Post by twistedtimbershomest on Jan 12, 2024 23:53:06 GMT -5
I started actually making cheese this week. Yay!
But now I have a few questions.
I have made cheese 3 days in a row, using the same recipe. I'm using the second pinned one in the recipe thread on the forum, the one with pictures of Homestead2's cheese fridge and her recipe for a really easy pressed cheese.
Day 1 I used milk that was 2 days old. Warmed it to "warm from the cow" temp and added a mesophilic culture. Followed all instructions, it set up, had what I think was a good curd, etc. I pressed it for 24 hours in my makeshift press and I think it turned out well (though very funny looking!)
Day 2: Used the same recipe but with milk from the day of. It was chilled first because I wasn't sure I was going to make cheese and my hubby put it outside, so it got cold fast! Warmed it up and made cheese the same as day before EXCEPT I used whey from my first batch of cheese, as the starter culture. I'm not sure if you're supposed to do that with whey from a freeze dried culture? But it seemed to work. It seemed similar throughout the process, however I didn't think to take pictures of my curd. It seemed to have less whey when I put it in the press, but I figured I just drained it better. However, it really seemed to compress less and after taking it out of the press tonight, it looked way different!
Comparison of day 1 and day 2 cheese
Day 3: same recipe again but this time I used warm from the cow milk. Except it was so cold out this morning that this milk was probably not quite as warm at the milk I'd warmed up the first 2 days. But I didn't feel like doing extra work so I added whey from yesterday's batch of cheese (1/2 cup for 2 gallons of milk, same as yesterday). An hour after putting the rennet I went to cut the curd and it didn't seem like it had set up as much as the first 2 I did. But I was busy cleaning and didn't want to have to come back, so I cut the softer curd anyway. Then when I came back to stir it it fell apart a lot more than previous 2 batches. It eventually got a little firmer, but still seemed softer even when it was sinking and ready to press. I'm not sure if it's because the milk started cooler, the whey culture isn't as strong, or something else...
I'm really just experimenting and learning, but if anyone knows why the curds pressed so differently on days 1 and 2 and why today they were extra soft?
Also, the one from day 2 that looks like a brain, should I wax and age that one or is it better to eat it fresh because it's so full of cracks and crevices? Also, I only have beeswax, I'm assuming that will work? Or is waxing necessary or will it form a natural rind? Sorry for all the novice questions!
But now I have a few questions.
I have made cheese 3 days in a row, using the same recipe. I'm using the second pinned one in the recipe thread on the forum, the one with pictures of Homestead2's cheese fridge and her recipe for a really easy pressed cheese.
Day 1 I used milk that was 2 days old. Warmed it to "warm from the cow" temp and added a mesophilic culture. Followed all instructions, it set up, had what I think was a good curd, etc. I pressed it for 24 hours in my makeshift press and I think it turned out well (though very funny looking!)
Day 2: Used the same recipe but with milk from the day of. It was chilled first because I wasn't sure I was going to make cheese and my hubby put it outside, so it got cold fast! Warmed it up and made cheese the same as day before EXCEPT I used whey from my first batch of cheese, as the starter culture. I'm not sure if you're supposed to do that with whey from a freeze dried culture? But it seemed to work. It seemed similar throughout the process, however I didn't think to take pictures of my curd. It seemed to have less whey when I put it in the press, but I figured I just drained it better. However, it really seemed to compress less and after taking it out of the press tonight, it looked way different!
Comparison of day 1 and day 2 cheese
Day 3: same recipe again but this time I used warm from the cow milk. Except it was so cold out this morning that this milk was probably not quite as warm at the milk I'd warmed up the first 2 days. But I didn't feel like doing extra work so I added whey from yesterday's batch of cheese (1/2 cup for 2 gallons of milk, same as yesterday). An hour after putting the rennet I went to cut the curd and it didn't seem like it had set up as much as the first 2 I did. But I was busy cleaning and didn't want to have to come back, so I cut the softer curd anyway. Then when I came back to stir it it fell apart a lot more than previous 2 batches. It eventually got a little firmer, but still seemed softer even when it was sinking and ready to press. I'm not sure if it's because the milk started cooler, the whey culture isn't as strong, or something else...
I'm really just experimenting and learning, but if anyone knows why the curds pressed so differently on days 1 and 2 and why today they were extra soft?
Also, the one from day 2 that looks like a brain, should I wax and age that one or is it better to eat it fresh because it's so full of cracks and crevices? Also, I only have beeswax, I'm assuming that will work? Or is waxing necessary or will it form a natural rind? Sorry for all the novice questions!