Waxing / Mold development
Posted: 30 December 2015 06:07 PM   [ Ignore ]
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Does waxing kill mold on cheese through heat, lack of oxygen, or any other way?

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Posted: 31 December 2015 04:50 AM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 1 ]
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Don’t count on it.  I’ve had problems with mold under wax.  I’m not sure if it’s due to contamination before waxing, or if its due to mini cracks in the wax.  That was the major reason I stopped using wax.  Vacuum sealing works much better for me.

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Posted: 31 December 2015 01:24 PM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 2 ]
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Every time I vacuum pack I end up with visible liquid in the package. Is this to be expected?

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Posted: 31 December 2015 01:45 PM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 3 ]
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No, it should not happen.  It sounds like perhaps you’re not letting it dry long enough before you seal it up.  Your cheese doesn’t have to have the same level of dryness as it would for wax, but there should be no seepage after it is sealed.  It happened to me once, and it turned out to be a contaminated cheese.  The smell was off, indicating bacterial infection.  Otherwise, I’ve not had that problem.  When you sealed your cheese, was some whey pulled out of the cheese, or did it all show up later in the aging?

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Posted: 01 January 2016 08:19 PM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 4 ]
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I think the sealing was forcing it out. It happened soon after sealing. Not off smell when I opened it.

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Posted: 02 January 2016 05:42 AM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 5 ]
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If that is true, then it was too wet when you sealed it.  How long did you let it dry after removing from the mold?  If you remember, that is.  Here is a good place to recommend good record keeping.

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Posted: 03 January 2016 05:46 PM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 6 ]
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My drying time was as recommended for the types of cheeses I have made. I kept ending up with dry cheeses. Could my vacuum simply a little to powerful for this??

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Posted: 03 January 2016 06:15 PM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 7 ]
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The recommendations are just a guideline.  Each make is a bit different.  You need to get a feel for when it’s right.  Another thought:  it could be that it was not sufficiently pressed to expel all the whey.  Or you might increase the cook time so that your curd is a bit drier prior to the press.  It’s going to take some trial and error until you come up with the solution.  But it will be worth the effort.  The vacuum will only pull out excessive whey.  What is locked in the curd should stay there.

But then you mention dry cheese.  I’ve had that problem a lot, especially with cheddar.  I’ve made a lot of adjustments to the process, and now am getting nice moist cheese.  I shortened the ripening time and the cook time, and lowered the temps for both ripening and cooking.  Also, the milk I’m now using is much richer in cream.  I have one drying right now.  It’s been abut 30 hours, but it’s still not quite ready for sealing.

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Posted: 07 January 2016 10:02 AM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 8 ]
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Make sure the cheese has a good salt rub down to prevent mold, its the best way to control the situation, once the mold takes hold then you have to wash with vinegar.

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The Cheese Hole

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