I started a new batch today. Same basic recipe with a few tweaks. Multiplied by 4 as I am making a 24 gallon batch.
16gal 2% past/homogenized milk
8gal whole past/homogenized milk
(1.6g) TA61(2.8g) LH100 3tsp 18g Lipase (Same amount as always but will be added this much later in the process. Just to try it.)
12 tsp CaCl2 (This used to be 3 tablespoons. But in checking, It should be tsp.)
Time | Task | Water Temp | Milk Temp | pH |
8:15 | Start | 110. | 37 | 6.87 |
1:15 | Ending | 141 | 124 | 6.36 |
I took horrible notes this time. I'm sorry.
I did use less lipase this time. I'm not sure how that will work out.
Pictures
More Pics
YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywT2x26ytLc#)
YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzhKZrI4TgE#)
YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbvrQ0ZsRaE#)
Wayne!
The video is a fantastic touch!
Can't say that I envy you all of that clean up but it sure was cool seeing your process.
Good luck with the cheese and thanks for posting this.
Oh yeah, cool wizard ball too. Did you have it custom made?
Dave
no, that was surprisingly cheap. 50 bucks (USD) i believe.
I will look for the link. First time i used it though. very very handy.
That was great Wayne. I enjoyed the video footage thanks! I like the whisk - looks like it saves a lot of energy. Good luck with this batch.
Taken out of the press this morning
Great show Wayne! You said something about it being boring at the end of the second video. No chance! Very entertaining stuff!
That's looking mighty fine Wayne! Great press!
Wayne,
With all the chains and clanking metal I could only think of a medieval torture chamber every time you lowered the pot. Sounded like the rack. Do you wear a black hood when you make cheese?
It was great to see the video and put the photos we have seen into context. Thanks for taking the time.
Here is a link to that whisk I used:
(http://www.greatchefsequipment.com/store/pc/catalog/JohnsonRose/3648.jpg) (http://www.kitchenandrestaurant.com/48-Kettle-Whip-Stainless-Steel-p/wnco-kwp-48.htm)
This wheel is is 19lbs. Its in a saturatedsalt Brine that is at pH 4.4 and Specific Gravity of 1.170.
This is as heavy of a brine as I can make.
How long do you suppose i should leave it there?
And should the brine be refreshed at the mid-way point?
For the sake of the less experienced cheesemakers I will spell this out...
Normally I would use the general rule of thumb which states:
1 hour per pound of cheese /per inch of thickness at pH of 4.7
but parmesan is a salty dry cheese - and the rule of thumb for Parmesan is:
12 hours per each 2.2 pounds of cheese
or 103.6 hours or 4.3 days
Wayne, this is an important question to me. I have made 2 big cheeses that needed brining and I am wondering if I brined them too long using the per pound formula (I went 2.5 hrs per pound; 20 lbs = 50 hrs). It seemed like when I took them out they were very very dry for about 1 inch or more of rind and then the inside was fine. That was alot of rind to be inedible. Maybe this changes over a year of aging but my gouda (after 1 month)was essentially inedible until I got an inch or more deep. I am interested in your results. I have not made another cheese that needs brining because I want to understand this better.
FD this is the textbook guide for brining cheese. I have brined longer and shorter than recommended. I go by look and feel as much as anything.
I will let you know how it comes out.
Wow Wayne, what a cheese!! :o
Hope the brining goes well.
Good luck with the brine Wayne. And Thanks Debi for the brining formula. Everyday when I read something on this forum, I learn something new. I love it...
Final Pictures.
Just beautiful! :'(
Another Batch. One on right is a week older than the other.
Very very nice wheels Wayne. How much do they weigh? They look very heavy. Are they still about 19 pounds?
18ish lbs apiece
I am going for a natural rind on both. White vinegar to remove any mold, and a very light coat of mineral oil to provide a moisture barrier.
They look like they could be foot stools!
Wayne,
Why mineral oil instead of olive oil? The first thing that comes to mind would be flavor or cost but what is your reasoning?
I read about someone else using Mineral Oil. I forget where. (I will look)
But mainly it made sense from a critter standpoint. In my mind, Mineral oil is less hospitable than vegetable oil to yeasts/moulds/bacterias.
I, of course, don't know that authoritatively, but that that seems to make sense to me.
Anyway, its just one variable change to the process. One of many in my ongoing experimentation.
Well, Its been a year now...
I cracked this last night.
Pros,
I will say that this was very tasty.
Had a good smell.
Not too bitter, or too salty.
(the kids here gobbled it up...)
Cons
Very very thick rind. 3/4" thick.
The center has a pinkish hue. very subtle. Unsure what that is...
Overall I am very pleased..
in looking at the photos above, i should add that the wedge is a year old. The whole wheel, is only 11months.
Also, the wedge was vacuum sealed yesterday, and i opened it back up this morning in order or photograph it.
the effects from vacuum sealing makes the wedge look kinda wierd if you look at close.
Just thought i would point that out.
wayne,
I was just thinking of these the other day. I am glad you posted a follow up. could you give a sense of scale please. How much shrinkage did you get both in weight and volume?
Wayne,
That is an amazing cheese! To decrease the rind, can one vacuum seal a Parmesan to age it, or does it need to get air for gas exchange? How soon did you start oiling? If you start earlier does that help, or are there reasons to wait (4-6 weeks as I recall from a recipe?)?
Susan
Wayne - Nice looking cheese.
Susan, That's why I vac bag. To me 1/2" to 3/4" of rind is an unacceptable loss on relatively small wheels. I rub down with olive oil as soon as my wheels are dry, go natural rind for around 4 weeks, then vac bag. Most of my rinds are edible.
Thanks Sailor,
My first ever Parmesan is in the cheese cave. It is only 11 days old. I have been faithfully turning. Because the humidity is not high enough I have it covered to increase humidity in it's immediate enviornment. I noticed a little hairline crack at an edge. I covered the crack with olive oil (was that ok?). But mostly it is doing fine. Maybe I'll oil it now. Is it too early? Then vacuum seal in about 3 weeks. It is 4" wide by about 6"tall. Are there some (hard) cheeses that simply should not be vacuum sealed?
Susan
I would give it a light rubbing of olive oil now, before the rind starts to crack. Then bag in 3 or 4 weeks.
While I rubbed my parms with mineral oil every 2 months or so. the thick rind is due to low-humidity?
Hmm. I need to create a way to vacuum bag these cheeses.
Very nice looking parm Wayne!
Beautiful Parm, Wayne.
Don't waste that rind! It will make a great soup stock. Or, add it to a pot roast.
I like to use rind when making venison & cheese salami.
Nothing has to go to waste!
John