Dave, you mentioned in a recent post that you are using MM100 meso starter in your Gouda. I was curious if you have substituted the MM for the MA in all your meso recipes, or are you limiting it to Gouda. I was also wondering just how “open” a texture you’re getting with it, how long you’ve been using it, and if there is any taste difference in addition to the texture changes.
Rich,
I’ve been using MM for Gouda since I first started making cheese. I noticed early on that MM was the recommended culture for this specific type of cheese.
The only other cheese that I use this culture for is Baby Swiss, although I might be switching that to an Aromatic B culture in the future.
MM is a slower acidifier than MA which works well where acid production needs to be limited. Also it supposedly adds a “nutty” flavor to the cheese.
As I mentioned before, I made a mistake and used MA on a batch of Gouda earlier this year. The cheese turned out to have a bitter flavor and was dry and crumbly. I’m sure that this was due to too much acid production.
As for texture, the cheese that I use MM on, do have a more closed texture than say my cheddar but I’m sure that this is due more to the process used on these cheeses, than the culture. For instance, when I flip a Gouda or Baby swiss for the first time the cheese wheel is so soft that it feels a lot like bread dough.
This makes me believe that the curds easily knit together with these varieties which would result in a nice closed texture.
Another culture that I’ve used on Gouda is Flora Danica but I’ve always used it in conjunction with MM. I do like the added flavor that Flora Danica imparts, but it’s really tricky to figure out how much to use to keep from acidifying too quickly.
Hope this answers your questions.
According to my, very limited, research in this, the MM culture is the same as MA with the addition of a CO2 producing strain. I wouldn’t think that it would be a slower acidifier; but your experience seems to indicate otherwise. I take it from this that your only use the MM on Gouda and Swiss; but not on the Cheddars?
My experience with Gouda has been similar to yours - dry, crumbly and sometimes exceedingly sharp. I’ve all but given up on it. But I think that I’ll likely try it again with the MM culture and see what difference it makes. Thanks for the advice.
Rich,
You are correct that the MM has the same strains as MA, except for one additional that produces small amounts of CO2. I don’t know if this also slows down acidification but I figure that it must have some affect.
The two main problems that I found with the MA Gouda was:
#1 rapid acidification that I could not control.
#2 a flavor in the finished cheese that was nothing like a Gouda
Even with the dry and crumbly MM Gouda, the flavor was there. The one that was made with MA tasted nothing like Gouda and was excessively dry, crumbly and bitter.
Now that I’ve found something that works I’m really hesitant to change a thing. I think I’ll probably keep this recipe exactly as it is.
One thing that I learned this week (from a member on the other forum) is that the two most important ph points are “at whey drain” and to a lesser degree “at salting”. He basically said that with any cheese, if these two markers are hit then a cheese will turn out successfully.
I’d really like to see you pick up a Ph meter, Rich. I think that in a very short amount of time you would wonder how you ever made cheese without it.
The last Gouda I made tasted like Cheddar, very nice cheddar. I find it funny that allot of times the cheese I aim for taste like cheese I tried in other batches LOL
Once my MA is gone I might try some others and try batches side by side and see how it goes.
Okay, this makes me happy. Soon you’ll be wondering why you waited so long….
On a related note I broke down and purchased an Extech Ph110 meter about a week ago and it finally came in today.
I was so excited that this weekend I would be using a temperature compensated meter that is know for it’s superb level of accuracy.
Well to make a long story short, I got a lemon that will NOT calibrate. When testing in Ph 7.0 solution it gives a reading of 4.0 and when testing in a Ph 4.01 solution it gives a reading of .67. Totally unbelievable!
I’ve contacted the company, asking for a warranty exchange. Unfortunately it looks like I’ll be using my Hanna meter this weekend to make both Gouda and Cheddar.
Oh well, things could be worse. I’ll still be able to make cheese so things are good, (still ticks me off tough).
Check the batteries to make sure their good, mine were not.
Make sure the probe has been moistened for at least a couple of hours, if its been dry then it wont be accurate. I place some PH7 solution in the cap whenever im done. if its in a warm room it will dry out.
Check the batteries to make sure their good, mine were not.
Make sure the probe has been moistened for at least a couple of hours, if its been dry then it wont be accurate. I place some PH7 solution in the cap whenever im done. if its in a warm room it will dry out.
Yeah, Neil I have tried all of the above (plus several other things like unit resets, adding reference solution, etc.). I contacted Extech this morning and they agree that it is a bad meter. They are sending me out a new one today and told me to trash the one that I currently have. All in all, good customer service.
