Making cheddar today! pt 7

This rough, loose looking mass is the cheese after the first 10 min press. Also the whey drained off during this time. After the second press it is a bit tighter and after the 12 hr press there are no cracks at all. Only the lines left by the cheese cloth. I think next time I'll mill the curd to just a bit smaller pieces and see if it packs more nicely. To see how it looks after the 12 hr press look at one of my earlier posts about waxing my first cheddar.