Getting emails from fellow curd nerds is one of the highlights of my day. Especially when it’s a swiss cheese testimonial like this one.
Today’s email comes from Philip Kean (South Carolina, USA) who writes;
Hi Gavin,
I have been interested in making soap,beer, wine, smoking meats and sausages and the like for years. I just came across one of your YouTube videos early this year and thought that I would give it a try.
I had made some mozzarella and I love Swiss so after watching the video on Emmental cheese I decided to order the cultures and give it a go.
I purchased what I needed, thermophilic and shermanii, animal rennet, and some other cultures from New England Cheese Co. and went to work. I have a great source for fresh raw milk and have started to make my cheese in 8 gallon 30 L batches buying 16 gal 60 L at a time.
This I make in a 10 inch diameter or 25 centimeters stainless steel mold.
After brining it is about 7 centimeters thick. Then I simply leave on the counter for about three weeks at around 76-80°F (26°C) and wait for the gas to cause it to swell and produce the holes.
Really that is all there is to it. Please tell me what you think of these pics.
Regards, Phil
Well Phil, I think your Emmental is just amazing. The rind and eye development looks perfect.
The eye development is what you would expect with a cheese round that size. It certainly beats the smaller sized wheels of swiss cheese that I make. I believe that when making this cheese size does matter. The bigger the wheel, the better the eye development.
Well done Phil!
For all those who missed it, you can find my swiss cheese (Emmental style) video tutorial below.
The recipe is also available in my cheese making eBook, Keep Calm and Make Cheese. If anyone else has made cheese at home using my video tutorials, I am sure your fellow curd nerds would love to see some pictures and a brief description of how you made it here on the blog. Phil can’t be the only one out there.
Who’s going to take up the challenge?
