Hi, my name is Kim. I’ve been checking this forum for information for a while now and decided to ask my first question from you experts! I’ve been making cheese for a couple years but still feel I haven’t perfected it yet. I recently tried blue cheese. I threw the first one out when I detected an ammonia smell and later saw on this forum that the odor is typical. So I tried again. I’m getting the blue/grey mold and red smear but the texture is what I can only describe as spongy. I thought maybe there was too much humidity so I took out the cup of water but it’s still spongy. It’s a funny shape now as the top and bottom have flayed out a little bit now too. Any ideas? Is this okay? How do I make it firmer? Thank you for any and all help.

Hi Kim, welcome to the forum.
I think you have the best change on a helpful answer if you share the recipe you used with us. When we have no idea what you are trying to make, it’s hard to help because there is such a variety in blues

HI! Welcome.
Sounds like it could be a bit warm were u have it stored, better too cool/dry then warm/wet.

Thank you Herman for the suggestion. The recipe is 2 gal milk, 1/8 tsp penicillium roqueforti, 1/4 tsp mesophilic starter and 2 T salt. The mold was added with the milk at the beginning of the process. Everything went fine through letting it sit for 3 days, then poking holes all over it and letting it sit for 10 days. Nice mold started to for but around 20 days the texture began to be spongy. I’ve scraped of the mold and red smear but it’s still spongy (soft). I hope this helps to explain.

I read your other post where you have blue mold on a cheese that is suppose to get a red smear. Any change you have cross-contaminated those two? What is the RH and temp where you store it?
The spongy texture can be just the way the cheese is developing due to the process you followed. How much time between adding the rennet and cutting? How was the curd cut? How much time stirred?
These are all variables that finally “make” your cheese. My last blue was pressed and brined and developed a blue/green/brownish rind that was a bit slimy in the beginning. Therefor I let it out of the cave every day for about an hour and when I got it out, I wiped it with a brine of just water and salt (don’t ever use water with chloride for brine or to dissolve rennet etc.)

spongy may also indicate fermentation.

Sorry for my ignorance but is fermentation good or bad?

Thank you all for your suggestions. I’ll try getting it to a cooler place. I don’t think it is cross contamination as the blue and fontina are in separate containers.

Bad, unless its part of the process to a specific cheese, however in general its not a good indication.