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Why Tap a Wheel of Cheese?

cheeseprofessor.com

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Re: Why Tap a Wheel of Cheese?

#31

Post by alnwlsn »

nancyminusone wrote: post #27

I saw a How it's Made episode about cheeses like this the other day. They mix the ingredients in a giant electric mixer - but dump them in by hand. The inspection is still done by ear with a hammer - but when then need to flip the wheels over every few weeks they have a robot grabber thing do it. Obviously, there's some balance in technology that is about right, but where do you draw the line? Because this could abso…

This reminds me of a news piece from my area about 10 years ago. A field was to be mowed, and they were considering options. They could get some high tech self guided lawn mower, or they could let a herd of goats graze on it. They went with the goats.

It did not go over well with the former lawn mower operators, who found themselves no more employed than they would have been if the robotic lawn mower took their job instead.

Re: Why Tap a Wheel of Cheese?

#32

Post by bluGill »

nancyminusone wrote: post #27

I saw a How it's Made episode about cheeses like this the other day. They mix the ingredients in a giant electric mixer - but dump them in by hand. The inspection is still done by ear with a hammer - but when then need to flip the wheels over every few weeks they have a robot grabber thing do it. Obviously, there's some balance in technology that is about right, but where do you draw the line? Because this could abso…

the problem with automating inspections is humans are good at noticing things that are 'different'. I can make a machine see the common wrong things but if I miss one rare situation that passes bad product.

many farmers don't use automated milking machines because you still need a human to inspect each cow and thus the machine doesn't save much labor.

Re: Why Tap a Wheel of Cheese?

#33

Post by bluGill »

alnwlsn wrote: post #31
nancyminusone wrote: post #27

I saw a How it's Made episode about cheeses like this the other day. They mix the ingredients in a giant electric mixer - but dump them in by hand. The inspection is still done by ear with a hammer - but when then need to flip the wheels over every few weeks they have a robot grabber thing do it. Obviously, there's some balance in technology that is about right, but where do you draw the line? Because this could abso…

This reminds me of a news piece from my area about 10 years ago. A field was to be mowed, and they were considering options. They could get some high tech self guided lawn mower, or they could let a herd of goats graze on it. They went with the goats. It did not go over well with the former lawn mower operators, who found themselves no more employed than they would have been if the robotic lawn mower took their job i…

With goats someone has to fix the fence, apply vaccines, and lots of other labor. Not as much as a lawn mower operator though.

Re: Why Tap a Wheel of Cheese?

#34

Post by darkwater »

zeitg3ist wrote: post #22
dfxm12 wrote: post #3

Just like people sometimes question the human element in judging sports, I wonder if there are cheesemakers who think these guys are simply against them or favorable to their neighbors. One thing I've also wondered about this process. When I buy Parmigiano Reggiano, it's just sold as "Parmigiano Reggiano". There's no discernable branding beyond that (compared to the Pecorino Romano I buy, which has "Locatelli" plaste…

If you buy it vacuum-sealed from a shop, the packaging usually has additional branding from the producer. Not a "favorite dairy", but if it's convenient to do so, I usually look for the "vacche rosse" type, which is more expensive but also noticeably different (and better). Of course it would be a waste to grate it over pasta; better to eat it on its own.

Vacche rosse 24 months and a glass of red wine, you just made me salivate.

The 36 months is too strong in my opinion, still delicious but I like the 24 more.

Re: Why Tap a Wheel of Cheese?

#35

Post by jdietrich »

ano-ther wrote: post #19
perihelions wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

- "For all their expertise, I am sure a technical solution would also easily be able to detect what they are looking for: voids within the cheese, or lack of uniform density..." Out of pure curiosity, how would an industrial process engineer approach this problem, de novo?

Ultrasound seems to be viable > A study on structural quality control of Swiss‐type cheese with ultrasound is presented. We used a longitudinal mode pulse‐echo setup using 1–2MHz ultrasonic frequencies to detect cheese‐eyes and ripening induced cracks. Results show that the ultrasonic method posses good potential to monitor the cheese structure during the ripening process. Preliminary results indicate that maturation…

Note that this is already industry-standard for non-destructive testing of metal, concrete and composites. Handheld ultrasonic tomography devices are commercially available and could plausibly be used on cheese with only minor modification.

https://acs-international.com/instruments/ultrasonic-pulse-e...

Re: Why Tap a Wheel of Cheese?

#36

Post by Night_Thastus »

bluGill wrote: post #32
nancyminusone wrote: post #27

I saw a How it's Made episode about cheeses like this the other day. They mix the ingredients in a giant electric mixer - but dump them in by hand. The inspection is still done by ear with a hammer - but when then need to flip the wheels over every few weeks they have a robot grabber thing do it. Obviously, there's some balance in technology that is about right, but where do you draw the line? Because this could abso…

the problem with automating inspections is humans are good at noticing things that are 'different'. I can make a machine see the common wrong things but if I miss one rare situation that passes bad product. many farmers don't use automated milking machines because you still need a human to inspect each cow and thus the machine doesn't save much labor.

As much as I hate the "AI" trends, this is a case where machine learning would be perfect. They're extremely good at identifying patterns and returning if something does, or doesn't, fit the pattern.

Try to generate something new based on that pattern, and they tend to have massive limitations. But just a pass/fail reply? They're amazing at that.

Re: Why Tap a Wheel of Cheese?

#37

Post by staplers »

hammock wrote: post #26
SamBam wrote: post #4

I am glad that this continues to be done by hand, and expect, based on Italian attitudes towards food and tradition, that it will continue being done by hand for another hundred years. It is interesting how important it seems to us that jobs like this remain done in the traditional way. For all their expertise, I am sure a technical solution would also easily be able to detect what they are looking for: voids within…

>I am glad that this continues to be done by hand, and expect, based on Italian attitudes towards food and tradition, that it will continue being done by hand for another hundred years. It has been fun watching Starbucks' various attempts at cracking into the Italian market.

As an American, I was never a coffee snob but going to Italy changed that. My god they have it completely mastered.

Re: Why Tap a Wheel of Cheese?

#38

Post by ziofill »

Probably I'm biased because I'm Italian and I grew up eating them, but Parmigiano Reggiano and Grana Padano are hands down the best cheeses there can be. Many people know and consume them only grated on pasta dishes, but they are especially delicious on their own with some good bread or grilled polenta.

Also, the crust can be chopped up and added to risotto (as you're cooking it) and they turn into wonderful little chewy chunks.

Re: Why Tap a Wheel of Cheese?

#39

Post by AngryData »

bluGill wrote: post #32
nancyminusone wrote: post #27

I saw a How it's Made episode about cheeses like this the other day. They mix the ingredients in a giant electric mixer - but dump them in by hand. The inspection is still done by ear with a hammer - but when then need to flip the wheels over every few weeks they have a robot grabber thing do it. Obviously, there's some balance in technology that is about right, but where do you draw the line? Because this could abso…

the problem with automating inspections is humans are good at noticing things that are 'different'. I can make a machine see the common wrong things but if I miss one rare situation that passes bad product. many farmers don't use automated milking machines because you still need a human to inspect each cow and thus the machine doesn't save much labor.

Also the labor is dirt cheap. Ive worked on dairy farms milking cows, 9/10 employees are drunk or addicted to meth, nobody else is going to volunteer to get shit and pissed on for $9 an hour. But the cows don't care if someone is drunk or high on meth.

Re: Why Tap a Wheel of Cheese?

#40

Post by lblume »

taxicabjesus wrote: post #29

There was a time when I was consuming a lot of industrial cheese. I developed a rash on my legs... One day I realized the rash was certainly being caused by my cheap cheese habit. I'm certain it was related to the "vegetarian enzymes" used as an industrial substitute for the traditional animal rennet. I stopped buying the cheap cheese, and my rash went away. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rennet Contaminants are a com…

> I'm certain it was related to the "vegetarian enzymes"

How can you be so certain? I did not find any credible source correlating microbial rennet to rash. Thus I would not rule out that this was simply a coincidence or at least not applicable for most people.

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