
• Add salt in two phases, allowing for slower absorption
• Stir every 5 min for 1 hour
• place in 8"mould
• Press@2PSI for 15 min
• Remove from mould/flip/redress/re-mould
• Press@4PSI for 30 min
• Remove from mould/flip/redress/re-mould
• Press@8PSI for 2hours
• Remove from mould/flip/redress/re-mould
• Press@19PSI for 24 Hours

Here is how it is playing out in real-life:

Time	Task	Water Temp	Milk Temp	pH
9:00am	Add milk	100	77	6.7
9:05am	added color	100	80	6.66
9:10am	added CaCL	100	81	6.56
9:27am	Added culture	100	90	6.52
9:39am	Data Point	102	92*	6.48
9:50am	Data Point	102	91	6.48
10:03am	Data Point	102	91	6.44
10:58am	Cutting curd (will let heal for 10min	99	89	6.45
10:58am	Begin cooking	102	85	6.45
11:13am	Begin cooking	102	90	6.33
12:08am	End cooking	117	100	5.95

Notes:
*Damn,  I went over again. Sloppy again.

Wrap up
Had a problem with the pH meter.  At the end of cook time, it decided that it needed refilling and that it needed calibrating.
neither went well in the time needed by my cheesemaking.  Note to self:  calibrate prior.

Wayne, thinking of you today during your monster cheese making. Hope all is OK, pictures would be great when you have time, thanks for being on the leading/bleeding edge!

Pictures

More pics

Very impressive Wayne. How did you ever mill all those curds? How many molds did you use to press all those curds?

Report:
My pH meter let down this batch.  Can you believe that?

At the most critical point too.  In the middle of cooking the curds it started to flake out,  I had to use a watch and best guess. 

As i look at the meter today, the situation is a bit worse than i thought. I thought at first it merely needed calibrating, then i thought i needed to refill the tip.  But, as I look at the manual today, I see that the tip (the electrode) is at the end of its usefull life.  I need a new tip.  ($49usd).

I am not sure if this is due to wear, or incorrect usage.  In retrospect, I never filled the cap with the 4.01 solution like i was supposed to. (there is a sponge in there that keeps the tip conditioned)  So, my misuse might have shortened the tip's lifespan. 

Either way, having it fail right after cutting the curd yesterday is one reason my data kinda stops there. I was struggling to work the problem, logging data took a backseat. (the new curd knife worked perfectly btw)

Anyway here are some pics of the mould.
This is a CM105 mould from Ullmers (http://www.ullmers-dairyequipment.com/cheesemolds.htm).
(http://www.ullmers-dairyequipment.com/images/Equipment/Cheesemolds/Hoop2.jpg)

Looks great from here, those commercial molds look stackable for large gang presses. I'm surprised no weep holes in side. Let us know when it's out of the press ;D!

Looking good hon! I love Ulmers - so much good stuff there! My pH meter flaked out a few days ago too I wonder if it's the same problem. I haven't tinkered with it since though.

Standard pH meters work via a semi-permeable glass membrane through which ionic potential is measured in terms of current. If you don't keep the glass moist in a buffer solution, it becomes damaged. In some cases, you can recondition it by soaking for a day in a 4 or 7 buffer solution. If you have protein buildup, you need to clean the glass tip first. For oils, soak in some soapy water for 5-10 mins. For proteins, soak in an enzyme solution or .1 M HCl (you can make this yourself, use the muriatic acid from the hardware store) for 5-10 mins.

If I can find my magnifier I'll re-read the directions. I think there was an inch or two in english.

I did not keep the pH meter's tip moist.  My fault.  Actually, now that i think of it, I read that and STILL failed to do it. I swear sometimes i really need to ride the 'short' bus.

Anyway.  I have pulled the cheese from the mould.  It has spent the last 24 hours at 5psi.

Here is the new wheel of cheddar cheese, with a 8 in wheel of parm, and a bottle of wine for a size reference

Well huge congrats, that looks fantastic (& huge), you should be very proud!

Great color, texture, and shape!

Looking forward to news over the coming weeks and months.

Congrats again, great job.

Nice lookin' cheese Wayne!
I'd open the wine and celebrate.
CC

NICE! I could use that as a step stool! Looks like you got the color you've been looking for too. Wonderful wheel of cheese congrats Wayne!

Well, its official, my pH meter is dead. 

After fiddling with it, ordering/installing a new tip, trying to calibrate it, and spending 20 min on the phone with Extech, my pH meter was declared officially dead.

They are sending me a new one,  free of charge, immediately.

And I don't have to send this one back.

I can't argue with that.

WOW! That's great. Free is a word I really like!

Wayne - with volumes like this are you planning on gong commercial?

Yes and no.
Yes, in that I can see myself with a sign out front selling my cheese

No, in that the original intent of the larger size is to get more lbs of cheese per weekend.
My wife did not like the fact that I was spending every weekend in the basement shop working on cheese or  wine stuff.
So the compromise was that I would make more per batch, but make fewer batches.  Thereby I would make the same amount of cheese, but would have more time for the 'honey-do' list.


But yes,  someday I would like to sell my cheese.

Wayne,

You have such a cool setup!  I love it and it makes me chuckle.  There is some sort of medieval look about the size of those pots and the chain... too cool!

Congrats on the monster cheese and I'm really looking forward to seeing how those giant wheels turn out. 

Good to hear Extech took care of you on the meter.  I've been really pleased with mine so far.  However it has spent more time in the mash tun then in the cheese vat lately.  The probe for my pH meter has a little o-ring sealed jar that you slide over the end of the electrode and fill it with buffer solution for long term storage. Does yours have something similar?

Anyway good to see the cheese monster in action...

Ryan

Good to hear from you.  Yeah my pH meter does have that.  Problem was that  I totally dropped the ball and did not ensure that the cap was moist with solution.  I paid the price.

But yeah, the setup look and feel I was going for was a post-modern 'Spanish Inquisition'.  I think I achieved that.

I'm about done with cheese for a month or so.  I put my order in for Grapes, Harvet is in two weeks.  I bought 1000lbs of California Cabernet grapes from a local winery that ships in about 80tons. They need about 40 tons for themselves and other guys like me buy into the shipment.   

So I am busy getting my primary fermenters / Grape press / equipement in order, clean and sanitary.  So no time for  Cheese for the next month...

Wayne, you could really have a fun Halloween setup there... Maybe a witch drowning or  at least some serious brew! ;)

I'm so envious of the winemaking skills... I can brew beer until the cows come home but wine eludes me for some reason. Course in ND access to grapes is an issue especially vitis vinifera.  I've tried kits and I somehow can screw those up too.  I may have to try and get back on that horse one of these days.  I'd certainly have to do some major research before taking that one on.

Anyway, back on subject... how long do intend on letting this one age? It is always a tough decision when you try something new.  What is your feel for how well it knit together with that big a wheel? 

Ryan

I will not touch this till aug/2010.


I have similar thoughts on beer. 

QuoteI have similar thoughts on beer.

;)  May have to revisit our trade agreements we discussed a while back!

Are you waxing this monster or what are your plans for the rind?

Ryan

agree on the trade.


I am not gonna wax this.  I am gonna try and work a natural rind.  At the moment I have a combination of things going on.  Every week or so, I shmear (yes shmear) a combination of lard and salt on the rind to keep it from cracking deeply and from growing over with mold.
I would like to taper this off as the rind thickens and becomes more "stable"

next August, when this is done, I will remove the rind, portion it up, and then wax.
I will keep some and give some away.

It's good to have a solid "point man", willing to take the lead and point the way for others who may follow in his path.  8)

I am in awe of such a masterpiece. I didn't see any mention of weight. How heavy was it when you flipped it and rewrapped it when pressing? 20 pounds? Was it fairly firm?

Definitely gives us all an additional incentive to pursue our ultimate cheese.

Thanks, Wayne.

-Boofer-

WOW Wayne!!! Your set up is fantastic and your cheese looks wonderful. You're the guru of big cheese ;D

Christy

Well, I too was inspired by the likes of Carterisum and others here.

After wine season is over.  I plan to crank out 1 or two a month.
Parm, Gouda, Swiss havardi and Cheddar

It's a beautiful thing for sure!

I just found this thread, Wayne and it is so neat to see someone else attempting this at home. I have a million questions so I hope I don't overload you. What does the cacl do? I have never used it in a cheddar recipe. how much weight and how long is the arm? I really want to use my 12 inch hoop so my cheese won't be so tall but it doesn't press well enough with all the weight I can put on it. The salt and the annatto are about the same as I use in my 24 gal batch. My cheddaring process is different though. I put the curds directly in a customized cooler held at an angle with a light built in to the top for heat. After seeing your pics I think I am going to add the screen below like you have. I let the curds mat and then cut them into 1 inch slabs and re-stack them every 15 min. I read that the weight of the stack helps the acidity develop. Then I cut the curds into 3/4" cubes and salt them and press. I saw the pic of your milk and laughed out loud! I can't imagine buying milk and experimenting like I have.:D I have thrown away so many batches trying to get good at it. No wonder you are so meticulous. I am very impressed. I am showing my kids your pics right now and they are as amazed as I am. i also like your knife. I called today to order custom knives because I have used a machete for years and am tired of cutting the grid!

Never mind about the CaCl. I just read that it is because you are not using raw milk.

Thanks for the kind words.
I would be mindfull of the force needed for a 12in hoop.  A 12in hoop gives you 113 square inches of surface area.  In order to achieve 6 PSI across that much surface area, you will need 678lbs of force.

I do like a levered approach because I get a 4X mechanical advantage due to the length of my lever arm relative to the pivot-fulcrum distance.

Cheddar is definately a lot of work and a lot of time.  The difference 'tween a good batch and bad one, may be only 5 minutes of slacking off.
Good luck and do not hesitate to write or call.

That is the reason I asked about your weight and arm. With an 8 inch hoop you have about 50 sq in and at 19psi you are still talking 1000 lbs of force at the fulcrum. With a mech adv. of 4 you still need 250 pounds of weight. I am considering making my arm of 2 2X6's 10 feet long. This gives a MA of about 6-8 so i can keep my weight under 300 lbs. i have considered making a press with a hydraulic piston. I am currently working on a log splitter and just bought a 24" piston that i could use for my press too. Any advice on that would be appreciated.  I read that commercial plants only press for as little as one hour. I know that they use a vacuum process too though so I wonder if the decreased time is due to the vacuum or just more pressure applied in gradually increasing amounts. Sorry so many questions. This isn't the kind of conversation you can have with just anybody :) By the way, my degree is in math and physics. It is nice to be able to have an intelligent conversation about the value of simple machines!

I did this once. 

I got 19psi on a 6 gallon batch.

I would not do this again.  I did see the advantage in the end product, as a matter of fact i saw a fracture in the cheese.  The curd was still not completely closed.

That bing said, I am gonna limit my next 25 gallon cheddar to under 10 psi.

Long terms, I am going to redo my press to include a cheap Carter-esque press (pneumatic cylinder) and a home-made vacuum chamber. 

I strongly believe that the key to a perfectly closed cheddard curd is time pressing in a vacuum.

I already have a vacuum pump that I use for degassing/racking wine barrels.

Where do you get the pneumatic cylinder and what specs should I look for? And do you know anywhere to look for info on this "homemade" vacuum chamber". I really want to try that myself.

I have not nailed down my specs yet for either.
That is, the bore diameter, stroke, return, mounting. All questions.
I need to continue to play with that design in my head. 
But the actual cylinders all over ebay.  I andticipate spending about 50 bucks on one.

The Vacuum chamber is even less thought out. 
It needs to be airtight.  (check)
It needs to be large enough for the cheese. (check)

Thats about all i got worked out at this point.  (lol)

Just use the EXTRA, EXTRA EXTRA large Ziplok vac bags.  :o

How does the whey escape if you vac bag during pressing????

I know that fiberglass kayaks used to be vac bagged. The idea was to remove excess resin to keep the weight down. So removing liquids is definitely possible.

Perhaps it gets sucked out into an inline trap, like a diesel engine.

Its a chamber, not a bag.

But the point of the Vacuum is not really for whey removal, its for a curd knitting.

The vacuum pulls out trapped gas and makes the cheese much less open.

is there any info on this site or anywhere on vacuuming while pressing? I just can't understand the logistics of how it would work in conjunction with the press. I do think it is the answer to curd knitting. I have always had a problem with this on my large cheeses.

Quote from: Wayne Harris on September 29, 2009, 07:07:52 PM
Its a chamber, not a bag.

But the point of the Vacuum is not really for whey removal, its for a curd knitting.

The vacuum pulls out trapped gas and makes the cheese much less open.

But the excess whey still has to go somewhere. ???

I have not seen anyone besides myself thinking seriously about this. 
More than likely this is due to the heavier than normal investment in home cheesemaking infrastructure.

The only reason I am looking into this is because, I like to tinker.

To be clear, your cheddar will turn out fine with the aid of vacuum pressing, but vacuum pressing will definately help close your curd.

http://jds.fass.org/cgi/reprint/76/4/909.pdf (http://jds.fass.org/cgi/reprint/76/4/909.pdf)

Quote from: Sailor Con Queso on September 29, 2009, 07:39:11 PM
But the excess whey still has to go somewhere. ???

Good point,  I would imagine that whey would continue to weep and pool under the press.

That study link says that the cheeses were actually put in a vacuum chamber AFTER initial pressing for 2 hours. That would get rid of the bulk of the excess whey.

Vacuum was then applied for a 1 hour and then the bagged hoop was pressed again.

Interesting. Hmmm...  ;D

_____________________________________

For each vat (eight hoops per vat, one test hoop per vat), curd either was pressed at 7.9 Wa of surface
pressure for 2 h or remained unpressed for 2 h. The hoops were then transferred to a vacuum chamber.


Curd in hoops was vacuum treated at 8.0 kPa of absolute pressure for 1 h without mechanical pressure.
While the curd was still under vacuum, mechanical pressure was applied, curd was pressed at 12.4 kPa of surface pressure for 1 h, and then vacuum was released.

That sounds about right. 

Again, I think that illustrates that the point of the vacuum is to get closer a perfect knit.

Its primary purpose is not to assist in whey removal.

I'm not an expert, but that is my understanding.

Thanks for the article. Really good stuff. Does anyone on this site vacuum seal their cheeses instead of wax or other methods?

Many of us vacuum bag. Some bag immediately after air drying. Others age for awhile and then bag. Lots of options.

Sailor, can you direct me toward a brand or type of vac sealer system. Is it just the food saver type or something bigger?

I use a Foodsaver 11". They're all over. Sam's Club, Wal-Mart, E-Bay...

Wayne, you said you were able to seal an 8" cheese I think. What type of vacuum sealer do you have? And I understand the "tinkerer" mentality. Nothing is ever perfect in my mind. always something I want to try to add or fix.

Here  (https://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,530.msg2755.html#msg2755) is the 8in cheddar that I vacuum sealed.
I have a standard 11" or 12" in foodsaver.

nothing fancy...

Sheesh Wayne, what happened to you while I was gone???
A 24 gallon batch of cheese? Is this some sort of Carter possession that I'm seeing here??
Honestly, I'm quite impressed. While I've been enjoying the sun you've been building your cheese making operation. Damn, now I've got a lot of catching up to do!
Hope all is well with you and I look forward to gleaning information that you've gained.

Dave

I don't know where these stores are but I just got an 11 inch Foodsaver in Wisconsin for $69 in a store called Shopko. We don't have them here - sure wish we did!