Testing curds before moulding

Transcript

Miel Meyer - Meyer Gouda Cheese

The feeling of the curds is probably the biggest factor. If it’s too soon and you’re pressing the curds too soon, you end up with a really moist cheese, and you’ve got the potential that it goes off much quicker. Bacteria love moisture and heat, and you don’t want the moisture in the cheese – a little bit, yes, but not too much.

The curd size is another one of those quality control ​checks to make sure it’s small enough for the type of cheese we’re making. To test the curds, I put the curds in my hand, feel it. If it breaks up easily, then the curds will be ripe for moulding. Again, it depends on the type of cheese – if it’s a old or vintage cheese, then you need a really dry curd, so it should never stick to, to itself. A really mild creamy cheese, then you have a bigger curd and it sticks a lot more.