Suzanne McMinn is One for One in the Big Challenge!
She did it! So, now she’s closer to her goal to become a GREAT home cheesemaker. Suzanne documented her experience in the article below. This article and her giveaways (chosen by random from the comments) may be found at her wonderful website, “Chickens in the Road.”
Jim Wallace |
Our Analysis
Jim Wallace, our technical advisor, took a look at Suzanne’s cheese the first time she made it to see if she was on the right track. He had a few words of advice:
First Cheese |
Second Cheese |
I took a look at Suzanne’s post and there is a slight problem with the curd being too dry. This may be due to excessive stirring speed/time or it could be caused by higher temperatures if her thermometer is not reading well.
OR another reason could be that the curd is fine but there was just not enough weight or time in the press. Either of these will cause this problem. Drier curds need more weight and/or sometimes more time in the press.
Suzanne revised her press and, as you can see in the picture, this resulted in a smoother cheese. Now, it’s on to the next one, so stay tuned . . .
Jeri Case says
It's a great book- I know you'll love it! Happy cheese making!
magmom312 says
The funny thing is, I Googled "how SHOULD Monterey Jack cheese look after pressed". Mine looks like her last attempt, but what cracked me up is that my step-mom just bought me Suzanne's book, which I started reading yesterday! Still working on getting my cow, but my chickens definitely hang out in the road!
Thanks for chronicling your experiences. I guess I better be checking out your blog!
D
Good going Suzanne!
This looks really good! Interesting comment about skim milk making a harder cheese. Is it a general principal that harder cheeses are lower in fat than softer ones?