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Hello everyone,

My question is regarding the progressive pressure increase found in hard cheese recipes.

Many instructions have a pressing schedule something like this.

#1 Press curds in cheescloth lined mold with 20 lb/9 kg for ~15 minutes.

#2 Remove the cheese from the press and cheesecloth, flip cheese, replace, and press with 30 lb/14 kg for ~15 minutes.

#3 Remove the cheese from the press and cheesecloth, flip cheese, replace, and press with 50 lb/23 kg for ~12 hours

What is the reason for this progression of redressing and incrementally increasing pressure?

Is whey trapped inside a cheese if pressure is not increased slowly?

For instance if one where to use 50 lb in the beginning and hold that pressure for the full 12 hours what detrimental effect would this have.?

Thanks:  john

Hi John

Good questions, my undersanding is that the reason for starting with light weights and progressing heavier is first because if you started with a heavy weight, then the fresh very soft curd can be extruded up around the follower and out of weep holes. If you have a cheese cloth lined hoop or mesh net type mold then this is less of an issue. Second reason for going light at first is it gives the excess whey in the interior time to move out of the cheese before the curds at the edge are dehydrated forming somewhat of a barrier for further whey expulsion.

The reason for turning and redressing (if using a cheese cloth) the newly forming cheese is first to get an even shape, second to get even moisture content. Generally the bottom of the cheese in the press dehydrates quicker as whey seeps out the bottom during pressing and less normally comes out the top and thus the top of cheese during pressing is significantly moister. Third is if using cheese cloth lining to avoid curds impregnating and sticking to the cloth when young. Some of our members who use this method use the cloth lining only at initial light pressures, not at higher pressures.

Others please add (or disagree ) . . .

Thanks John for your thoughtful responce.  That's about what I had surmised.

My press has a screw type arrangement that transfers pressure to the follower so I have to guess on amount of pressure being applied.

All & all it seams to work out. From what I have learned most of the issues achieving a close Knit of curd are due to minimizing temperature variations during the cheese making process. Hence there is some leeway on pressures during pressing.

Thanks again for your kind responce.  regards: john

More discussion on this here: https://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,5966.0.html

Quote from: Scarlet Runner on February 04, 2011, 01:36:01 AM
More discussion on this here: https://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,5966.0.html

Hey Runner,

I appreciate you passing this on. It does answer my questions. Pav has some great answers.

Thanks

Yes, he usually does 

A number of members on the forum shun this method of flipping and redressing multiple times especially if you are using a kadova type mould that has the intregal liner(no marks as from cheesecloth). If you flip then you are probably driving any residual whey in the opposite direction in the curd mass.

Interesting discussions.  I've read in an old Farmer's Guide book that the idea of a light press first was that a heavy press would form an outer rind that would prevent the whey from being expelled.  I'm not suggesting that is true, and from some of the posts from much more experienced cheesemakers than I, it appears it's probably not. 

- Jeff

I would also think that the intial curds are warmer and require less pressure. As the curds cool they become firmer and require more pressure.

Quote from: zenith1 on February 04, 2011, 11:50:50 PM
A number of members on the forum shun this method of flipping and redressing multiple times especially if you are using a kadova type mould that has the intregal liner(no marks as from cheesecloth). If you flip then you are probably driving any residual whey in the opposite direction in the curd mass.

This is exactly the reason you want to keep flipping cheeses and kadova molds so the moisture is even. Flipping is not for making cheese pretty (although it helps) it's for even distribution of the moisture. You don't want one end drier than the other.