Spring-style press ramblings
Posted: 11 June 2009 08:06 PM   [ Ignore ]
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Hi all-
Ok, so I’m making the Muenster Rich posted in the recipe section, and just finished pressing the curds. Check out the photo- is this the way a Muenster ought to look- it seems really “open”, all that space between the curds, and I can’t remember the last time I ate Muenster and whether it’s supposed to be this way!

I ask because I just got a new press and am not too sure about it. It uses a spring and because of this the cheese didn’t get consistent pressure; I had to keep adjusting it as the cheese compressed. Like, WAY too often, every hour or so. I’m new to cheesemaking and haven’t made enough cheeses to know whether this is normal for Muenster- other cheeses I’ve made before this new press didn’t have such voids, but maybe that was the nature of the cheeses (cheddar, cotswold). Also, I used a solid hoop that only allowed whey to escape through the bottom & top, and I wonder if this contributed to the voids.

Learning all the time…
Bobbie

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Posted: 11 June 2009 10:40 PM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 1 ]
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u cant rush the pressing or the liquid will form pockets. Hard to say unless u know how much pressure it is generating.

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The Cheese Hole

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Posted: 11 June 2009 10:57 PM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 2 ]
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Thanks for checking in. Yes, that was my concern; the liquid left in those spaces. I did start with a gradual build up of weights in the beginning, but once I went up to 50 pounds the press really couldn’t keep that pressure without constant readjusting. I think I’m not in love with this press and want to go back to my homemade version. *sigh*
-Bobbie

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Posted: 12 June 2009 12:42 AM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 3 ]
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LittleCriminal - 12 June 2009 03:57 AM

Thanks for checking in. Yes, that was my concern; the liquid left in those spaces. I did start with a gradual build up of weights in the beginning, but once I went up to 50 pounds the press really couldn’t keep that pressure without constant readjusting. I think I’m not in love with this press and want to go back to my homemade version. *sigh*
-Bobbie

This is NOT a Munster, it’s a “monster” LOL
A real Munster should be a flat wheel with certain proportions not like a barrel. Another basic fact is, the curd is UNCOOKED-UNPRESSED!!!
In the attached pics you can see how Munster should look like, at the beginning of ageing stage, cut and sliced. The last two pics show the cheese at 2 months ageing.

As for pressing, a rule of thumb says that you should start pressing (gently) 2.5-5 kgs and increase pressure gradually up to 50 kgs or even more. The numbers are related to home-made sized cheeses 4-10 inches in dia.

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Posted: 12 June 2009 03:20 AM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 4 ]
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I believe when the recipe was posted it was advertised as a shortcut version and not a true Munster.  All of these that I have made have been an open texture - not quite as open as in the pic above, but open nonetheless.  I think you are right in your assessment of a spring type press.  I started with one and fairly quickly abandoned it for a weight system.  I do still use the spring apparatus to keep the curd from squeezing out the bottom of the mold at very high pressing weights, and it does an admirable job of that.  BTW, I use a mold without holes as well, and haven’t had any problem with whey not draining out.  You might, however, if you went to higher weights too quickly.

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Rich

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Posted: 12 June 2009 04:55 AM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 5 ]
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Hah hah, monster, exACTly.

Thanks for the tips! I think we’re going to eat this behemoth fresh, and I’ll start a new one with better proportions and real weights. I know proportion is important, so this was good to learn, and everyone’s tips remind me that every single detail is important for the cheese to come out acting like it should.
Bobbie

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Posted: 12 June 2009 05:30 AM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 6 ]
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I wouldn’t like to mislead you, I mean about the texture of the cheese seen in my pics is a bit crumbly because the humidity in my “cave” was too low during ageing, 75-80% instead of 95%. I am working on it quite successfully. The “official” mould sizes are 13-19 cm in diameter, 2.4-8 cm high; 7-12 dia, 2-6 high for “Petit (small) Munster”. Mine was made in a 20 cm mould and 9 liters of raw cows milk, the bigger in the pic attached. DO NOT PRESS THE CURDS AT ALL.

Lucky cheeseing

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Posted: 12 June 2009 07:35 AM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 7 ]
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I think if I follow Rich’s recipe I ought to press, because those instructions fit with that treatment. If you have the recipe that doesn’t want the curds pressed, I’d love to see it and learn what the differences are, since Rich said his was a sort of “short cut” and I’d like to learn what kinds of steps are different in short cuts and learn a classic muenster while I’m at it. I’ve seen some cheddar recipes that are quick versions too, though I haven’t compared them yet to understand how those steps are different. I want to try both and do an A/B comparison! Today I’m making a quick cheddar and a “900 steps/2 page recipe” cheddar, to compare.
Bobbie
(who, in about 4 months, is going to have way too much cheese around the house)

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Posted: 12 June 2009 07:38 AM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 8 ]
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Oh and by the way, I cut open this muenster and learned that it’s a really smooth, tighter fit texture inside; not at all what the exterior looks like. Weird.

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Posted: 12 June 2009 08:06 AM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 9 ]
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Munster Cheese Making Recipe
Munster cheese has a smooth texture, orange rind, and white pate. It is a washed rind cheese that can be made from cow or goat’s milk and as it melts well, is a good cooking cheese.
Ingredients:
    3.8 liters (1 gallon) whole Cow’s or Goat’s Milk.
    Mesophilic Starter Culture as needed (I use buttermilk - 1 ts for 1 liter of milk))
    Optional: Calcium Chloride if using store bought pasteurized milk.
    Rennet, amount as per package directions or your experience.
    1.25 ml/1/4 teaspoon of Brevibacterium Linens.
    Salt for brine.
    Optional: 2-4 drops of orange food coloring.
    Optional: Sweetish white wine (I used it during the ageing process).
Directions:
1.  Place milk in stockpot or double boiler on stove and gently warm to 32 C if using cow’s milk or 31 C if using goat’s milk.
2.  If using store bought pasteurized homogenized milk then dissolve the calcium chloride in ~50 ml/1/4 cup water and stir in.
3.  Dissolve the starter culture in ~50 ml/1/4 cup water, add to milk, stir gently, cover and set aside to ripen for 15 minutes.
4.  Add coloring if desired.
5.  Dissolve or dilute the rennet in ~50 ml/1/4 cup water, add to milk and stir gently but thoroughly for 1 minute, cover and set aside at same temperature for 45 minutes or until get good curd break.
6.  When get clean break, cut curd as normal into 1 cm diamonds, set aside to rest for 5 minutes.
7.  Gently heat the curds to 38 C for cow’s milk, 37 C for goat’s milk at a rate of ~1 C every 5 minutes. This will take ~25 minutes, stir occasionally & gently with ladle while heating to keep curds from matting.
8.  Maintain at this temperature for ~30 minutes, stirring gently every few minutes.
9.  Sterilize clean in boiling water, one small height camembert type cheese mold/hoop, and two mats, drain and place mold/hoop on mat. Choose mold/hoop size to match curd volume, depending on size you may need two.
10.  Let curds settle for 5 minutes, drain/ladle off the whey from the curds, ladle curds into the mold/hoop, and place second mat on top of curds to make a “sandwich”.
11.  Let drain for ~30 minutes, then, holding the sandwich tight, quickly flip and place back down.
12.  Remove top mat, rinse and return to cheese.
13.  Repeat step above five more times, every 20 minutes.
14.  Let cheese rest 12 hours (overnight) at room temperature on mat.
15.  Make a saturated salt brine and cool in fridge.
16.  Remove cheese from hoop and float in saturated brine for 12 hours at 10-12 C, turn every ~2 hours to ensure even rind development.
17.  Remove cheese, pat dry, place on clean mat.
18.  Dilute B Linens in 125 ml/1/2 cup cool sterile water and place into atomizer/mister.
19.  Using finest mist possible, lightly spray the surface of the cheese, flip and spray other side.
20.  Cheese ripening is in two phases. Phase #1, ripen at 16 C and 90-95% humidity for 1-2 weeks. Wipe down cheese every second day with clean cloth and brine solution; this will encourage uniform distribution of the mould.
21.  Phase #2 ripening either 1) seal the cheese with wax or vacuum bag and age for 45 days minimum at 10 C or b) continue aging at 10 C and 90-95% humidity and allow rind to dry and every third day wipe the cheese down with brine soaked cloth or c) same as b) but wipe down every third day with sweetish white wine.

Notes:

10 Liters milk = 1300 Grams cheese.
I added the B-linens at the beginnig with the starter culture.
For a 9-10 liters batch I recommend to float the cheese in brine, for 6 hours only, 12 hours was too salty to my taste.

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Posted: 14 June 2009 06:22 AM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 10 ]
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That looks like fun, thanks- I’ll save this recipe.

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