In the middle of a batch of Gouda.  Got to where I was supposed to drain off some of the whey, but the whey was floating pretty much still in a mass, and very soft.  I tried draining into a colander with limited success.  The second draining was better as the curd had settled by this time.  So, what did I do wrong on the first draining?

sounds like your curds have air in them, almost like they were fermenting. I know their is a write up on it but dont recall.

after cutting , the curds still floating, this is normal, but 10 to 20 minutes, the curds start to sink, and this is normal

if ut curds did not sink , this means that a bad bacteria is producing CO2 (fermenting) same as bread and wine bacteria , which is not good.. when u have such a problem, use ur curds to make another soft cheese like Haloumi which required a very hot temp , so it kills it.

Regards

Nabil - 22 June 2008 06:46 AM

after cutting , the curds still floating, this is normal, but 10 to 20 minutes, the curds start to sink, and this is normal

if ut curds did not sink , this means that a bad bacteria is producing CO2 (fermenting) same as bread and wine bacteria , which is not good.. when u have such a problem, use ur curds to make another soft cheese like Haloumi which required a very hot temp , so it kills it.

Regards

The recipe I was using only called for the curd to set for 10 min after cutting.  Perhaps I should disregard that and wait a bit longer for them to settle???

The Gouda is progressing.  I just put it in the brine.  I trimmed the edges a bit and of course sampled it.  Its got a rubbery texture at this point.  The next question is concerning the brining - the cheese is floating in the brine, so should I weigh it down in order to completely submerge it?  Or should I turn it periodically in the brine?  Or should I just leave it alone????

Green Cheese Maker - 22 June 2008 11:17 AM

Nabil - 22 June 2008 06:46 AM

after cutting , the curds still floating, this is normal, but 10 to 20 minutes, the curds start to sink, and this is normal

if ut curds did not sink , this means that a bad bacteria is producing CO2 (fermenting) same as bread and wine bacteria , which is not good.. when u have such a problem, use ur curds to make another soft cheese like Haloumi which required a very hot temp , so it kills it.

Regards

The recipe I was using only called for the curd to set for 10 min after cutting.  Perhaps I should disregard that and wait a bit longer for them to settle???

no, go for heating until u reach 100 (38C) then start to replace the hot whey with hot (38C) water. in this case u will start removing whey at least after 40 mins from cutting

cheers

weigh it down evenly or if u have the time push it down every hour and flip it after 12 hours.

Neil - 22 June 2008 05:58 PM

weigh it down evenly or if u have the time push it down every hour and flip it after 12 hours.

Neil we are talking about curd cooking, we did not get into molding and pressing

Nabil - 23 June 2008 08:01 AM

Neil - 22 June 2008 05:58 PM

weigh it down evenly or if u have the time push it down every hour and flip it after 12 hours.

Neil we are talking about curd cooking, we did not get into molding and pressing

Nabil, we had gone beyond the curd cooking to a question about brining.  I had asked if I should weight the wheel down in the brine or flip it periodically, rather than just let it float.

Green Cheese Maker - 23 June 2008 01:24 PM

Nabil - 23 June 2008 08:01 AM

Neil - 22 June 2008 05:58 PM

weigh it down evenly or if u have the time push it down every hour and flip it after 12 hours.

Neil we are talking about curd cooking, we did not get into molding and pressing

Nabil, we had gone beyond the curd cooking to a question about brining.  I had asked if I should weight the wheel down in the brine or flip it periodically, rather than just let it float.