CheeseForum.org » Forum

Hi everyone,

Here are some pics of my cheddars so far. First pic is my first clothbound cheddar at 1 month and a week old ( I posted a pic of it in my introduction) Second pic is another cheddar at just under a month. Third pic is my first 10lt cheddar and also my first use of annatto, made over the weekend. I'd really appreciate any comments/feedback on the progress of them as I'm new to all of this.

I intend on clothbounding (is that a word?!) the last cheddar once it has dried out a little more. Also, when I have time I will post pics of the make.

Thanks

W

They look nice! Well done!

Thanks Ann

Morning everyone,

Here are some new pics of  my latest clothbound cheddar (biggest cheese ever!) I read more of Mals posts and decided to use 3 layers of tight woven cheese cloth for this one and around 75g of lard. Also a pic of it in its new home. I have decided to call this cheddar 'Big Boy'. BB will be aged for a minimum of 6 months.

The other two, I'm pretty sure will be bitter due to too much rennet (I only found this out due to asking questions about my first cheddar being bitter) I used the same amount. Big Boy is based on a recipe by Gavin Webber + other sources.

I'm going to age the two smaller ones for 6 months regardless (I have the space - for now) just to see how they progress. They are my first clothbound cheddars.

I am now turning and brushing them once daily. BB is being turned twice daily for at least a week or two.

Just found the post.
The bandaging on BB looks great - and the you gotta love all the funky colours of the moulds.  I would however suggest giving BB a good maturing time - over 9 months (12 if you can wait that long. - the bitter peptide breakdown should be well on the way to complete by then.

What I try to do is the following - mostly.
Make a Cheddar a month - use the same notes and try them from 6 months on and you will see what adjustments you need after that.

These are of course if you don't have a cheese trier.

changes you can do between months
1.  You can adjust the salt - just taste the daggy bits that ooze around the follower after you press the cheese it will be obvious if you are not using enough or too much.
2.  Rennet - try and get the flocculation into that nice 9 to 12 minutes.
3.  Temperature control - especially during the cheddaring stage - this is where the bulk of your acid build up will be.
4.  Curd handling - the nicer you are to the curds the more fats you will retain, the more awesome your cheese will be and the longer it will keep.
5.  Cave RH and temp - the closer this is controlled at 85% or up, the more moisture you will retain in the cheese.
6.  Culture mix to reach the pH targets if you are using then.

All in All I think you have a couple of nice cheeses going on there.

BTW if you find the mould covering a little too full you can use a brush to knock it back. 

and a Cheese for your efforts

-- Mal

Oh I forgot
if you are after a nice eating cheese while you wait for your Cheddars - try Caerphilly -

https://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,10375.0.html


Mal