No eyes in my cheese.  Tastes like swiss, but hard with no holes. Any advice?

I’ve not attempted Swiss yet, so no help here.  Just an observation:  one of the great things about cheese making is that you get to eat your mistakes - and they’re usually pretty good!

Can you think of anything you might have done that was not according to recipe?  How about temp during eye formation?

LOL, create new exciting dishes to eat.
I thingk its still boiling down to the PH crap. Ive made 3 Swisses (or 4 I thingk) and non have risen. Next rip to the market and Il make another one using the meter and see what happens.

Was there a slight bulging on the top and sides of the cheese before you put it in the cave?

I just made an experimental cheese (and yes I’m female ha ha) which was a combo of manchego and gruyere and added propionic shermani and saw the bulging after two weeks. I can only assume there will be holes.

Tell us more!

Well I cut into my swiss. It was at room temp for a month with no visible swelling.

These may be “eyes” or spaces trapped at pressing. It tastes good, but not like a swiss. Its only a month and a half old, the flavor may develop with more aging.
Has anyone ever gotten nice big holes in their swiss?

SAL

Looks like Havarti

Hmmm those really don’t look like swiss holes do they? Curd gaps. Maybe next trime you’ll be more swiss-sessful with eye formation. Keep on truckin’!

those are mechanical holes, mechanical holes are the spaces between curds when they pressed not under its whey.

it is not CO2 gas holes.

from its look, it is a healthy cheese , between Havarti and Gouda

its acidity level is good, texture is very good, but is so so far from swiss.

you r doing fine, u will have a great cheese making life in future

If I post a picture of my Stiltons, Nabil, will you predict my cheese making future? LOL

The swiss I made - is like gruyere honestly, and hard like a grating cheese - so I guess I could use it in onion soup. Wonder if the process for gruyere is similar.

Talking Seagull - 21 July 2008 01:08 PM

The swiss I made - is like gruyere honestly, and hard like a grating cheese - so I guess I could use it in onion soup. Wonder if the process for gruyere is similar.

yes it is same, the difference is in the first 3 weeks of aging (Emental) in room temp for 3 weeks

gruyer is not, so

hight temp produced bigger holes

Heathers - 21 July 2008 12:59 PM

If I post a picture of my Stiltons, Nabil, will you predict my cheese making future? LOL

it could be ur entire life future lol

So, Nabil, if you ever get out of making cheese, you can go into prognosticating.  Don’t do my future though, I don’t want to know - its more fun not knowing.