>:( Opened my minifridge to find a droopy, leaking, runny mess that smelled like a front loaded diaper.
3-25-12
The Make
- 2gal homo/past whole milk
- 1pint light cream
- warm to 86f
- added penn/roq packet from Shapson and mature 1hr
- added rennet packet, clean break at 1hr 15min.
- curd cut 1/2in and rested 5min.
- into draining bag and hung for 30 min
- into SS strainer basket under 8lbs (adjusted 1gal jug over dessert plate) for 12.5 hrs
- milled 1/2 inch and salted 2tbs
- hooped and turned 15min for 2hrs, twice in two hrs, then threce daily for five days.
- unhooped and smoothed and into 48f cave in plastic shoebox
- wiped accumulated mousture from inside box and turned daily
- nicely covered in blue mold and pierced on 4-12
4-18-12
The Mess
- Checking on cheese and fridge felt warm, checked cellar switch and it's off. (mini ran from light adapter)
- was possibly off for two days. the same two we had 79f temps
- after tending three cams I turned to the stilton box and through the plastic saw the innards of one cheese had run out and was pooled in the corner, otherwise leaking from piercing holes
- sniff test smelled like a front loaded diaper
- thermo reading had paste at 71f
- upon opening found paste well veined with blue but terribly runny
- also found brown inclusions intermixed with the blue veins. visually reminded me of a mature outer skin
My wife wouldn't get within six feet and reminded me that we usually throw away things that look and smell like that. [/list]
so....what's it taste like?
i just made a blue that got too warm and the flavor is a little harsh. still good for cooking though.
I would scrape off the outer layer and give it a try.
Nice piercing tool. Did you make that?
The flavor and ammonia were very harsh. It got worse the longer it sat for pictures. It possibly sat at or near room temp for two days. The fact that it partially liquified was off putting.
I think I'll check my salt, control the moisture in the bin closer, and provide for no more power interruption s.
The tool I made from four 3mm knitting needles. Drilled through poplar 3/4in apart. The ends were flattened to lock them in place then capped with an oak strip and finished with Watco butcher block oil.
Sometimes it just doesn't work, even when you do everything else right. Sad but true. Try to remember it's only milk. I once read that gardening teaches acceptance of whatever the weather etc throws at you. I learnt this the hard way when my husband's horse invaded my vegetable patch. Big feet, big mouth. Put a lock or something on the light switch. I once accidentally turned off my f-in-law's freezer while he was seriously ill in hospital. His daughter flew in from UK, went to the house, opened the freezer to get out something to eat, and found....something like your cheese, but much more if it. I was not popular. The problem was the freezer shared a double adapter with the washing machine, and as f-in-l always turns that off at the power point, I did that too. Only he does it by pulling the plug....
My commiserations.
Margaret
Quote from: Moski on April 18, 2012, 10:07:55 PM
The flavor and ammonia were very harsh. It got worse the longer it sat for pictures. It possibly sat at or near room temp for two days. The fact that it partially liquified was off putting.
I think I'll check my salt, control the moisture in the bin closer, and provide for no more power interruption s.
The tool I made from four 3mm knitting needles. Drilled through poplar 3/4in apart. The ends were flattened to lock them in place then capped with an oak strip and finished with Watch butcher block oil.
Sounds like something I would toss at this point. Start anew and follow others' advice here. I have made what were unacceptable cheese failures and I reluctantly had to shoot for distance to the garbage can.
There's hope in a new cheese make. Make some hope.
I like that homemade piercer. 8) A cheese to you for your innovation and inspiration.
-Boofer-
Hate to hear about a failure because of power outage :(
that is quite innovative, the tool I mean. I can see another short term project ahead ;)
I was not expecting that much blue inside so early. I am stuck believing the make was good except for the heat problem. Thanks all for your replies. Sailor, Boofer, and all, anyone have an idea about the light brown inclusions in the inside bluing on the paste?
As for the tool, I couldn't see myself doing that many holes one by one and getting it neat. After seeing the Stilton vids piercing machine it decided to try a manual copycat. It works well and on a cheese less than 4 inches tall the top tine can be left to ride over the top of the cheese to act as a depth guage.
Sorry to hear of the power failure. It looks like it was going well though, if that's any consolation. A cheese to commiserate with you.
- Jeff
Thanks Jeff. The support of the people on this forum is inspiring.
Looks like that would have been a good one. I'm sure I have thown away as many as I've eaten for various reasons during my short stint with this hobby. Still, it's a bum trip tho (haven't said that in about 40 yrs :)).