Crumbly gouda

[cheeseb0at]

Been trying to make cheese at home and made some gouda last week. I used a simple recipe and cow’s milk. After 5 days, the cheese came out crumbly, not smooth like I expected. Any idea what I did wrong?

 

[cheesegoddess]

Most likely the curds weren’t pressed firmly enough or too much whey stayed in, which can make gouda crumbly, I learned this in pastry class i took sometime last year. Also, early cutting or overcooking the curds can affect texture. Next time, maybe press a bit longer and make sure the curds are properly drained before aging

 

[SweetAndSour]

Been trying to make cheese at home and made some gouda last week. I used a simple recipe and cow’s milk. After 5 days, the cheese came out crumbly, not smooth like I expected. Any idea what I did wrong?

been there, and crumbly texture is definitely fixable.
When you get a crumbly, dry looking Gouda, it usually comes down to time and heat control in the beginning.
Did you cook the curds too long, or at a temp that was a few degrees too high? Over cooking squeezes out too much moisture and makes the curds brittle. also did you spend too much time overall from adding the culture to pressing? The longer the process takes, the more acid develops.
For your next batch, try to shave 10-15 minutes off your total make time, and monitor your cooking temperature very closely

 

[ric0tta01]

been there, and crumbly texture is definitely fixable.
When you get a crumbly, dry looking Gouda, it usually comes down to time and heat control in the beginning.
Did you cook the curds too long, or at a temp that was a few degrees too high? Over cooking squeezes out too much moisture and makes the curds brittle. also did you spend too much time overall from adding the culture to pressing? The longer the process takes, the more acid develops.
For your next batch, try to shave 10-15 minutes off your total make time, and monitor your cooking temperature very closely

Thanks for the tips! I had a batch turn out crumbly last month and figured it was just the milk. I didn’t track the time too closely between culture and press. do you use a timer for each stage or just go by texture? Also wondering if stirring speed affects moisture loss.