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Was the recipe for 3 gallons? What size is this wheel in the pics? 6"?

It looks like it has knitted well so whatever you did is probably fine. I have seen those numbers in a book but it was for 1- 1.5 gallon recipes I think.

That mold is around 7.5" if I recall right.  That cheese is either 3 or 3.5 gallons.  Could even be 4, but I doubt it.

Hope the cheese retains integrity and doesn't crack.  My last two goudas were a little moist and had minor surface cracking just before waxing, not that it is a disaster, just a detail shame.

The recipe calls for 3 gallons and that's what we used.  The inside diameter of the press is 7.5 inches.  The recipe and press came from Leener's.

That means 50 lbs of weight equals 1.13 psi. Most cheddar recipes that give the pressure in psi say above 10 for the last pressing. I would at least shoot for 5 but that's just me. Like I said earlier, that is a great looking wheel from the picture so you are ok I think. Good luck!

Nothing seems to be strange with this, it's sitting at about 43f and we flip it over once a day.  We want to cut this open on Christmas day, about 64 days or so from cook day:


We're going to head south for a couple months and will take this with us in a cooler of some sort.  Any suggestions on transporting this for 1.5 days or so in a car?

Sorry, no suggestions for you, but just want to say that the red wax looks beautiful!  Very appropriate for a Christmas cheese.

Can't wait to hear how it tastes.

64 days is still a bit young for cheddar.  You may want to cut it in half and re-wax the cut edge on half of it then allow that portion to age another couple of months so you can see how age affects cheese.

Good job!

@ Sailor Con Queso

Don't give up on explaining psi!  It's the only way the pressing recommendations & instructions make sense.  I'm a bit of a pedant and when people talk about pressing at a certain weight without referencing the hoop size, it can be quite meaningless...

Sailor,
I agree with Michelle....
If someone is not constantly preaching the importance of proper pressing weights, home cheese makers will continue turning out sup-par cheeses.
I can't begin to thank members Wayne Harris and Carter enough for providing me with this information right at a year ago.
Had I not joined this forum and posted a problem with a bad curd knit I would probably still be in the dark as to why this problem existed.

Dave

WOW. Thanks for the PSI support group guys. Didn't think anyone was listening. I KNOW that I am making much better cheese since I started thinking in terms of PSI and not just weight. I can confidently go from a 4" to a 6" or an 8" hoop and get consistent results.

Tom & Rose - 43F is awfully cool for aging. Yes, you can, but it will take much longer. 60 days is pushing the limit on minimum aging. You will have a MUCH nicer cheese at 90. Cooler temperatures don't allow acidity and pH to evolve properly and can give bad bacteria from contamination more of a chance to take control. Don't be surprised if this one isn't a little young and acidic tasting if you open it for Xmas. But you can always rewax or vacuum bag and age some more. If you really have your heart set on opening it then, you might want to find a little warmer location (55-60F) for the next few weeks. Since it's waxed, humidity is not as much of a factor.

QuoteI have recently used a fine material almost like good sheet material and the cheese comes out very slick to the touch and it drys very fast even in high humidity. - FarmerJd

Can you shed a little more light on this please?

-Boofer-

Boofer, the sheet (bed sheet) material is probably 200 - 300 thread count. and is not 100% cotton. When the cheese comes out the surface is very slick and it really drys out faster. I am not talking about the inside; just the rind. It also lets go of the cheese much easier. I guess this is because of smaller indentions because of the finer weave or it may be the material. I just ran out of cheesecloth and used this in an emergency and have stuck with it. Here are some pics to compare it with cheesecloth and to show it in the hoop. Having this cloth bucket is a real help to me.

Nice looking cheeses guys and gals! FD good idea with the sheet cloth.

Neat idea, but I would think the whey would have trouble making its way out because of the fine weave. Not a problem, huh?

Any idea why the rind would be able to dry that much quicker?

-Boofer-

Ben it's not really that fine. Looks perfect. I have used linen hankercheifs on firm curded cheese without a problem. It's the soft and delicate curded cheese that are a real PITA to drain!

Boofer, I can't say that it is definitely related, just a consistent observation. I am sure that a surface that is slick is easier to dry out than one with an uneven surface where moisture can collect in the lines and crevices, but this may not be the reason. It may have been just coincidence; I was just floating the idea really. Debi is right about this just being for my pressed cheeses. I would never try to use it one a fresh cheese like cream cheese or something that is just drained, but for cheeses in the press the whey comes through fine. I have just had such an easier time with these that I can't help but recommend.