Intermediate Cheesemaking: Beyond chevre

[Wildsky]

If the curds are that fragile, I'd drain them in a bag, hanging it overnight. I use a big S hook that is made for hanging plants or bird feeders and hang my bag over the sink from a cupboard door knob.

You may have gotten a bit of rogue bacteria in there. It may not survive long aging. Just use the sniff test and if it smells good, eat it. Sometimes it has to do with the pH of the milk, too. Commercial cheesemakers test pH and don't necessarily go by the clock, or they adjust the pH so they can go by the clock. We have to guess and hope and enjoy the mystery and adventure.

Darn, well I have already put it in a cheese cloth lined mold, with 10 pounds of weight on it, its like a cottage cheese consistancy, so I'm not sure what the heck will happen. we'll see when the whey drains out what I have in there. My kitchen looks like something exploded in there.......

 

[Wildsky]

I used to buy a product sold as "aged cheddar curds" It appeared to be curds that had been drained but not pressed. Very,very "sharp" with none of the mellowness of real Cheddar. loved a small bit with sweet apple pie where the sweetness was balanced by the sharpness. I don't think it was aged long enough to be called cheddar either, but I am just guessing...~gd

I love sharp cheese, absolutly love it!

 

[Wildsky]

You know what will really make me mad? If I end up making a totally delightful cheese and then can't duplicate the "mistake" - that would be horrible!

 

[Wildsky]

Making the easy goats milk cheese today, just throw in the culture and rennet and leave for 24 hours - I'm hoping thats toooo easy to mess up! We'll see tomorrow.

 

[freemotion]

Sounds like chevre?

I have to put my Caerphilly in the brine....I made a 3.5 gallon batch yesterday and it is in the press, being neglected. I didn't know what the "aroma mesophillic culture" is, so I used my meso from the Dairy Connection (will call them before my next order to find out what it really is) and threw in some lipase powder. It smells wonderful!

Into the brine it goes. The feta is drying in a bowl to be wrapped and stored today. I will grind some and put it in a jar for daily use.

My initial tasting of my feta experiment....where I soured the milk at room temp overnight, then added the morning milk fresh and proceded with the recipe, skipping the culturing step....yielded a VERY salty cheese that was much softer in texture than the other batch of feta. It was a busy month and I didn't take it out of the brine for a taste every week like I should have. I will use that cheese only to "salt" popcorn and other things. I used good sea salt in the brine, so it will be my usual healthy salt.

I will be using the same brine for my Caerphilly. Haven't decided yet if I will wax it and age it or eat it fresh. Maybe a bit of both....

 

[freemotion]

Oh, and to report on my Camembert....my cellar warmed up suddenly and I accidentally skipped a day of turning it and when I opened the box, it was too damp and smelled of ammonia! The smell dissipated quickly and dh didn't smell it when I shoved it under his nose....and he has a good sense of smell. So I wrapped it and put it in the aging fridge and am hoping for the best.

My book says that if it gets too moist in the initial mold-growing week or two, it will smell like ammonia. It didn't say if it was salvagable or not, though. We will find out!

 

[Wildsky]

Sounds like chevre?....

Page 66 of the book, I think its a little different.

I have to put my Caerphilly in the brine....I made a 3.5 gallon batch yesterday and it is in the press, being neglected. I didn't know what the "aroma mesophillic culture" is, so I used my meso from the Dairy Connection (will call them before my next order to find out what it really is) and threw in some lipase powder. It smells wonderful!

Into the brine it goes. The feta is drying in a bowl to be wrapped and stored today. I will grind some and put it in a jar for daily use.

My initial tasting of my feta experiment....where I soured the milk at room temp overnight, then added the morning milk fresh and proceded with the recipe, skipping the culturing step....yielded a VERY salty cheese that was much softer in texture than the other batch of feta. It was a busy month and I didn't take it out of the brine for a taste every week like I should have. I will use that cheese only to "salt" popcorn and other things. I used good sea salt in the brine, so it will be my usual healthy salt.

I will be using the same brine for my Caerphilly. Haven't decided yet if I will wax it and age it or eat it fresh. Maybe a bit of both....

That sounds rather yummy! I love salty tastes.

 

[Wildsky]

Oh, and to report on my Camembert....my cellar warmed up suddenly and I accidentally skipped a day of turning it and when I opened the box, it was too damp and smelled of ammonia! The smell dissipated quickly and dh didn't smell it when I shoved it under his nose....and he has a good sense of smell. So I wrapped it and put it in the aging fridge and am hoping for the best.

My book says that if it gets too moist in the initial mold-growing week or two, it will smell like ammonia. It didn't say if it was salvagable or not, though. We will find out!

Bummer, I hope it can be saved.

My cheddar experiment is still soft and pasty, its going to be three days on the counter tomorrow, I might end up feeding the chickens.

 

[freemotion]

The Camembert will be young but ready by Monday, when I go see my European client/friend who happily gives me great feedback on my cheeses. She has tried many, many great cheeses when living all over the world, and buys high-end imported cheeses often. She shows me labels all the time...they are very interesting. Strange names and interesting mixtures of milks and cultures and molds. There are FAR more than 200 cheeses!

I have to go and turn my Caerphilly in the brine soon, and will take it out tomorrow first thing.

I just polished off a batch of buttered popcorn with the extra salty feta and it was wonderful! I ran it all through the food processor and put it in a jar that I then stuck in the freezer. It was a bit moist, so I don't think it will keep well. At least, I don't want to find out the hard way.

I also grated maybe 3/4 lb of "good" feta and jarred that up for quick access. It should keep well. The rest is wrapped in cheese paper and in the downstairs fridge.

I won't be making cheese next week, most likely, as I finally have enough ice cubes saved up to make a big batch of mint chocolate chip ice cream!

 

[freemotion]

My cheddar experiment is still soft and pasty, its going to be three days on the counter tomorrow, I might end up feeding the chickens.

WAIT! NO!!! If it smells good and isn't spongy, eat it. It is cheese. Maybe not cheddar, but it is cheese!!!