Monterey Jack

[milbrosa]

After the problems I had making the Pepper Jack, I decided to make a plain Jack.

2 gallons low-temperature pasteurized non-homogenized Jersey milk
3/8 tsp CaCL
3/8 tsp Rennet
1/4 tsp MA 011
1 tsp salt
saturated brine

I followed pretty much the same process as in my Pepper Jack make, except that I used a flocculation multiplier of 3 instead of 3.5. I also measured my rennet more carefully and my initial flocculation time of 15 minutes was what I was targeting.

The only big problem I had was that the cheesecloth stuck badly to the bottom of the wheel of cheese. When I removed it, it broke the rind and exposed some curds. I discovered that this problem can be avoided by using plastic cheesecloth (e.g., plyban) or by spraying the cheesecloth with vinegar whenever it starts to stick.

This cheese is not rock hard like my previous Pepper Jack. It is softer and more springy. I have higher hopes for this cheese as compared to the Pepper Jack.

The dramatic photo of the cheesecloth damage is heartrending.

But my new cheese cave sort of makes up for it. The Jack is the smaller red cylinder on the middle shelf, right next to its 4 gallon brother Pepper Jack clothed in yellow wax.

 

[Julie]

Looks pretty good, my monterery jack is ready to eat, I'm thinking of trying some this weekend.

Nice cheese cave! Is that just a dorm frig?

 

[donaltman3]

Cheese... you all make Cheese too !!!

That something I've never done... I wanna try something new !!

 

[milbrosa]

donaltman3, try it! It's addictive.

Julie, it's a 4.4 cubic foot refrigerator only. You can see there is no freezer section. So it's about double the size of the typical small cubic refrigerators that I always think of as a dorm fridge. But this would make a really nice dorm fridge if you didn't need ice. (A full size refrigerator only unit would be even handier if I had the room for one.)

It's a Danby DAR440BL, and I ordered it from Walmart online and had them ship to my nearest store for pickup. Walmart had the best price on this unit, and I avoided shipping charges by having it shipped to the store. It's pretty light, but bulky. One person could easily pick it up were it not for the bulk.

It has a compressor, which is a plus. Some small fridges have thermoelectric cooling, which, judging by reviews I've read, is less reliable than a compressor and not as stable temperature wise.

The biggest problem with these small refrigerators is keeping the humidity up. This one has a little shelf below the coils that goes to a drain hole that empties into an evaporation pan in the back of the unit over the compressor. So it's open to the outside. I'll need to figure out a way to drive the humidity up to 85% to 90% if I want to age unwaxed natural rind or bandaged or washed rind cheeses without having to use a plastic Rubbermaid storage box inside.

 

[grapeman]

I bought two little fridges last fall for $50 apiece. I may use one for cheese storage.

I keep eyeing an old 4 door commercial cooler/freezer that I haven't used in over 10 years. I think it would be a dandy unit for cheese storage. The compressor is a small one and even though it isn't energy effiecient, it wouldn't need to run a lot keepeing it at cheese storage temps. If I ever start making more cheese, I may have to give it a try.

 

[milbrosa]

grapeman, to get those little fridges to maintain the right temperature for aging cheese, usually in the range of 50°F to 55°F, you'll need a thermostat controller. I'm using a Ranco ETC111000-000.

What is inefficient about the 4 door commercial cooler/freezer? I've heard that before, and often wondered why. Is it the glass front type, and is it the resulting lack of insulation that makes it inefficient?

I'm just wondering because you can sometimes find those type coolers cheap at restaurant auction houses and restaurants going out of business. It seems like they'd be great for cheese affinage, or for lagering beer, or cold-crashing wine to precipitate out the tartaric acid.

 

[Brew and Wine Supply]

The biggest problem with these small refrigerators is keeping the humidity up. This one has a little shelf below the coils that goes to a drain hole that empties into an evaporation pan in the back of the unit over the compressor. So it's open to the outside. I'll need to figure out a way to drive the humidity up to 85% to 90% if I want to age unwaxed natural rind or bandaged or washed rind cheeses without having to use a plastic Rubbermaid storage box inside.

check out this thread for the humidity problem

http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/f79/first-swiss-31012/