This is so interesting—thanks, Dave!

Likesspace - 04 February 2009 04:57 PM

Val..
My recipe for Farmhouse Cheddar listed the final pressing weight as 50 lbs. (assuming a 4” mold).
Since I used an 8” mold that made the final pressing weight on my wheel 202 lbs.
It was a bit of a pain stacking and unstacking the weights but the curd did form really well and the texture was…..not perfect, but closer to anything I had made previously.
As for the thickness of the wheel, I really didn’t notice much difference at all.
I honestly think I was getting most of the whey out of the cheese during the draining process and not from the pressing of the cheese.
The pressing is much more help in forming the texture of the curd although it does help expel more whey as well.
I might have lost an 1/8 of an inch in height but probably not much more than that.
Hope this helps.

Dave

There is another take on this pressure versus texture. A larger mould ie. 8” will have a larger volume of curds than say a 4” which will keep the curds warmer for a much longer period. We do know that temp has a bearing on the amount of knitting during pressure, so it’s highly possible this has a bearing on the final product.
Just another variable to consider!

Oh, yes—and I’ve seen several recipes that call for keeping the curds warm while they drain.  Hm, that’s an interesting thought—I wonder if instead of hanging my curds over my sink, I hung them inside a double boiler that was being held at 90F?  I imagine warmer curds probably drain better, too? 

Plus I suppose the weight of the curds themselves helps to press those beneath them, in a large cheese?

newbie - 05 February 2009 01:26 PM

There is another take on this pressure versus texture. A larger mould ie. 8” will have a larger volume of curds than say a 4” which will keep the curds warmer for a much longer period. We do know that temp has a bearing on the amount of knitting during pressure, so it’s highly possible this has a bearing on the final product.
Just another variable to consider!

Two observations. Glengarry Cheesemaking supplies state that in their free recipe for Jan/Feb to hold the curds over a double boiler for a 45-60 mins draining period.
Second. When viewing the Stilton method video, they use a tall mould and use the height of the curd to press those underneath, and state quite clearly that ‘Stilton is never pressed’.
Back to my view, curd prep is possibly more important than pressure?

Depending on the cheese newbee, you could quite possibly bee right. 
Especially for those cheese varieties that require no pressing at all.

I would not rely on Glengarry, their instructions are sometimes incompleate.