I made a blue cheese two weekends ago and just didn’t take the time or effort to document it. I followed the recipe in Ricki Carroll’s book with one exception. I had powdered blue mold, and instead of dissolving it in water the day prior to making the cheese, I just sprinkled some of the powder into the milk along with the starter. It floated on the top during the ripening, and even during the curdling, but got stirred around pretty good during the subsequent stirring, draining, and salting of the curds.
I’ve never used a sample of cheese to provide the cultures for a new batch. I’ve heard of it being done, but sometimes without great results. So, I save those kinds of starters for bread Instead, I use purchased cultures.
I poked the holes with a metal skewer after about a week. This allows air to get into the cheese and promotes growth of the blue mold. I rotate the cheese daily, on its side, to make sure the internal moisture is evenly distributed.
All mine have been from the store, I find the variety would make some interesting results, well Im experimenting realy so I know what happens. What does occure is that I have had very good results, I get blooming from Camembert/Brie in about 3 days, the Blues about a week, so far been real happy with the results. Will try the culture strands when I do my next order.
Hi! I just blitzed them in the blender, works real well, cheese taste great and off the origonal (the blues that is), Just make sure u have a healthy sample.
Yup I jumped right in and made a bunch so I would learn fast, takes 2 months to find out how the product is so just saved time by doing as many varieties I could.
The Bloomed cheeses i find are the easiest to do, just u need to get proper cheese paper to wrap them in to age them, unless u have a dedicated cave for them
I add the general starter first then add the culture to the milk as I pour it in.
The blue continues to come along nicely. Another couple of weeks in the cool fridge and I’ll scrape it, wrap it up tightly in foil, then put it in a cold fridge for a few months.
All the blue cheese & stilton recipes I have call for the cheese to be tightly wrapped in foil, once the blue mold has fully developed, for aging. Even good store-bought blue cheeses are tightly wrapped. So, I think they need to stop breathing and developing new mold at some point and simply age and develop flavor and texture. The scraping is just to get the mold off the outside before wrapping it up.
Interesting, the ones I have just have them in the “cave” unwraped and unchanged. 3 months and they crack it and looks great.
Just checked out 3 sites of recipes, just one (that deals with commercial use) dont seal them, and the sealed on has a limit.
—Guelph university—-
11. Store the cheese at 95% RH and 12 - 14C for 6 - 8 weeks. Alternatively, the cheese can be placed on plastic mats in large plastic tubs with the lids slightly open to allow some oxygen entry for mould growth, and ripened at 12 - 14C. Turn every day for several days and then turn once a week. The pH should increase to 6.0 - 6.25 after 8 weeks.
12. Vacuum pack and store at 7C until consumed (up to 3 months).
Hi everyone. I’ve been in New Orleans for a week, so did not keep up with the posts. The blue cheeses look great! I need to scrape mine, it is completely covered with mold. I’ll let you know how it goes. Meantime, keep the great posts and pictures coming.
All the blue cheese & stilton recipes I have call for the cheese to be tightly wrapped in foil, once the blue mold has fully developed, for aging. Even good store-bought blue cheeses are tightly wrapped. So, I think they need to stop breathing and developing new mold at some point and simply age and develop flavor and texture. The scraping is just to get the mold off the outside before wrapping it up.
Rick do you use normal foil you get from the supermarket? I have two rounds I would like to try this on but wasn’t sure if it should be a special “cheese foil”. After you wrap them in foil what temp do you store them at, 50f?
Instead, I use purchased cultures. 
