Thought I’d make a new string of this, since its rather farther afield from the pasteurization issue of the other string.  Anyway, Dave, you brought up your continuing love affair with cheddar and the refinements you are making.  What type of cheddar are you using for your experimentation?  I’ve done a few traditional cheddars, but have yet to taste any of them.  I’ve given some as gifts and the rest are still aging.  I’ve done some Leicester, and some Derby with good result.  I’ve done some Stirred curd Cheddars with mixed results.  Not too satisfied with the earlier attempts; but my latest was phenomenal at 5 months.  So, do you focus on one type and try to perfect it, or are you casting about among the many cheddar alternatives?

I too, love the taste of a very sharp cheddar; and I was delightfully surprized with a Cotswold that I opened last week.  I know its more of a Farmhouse recipe with additives; but the Cheddar sharpness was terrific.  This one had aged for 5 months, and all my sharp-loving acquaintances think I should sell this one.

Anyway, to get back to the point; it seems that its the dryness/crumbliness that you are trying to work through.  Is it a smoother texture that you’re wanting?  Perhaps Nabil could help on that, as he’s been doing some very long term Cheddars, and is also particular about pH.

Rich,
Currently I’ve been working with only the stirred curd variety. Although I have had some decent results with this type of cheese, I’ve never really turned out anything close to what I would consider to be commercial quality.
The texture has always been slightly open and slightly crumbly and although not all of them have had a bitter aftertaste, most of them have.
After refining my recipe (and paying particular attention to the ph marks) I’ve finally started turning out some cheeses that I’m proud of. I’m certainly not there quite yet, but I do now have hope that I’ll get there in the very near future.
The three wheels that I"ve cut open are still very young. The first attempt was, in my opinion, a failure. Dry, crumbly and slightly bitter.
The next two though were very nice although very bland due to being only a few days old.
Last night I dropped a slice of my second attempt into a bowl of chilli and noticed that it melted perfectly after only a couple of minutes. This is also the cheese that I can slice a 1/16” piece off of the wedge and actually fold it in half without seeing the piece break.
Although I did NOT hit my ph marks perfectly on this cheese (and also cooked it a little too fast) it has turned into a wonderful example. I’m looking forward to more tasting after it has aged some more.
As for my third attempt it should be my best yet. I did hit all of my ph marks and cook temps. perfectly on this one.
If in fact this was does turn out as I hope then I will begin fiddling with my pressing weights and times as well as setting up a heat lamp to keep the curd warm during pressing. I think that once I find the right combination I will see the completely closed curd that I’m looking for, (the second cheese was nearly closed, but not perfect).
I’m really not looking for a “soft” cheddar but instead one that has the proper mouth feel and taste. As I said, I feel that I’m getting closer with every batch I make.
Once I get the stirred curd variety down I’ll then move on to traditional cheddar. I’ve only made one of these in the past but I was not happy with the results after months of aging. I’m beginning to learn that cheddar is one of the more difficult cheeses to make well but it is also one that’s a lot of fun to try to perfect.
This weekend I’ll probably not be able to make cheese due to my dad being in the hospital and my wife taking over the kitchen to prepare dishes for a church dinner. But…..
If I can get the kitchen for a few hours, I’m prepared to give yet another cheddar a go.
If anyone has any advice concerning this variety of cheese I’m always looking for more information.
Btw…
The main Ph marks I’ve been concerned with are:
1. Ph at whey drain, 6.15
2. Ph at salting 5.35
I’ve found that if I hit these two marks things tend to work out very well.

Dave

i have cheddar 24 months old, and i planning to age it more

draining, cheddaring, hooping, along with temp. will ensure proper cheddar taste and texture

Well the results are in and Nabil wins the prize for the most patient man on the planet.  How can you possibly wait so long to taste a cheese?  My thought is that you must have a huge cave and can therefore keep such long term cheeses while still having a ready supply for eating.  Personally, I have a modest sized refrigerator, but 12 wheels is the most I can comfortably accommodate.

actualy i have currently 26 wheels the oldest 11/2007 and the newest is 5/2009

all recent cheeses after 5/2009 were all soft cheeses mainly camembert , cottage and mozarella cheeses

actually when u make big wheels, u will love to wait, and u can eat them for long period, i have one wheel out of 12 gallons i had problem when i wax it

and i have tradional bandaged cheddar ......