Free Making Artisan Cheese by Tim Smith Page B

mentioned earlier, salt plays a variety of roles in cheese making: as a preservative, a flavor enhancer, and a dehydrator. For the cheeses covered in this chapter, there are two methods for salting.
    DRY-SALTING Typically associated with British-style cheeses such as Cheddar and Cheshire, dry-salting entails mixing dry salt with the curds at the end of the draining process, before placing the cheese in the mold and press. Typically, this process is done by sprinkling salt into the curds and mixing it with your hands. Once blended into the curds, the salt will help to shrink the curd pieces through dehydration, allowing the curds to knit closer together in the mold.



BRINE-SALTING A brine is a supersaturated solution of salt and water, in which cheeses are literally bathed. (Brine solution consists of 2 pounds [905 g] of salt stirred into and dissolved in 1 gallon [4.5 L] of water, heated to 190°F [88°C].) The types of cheeses that are usually brined are hard cheeses, such as Gouda and Emmental. Brining occurs directly after a cheese is removed from the press. The cheese is literally dunked into this salty bath. Once in the brine, the cheese begins to absorb salt, and the proteins begin to harden and form the rind.

Pressing
    Pressing is the final stage in whey removal and the process that gives cheese its shape and texture. Pressing is a necessary step for all of the firm to hard cheeses, such as Cheddar, Gouda, and Emmental. When pressing your cheeses, keep in mind it is a delicate balance between too much and not enough pressure. A cheese that is underpressed will become too dense because the whey will not have a chance to drain properly. Too much pressure will cause the outer rind to split, allowing bacteria to ferment under the rind.
    In general, the warmer the curds, the lighter the pressure required, because the whey will move more freely out of warmer curds. Although there are specific suggestions for pressing in each recipe, the general guideline is that for a harder cheese, you will want a longer pressing time. High-fat cheeses will also require a longer pressing time, because the fat retains more moisture. On your initial pressing, the draining fluid should be clear in color with a slow, steady flow. If the fluid has a milky white color, you are using too much pressure.



In general, the warmer the curds, the lighter the pressure required, because the whey will move more freely out of warmer curds.

Cheese Turning
    Turning is not a difficult concept, but it is an important one. Cheese turning simply means flipping your cheese over, end to end. Without turning the cheese, gravity will pull the moisture, fat, and proteins down to the bottom of the round, making your cheese lopsided with an uneven texture and flavor. In the beginning stages of aging, you will be turning the cheese frequently, as directed by the recipe. For the mature, ripened cheeses, you will do it once a week. This process allows you to keep an eye on your beloved and to let oxygen get to the bottom of the cheese, preventing rot from developing on the rind.

Intermediate Cheese Recipes
    You can make cheese in almost any kitchen, so don’t call in the contractors if you feel yours is too small. Take a few moments to prepare your surroundings, because it is not advisable to prepare any other food while you are in the middle of making cheese.
• Remove all other food products. You don’t want that leftover meatball landing in your pot of freshly made curds.
• Get rid of all your used dish cloths and towels. Bring in clean, unused ones, and have more than you think you need. It’s better to have too many than not enough.
• Clean and sanitize your work surfaces. Start with soap and water, and finish off with a sanitizing solution.
• Lay out all your tools to make sure that you have everything you need.
• Change your clothes if they happen to be exceptionally dirty. Although you don’t have to be fanatical about it, you wouldn’t want to