Thank you, I will be making this one soon.

Can you explain this step in more detail? “Cut the curd mass into 1” thick slabs and stack on top of one another. “?

Talking Seagull - 18 April 2008 11:00 AM

Can you explain this step in more detail? “Cut the curd mass into 1” thick slabs and stack on top of one another. “?

After it drains in the colander it will be semi firm. Just turn it out onto a cutting board and cut it into 1” slices and stack them back in the pot in layers just as you would for cheddar. Wait 3min and flip the stack, wait 3min and flip the stack, wait 3min and then break up the curds and salt them.

Mark

@TS - you can see a pictorial of this process at Ricki Carrols website in the recipe section, looking at the traditional cheddar recipe.  Very informative and an excellent read as well.

Cheers

The process is called cheddaring, it stretches the cheese and supposed to give it the squeak characteristics.

Hi-

Here is some feedback on my first Caerphilly. I just opened it this morning (I used the same recipe in this thread. I made it because it supposedly ages quickly). However, mine is five weeks old. Not bad, but not that great either. I think this cheese might need more time to age than three weeks. It tastes young and doesn’t have that smooth texture that you get when aging longer. If I made this again I would age a couple months.

Heather

Thanks all.
Is it just me or is this forum gaining “momentum”?

LOL, yes I have noticed that, maybe the anticipation of spring

It is nice to socialize with people who have similar interests.  CHEESE!  LOL

And now that it’s spring the cows are enjoying the pleasures of eating outdoors and the milk has a richer color. Tastier too!

It doesn’t seem to matter for me what time of year it is.  My milk is always the same.  Grade A pasteurized   LOL

LOL, yup good old processed food. Love to get real milk, and some land, and some cows and a cheese work shop

Sometimes the simple life is pretty attractive.  Cast off the helter skelter of city life and off to the farm sure does sound wonderful.  No such luck for me.  :(

Any body hear/watch “River cottage” Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. Very addictive show, couldn’t stop watching it.

Finally got around to making my Caerphilly Cheese on Sunday 8/3/08.  All went relatively smoothly, but I did make a slight variation to it by adding annato cheese coloring to it to make it a yellow Caerphilly.  I used 3 gallons of whole milk, so ended up with a very nice wheel.  It is on the counter drying now.  I am thinking that I will wax it and let it age for at least 2 months before cracking it.  I am also going to split the wheel in half for waxing.  That way I can dip it instead of paint it.