Hi! Short-term reader first time poster!
I bought my sister-in-law a cheese making kit, started reading about it myself and am now hooked! Already got my Halloumi sorted, a few camembert are in the cave, and half-way through producing my first basic cheddar. Nothing like running before you can walk!!
I see a lot of reading, learning, mistakes and most important, delicious cheese (!) in the future.
Roo
Well, apparently you're having a good start! Welcome to the forum...
G'day roo, plenty of Aussies on the forum who are very willing to help out, along with the international members. If you have any questions, just ask and post photos and recipes/procedures to get the best out of the forum.
Where are you in Aus? I'm in West Gippsland, Victoria.
Good luck, and post photos of your progress.
Bob
What about your poor sister-in-law? Did you pirate her kit? :)
Welcome aboard, Roo. When you get a chance, we like pictures of your work.
-Boofer-
Pictures you wanted...!
The first is of my first three Camembert, only 4 days old, sitting in the Esky cave at a near constant 10oC. I hope that's right!!
The second is of my first Cheddar, a whole 36hours old - I'm a little bit worried that it was still a bit soft in the middle when taken out of the press (22kg / 14hrs).
All made before I found this site, so much reading to do!!
Quote from: Bob on June 14, 2012, 10:59:13 AM
Where are you in Aus? I'm in West Gippsland, Victoria.
Bob
I'm on the Bellarine - trying to find a dairy herd nearby I can mug...! Organic non-homogenised will have to do for now.
Quote from: Boofer on June 14, 2012, 02:52:03 PM
What about your poor sister-in-law? Did you pirate her kit? :)
-Boofer-
Ha ha, not quite, she's still got her kit, but I have realised that I bought her a cheddar and hard cheese kit but no cheese press!! Doh!
Ha ha, just had an image of you mugging a herd of cows on the way to the milking shed! I'm lucky I'm surrounded by dairy cows and can get my milk from a friendly farmer, straight out of the vat.
You are just up the road from Cheeselinks at Little River. They have an on line shop and run courses. They also welcome visitors at their premises and are really helpful. Handy if you want to see what you are buying before committing.
Good luck and thanks for the photos, the cams look great. Keep the humidity up in these first few days to ensure a good growth of PC on the surface.
Evening Roo and welcome to the forum. I am one of the Aussies here though I live up in North Queensland. Lots of great people here and lots of great advice.
Yours cheeses look good, lets hope they behave themselves while aging.
Enjoy.
Quote from: Bob on June 16, 2012, 04:12:58 AM
Keep the humidity up in these first few days to ensure a good growth of PC on the surface.
Day 10 Camembert, and getting a healthy growth of furry stuff on the surface, so much so that they were actually stuck to the bamboo sushi mat when I came to turn them today!
The Cheddar is taking a while to dry out too, maybe wax it tomorrow...
Quote from: Bob on June 16, 2012, 04:12:58 AM
You are just up the road from Cheeselinks at Little River. They have an on line shop and run courses. They also welcome visitors at their premises and are really helpful. Handy if you want to see what you are buying before committing.
Didn't know about these guys - Thanks! Will be making a stop there soon enough on the commute to / back from the city...
I'm guessing cheese making is rather like home-brewing, best to get a pipe-line going so you always have a supply of fresh / ripened cheeses? Will have to put down another few camembert in the next week or so!!
Yep, by day 10 you should have a full coverage of PC. I suggest you get rid of the bamboo mats, too hard to clean properly, they tend to retain bacteria, sometimes the wrong ones. They are also too tight ie not enough spaces for the whey to drain freely and also, as you have seen, the mould can grip them too tightly. A lot of the US cheesemakers on this forum use needlepoint mats from stores like Spotlight. These are small pieces of matting mesh made of plastic. I use specific cheese draining mats, but I reckon the needlepoint mats would be perfect and cheaper.
Good luck with the next batch.
Latest updates on the cheeses...
Camembert - almost ready to be wrapped
Cheddar - day 8, just about to be waxed
New batch Camembert - just about to be salted
Well done roo! You are clearly bitten by the cheese making bug!
Keep an eye on your first cams, they look like they may be a little high in moisture and will therefore ripen just under the rind quickly. What can sometimes happen is they will ripen too fast under the rind, but stay firm in the middle. leaving them to ripen longer just allows the outside to over ripen and get "manky". Just check them regularly and eat them before they are too far gone. Otherwise, they look good.
My advice on the second cams is that they look too high compared to their diameter. This can lead to a similar problem as described above. It can take too long for the centre to ripen, as a lot of the ripening happens from the outside in. Again, you will end up with unripe centres and over ripe outsides. Photos can be deceptive, so please don't just take my word for it, measure them for yourself. White soft ripened cheeses are best when they are thin in section, like all your typical cams and bries. You might like to consider slicing these in half to halve the height, as soon as they are firm enough. Not sure how you added your PC mould, but you can make up a solution with boiled, cool water and spray it on the cut surface if necessary.
Good luck.
Quote from: Bob on June 22, 2012, 04:15:39 AM
My advice on the second cams is that they look too high compared to their diameter.
...You might like to consider slicing these in half to halve the height, as soon as they are firm enough. Not sure how you added your PC mould, but you can make up a solution with boiled, cool water and spray it on the cut surface if necessary.
Thanks Bob! The second batch didn't decrease in height as much as the first batch - that said I was continually topping them up, should have made 4 cheeses batch 2! They are also a little wetter than I recall the first batch being, so we'll see how they go. I'll be sure to check them regularly, and my impatient self will no doubt eat them long before the outsides are manky, or the insides ripe... :-\
No worries ;)
There is a lot to work out to gets cams just right.... I know from experience! Keep detailed records, they will help you remember what works and what needs changing. From my 8 litre batches, I make 6 100mm dia cams, each ending up around 220g and about 25 - 30mm in height.
Welcome Roo! I fine job you have going there. Enjoy your new addiction!
Omg mate, the cheeses look totally amazing!!!
Trouble at the cheese farm!!
PC is growing very well across the first batch of Camemberts, but the last 48-72hrs I've noticed a small area of discolouration to the rind of one. It appears to be growing beneath the PC, is a deep red / brown ochre colour. I lifted some with a knife this morning, the cheese beneath is a lovely creamy colour, so it appears to be limited to the rind / skin.
Should I be worried?!
roo, a light tan/brown discolouration is common on cams when they get ripe or over ripe, and will usually be accompanied by an ammonia aroma. This looks a lintel different and may be a wild bug "contamination", even b linens which is used for washed rind cheeses.
I'm not sure how best to treat this, but I'm sure there will be a cam expert on the forum who can offer advice. Can you tell me how old this cheese is, and what the current storage temp is?
Quote from: Bob on June 24, 2012, 02:11:03 AM
I'm not sure how best to treat this, but I'm sure there will be a cam expert on the forum who can offer advice. Can you tell me how old this cheese is, and what the current storage temp is?
This one is day 14, been keeping them at around 10oC in an iced eski. Only 1 of 3 has the issue.
I think you might be onto something with the over-ripeness. The cheese inside feels like it has come away from the rind / skin around the edges and corners a little.
All learning, took the French years to get it right ;-)