Why are my cheese curds not well-knitted after pressing?
I've made several cheeses at home following a cheddar recipe. After I've aged the cheeses and cut them open, I'm usually finding that the cheese has a somewhat spongy, open texture with small visible holes in it, similar to provolone:
This is in place of the denser, solid texture that I expect from cheddar:
The taste of the cheese is quite good, but I can't figure out why the texture isn't turning out as expected. What am I doing wrong?
Best Answer
Several possible reasons...but without seeing the recipe, your make notes, pH markers it is rather hard to say. However, I would say that most likely would be too much moisture left in curds due to:
- initial curds cut too large
- too much rennet, meaning that more moisture was locked into the curd, resulting in the cut being made later than it should be (did you use the flocculation method to determine when to cut the curd?)
- pH was too high at various periods during your make, resulting in a "sweeter" curd
- too much time between addition of rennet and the cut of the curd (see 2...related)
- lack of or insufficient cooking of the curds prior to cheddaring, resulting in too much whey (moisture) left in the curds.
- insufficient salting
- insufficient pressing (unlikely, since the previous 6 control moisture much more than the pressing)
Any, some or all of the above.
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Quick Answer about "Why are my cheese curds not well-knitted after pressing?"
If the curd is too cold when you put it into the mold, it can be very difficult to get a good knit for your cheese as the curd firms up. If you are living in colder climates and keeping your curd warm prior to and during the pressing is a problem, one way to keep your curd warm enough is to press in the pot.Why do my cheese curds fall apart?
This is often caused by improper temperatures; either you used UHT (Ultra High Temperature) pasteurized milk or your curds got too hot when you were preparing for the stretching stage, or they didn't get hot enough. The temperature of the curds before stretching should be 160\xb0 to 170\xb0F.Why are my curds soft?
SOFT, FLIMSY CURDS THAT DRAIN THROUGH COLANDER OR CHEESECLOTH. This may be a rennet issue, a calcium issue, or the temperature could be off.Can you over press cheese?
Cheese is Too DryDry cheese is rarely due to over-pressing. The final curd moisture, before pressing is more likely the cause. Too much stirring or too high a temperature can produce a very dry curd. Low humidity while aging can also cause cheese to become too dry.What happens if cheese curd does not set?
Milk may contain a shortage of this calcium and this will lead to a soft weak curd. The addition of calcium chloride to the milk may rectify this. If adding additional calcium, make sure that you do this at least one hour before the addition of the rennet or the effect of the additional calcium may be minimised.Homemade cheese troubleshooting. Why aren’t my curds setting? Why aren’t I getting curds?
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Answer 2
Are you sure your cheddaring process (forming 2 slabs and flipping and stacking them for 2 hours every 15 min) was done at the correct temperature?
Also is it possible that you fractured your curds with rough stirring?
Answer 3
Try more pressure and a bit less salt.
My guess is that less salt will mean more moisture is retained, which might make the curds fuse together more completely.
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