My first cheddar came out of the press looking fine (maybe it was the late hour, or just wishful thinking) but after a couple of days of air drying, it clearly didn't knit well (see photo). Can I do anything to rescue this cheese, or is it one for the compost bin?
It will be fine. I have had several look that way in the past. It just means you lose a little more of the rind. I never throw a cheese away until it is absolutely repulsive. Aging performs miracles sometimes. Good luck and stick with it. :)
Looks great to me, but those bamboo mats will over time become ratty and habour mold, if you Search on "bamboo" you'll find several threads.
Thanks guys, that's a relief! My first hard cheese was the emmenthaller peaking into the photo on the left. It turned out miraculously well (so far, knocking on wood), so I guess I thought I was some kind of cheese genius. Oh well ... :P
Any thoughts for future treatment of the cheddar? I was planning to lard and band it, but not sure if this is the best way forward with all of the surface imperfections.
I would go ahead like you planned. It just means when you open it you will have to discard more of the outside.
Cool. Thanks!!! ^-^
After 1-2 months of ageing, you can vacuum seal it (if you have that available) and you may save more of the cheese than if you wax or bandage it.
Quote from: MrsKK on January 13, 2011, 04:26:25 PM
After 1-2 months of ageing, you can vacuum seal it (if you have that available) and you may save more of the cheese than if you wax or bandage it.
So ... after a couple of days of room temp air drying, into the cave for a couple of months before vacuum sealing ( I knew there was a reason I bought that seal-a-meal a few years ago!). During that time, just leave it unwrapped?
Looks great to me. Anothee option is to cloth-bound it. Is this farmhouse style? (single cheddaring? or mill, then stack then re-mill the stacks). It will probably improve the knitting as proteins and fats break down and change during the long aging. If it doesn't knit all the way or you get mold in the in-between cracks, just tell people you made French Cantal or Cantalet. Really a more rustic version of Cheddar from right across the English channel... As long as you were accurate with your acidification time this one will be a success. Just age it properly.
Quote from: iratherfly on January 13, 2011, 05:57:40 PM
Looks great to me. Anothee option is to cloth-bound it. Is this farmhouse style? (single cheddaring? or mill, then stack then re-mill the stacks). It will probably improve the knitting as proteins and fats break down and change during the long aging. If it doesn't knit all the way or you get mold in the in-between cracks, just tell people you made French Cantal or Cantalet. Really a more rustic version of Cheddar from right across the English channel... As long as you were accurate with your acidification time this one will be a success. Just age it properly.
As a newbie, I'm not sure I really understand the distinction between "farmhouse" style cheddar and other styles. For this one, I cut the curds, cooked them, drained them, cut the curd mass into strips, stacked them, cooked them again, milled and salted, then pressed.
Thanks for your optimism. If it gets funky, I'll definitely tell people it's a French something!
p.s., does cloth banding retard aging like waxing does? Is it necessary to do any aging before banding (other than air drying)?
My cheddars always come out looking EXACTLY like that. I've eaten a few since and they turned out quite nice (although to my taste, a little dry). I've never figured out how to deter those "fissures". Perhaps more weight? I know some people prefer pressing under warm whey, perhaps this keeps the curds warm enough to have time to fuse together?
Several factors are involved. Temperature, state of the curds, and pressing weight are all possible contributers or a combination of the three.
Quote from: cnorth3 on January 13, 2011, 06:32:43 PM
As a newbie, I'm not sure I really understand the distinction between "farmhouse" style cheddar and other styles. For this one, I cut the curds, cooked them, drained them, cut the curd mass into strips, stacked them, cooked them again, milled and salted, then pressed.
Farmhouse cheddar is a simplified version of classic cheddar. It's smaller and more manageable and it usually skips the re-cooking and re-milling. Curd is cut, cooked, drained milled and pressed.
Quote from: cnorth3 on January 13, 2011, 06:32:43 PM
Thanks for your optimism. If it gets funky, I'll definitely tell people it's a French something!
Cantal! - Cantal is a lot like cheddar but so much whey is extracted out of it during the make that it knots even rougher than cheddar and usually requires an extended press and longer aging. In cantal after the curd blocks are stacked, they are pressed, then cut again, then left for a few hours to be before being milled and salted before ever being put together as a cheese. It's an extremely dry curd and it takes lots of weight and time to press into a well-knotted cheese. That is why you may find some random air pockets which are often molded inside the cheese. It's a delicious rich cheese which is one of the oldest known to men. An imperfectly knotted cheddar can easily look and taste like Cantal
Quote from: cnorth3 on January 13, 2011, 06:32:43 PM
p.s., does cloth banding retard aging like waxing does? Is it necessary to do any aging before banding (other than air drying)?
Banding is more complex than waxing and requires more work during aging. The cheesecloth is a great media to grow mold and rind on it and this is how traditional English cheddar is made
flip.tiffy pressing longer can help iron out the fissures.
QuoteBanding is more complex than waxing and requires more work during aging. The cheesecloth is a great media to grow mold and rind on it and this is how traditional English cheddar is made
flip.tiffy pressing longer can help iron out the fissures.
Thanks iratherfly! Well, here's the cheddar in question, bandaged up like Claude Rains in The Invisible Man. If nothing else, it covers up all the fissures. Now, bring on the mold!
Is this a single layer of cheese cloth or multiple layers? Use a single layer and smooth out the air bubbles. It's a good practice to deep it in warm whey or warm water. Once it's on the cheese you can oil it. It will help protect it longer. With the clothbound arrangement, be prepared for long term aging.
Quote from: iratherfly on January 15, 2011, 08:29:35 AM
Is this a single layer of cheese cloth or multiple layers? Use a single layer and smooth out the air bubbles. It's a good practice to deep it in warm whey or warm water. Once it's on the cheese you can oil it. It will help protect it longer. With the clothbound arrangement, be prepared for long term aging.
Actually, I used Rikki's directions for banding: schmeer cheese w/ shortening; circles of cloth on each end; more shortening; another layer of cloth on each end; band around the circumference. The bubbles you see aren't really air bubbles, just places where the cloth overlaps. From what you say, maybe Rikki's directions are overkill?