Gouda Conundrum

[Oddley]

I set out to make the Lancashire Cheese. So I made the curds as for stilton lined my press with cheesecloth and put a heavy press on for 6 days, as I didn't want a reoccurrence of the slumping stilton.

I have just taken the cheese out of the press and straightened the top. When I tasted the cheese it has the taste and texture of Gouda/Edam. So I think I will have now to treat it as such. I will post an image later if there is any interest.

[Rik vonTrense]

That is most interesting.............

Usually you have to wash the curds to get that creamy smooth texture and taste....

But there are so many dofferent milks on the market these days that anything could happen with your cheese.

There again look how many cheddars there are aome of the mild stuff is only a week or so old and some is creamy and some of it is sharp and crumbly.

Best to go with the flow Oddy if you wanna try for an edam type then add a couple of pints of cream to your milk and wash the curds as in a Gouda.

If you press heavy staight away then you will trap a certain amount of whey which keeps the cheese soft.....to get the right texture you must apply the pressure gradually so that the curds are not crushed but squeezed.


.Eat up and enjoy it.............


..

[Oddley]

Yeah Rik, I was using Tesco full cream bog standard milk. As the top of the cheese was pretty rough I cut into the interior and it is a bit wetter than the rind. But what surprised me was that it had that rubbery texture and sharp taste obviously from the buttermilk.

Anyway I'll give it a few months to mature and see how it turns out. It's sitting in it's salt bath at the moment.

EDIT: Oh forgot to say I did recursively increase the pressure of the press up to the final pressure

[Rik vonTrense]

Jeeez it seems like a week end for things to go wrong.

My three gallon gouda had developed a blue mold on the outside that is growing as I look at it.

I have rubbed it all over with white vinegar but the blue mold is reappearing.

I don't know where it could have picked it up from unless it is airborne.

Even so a blue Gouda will be something new.


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[Oddley]

LOL I have a patch of green on mine. I know where mine came from. The stilton. Tried wiping it off but it is still stained.