Made a cantal last week, everything seemed to go well, can't wait to taste the results. It should be interesting as I have never tried cantal but liked the recipe. 1st pic is the cantal in the press and second is her drying and she is now in the cave.
Very nice looking wheel! I like your press' draining board underneath the mould too. How long are you going to age it?
- Jeff
Hi Jeff,
I plan on ageing her 5 to 6 months, should be interesting as I have never tried cantal. Thinking I should buy a sample to compare it too.
In regards to the press, the main reason I wanted to make a cantal,I heard that it is one of the hardest cheese's for home cheese makers to press. I wanted to push the limit and see if it would provide a tight knit under regular temps without pressing under whey. She did at 100 psi which on this press is approximately 700 lbs per sq in. it can run up to 150 psi @ 1050 lbs per sq. in. I am pleased so far, I am building a double press based on what I have learned and will beef up the structure a bit as it bows but always returns normal when pressure is released. It is small in size for what she can do only 15 x 12 inches and the double one will be 28 X 12 when I am done. Both will press up to a 10 inch wheel with out straining. A learning experience for sure.
Very nice looking wheel. What size is that piston?. I wouldn't think that a cylinder of that diameter would apply the force that you state. As you are probably aware force=air line pressure x surface area of piston. For instance a piston that has a diameter of 1.5 inches would have a multiple of ~1.7 . So theoretically in this case using 100PSI line pressure will give you a working force of 170lbs. You would need a cylinder of ~3" diameter to get 700lbs of force from a line pressure of 100PSI. In any case the cheese looks very nice and Cantal is one of my favorites. Have a cheese for your enthusiasm.
The cylinder has a 3 in bore size and 6 in stroke with a force factor of 7 and is hooked up to a 150 psi compressor. There is a ¼ in plate steel under the oak board. When I made my first press I used a cylinder with a 1.5 in bore and it just did not apply the pressure I needed to get a good press on cheddars which is what I mostly make. So she needed an upgrade, so far it seems to deliver the pressure I need. Below is the web address to the specs on the cylinder from Graingers.
http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/SPEEDAIRE-Air-Cylinder-6CPX5?Pid=search (http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/SPEEDAIRE-Air-Cylinder-6CPX5?Pid=search)
Great! From the the picture it was hard to tell the size. That ought to get her donE!