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Jalapeno Cheddar - Cut and Taste

Started by ksk2175, April 01, 2016, 12:41:14 AM

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ksk2175

I made this Jalapeno Cheddar in November of 2015, so about 4 months ago.  I decided to cut into tonight.  It turned out crumbly but not totally dry.  It will stick together if the crumbles are squeezed in your hand and it melts very nice.  You can definitely smell the jalapeno and the cheddar.  The taste is a bit sour and of course, not what I was going for, but not totally a throw away.  The cheddar and jalapeno come through in the flavor.  I could see crumbling this up and using it in a dip or in a salad or possibly melted on some sandwiches.  I tried to grab the current PH and it was reading 4.8.  I am sure I over-acidified it somehow but since this was one of my firsts, I'll chalk it up to experience and keep plugging away.  Possibly over pressing early, or cooking too long.  I didnt take many notes on this one but followed the recipe in Ricki's book. 

Thought I'd share some pics and a quick note...
-Ken

Kern

Looks like you got the pH a tad low.  Four months is a "quick" aging for a cheddar.  You might want to bag the pieces.  I did this at the six month mark with a cheddar I made last spring.  I found mine to be a bit crumbly with a bit of harshness.  Vacuum bagging seemed to make it less crumbly and the flavor smoothed out and became very, very nice.  AC4U.

Al Lewis

I recently found out through this forum that too much pressing weight or time can cause "crumbly" cheese.  Something I've run into quit a few times.  But if it tastes good, eat it!! ;D  Getting ready to do some of Mal's cheddar but plan on waxing and aging it out about a year.
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