Wow, it’s been forever since I had a chance to do any cheesemaking. Checking my log bood, I see that it’s been over 3 months! There has been a lot of construction going on, as well as harvesting and storing produce from the garden. I had a couple weeks of vacation and managed to get caught up enough that on the last day of vacation I finally got around to making another cheese. I did a Gouda, and it was not one of my better experiences. I think my rennet has gotten too old and lost some potency. The curd never did get really solid. I gave it an extra 20 minutes, but that did not help. So, I proceeded with the very soft curd, just being exceedingly gentle with the stirring. The next thing was that my pH meter has bit the dust, and I had nothing to gauge my progress. So I followed the timing from a previous batch; but since the curd was so different, I don’t know what I’m going to get. Even after the cook, the curd was still very soft - as it was after I pressed under whey. The curd mass filled my mold to the very top, and I had quite a time getting the follower into the end of the mold. After pressing, the resulting wheel finally resembled a decent Gouda; but the cheese cloth stuck so badly to the surface that I could not get it off without tearing up the curd. I decided to brine it in the cloth, hoping this would help release the cloth. It did, except for around the rim at the bottom of the wheel. It is air drying now - seems to be a nice wheel, firm but pliable. Time will tell.
Oh, and another of my vacation projects: a new Dutch cheese press. Still in construction but taking shape.
For me, it has been over 18 months (oh the shame). But this last weekend I got a chance to make some cheese. It didn’t go perfectly for me either - very rusty.
Interesting to hear about your very soft curds.
I tried to use goats milk for the first time. Left it overnight with the rennet and culture - when I came to drain it - it was more like thin yogurt the curds were so soft. I tried to strain is through a muslin, but that got clogged with tiny curds straightaway. After 24 hours (and lots of kitchen paper towels) I ended up with a garlicky goaty cream cheese - very nice. (put finally chopped, blanched garlic in a little before I started draining).
I tried to do a couple of little camemberts. But I had real trouble expelling the whey (I was using new moulds and new plactic cheese mats). I know I used too much curd in then, but they are twice as high as they should be (and I can’t tell if that is more to do with the whey they are holding onto).
The height is pain because they’ll take longer to get gooey inside, while the rind will probably get really stinky (as I don’t have a proper cave).
I should know how mine turn out a bit sooner that yours. How long are you planning to give it?
LOL, ive been having the same fears in that the year is about up and I havent had a chance to make anything (besides kiefer).
“Good Stuff” was your milk pasteurized?
G.S. I’m wondering if perhaps you let your milk set too long and it went beyond the clean break stage and lost it’s firmness.
In answer to your question, I’m currently air drying. Once the surface is dry, I’ll vacuum seal it and age it for a couple months minimum. It’s actually looking like a real Gouda at the moment.
BTW, I haven’t read any of your previous posts, so a belated welcome to you. Hope your next ventures are more successful than this one. Although it seems as though you’ve found a good way to use what you have. I trust it is “good stuff!”
Hi Rich, my Brie is the last one I made. It’s ripening now for 4 weeks and getting softer. I think this weekend I will try the first one. However, the making of that seems already a long time ago for me! Also here a lot of construction work going on. Meanwhile I had the chance to read some of the latest book I got. It’s a dutch handbook for the artisan Gouda cheese maker, published by the Dutch union of artisan cheese makers and it’s around already for decades. And several times re-edited and republished. One of the thing that’s mentioned there as reason for a bitter taste of the cheese is a curd that is too wet, caused by a rennet that is not working well. Also you have a bigger chance of gas, caused by bacteria that can develop in a cheese that is too wet and not having the right PH. I had to throw away one of my Gouda’s with stinging nettle because of this…
So be careful and I hope I’m too pessimistic on this.
BTW, looking forward to see pictures of your press!
Regarding pictures of the press, it is actually in the works. I’m doing some modifications, since I like to THINK that I know a better way. Except for the pulleys and hinges, the entire press will be made of scrap material. I have most of it cut out, with the exception only of the lever arm. Then there will be lots of coats of polyurethane. But I will get some pics posted when it’s finished.
Regarding pictures of the press, it is actually in the works. I’m doing some modifications, since I like to THINK that I know a better way. Except for the pulleys and hinges, the entire press will be made of scrap material. I have most of it cut out, with the exception only of the lever arm. Then there will be lots of coats of polyurethane. But I will get some pics posted when it’s finished.
Rich, don’t coat it with polyurethane. I left my press made from pine without any coating and it’s fine. You may want to coat it with some kind of edible oil.
How long has your press been in operation? Because I’m thinking that the porous nature of wood will allow whey to soak in and, over time, the aroma will be an indicator of the bacterial action going on within the fibers. Surely it must be sealed with something. Oils would not be durable enough, and they remain viscous, still allowing other liquids to enter. Another factor is that edible oils will sour over time as well. I’m open to suggestion here, but my logical hemisphere tells me that sealing would be the safest way to go.
I built my press about 4 years ago. I agree with every word concerning the use of oils. I have some cutting boards made from beech and birch, many years in use without any preventive treatment. I recommend you to build your press from beech, it’s a hard and dens wood and relatively cheap. I’m you are going to place a tray to collect the whey. So, an occasional touch of the damp cloth on the wood, or even a few drops of whey won’t cause any damage or future contamination.
I also agree with Neil, polyurethane is certainly not food safe.
Again I fall back to my knowledge about the cheese farms that make artisan Gouda cheese here in The Netherlands: A lot of them use cheese presses that are made from a hard wood (often oak or merbau) and they are coated with a good varnish, like the ones that are used for boats. I attached an example…
It may be a traditional habit. It doesn’t mean that it is a food safe coating. If I would use a finishing coat, it would be water based acrylic lead free lacquer. All other finishes based on different solvents not water, may cause contamination if they tear off.
I use to apply acrylic coating on children’s furniture and kitchen cabinets as well, and of-course on every other kind of furniture I make for my customers.
The milk was pasteurised. My last vaguely-camembertian cheese was made with raw milk, and got so smelly. This one has a perfect pure white coat of mould and smells just right.
I didn’t realise that milk could ‘go past’ the clean break stage - is that the way rennet works? or just because the acid increases?
Guess I was a bit presumptuous. Your names were still familiar - like I had never been away, but I hadn’t posted here for 18+ months (let alone made cheese).
Next weekend I will try one. Someone at working said they were “dying to try it”. I made the inevitable joke.
yup the acid will continue to be created until all the food is gone and the curds separate just from the concentration. I get that when i keep a starter for my keifer, also when the room is warmer then usual and the keifer (i leave it on the counter over night for 24 hours) will seperate, still good to eat but for cheese it changes the chemistry and u dont get that melt factor, just hard crumble like Fetta Cheese.
