Hard cheese, is now soft cheese, what went wrong?

[Lee]

Hi, Cut into my first attempts at cheese makkng last night, I'd made a stilton, and a lancashire according to instructions (as far as I know!) on here.
Problem is I seem to have made a huge amount of whats basically Brie.
The stilton, looks and tastes like stilton for around 10mm from the sides, and then repidly become a blue brie in the middle. It's damm tasty, but not what I wanted
Similar problem with the lancashire, no longer dry and crumbly, but going the same way as the stilbrie (but not mouldy).
Cheese were left to mature at around 10 degrees C, reletively high humidity (in plastic boxes left slightly open).

Any ideas where I went wrong?
Lucky for me, I like brie.....

[saucisson]

My sympathies...
In my experience the cheese makes itself I have very control over the process Same has happened to me, I never knew why, just enjoy what you have. A bit of a philosophical statement rather than any help, sorry.



Dave

[BlueCheese]

Were did u get the culture, did u get some contamination some how. Did it age too quick. The main thing is that if it tastes great then keep the culture from the cheese into your next batch

[Lee]

You're right, at least it tasted goog! Good to hear others have had the same problem as well, must be a commen cause....
Culture was a freeze dried one from ascot farm (reputable UK supplier), fully activated and going nicely.
I don't think there's been any contamination to speak of, it tastes too good for random yeats/bacteria. I'm a microbilogist, so I know how contamination would manifest itself (well, I should, it's bean a while.. ), unless I've been particularly lucky and contaminated it with some passing brie culture! Both cheeses were made several weeks apart, and using different kit, and left to mature in different places as well.
All in all , very odd, better try again. Prehaps eat the lancashire a lot younger this time

[jenny_haddow]

Maybe they needed pressing for longer and with more weight?

[Lee]

Maybe they needed pressing for longer and with more weight?

I did wonder about that, pressed them for around 3 days with about 5kg, how's that sound?
Texture of the lancashire looked right after that, and it certainly didn't 'leak' much after taking out of the mould? Seemed solid enogh after 3 weeks or so, and slowly got softer after that, then the stilton sprang a leak when I needled it!

[BlueCheese]

Stilton is not pressed, its flipped regularly to use its own weight to press itself so thats not going to turn it to brie. I would absolutely love to try it though and pinch some of that culture
Some of the best cheese are from mistakes/mutations LOL

[Heathers]

I'm curious as to the dimentions of your "Stilbrie." What did you use for a mold?

I does sound delicious though....wish I could try it!

[Lee]

I'm curious as to the dimentions of your "Stilbrie." What did you use for a mold?

I does sound delicious though....wish I could try it!

It's around 20cm diameter, and is now about 5cm thick, although it was about 15cm thick when it came out of the mould (which was a colander). I did press it, althoug only for a couple of days and with a lighter weight than used on the Lancashire.
The stilbrie was pronounced and "minging" by the son of one of my friends, but the same lad pronounced the liquifying lancashire as "the best cheese in the world", so one out of 2 ain't bad I suppose