First cheddar results

[Ej949]

I cut open my first ever cheddar this Thanksgiving and was wondering if anyone could help with what I got…it was holey…looked like the curds didnt knit well but also perhaps gas bubbles? The taste was very sharp for being 3 months old. There were some crystals formed throughout as well.

[Tom Moran]

EJ, could be a number of different things. Was your starter producing any of the gas? Also, during the cheddaring process could you have contaminated the curd causing it to blow? Did the cheese wheel look slightly puffy or bloated before you cut it? Several items can cause early blowing. Wrong starter, high bacteria level in the milk, bacteria getting picked up in the utensils or the handling of the curd. Hope some of this helps.

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