# Yo Cheese Experts - is this a problem?



## jimandpj (Feb 8, 2006)

Ok - made a basic farmhouse pressed cheese.

Warmed milk
Added rennet
Let set til clean break
cut curds
slowly heated curds to 102.
Let set.
Drained, added salt, and pressed.

Cheese is out of the press now and drying.
But it is "poofy" - if I press on it, it pushes back, kinda like a sponge.
Is this normal? I have a cheddar drying next to it. It is half the height of the farmhouse cheese (used same amount of milk), and solid.

I recently made a chevre that failed from what appears to be coliform. I was also reading that it could have been from wild yeast.

So, three questions 
1. Should I let this cheese continue to age or is "sponginess" bad and does it need to be discarded.
2. We're doing all the right things as far as cleanliness during milk handling. (I've even been extra vigilant since my failed chevre). If it is wild yeast that is contaminating the cheese (if it is contaminated???) - can I do anything about that?
3. Would pasteurizing the milk first really make a difference? I really would prefer raw cheese - but I don't know how to get any cleaner and I don't want to keep throwing away my cheese!

Help!!!
PJ


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## suzyhomemaker09 (Sep 24, 2004)

I'm by no means an expert but spongy cheese is usually a very bad thing.
Perhaps you could go more into detail about your practices? I know i don't bake and make cheese at the same time but there are always wild yeasts in the air that can get in your product.
I'm sure there are those who'd say pasteurizing would be a good thing but personally i never do it.


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## jimandpj (Feb 8, 2006)

I was assuming I was going to have to throw it out - but wanted some confirmation before I tossed my hard work to the chickens.

I'm curious about the wild yeast b/c I've been doing sourdough for several months and the sourdough sits out in the kitchen. Ricki Carroll's cheesemaking book says holes in the cheese (which I assume is what is going on in there) can be coliform and/or wild yeast.

As I was thinking about it more last night I wondered if my cheesecloth is perhaps contaminated. My cheese book said to wash it after each use and boil it occassionally. I'm thinking that's a bad idea and I need to boil it each time.

As for my practices with the milk - I'm comfortable with that. We've been milking for 3 years and this is the first time I've ever had a problem. Clean milk pail, clean jars, wash hands, wash teats, milk straight into strainer and filter. Chill milk in ice water bath then into fridge.

I'm also wondering if perhaps my milk is too old to make cheese. It was 2-3 days old as opposed to that day's milking. This was my 4th pressed cheese and the first one to go spongy. I'm trying to figure out what the difference was - but the cheesecloth is the only thing I can come up with. I can't figure out how coliform from fecal matter could have gotten into the milk - but if it is wild yeast in the kitchen - that's a very different problem. Very frustrating...

All help is appreciated!

Thanks,
PJ


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## suzyhomemaker09 (Sep 24, 2004)

Could you go over your sanitation and milking preps and procedures..perhaps we could help you there?
And absolutely boil the cloth before making cheese with it.I always put mine in the pot with all the utensils I'm going to be using and boil it together.


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## Mountain Mick (Sep 10, 2005)

Hi are you pasteurizing your milk ??

Are using fresh milk or store bought milk??


Now to pasteurize your milk this who we were shown at a cheese making school, The use of indirect heat via a double boiler will prevent the milk from scolding. Stir frequently until the temperature of the milk reaches 161Fahrenheit (71.7 Celsius).

then you need to cool it once the milk has reached 161 Fahrenheit (71.7 Celsius). it must be cooled to the ripening temperature required by the recipe. This is usually between 85 and 95 Fahrenheit (29.5 to 35 Celsius) . Place the pasteurized milk into a sink of warm water and stir gently until the desired temperature is reached. Adjust the temperature by adding hot or cold water to the sink as need to adjust the temperature.


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## jimandpj (Feb 8, 2006)

Ok - I think I figured out the problem. Since my sourdough starter has also gone bad, I think it is wild yeast and not coliform.

Thanks Mick - I'm using raw goat milk from my own goats.

Thanks Suzy - I've been milking for 3 years, and I really don't believe sanitation is an issue. I feed the raw milk to my very young children, and am very careful when handling it. I'm also sanitizing everything that comes in contact with the milk. I'm definitely going to start boiling the cheesecloth every time, but the first batch of failed cheese never even touched the cheesecloth. I've been making soft cheeses for 3 years and never had a failed batch before.

So - I'm going to open all the windows in the house (it's a sorta warm day) and thoroughly search for mold in all sorts of hidden places - behind the fridge, etc.

We'll see if that makes a difference.

Thanks!!!!
PJ


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