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The Propionic bacteria produce gas for several days so vacuum bag ASAP if you can. That will pull the cracks together and keep the gas from escaping.

Even with a pliable rind, if the bacteria produce gas too quickly, it's gotta go someplace. That is especially true on small wheels. The larger the cheese, the more room it has to expand. Try a little less Propionic next time. Peter Dixon recommends 1/10th the amount used for an Emmental - but that will produce really tiny eyes. I use about 1/16 teaspoon in a 5 gallon batch. There is also a fine line between pliable and sturdy. Pliable can rip easier, while a bit harder rind is stronger.

Sometimes I vacuum bag right out of the initial cool phase before room temperature eye development. I have a Baby Swiss and a Jarlsberg "swelling" in vac bags right now. The Baby is 2 weeks in and is bigger than the picture of my first Baby. The Jarlsberg is only one week into eye development but is obviously growing by the hour. The advantages of bagging before eye development - almost rindless cheese (very edible rind) and very pliable rind. I have not had one crack while vac bagged.

Bummer...I don't have a vacuum sealer...I'm thinking maybe it's time to get one...recommendations?

I got a good 11-inch one on Ebay for ~$70. It is not the new superduper automatic sealer type. From what I read, that sensing technology is flaky. I went to something a little less sophisticated and cheaper. It's excellent and does what I need. 11-in x 50-foot rolls of bags are also fairly inexpensive on Ebay too.

My sealer is a Foodsaver v2830.

Good luck.

-Boofer-

is there a trick to vac pack bigger wheels if the bags are to small? did anyone tried to seal 2 or more bags together to make a bigger bag?
when I make emmental or any cheese, my wheels are 3 kg for the smal once and about 10kg for the bigger one.
I only got a small foodsaver and the biggest bags are about 10-11 " any tips on how to??

Debi detailed how she did it. Search on the forum for it.

There was also a recent discussion about larger sealers.

-Boofer-

Since I started the cheesemaking hobby earlier this year my goal has been to make a good blue and a good baby swiss - my two favorite styles.

I followed the recipe, information, and advice in this thread and I'm about a week in to my first wheel of baby swiss. Things seem to be going along nicely. Mine started to sweat a bit even after a few days at 57 degrees. I just raised to 67 ealier today, but I have some concerns after reading the last few posts about having it swell up and crack, especially since mine is a relatively small wheel (4 gallons of milk, about 3.5 lbs of cheese). I don't have a vacuum sealer. Should I perhaps consider not going as warm as 67 and instead keep it a bit cooler to keep the C02 down?

BTW, I also came across a couple of excellent videos on Youtube from a dairy in Ohio making baby swiss. You can watch and see they follow the steps and recipe detailed in this post almost exactly (including the vacuum sealing)-

Making Baby Swiss Cheese at Young's Dairy- Part 1 of 2
Making Baby Swiss Cheese at Young's Dairy- Part 2 of 2

The Propionic bacteria actually prefer a higher temperature - 70F+. If you hold the cheese at a lower temperature during eye formation, you will get slower gas production. While that may keep the rind from cracking, you will also get much smaller eyes. So a lower temperature defeats the purpose.

One important point that we haven't talked about in this thread. Swiss cheeses, especially Baby Swiss actually do better with partially skimmed milk. A full fat (3.5-5%) make is more prone to cracking and will produce smaller eyes. Now, that being said, I rarely use skimmed milk.

Very good points Sailor! I have had problems with full fat Swiss oozing fat at 70F but at 65F the eye development was significantly smaller. I think on my next make I'll run half the milk through the cream separator and see if the rind stays dry and the eyes get bigger. 

Quote from: Sailor Con Queso on May 01, 2010, 02:19:07 AM

One important point that we haven't talked about in this thread. Swiss cheeses, especially Baby Swiss actually do better with partially skimmed milk. A full fat (3.5-5%) make is more prone to cracking and will produce smaller eyes. Now, that being said, I rarely use skimmed milk.

Now you tell me!! No wonder my Baby Swiss cracked.....besides that, you initially said to use 1/8tsp. Propionic, then in a later post said you use 1/16tsp......this baby was destined for failure!!!  Ah well, live and learn! I am determined to make a Baby Swiss as beautiful as yours Sailor; this time I am going to use a partially skimmed milk and less propionic shermanii... (and I may vac pack right after the initial cool aging period...)

Didn't mean to mislead you. I experiment with different approaches all the time. My first few babies were made with 1/8 tsp Propionic and I had great results on most. I did have a couple that cracked (still had great flavor), so I backed off to 1/16 tsp. With the smaller dose, the swelling doesn't come on as rapidly and makes smaller holes - which is normal for a Baby Swiss. I like the flavor I am getting, so I have never used partially skimmed milk in a Baby Swiss. BUT, technically that will give better eye formation.

I can tell you that I get the best results when we are having rainy low pressure weather during eye formation. The naturally high humidity helps keep the rind pliable. And I believe that lower atmospheric pressure allows the rind to expand easier without cracking. During a high pressure weather system, the atmospheric pressure and the internal pressure on the cheese combine at the surface of the cheese and the rind is prone to cracks. Just a theory. The first 72 hours of visible swelling is definitely the most critical.

BTW - Peter Dixon suggests using 1/10th the Propionic in a Baby Swiss that you would use in an Emmental. That would be just 1/80th teaspoon. I strongly disagree.

Quote from: Sailor Con Queso on May 04, 2010, 03:48:46 AM

I can tell you that I get the best results when we are having rainy low pressure weather during eye formation. The naturally high humidity helps keep the rind pliable. And I believe that lower atmospheric pressure allows the rind to expand easier without cracking. During a high pressure weather system, the atmospheric pressure and the internal pressure on the cheese combine at the surface of the cheese and the rind is prone to cracks. Just a theory. The first 72 hours of visible swelling is definitely the most critical.

BTW - Peter Dixon suggests using 1/10th the Propionic in a Baby Swiss that you would use in an Emmental. That would be just 1/80th teaspoon. I strongly disagree.

Hmmmm...trying to figure out how to time that critical period to coincide with a low pressure system....that's a challenge...Wait! What am I saying?? It's spring and I live in the Seattle area...it's always raining this time of year! 

Sailor- I really appreciate all the tips and hints!!-I am determined to make a baby swiss as beautiful as yours! I am going to try again this week, adjusting the recipe with partially skim milk and less propionic shermanii....I'll let you know how things work!

That's an excellent video that Marksto submitted a few posts back. You should note that they vaccum bag right out of the press and avoid all of the changing environmental variables that we have to deal with.

Keep in mind that you will get a lower yield with partially skimmed milk and your curd set may not be as strong.

Here's a tip for the day - skimmed or lower-fat milk spoils faster than whole milk. Dairy processors know that so they will often pasteurize a little longer or a little hotter when doing skimmed milk. That makes store bought lower fat milk less compatible for home cheesemaking.

I do watch the weather to help me decide what to make for the week. Last week I knew rain was coming, so I made Stiltons (including a ginger/candied lemon rind) on Wednesday and Thursday. It rained every day and we ended up with 7" for just Saturday and Sunday. Total for the week was around 9". (Can you say FLASH FLOODING?) Needless to say, the humidity is really high and will be for several days. My Stiltons started turning blue yesterday, about 4-5 days earlier than I would normally see during drier weather. I'll bet that Seattle is a great place to make blues and other moldy cheeses.

The success of all of our cheeses, including the Baby Swiss really depend on the right environmental conditions - either natural or cave controlled.

I separated milk this morning to mix 3:1 with whole milk for Swiss. I am making a 4gallon batch do you still think 1/8 tsp in 4 gallons is plenty or do I need less with part skim?

Sailor:

  I did notice that they vacuum pack right out of the brine (or after a day or so of drying?)....  Then I noticed in the aging room that some of the rounds out of the Kadova moulds were, seemingly, unwrapped and aging "au naturale".

  It seems like a short dry time and a vacuum-packed aging for eye formation would be much less error-prone, no?

-Michael

Hey Sailor!

Thank you again for all your great advise! What do you think about 2 gallons 2% and 2 gallons whole milk? That may lend a nice creamyness, and give me a better yield than all 4 gallons of lower fat milk...plus having reduced the fat a bit may be less prone to cracking? I am also going to change brands of milk with my next few batches to see how my curds respond (I dont know if you saw my Gouda troubles...bah!) there is a local creamery that sells cream top milk in glass half-gallons that is delicious (but more pricey than I wanted to spend, but it is such better quality milk!!).  Wish me luck!!