Wiki: Brine Bathing Cheeses

Two 2 kg Gouda's bathing in whey based brine bath.

This Wiki Article discusses temporarily bathing or soaking formed and pressed cheeses. This is normally done after pressing with a high salt content brine. Once in the brine, the cheese begins to absorb the salt and the proteins on the surface of the cheese harden and form the start of the rind. Other Wiki articles on brine are Wiki: Making BrineWiki: Maintaining Brine, and Wiki: Brine For Ripening Cheese. Wiki articles on salt are: Wiki: Salt Types, and Wiki: Salt’s Function.

Brine Exposure

2 kg Havarti bathing in water based brine incorrectly using weight to submerge.
2 kg Havarti bathing in water based brine incorrectly using weight to submerge.

Ideally cheese should be evenly exposed to the same concentration brine on all sides to ensure even brining. In practice there are two obstacles to this:

  1. As cheese is less dense than brine, it is buoyant and will float (similar to an iceberg with 10% above and 90% below the ocean). The result is non-even brining of the cheese and air drying of the surface of the cheese above the brine. If unaddressed this will result in the surface above the brine retaining higher moisture and thus forming a softer poorer rind. To minimize this:
    • After placing cheese in brine, sprinkle exposed area of cheese above brine with salt.
    • Turn cheese once during brining time and sprinkle again with salt on the newly exposed surface.
    • Note, if re-using and thus maintaining brine this extra salt will partially make up for the salt that is absorbed by the cheese.
  2. Cheese that is touching another surface, either the brine tank wall or another cheese, will not evenly absorb salt as i) poor contact with brine and ii) the brine between the cheese and wall/another cheese will become reduced in salt saturation. Thus ensure enough surface-areal room for cheese(s) to float freely away from the brine tank walls and from each other.

Brine Volume

Sprinking dry salt on cheese surfaces above water based brine.
Sprinking dry salt on cheese surfaces above water based brine.

As brining cheese withdraws the salt from the brine, to maintain a reasonably stable % salt, amount of brine should be roughly 5 times the amount of cheese being brined.

Brine Temperature

Brining temperature should be kept constant and around 50-60°F/10-15°C as:

  1. Higher temperatures enable a wider range of spoilage and pathogen type microorganisms to flourish and will also increase salt uptake and moisture loss in the cheese.
  2. Lower temperatures will 1) restrict or kill many of the flavour producing organisms in your cheese, and 2) result in less salt uptake and higher moisture contents in the cheese, making it difficult to develop a rind.
  3. If not constant, salt uptake will be inconsistent and thus cheese making results vary due to a wide range of salt content and moisture levels. Note, in addition to a stable brine temperature, allow fresh cheese(s) to reach this temperature before bathing.
  4. Note, pasta filata (pulled) type cheeses like mozzarella need cold brining to quickly cool the cheese and minimize moisture loss.

Soaking Time

2 kg Havarti after brining, surface indentation from incorrectly using weight to submerge cheese in brine.
2 kg Havarti after brining, surface indentation from incorrectly using weight to submerge cheese in brine.

Normally cheese making procedure dependant and increases with cheese weight/volume, thickness, and density. For example a very hard Parmagiano will require longer than a semi-hard Havarti.

Moving Cheese

As cheese is young, it is fragile, place cheese in brine and remove from brine by lifting from bottom, not by holding/pinching cheese from top as this can result in stress on the cheese above it’s strength and fracturing of the cheese, see Wiki: Turning Cheeses for more information.

Brining Best Practices

To ensure consistent results and tailor your next cheese making batch, record:

  1. Brine volume, density, temperature, and pH before and after brining cheese.
  2. Weight and temperature of cheese before brining.
  3. Duration cheese was in brine bath and amount the cheese was turned to avoid dry areas and promote even brining.
  4. Cheese’s weight after brining.
Two 2 kg Gouda's bathing in whey based brine bath.
Two 2 kg Gouda's bathing in whey based brine bath.

Wiki: Making Brine

Cold household fridge stored saturated water based brine and water based brine ripening feta in plastic containers.

This wiki article discusses making brine which is used in cheese making both temporarily bathing formed pressed cheeses for salting (examples are washed curd cheeses such as Gouda) or permanently brining formed unpressed cheeses during ripening (examples are Feta). Other Wiki articles on brine are Wiki: Brine Bathing CheesesWiki: Maintaining Brine, and Wiki: Brine For Ripening Cheese. Wiki articles on salt are: Wiki: Salt Types, and Wiki: Salt’s Function.

Brine is a combination of water and common NaCl salt, in making cheese other parameters are acidity and calcium levels of brine.

Salt Amount

Cold household fridge stored saturated water based brine and water based brine ripening feta in plastic containers.
Cold household fridge stored saturated water based brine and water based brine ripening feta in plastic containers.

Many cheese making procedures, when using brine for salting cheese, call for brine between 18 & 23% salt. This is because:

  1. The range of brine resistant spoilage and pathogen type microorganisms that can survive in brine increases significantly at less than 16% salt and 18% provides a safety margin. Weak brines are notorious sources of contamination and thus if used, should be disposed of after using and not re-used. Weak brines also result in less moisture loss from the cheese surface, resulting in several possible defects:
    • As less salt, the body of the cheese will be higher water content and thus weaker and softer than desired.
    • Initially soft/swollen cheese from less brine inhibition and a slimy, greasy, or “melting” surface of the newly formed cheese.
    • As less salt in the cheese, the acidity development will be less retarded, resulting in higher acidity (lower pH) will favour the growth of spoilage organisms. For aged type cheeses you can get sticky and discoloured rind patches, varying from straw to bright orange, red or brown. Also, the surface will be prone to show growths of the black or grey mucor molds (poille de chat).
  2. Brines above 23% salt increases the risk that moisture will be lost too rapidly from the surface of the cheese. This can result in a very dehydrated surface layer which may hinder or reduce the further uptake of salt into the body of the cheese to reach the correct % salt in cheese, depending on cheese type.

However, some home type cheese making recipes call for brining with saturated (typically 26% salt at 60°F/15°C) brines. This is because saturated brines:

  1. Are easier to make accurately and maintain than lower % salt brines.
  2. As easier to make accurately they provide an easy standard against which future cheese making batches can be measured.

Brine Additives

Four pound Gouda brining in saturated water based brine in stainless steel stockpot.
Four pound Gouda brining in saturated water based brine in stainless steel stockpot.

Freshly made brines, will when first used for brining a cheese, exhibit cat ion exchange whereby the calcium and hydrogen ions in the cheese surface will transfer to the brine until the brine and cheese reaches equilibrium. This transfer will cause the casein in the cheese surface to absorb water and swell resulting in a soft slimy surface layer that in aged cheeses leads to rind rot during aging. To mitigate this transfer:

  1. Acidify the new brine to a pH of ~5.0, or roughly the same pH as the cheese. This can be done by several methods listed from optimal to least preferable:
    1. Using drained whey instead of water for base of brine.
    2. Adding Citric Acid to water.
    3. Adding Acetic Acid (vinegar) to water.
  2. Add food grade CaCl2 to the brine until reach 0.1%.

Brine Tank

Brine tanks should have the following properties:

  1. Sturdy to avoid failure from the weight and pressure (if large tank) of dense brine fluid.
  2. Be large enough for the brine plus the cheese(s) plus the cheese insertion or removal device (i.e. hand and arm or metal device) plus a free area for mini-waves when placing and removing cheese.
  3. Made of a salt corrosive resistant material, such as plastic or high quality stainless steel. Note, most stainless steel stockpots are not of high enough quality steel to avoid corrosion and also often have easily corrodible aluminum rivets attaching handles.

Making Saturated Brine

Stockpot after used as saturated brine bath tank, handle rivets erroding.
Stockpot after used as saturated brine bath tank, handle rivets erroding.

To make a saturated salt solution:

  1. Boil amount of water you want to make into brine and pour into brine tank.
  2. Add roughly 1 part additive free (non-iodized, no dessicant) NaCl salt for 4 parts boiled water.
  3. Stir until salt is fully dissolved.
  4. Allow brine to cool to ~60°F/15.6°C application temperature or lower if storing. This will result in some salt precipitated back out of solution, demonstrating that brine is saturated.
  5. Add enough vinegar to reach a pH of 5 or to roughly equalize pH with that of cheese, typically 1 teaspoon per US gallon / 1.33 ml per liter water of standard 5% white (clear) vinegar.
  6. Add CaCl2 to reach 0.1% to reduce cat ion exchange, typically 1 tablespoon/US gallon / 4 ml/liter water of 30% CaCl2 solution.

Making Non-Saturated Brine

To make non-saturated Sodium Chloride brine:

  1. Pour amount of cool ~60°F/15.6°C water into brine tank that you want to make into brine.
  2. Choose your desired % Brine from column #1 of the table below.
  3. Determine the corresponding weight of non-iodized NaCl salt you need per unit of water from column #2 or #3.
  4. Scale up the weight of table salt to your volume.
  5. Weigh that amount of salt, pour into water, and stir until dissolved.
  6. Add enough vinegar to reach a pH of 5 or to roughly equalize pH with that of cheese, typically 1 teaspoon per US gallon / 1.33 ml per liter water of standard 5% white (clear) vinegar.
  7. Add 0.1% CaCl2 to reduce cat ion exchange, typically 1 tablespoon/US gallon / 4 ml/liter water of 30% CaCl2 solution.

Notes:

  • In brines, % salt is a measure of the weight of salt divided by the weight of brine, i.e. if you dissolve 1 kg of salt in 5 liters of water, the brine will weigh 6 kg and you will have 1/6 = 16.7% salt brine.
    • Example Metric Calculation: Say you want to make 5 liters of 16% brine. Table below says 0.1905 kg salt/liter water for ~16% brine. Thus combine 5 liters water and 5 x 0.1905 = 0.9525 kg salt and stir until dissolved.
    • Example American Units Calculation: Say you want to make 2 US gallons of 10% brine. Table below says 0.1111 pounds salt/US gallon of water for ~10% brine. Thus combine 2 US gallons water and 2 x 0.1111 = 0.2222 pounds salt and stir until dissolved.
  • When salt is dissolved in water, it makes the resulting volume of brine slightly bigger depending on the amount of salt. For example the above 16% brine examples will be about 5% larger volume that the original amount of water used.
  • A very fresh egg will float in a 20% salt solution and often used as very reliable method in home brine making.

Brine Making Table

The table below is at standard conditions of 60°F/15.6°C and only goes up to 26% as at 26.395% brine is fully saturated (at 60°F) and any additional salt will not dissolve.

% NaCl Salt kg NaCl Salt / liter Water pound NaCl Salt / US gallon Water
0 0 0
2 0.0204 0.17
4 0.0417 0.347
6 0.0638 0.532
8 0.0870 0.724
10 0.1111 0.925
12 0.1364 1.136
14 0.1628 1.356
16 0.1905 1.586
18 0.2195 1.828
20 0.2500 2.082
22 0.2820 2.349
24 0.3158 2.630
26 0.3513 2.926

Wiki: Ash

Versaille, France, Open Air Market, Valencay.

This Wiki Article discusses Ash (Cendré in French, Cenere in Italian) which is often used as a light rind coating or interior layer for France originated soft lactic acid cheeses to create a white mould friendly environment.

Versaille, France, Open Air Market, Valencay.
Versaille, France, Open Air Market, Valencay.

Common examples of ashed cheeses are:

  • Ashed Rind Cow’s Milk: Montbriac, Rochebaron.
  • Ashed Rind Goat’s Milk: Bûche Noir, Coupole, Chevre Cendré, Monte Enebro, Rutulin, Selles sur Cher, Valençay AOC, Wabash Cannonball.
  • Ashed layer in middle of cheese: Cow’s Milk: Morbier AOC.
  • Ashed rind and middle: Goat’s Milk: Humboldt Fog, Monocacy Ash.
  • Aged Under Ash Cow’s Milk: Sottocenere.

Description

Ash is a food grade somewhat tasteless and odorless alkaline charcoal that is often called activated charcoal. It is a form of carbon that has been processed often by partially burning normally hardwood such as oak, vine, mesquite, cherry, or coconut hulls to make it extremely porous and thus to have a very large surface area such that one gram of activated carbon has a surface area of ~500 m2/5400 ft2. The very high porosity makes activated charcoal excellent at adsorption and is frequently used in drinking water filters. Ash was originally made from oak charcoal and comes in several formats, black powder, granules, or pellets.

Modern ash for making cheese is food grade from wood or vegtables and is ground into a fine powder.

Functions

Versaille, France, Open Air Market, Chevre Cendre & Frais.
Versaille, France, Open Air Market, Chevre Cendre & Frais.

Acidity Control

Excessive acidity in cheese can harm the ripening process. Coating cheeses with alkaline ash can somewhat neutralize the surface acidity, aiding ripening and additionally creating a more mold friendly surface for Pencillium candidum or Geotrichum candidum, if used.

Many people find using ash really helps P candidum to grow more evenly and helps to prevent slipskin.

Lactic acid coagulated cheeses often have high acidity and thus the popularity of using ash on them for pH control.

Interior Ash Layer (Fly Control)

French Morbier AOC cheese was historically made from two separate batches of cow’s milk curds from two separate milkings.

To protect the surface of the curds while waiting for the second batch, Morbier makers would sprinkle ash from the firepit onto the curds to protect it from flies. Modern Morbier is made from charcoal in a single batch of curds.

Appearance

Ash coated or interior lined cheeses have a distinctive grey exterior and or interior line appearance.

Application

Application Timing

Immediately after removing cheese from forming hoops and still wet from draining whey.

Application Methods

Versaille, France, Open Air Market, Losange Cendre.
Versaille, France, Open Air Market, Losange Cendre.
  1. Apply by hand by patting the outside of the soft cheese with a moisened hand or food grade glove dabbed in the ash.
  2. Apply by using a powdered sugar duster, available from a confectionery store.

The resultant covering should show plenty of the white cheese. Sometimes ash is mixed with salt before application. As the white Penicillum candidum mold blooms over the ash, the colour of the cheese will change from black spotted to grey.

Safety

The primary safety concerns are skin contact and inhalation in the form of dust. The dust may cause eye irritation, slight skin irritation, and possible respiratory tract irritation that can cause coughing or sneezing. Wash skin thoroughly after handling.

Storage

Ash is a very innert material and will keep a long time if stored dry in a sealed container to keep moisture out, and in a well ventilated area away from strong oxidizers (chlorine, permanganate and ozone, etc.), ignition sources, combustible materials, and heat.

Availability

Commercially Manufactured Product

Purchase “food grade” activated charcoal which is washed several times, sometimes washed with acid, to remove a high percent of the remaining minimal elemental salts make the carbon  highly pure, and thus flavourless. Some sources are:

  • Drugstores.
  • Health food stores.
  • Dietary supplement stores.
  • Cheese making supply stores.

Homemade

You can make several pounds of ash for a few dollars and some labour:

  1. From local store purchase hardwood charcoal used for grilling/BBQ (NOT briquettes, the real deal, mesquite is nice).
  2. Plug in old electric kitchen blender outside (for dust reasons), fill with about 1/3 water, add charcoal (you want to add enough so that final sludge is saturate with charcoal and thus need to remove minimal amount of water) and blend to crunch up large bits.
  3. Puree at high speed for 5-10 minutes.
  4. Take the resulting goo and place container in the microwave. Nuke for 10-15 mins. It will first turn into a sludge, then will turn hard. Other options are an oven or food dehydrator or leave in sun for a few weeks.
  5. Take hard chunk of activated charcoal and mash it up.
Versaille, France, Open Air Market, Morbier.
Versaille, France, Open Air Market, Morbier.
Houston US Grocery Store, US Cypress Grove's Humboldt Fog Chevre.
Houston US Grocery Store, US Cypress Grove's Humboldt Fog Chevre.

To update this Wiki Cheese Making article, please read this.

Wiki: Maintaining Brine

Filtering used brine to remove fine curd particles.

This Wiki Article discusses maintaining and regenerating brine for extended use, versus building a brine for a one time use then disposing. Other wiki brine articles are Wiki: Making Brine, Wiki: Brine Bathing Cheeses, and Wiki: Brine For Preserving Cheese.  

Skimming off foam from reboiled maintained brine.
Skimming off foam from reboiled maintained brine.

If brines are maintained and re-used, they should have an appropriate % salt, be stored properly, and periodically be cleaned and rebuilt.  

Older cheese makers say that you should not dispose of brine but rather just replenish the salt absorbed by the cheese. In today’s climate of higher hygiene, it is advisable to dispose and build a new brine solution periodically.  

Salt %

Re-used brines should be above 16% salt, the minimum for a hostile environment to bacteria. Brines below 16% will become contaminated with unwanted brine resistant bacteria.  

Storing Brine

  1. Store covered to avoid unwanted items falling in.
  2. Store at normal application temperature of -60°F/15.6°C or lower.
  3. Note, do not allow a smear of slime to develop on the sides of the bath above the water line, this will be fat and a habitat for bacterial growth.

Cleaning Brine

Filtering used brine to remove fine curd particles.
Filtering used brine to remove fine curd particles.
  1. Skim the surface of the brine for bits of cheese shortly after each use with a very fine mesh tool such as a plastic swimming pool skimmer or small kitchen sieve.
  2. If cloudy, to clarify, periodically pour or pump used brine through paper towel or cheesecloth lined strainer/colander, toss paper towel, clean cheesecloth. You can also use this as an opportunity to clean the tank and surrounding area.
  3. If in poor shape, then boil the brine to kill off any brine resistant microorganisms such as Listeria.

Rebuilding Brine

Maintained brine’s % salt will decline with time as it is absorbed by the cheeses and thus should be replenished to the % salt required.  

  1. For un-saturated brine, stir in additional non-iodized NaCl salt to bring you back to target % as measured by a salometer.
  2. For saturated brine, re-boil and stir in additional non-iodized NaCl salt until it no longer dissolves, cool to using temperature.
  3. Note, after using newly made brine, pH and calcium level should normally not need to be adjusted, assuming brine is used reasonably frequently.
Boiling old brine to kill any brine resistant micro-organisms, lots of foam.
Boiling old brine to kill any brine resistant micro-organisms, lots of foam.

Wiki: Brine For Ripening Cheese

Mediterranean Store, Vancouver Canada, barrel of Feta in brine without cover.

This Wiki Article discusses brines used for ripening “Aegean Sea” type cheeses such as φέτα/Feta/Fetta, Brinza, Halloumi, Domiati, Nabulsi, Gyptian, Gibna Bayda, Arabian Cheese, Akawi where depending upon recipe, they can be kept for up to 12 months. Brines for these cheeses are normally disposed after the cheese is consumed. There are separate Wiki Articles for making an maintaining brines.

Brine Concentration

Mediterranean Store, Vancouver Canada, barrel of Feta in brine without cover.
Mediterranean Store, Vancouver Canada, barrel of Feta in brine without cover.

Brines used to store these cheeses are normally 16% salt, the minimum for minimizing unwanted bacteria growth.

Higher % salt can be used, but is not required and will make the cheese taste very salty.

Lower % salt will result in a more immediately edible cheese but with shorter shelf life due to unwanted bacteria growth.

Base Fluid

Base fluid options for making brine for ripening cheese are water, a mixture of water and whey, or all whey from making cheese.

Using whey gives the brine a higher calcium component and a lower pH, reducing the need for the addition of CaCl2 and vinegar in newly made brine. The use of whey also makes the brine ripened cheese more flavourful.

Using Brine Ripened Cheese

Mediterranean Store, Vancouver Canada, several retail Feta brands in brine, covered.
Mediterranean Store, Vancouver Canada, several retail Feta brands in brine, covered.

Cheese ripened in 16% brine and used in cooking are fine, but if eaten directly are to most people, very salty to the taste. Methods to reduce the salty taste are:

  1. Remove cheese from brine and soak in fresh water or milk for up to 1 hour before consuming.
  2. Instead of all NaCl salt, use up to 50% KCl (Potassium Chloride) salt.
Feta cheese in water based brine.
Feta cheese in water based brine.
1 US gallon whole cow's milk Feta in water based brine.
1 US gallon whole cow's milk Feta in water based brine.

Wiki: Oiling Rinds

Two 4 pound Gouda's at 30 days age with oiled rinds, one cleaned of mold, second with blue surface mold due to improper aging humidity.

This Wiki Article discusses oiling formed cheese rinds, normally during aging. Fresh fresh formed and unformed cheeses are not oiled. Formed cheeses during aging are commonly either natural rinds, vacuum bag sealed rinds, or waxed rinds. Historically waxing was empoyed after aging to reduce damage during shipping (ie Dutch Gouda & Edam). Vacuum bag sealing is a modern invention.

The primary advantage to natural rinds is that the rind enables the cheese to breath during aging, which is good. However there are two disadvantages depending on the cheese type, dehydration which if high results in a very dry hard cheese, and if rapid can result in surface stress cracks from uneven shrinking, and unwanted surface molds.

Oiling surfaces of cheeses during aging can aid as barrier to excessive dehydration. To manage unwanted surface molds during aging, three methods are used, i) developing a low moisture content rind (normally done during pressing, and augmented by dry salting or brining rinds and air drying), ii) having a high salinity rind (normally from initial and in some cheese types repeated dry salting rinds, and by brining cheeses (ie Gouda & Edam)), and iii) by oiling rinds. Different oil types and their pros and cons for rinds are discussed in the Wiki: Oil Types article.

Oiling Goals

Two 4 pound Gouda's at 30 days age with oiled rinds, one cleaned of mold, second with blue surface mold due to improper aging humidity.
Two 4 pound Gouda's at 30 days age with oiled rinds, one cleaned of mold, second with blue surface mold due to improper aging humidity.

Oiling rinds is a very popular rind development method due to its simplicity and minimal equipment. The goal of oiling is over several coatings to create a firm sturdy protective layer or seal through the long cheese aging phase such that i) unwanted surface microorganisms are kept at bay and ii) it is easier to control the moisture content of the cheese from dehydration.

Note:

  • Using this method on small cheeses this will result in less pate to rind ratio. Once you build a hard rind it’s like a bowling ball, nothing bothers it, and it can be aged for years, albeit with periodic oilings.
  • In general, moist lightly pressed washed curd type cheeses such as Gouda and Edam should not be oiled but instead waxed or vacuum sealed. This is because these types of cheeses have a high pH early in the aging process and a lot of food on their surface and thus have a high potential for yeast to grow.

Application Method

Common application methods are:

  • Dip a wad of cloth or disposable paper towel in the oil, dab it on the rind, then wipe the excess off.
  • Pour a little oil on cheese and then use hands to spread thoroughly all over cheese, wipe off any excess.

Application Amount

Oil should be applied very lightly to the rind so that it quickly soaks into and conditions the outer layer of the rind. Excess oil should be polished off as over applying oil will create a slick on the cheese and with time can produce a rancid flavor.

Application Frequency

Several oils used on rinds to protect against moisture loss and against unwanted surface micro-organisms.
Several oils used on rinds to protect against moisture loss and against unwanted surface micro-organisms.

After pressing and air drying, cheeses should initially be aged for 7-10 days with a natural rind to enable the cheese to dry and mature and for the rind to toughen before oiling to seal the rind. Oiling too early with cheese still moist can result in yeast injections.

Oil should be applied repeatedly, initially about every week until it forms a skin and then monthly for long-term aging.

In between oilings, the cheese should be rubbed with dry salt to aid in obtaining an impervious barrier.

Wiki: Oil Types

Several oils used on rinds to protect against moisture loss and against unwanted surface micro-organisms.

This Wiki Article discusses different oil types use to oil rinds of aged cheeses. Oiling cheeses is, along with having a rind with high salt and low moisture, a traditional method of protecting cheeses from unwanted surface micro-organisms. Why, frequency, and methods of applying oil to rinds are discussed in the Wiki: Oiling Rinds article.

Selection of oil type for aging oiled rind cheeses is a personal preference, any edible oil (when used in moderation) with relatively long shelf life before oxidizing and going rancid will work. Oxidation can be mitigated by adding citric acid to the oil. Saturated fats like tallow or lard are the most resistant to rancidity. Mostly monounsaturated oils like olive oil and canola oil have long life before going rancid. Mostly polyunsaturated oils like grape seed oil go rancid quickly.

The following list is of oil types and their pros and cons effects, listed from most to least popular.

Olive Oil

Several oils used on rinds to protect against moisture loss and against unwanted surface micro-organisms.
Several oils used on rinds to protect against moisture loss and against unwanted surface micro-organisms.
Olive Oil is about 75% monounsaturated oil (liquid at room temperature and semisolid or solid when refrigerated).

  • Extra Light Olive Oil imparts a light flavor.
  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil imparts a strong fruity flavor.
  • Herb infused olive oils will impart additional flavors. Basil is good for stronger cheeses, dill or crushed fennel for milder cheeses.

Rapeseed Oil

Rapeseed (canola) oil is about 58% monounsaturated and imparts a mostly neutral aroma and flavor.

Peanut Oil

Peanut oil, slight odor and flavor.

Butter

Butter has heavy saturated fats that last a long time before going rancid. However butter also contains proteins that over time degrade causing the oil to go rancid and thus it is not popular for oil sealing cheese rinds.

Butter does impart a popular buttery flavor.

Clarified Butter / Ghee

Clarified butter (commonly known as Ghee in India) is unsalted butter that has the milk solids and water removed so all that remains is pure liquid golden-yellow butterfat. The heavy saturated fats in clarified butter make it last a long time before going rancid. As clarifying removes the protein, it is comparable to lard.

As the process of clarifying the butter removes the milk solids, clarified butter imparts a light less rich buttery flavor than regular unsalted butter. But it can provide a nutty caramely “beurre noisette” aroma and flavor depending on how much the butter was cooked in the clarifying process.

Clarified butter or Ghee is available commercially or can be made at home from unsalted butter from recipes on the web.

Lard

Two 4 pound Gouda's at 30 days age with oiled rinds, one cleaned of mold, second with blue surface mold due to improper aging humidity.
Two 4 pound Gouda's at 30 days age with oiled rinds, one cleaned of mold, second with blue surface mold due to improper aging humidity.
Lard (pig fat), is about 40% monounsaturated fat and comparable to clarified butter.

Grape Seed Oil

Grape seed oil is high in polyunsaturates which can quickly go rancid thus it is only good for short aged cheeses as it will leave off flavors in cheeses aged for several months.

Sesame Seed Oil

Sesame seed oil has similar longevity issues to grape seed oil, it imparts a sesame flavor and additionally darkens the rind.

Other Oils

  • Soy Bean Oil
  • Avocado Oil, mostly monounsaturated fat.

Wiki: Aging Phase

This wiki article discusses the aging phase of making cheese, thus non-aged “fresh” cheeses are not discussed. Aging is the art of aging a shaped cheese, which depending on cheese type and age wanted can vary from weeks to years. Other common names for aging the French word affinage and ripening. However ripening is the process from start to end of making and aging cheese thus ripening or to ripen is sometimes used for the curd making phase of making cheese and sometimes for the affinage or aging phase.

General

Aging at warmer than recommended temperatures such as 60F will age faster and often develop undesireable aftertaste from bitter peptides.

During this time, bacteria continue to grow in the cheese and change its chemical composition, resulting in flavor and texture changes in the cheese. The type of bacteria active at this stage in the cheesemaking process and the length of time the cheese is aged determine the type and quality of cheese being made.

Sometimes an additional microbe is added to a cheese. Blue veined cheeses are inoculated with a Penicillium spore which creates their aroma, flavor and bluish or greenish veining. Such cheeses are internally moulded and ripen from the inside out. On the other hand, cheeses such as Camembert and Brie have their surfaces treated with a different type of Penicillium spore which creates a downy white mould (known as a bloomy or flowery rind): this makes them surface ripened cheeses.

Many surface ripened cheeses have their surfaces smeared with a bacterial broth. With others the bacteria is in the atmosphere of the curing chambers. These cheeses are called washed rind varieties as they must be washed regularly during their ripening period (longer than for Camembert or Brie) to prevent their interiors drying out. The washings also help promote an even bacterial growth across the surfaces of the cheeses. As this washing can be done with liquids as diverse as salt water and brandy, it also plays a part in the final flavor of the cheese.

Wiki: Air Drying

Food grade plastic mats with capilliary forces holding water between threads resulting in poor air drying of bottom's of cheeses.

This article discusses air drying which entails drying the freshly formed cheese ia evaporation to air to remove excess moisture from the surface and thereby form a dehydrated rind that can better withstand unwanted molds and yeasts. Note, pressed cheeses include those that are pressed with an external weight or if large via their own internal weight, also some such as washed curd Gouda types are brined after pressing before being air-dried. 

For hobby and small commercial cheese makers, air drying is performed by placing the young cheese(s) on a mat at room temperature typically for 2-3 days such that moisture is evaporated into the air is enable and the cheese is periodically turned to maintain it’s shape and enable even drying of all sides. Commercially, this phase is accelerated by cold air being blown on the young cheeses. 

Note, removal of a small amount of water from the cheese naturally results in similar small amount of shrinkage. 

Air Drying Method

1 pound cheese, surface initiated fissures after 3 days improper air drying in 37 F very low humidity kitchen fridge.
1 pound cheese, surface initiated fissures after 3 days improper air drying in 37 F very low humidity kitchen fridge.

The primary problem is to obtain the right speed and amount of drying, the variables being cheese size and moisture content, and air humidity, movement and temperature. 

Not enough evaporation and the cheese’s surface will stay moist and be a base for molds and yeasts. Conversely too fast will result in uneven moisture content across the cheese, the outer rind will dehydrate rapidly resulting in shrinkage while the middle stays moist and does not shrink. This results in tension stress around the surface and compression in the middle of the cheese, somewhat similar to a football but on a much smaller stress scale. 

The problem here is that cheese has very poor tensile strength and if this stress is excessive, dried too quickly, then the cheese will split in one or several places to relieve the stress. This splits will often result in deep fissure type defects as the moister middle of the cheese has even less tensile strength than the dehydrated surface. An example common environment causing this problem is air drying in household kitchen cold and low humidity fridge, even if in a higher humidity vegetable or cheese drawer. Solutions to this splitting are discussed in the Wiki: Defects articles. 

Air Drying Base

Food grade plastic mats with capilliary forces holding water between threads resulting in poor air drying of bottom's of cheeses.
Food grade plastic mats with capillary forces holding water between threads resulting in poor air drying of bottom's of cheeses.

A second common problem is how to enable the base or bottom side of cheese to dry. 

Placing cheeses on an impermeable surface such as plastic or china plates is the worst as the bottom will stay completely wet and whey as it is expelled will puddle, resulting in a severe location for molds and yeasts to start. 

At the other extreme, drying cheeses on widely spaced metal racks will result in the best circulation of air and thus drying of the bottom of the cheese, but depending on cheese hardness and wire spacing will often result in less aesthetically pleasing deep deformation “dent” lines in the young soft cheese. 

In between these two extremes are cloth and mats. Cloth and closely spaced mats also do not work well, while they let the cheese breath, capillary forces will often hold water in the mesh, a location for molds and yeast. Mats if close spaced weave will also do the same, see samples in picture at right where only the right widely spaced “thread count” mat avoids this problem and is recommended, but only when placed on a wire rack to allow good air flow beneath it. Placing a cheese on any mat on an impermeable plate will still pool whey. 

Air Drying Time & Temperature

2 kg Gouda with oil-pepper-cocoa rind, blue mold on bottom resulting from poor mat selection and poor air ventilation below mat as on impermeable surface.
2 kg Gouda with oil-pepper-cocoa rind, blue mold on bottom resulting from poor mat selection and poor air ventilation below mat as on impermeable surface.

Air drying is completed when the whey completely stops draining and the cheese’s surface is dry. At what length of time and temperature is a more difficult discussion given the range of sizes and moisture contents of cheese, and range of air temperatures and humidity levels. 

That said, normal recipe air drying time before aging to obtain a good dry rind is 1-3 days at average house temperatures of 72°F/21°C and ~70-75% humidity, assuming minimal air movement, i.e. not in front of an open window or fan. 

Temperatures above and below that will require less or more air drying time than the recipe. If room temperatures are significantly above that (ie summer or if in tropics) then best to air dry in fridge but then have to be very sensitive to rapid drying of rind from low humidity and cracking of rind, ie turn twice per day and inspect for cracks. 

Higher humidity levels significantly above 75% will require longer time, below 60% may result in cracking as described above and thus the cheese should be partially enclosed to obtain an optimum humidity level, such as by covering the cheese with a loose fitting bowl.

Wiki: Turning Cheeses

Turning gravity whey draining Camembert hoops, quick lift - turn - drop like turning a pancake.

This Wiki Article discusses the practice of turning or flipping a cheese normally upside down, which occurs at several cheese making steps depending on cheese type and recipe. Soft non-formed cheeses like yogurt and cream cheese are not turned. While a relatively simple subject there are some best procedures which if not followed can result in damage or defects to the cheese.

For all the Descriptions, Reasons, Methods, and Frequencies detailed below i) keep records for next cheese make of same cheese type, and ii) do not “sweat” attaining the exact time to turn, high accuracy is not critical. 

Turning Unpressed Cheeses During Forming

Turning gravity whey draining Camembert hoops, quick lift - turn - drop like turning a pancake.
Turning gravity whey draining Camembert hoops, quick lift - turn - drop like turning a pancake.

Description

Soft formed cheeses such as when making Camembert, Feta, or Ricotta are normally turned during draining in unpressed type mold or hoop.

Reason

To enable gravity to provide:

  • An evenly shaped versus lopsided shaped cheese for proper development and for better aesthetics.
  • Even moisture, fat, and protein distribution throughout the cheese and thus proper development of the cheese.

Method

  1. If using unpressed draining mold such as for Ricotta or Feta making, then turn mold upside down and catch cheese in hand and then drop cheese back into the mold but top down, turned.
  2. If using hoops such as for Camembert making, to hold curds together and avoid cheese going lopsided, place second mat over top of hoop, hold mat-hoop-mat sandwich with both hands, then lift quickly into air, then cheese is “weightless”, quickly turn the cheese then lower and allow cheese to slide down inside hoop. Similar to single handed flipping a pancake in a frying pan.

For both methods, initially on first turn the cheese will be soft and poorly formed but will gain firmer shape as drained further.

Frequency

If no turning schedule in recipe then turn after ½ hour, 1 hour, 2 hours, 5 hours, 12 hours, 24 hours, 3 days, etc.

Turning During Brine Bathing Cheeses

1 kg Havarti #1, Surface Stress Crack From Improper Top Pinch Lifting By Hand Out Of Brine - CheeseForum.org
1 kg Havarti #1, Surface Stress Crack From Improper Top Pinch Lifting By Hand Out Of Brine - CheeseForum.org

Description

Some cheese making recipes such as Gouda’s use brine bathing as a method salting cheeses and building a dehydrated hard rind as protection against surface molds. Cheeses during brining are periodically turned.

Reason

As cheese is less dense than brine, during brining the cheese floats with the top above the surface of the brine similar to an iceberg where 10% is above the surface and 90% is in the sea. Here the cheese should be periodically turned to ensure even brining and thus even rind development of all surfaces.

Method

The easiest is to push cheese down into the brine and turn under the brine before resurfacing. Cheeses can also be lifted up out of the brine and turned and replaced into the brine, but if done they should be lifted from the bottom and thus placed in compression as pinching the top of a cheese to lift it can result in tears in the oft young cheese as it weak in tension.

Frequency

If no turning schedule in recipe then if brine bathing for days, turn minimum every half day, if small ~2 pound/1 kg cheeses and brining for few hours, then turn every hour.

Turning Cheeses During Pressing

Description

 

Reason

 

Method

As cheese is moist and weak in tension yet strong in compression, lift cheese from bottom and turn with hands, do not pinch and lift vertically as cheese is weak in tension and can crack.

Frequency

If no turning schedule in recipe then turn after 1/2 hour, 2 hours, 4 hours, 8 hours, 1 day, etc depending on duration of pressing.

Turning Cheeses During Air Drying And Aging

Description

Cheeses after forming are commonly air dried and then aged during which the cheeses are turned, common examples are Gouda and Edam.

Reason

The reasons for turning formed cheeses during air drying and aging are to:

  • During air drying to allow all surfaces of the cheese in early aging days to dry evenly and to minimize the cheese having a damp bottom and high risk of yeast infection developing on the bottom against the draining mat or board.
  • During aging to minimize gravity causing a lopsided pear shaped cheese resulting in:
    • Uneven moisture, fat, and protein distribution throughout the cheese and improper development of the cheese.
    • Aesthetically unpleasing cheese.

Method

When young and cheese is moist, as strong in compression, lift cheese from bottom and turn with hands, do not pinch and lift vertically as cheese is weak in tension and can crack. As cheese ages and looses moisture it generally has more tensile strength and can withstand more robust handling.

Frequency

If no turning schedule in recipe then turn after 2 hours, 6 hours, 12 hours, 24 hours, 3 days, 1 week etc.

Wiki: Dry Salting Rinds

Four 10 cm diameter Camemberts after dry salting.

This Wiki Article discusses dry salting cheese rinds, a procedure normally performed after forming the cheese and before air drying and aging. This salting method is commonly used with mold ripened cheeses such as Camembert & Brie and with washed-rind type cheeses. 

For the dry salt to be absorbed by the formed cheese, it must first dissolve and form a brine at the cheese’s surface after which it then diffuses into the cheese. As reviewed in the Wiki: Salt’s Function article, the % salt content in the type of cheese being made is critical. Thus it is important to understand the six main factors that control this method of salting cheese. 

Ambient Humidity

Soft rind dry salted type cheeses, are aged in high ~95% ambient humidity environment after dry salting. The high humidity is to prevent excessive evaporation of moisture from the surface of the cheese which would result in a dehydrated dense and tough rind being formed. Further these cheese types normally must remain with a high moisture content at their surface to enable their surface growth of molds, yeasts, and bacteria and in time their growth into the center of the cheese. 

For hard rinded cheeses, the ambient humidity is held relatively low @ 85% to encourage expelled whey to be evaporated resulting in a dehydrated surface layer of cheese, the start of the rind development process. Repeated applications of dry salt to hard rinded cheeses result in a steadily increasing dehydrated layer. 

Cheese Size

Four 10 cm diameter Camemberts after dry salting.
Four 10 cm diameter Camemberts after dry salting.

Generally, the cheese making procedure dictates the size of the formed cheese (good examples are generally uniform sized Camembert’s and Brie’s), and thus the procedures amount and method of applying the salt is matched to the size. 

However, if deviating in size of cheese, consideration should be given to the number of applications of dry salt and thus also the time to allow the cheese to reach it’s salt % content target range. 

Note, for large cheeses this becomes a problem because in time the build up of a dense hard layer from repeated dry salting the cheese’s surface will inhibit further salty brine uptake into the cheese and the dry salt will no longer be absorbed resulting in a cheese with sub-optimal % salt content. It is for this reason that large rinded wheels of cheese are often brine salted first, and then their rinds dry salted to i) reach the target % salt content and ii) to develop their hard rinds. 

Cheese Temperature

As with dry salting curds, the temperature of the cheese will be a controlling factor of the salt’s absorption rate. However their is ample time to absorb the salt while the fresh cheese is drying so this is not normally an issue and thus the temperature during dry salting more a function of the cheese’s drying and aging requirements. 

Salt Type

Standard sodium chloride, NaCl salt is used. It should be coarse granular sized rather than very fine to slow down the speed of dissolving into brine and absorption into the cheese. As with high temperatures, fine salt can result in a rapid flush of whey and fat which can wash away other salt before being absorbed resulting in incorrect salt % content of the cheese type being made. Different types of salt are discussed in the Wiki: Salt Types article. 

Salt Amount

As reviewed in the Wiki: Salt’s Function article, final salt content of the cheese type you are making is critical. Thus follow the cheese making procedure accurately on amount/weight of salt being applied versus weight of final cheese(s). If making several cheeses such as Camemberts in one make, ensure salt is allocated evenly. 

Salt Application

There are two salt application methods for dry salting rind cheeses: 

  1. For soft rind type cheeses, sprinkle measured amount of dry salt onto the whole rind including sides. Care should be taken to ensure the salt does not land off the cheese otherwise sub-optimal % slat content will be obtained.
  2. For hard rind type cheeses, rub dry salt onto the rind.

Wiki: Pressing Cheeses

Two 1.5-2 kg final cheese weight Kadova brand Gouda shaped pressing molds with formed mesh nets and mesh lined followers.

This article discusses pressing cheeses which is primarily performed on rennet coagulated lower moisture content aged cheeses after curds are prepared, (steps dependent on cheese type being made). Many cheeses have whey drained by gravity either by hanging the prepared curds in cheese cloth or by placing in a mold, these are not discussed in this article. Pressed cheese are in general pressed by placing the prepared curds in a cheese cloth lined hoop, on top of a draining mat, then placing a follower on top of the curds and then placing weights on top of the follower.

Pressing Goals

0.5 kg Gouda cheese pressing in homemade hoop and cloth bag shaped liner, expelled whey needs to be drained.
0.5 kg Gouda cheese pressing in homemade hoop and cloth bag shaped liner, expelled whey needs to be drained.

The goals of pressing the prepared curds are to:

  • Reform a large cheese shaped drier curd, normally without any voids.
  • To dehydrate the curd at the surface and form a tough rind that is less susceptible to unwanted micro-organisms.
  • To knit the curds into a homogeneous cheese.

Some cheeses when manufactured in large wheels such as Stilton are not externally pressed, but are effectively pressed under their own weight. Making smaller artisan or hobby sized wheels of these cheeses often requires light pressing. Some cheeses such as washed curd Gouda’s need only light pressure versus some like cheddar require high pressure to form a knit. However, Dutch cheese makers of old pressed their large wheels with high pressures not to form a knit but to form a very dry and hard environmentally resistant rind as they had poor control of the weather and thus poor control of their aging environment.

Hoops & Molds

In gravity draining whey from cheese, commonly a thin mold or hoop and mats are used. In pressed cheeses the form is often called a hoop as it was historically in the shape of a round hoop as that shape was better to withstand the sometimes high hoop stresses from the applied weights.

Inside a cloth liner was placed inside the hoop in hold the initially moist and soft curds, but modern manufacturing has enabled more heavy-duty mold type devices with integrated bottoms and form fitted mesh liners and lids.

Pressing Method

Two 1.5-2 kg final cheese weight Kadova brand Gouda shaped pressing molds with formed mesh nets and mesh lined followers.
Two 1.5-2 kg final cheese weight Kadova brand Gouda shaped pressing molds with formed mesh nets and mesh lined followers.

The following is the standard method for pressing cheeses, it will vary depending on hoop or mold type and on cheese type.

  1. A hoop, commonly with small holes to enable whey expulsion is placed on some sort of mat that additionally allows whey to flow out of the bottom of the cheese.
  2. Inside the hoop a cloth is placed to initially hold the curds so that they aren’t extruded out the holes.
  3. The prepared curds are placed in the cloth and a round disk-shaped “follower” placed on top of the curds.
  4. While pushing down on the follower, the cloth is pulled up straight all the way around the sides to minimize wrinkle-fold lines in the sides of the cheese.
  5. Initially a light weight is applied on top of follower to apply a light pressure. Going light at first gives the excess whey in the interior time to move out of the cheese before the curds at the edge are dehydrated effectively sealing the whey inside the cheese, a location for unwanted micro-organisms to grow. If heavy weight/high pressure was applied initially then i) the fresh very soft curd can be extruded up around the follower or out of weep holes if no liner is used, and ii) the curds at the surface would rapidly dehydrate forming a barrier to further whey expulsion.
  6. After a short period, the very sort formed single curd is removed from the cloth and turned and replaced. Again while pushing down on the follower pull the cloth up verticlly aroound the circumference of the formed curd and then apply a heavier pressure. This is to i) enable the previously top of cheese to also form a slightly dehydrated layer and ii) enable a more uniform shaped and moisture content cheese to be created, iii) to minimize the curds impregnating and sticking to the cloth, and iv) to minimize cloth wrinkle-fold lines on side of the forming cheese.
  7. The above step is repeated with steadily longer times between turnings and with steadily higher pressures, depending on the cheese type and recipe-procedure.

Notes:

  • Some cheese makers only use the cloth lining for the initial light pressings to minimize the cloth imprint around the sides of the cylinder during higher pressure pressings.
  • Some cloths are sewn to snuggly fit the inside of the hoop and thereby reduce ridge lines around the periphery of the cheese.

Presses

Final pressing two 4 lb Gouda's in Kadova Brand molds using stepladder and large bucket of paint as weights.
Final pressing two 4 lb Gouda's in Kadova Brand molds using stepladder and large bucket of paint as weights.

Presses range from the simple improvised (exercise hand weight, jugs of water, step-ladder balanced one end on the hoop) to highly leveraged or geared machines to modern pneumatic (air powered) machines and are the subject of a future separate article.

Tricks & Traps

Common tricks and traps in pressing cheeses are:

  • Sticking of the curds to the cheesecloth of hoops or to the mesh liner in some molds, this normally occurs when the curds pH is too low or when the weave is too coarse and the pressed curds are imbedded into the cloth. Solutions are to turn the cheese a few times in the first couple of hours to build up a good rind, use a tighter weave, and additionally if required to soak the cloth or nets with warm whey with addition of Calcium Chloride (warmth helps curds to knit) or to spray with a salt/vinegar/CaCl2 solution. If required the cloth liner can be additionally sprayed between cheese turnings while in the press.

Wiki: Breaking Or Cutting The Curd

Rennet coagulated cow's milk, starting to cut curd with bread knife Curd Cutter.

This article discusses how to break or cut the coagulated milk, a critical process in making cheese. When to break or cut the curd is discussed in the article Wiki: Curds, When to Cut.

When the milk first coagulates, it has a natural tendency to contract and expel whey. This property is called syneresis and it depends on several factors, the largest being surface area of the coagulum or curd. Small surface area versus volume of the coagulum results in slower and less whey expulsion, larger surface area results in faster/more whey expulsion. The purpose of cutting or breaking the curd is to increase it’s surface area and thereby increase it’s expulsion of whey and reduce the water content of the curds and in the final cheese.

Lactic Acid Coagulated Cheeses

Light Cream Cheese primarily lactic acid coagulated cow's milk, ladling in to muslin sock for gravity draining.
Light Cream Cheese primarily lactic acid coagulated cow's milk, ladling in to muslin sock for gravity draining.

Lactic acid coagulated cheeses commonly employ three different methods to break or cut the coagulum depending on cheese type:

  • Some cheeses such as Quark are broken by simply stirring the coagulum.
  • Some cheese such as Cream Cheese are ladled directly from the coagulum in the vat into the cheese cloth or molds without being cut or stirred.
  • Some cheeses such as Cottage Cheese are cut with wire knives similar to rennet coagulated cheeses.

Rennet Coagulated Cheeses

Rennet coagulum’s are normally cut into similar size particles, the size and shape varies depending on the type of cheese being made. Smaller cut curds generally result in drier cheese, larger in moister cheese. The cutting patterns listed below have been refined over centuries of cheese making to allow the right amount of whey to be expelled for that type of cheese. Ideally every curd particle is of the same size to:

  • Create a uniform cheese, large range in cut curd sizes will result in areas of high and low moisture content in the cheese. High moisture can result in sour or fermented areas.
  • Create uniform temperature among the cut curds, especially if cooking the curds. Different sized cut curds will heat at different rates resulting in different internal temperatures which will cause differing whey expulsion and acid production rates.

Method: Cubed Cutting

Rennet coagulated cow's milk, starting to cut curd with bread knife Curd Cutter.
Rennet coagulated cow's milk, starting to cut curd with bread knife Curd Cutter.

Cutting of the coagulum into cubes is the most common system and used for making many cheeses. Cut sizes range from 6-25 mm / 0.25-1 inch cubes, for example Cheddar normally requires 1 cm / 3/8″ cubes. To cut the cubes, commercial cheese makers normally use rectangular shaped Curd Cutters or Harps or Curd Knife with evenly spaced wires. Two of these tools are normally used, the first with horizontal wires to cut the coagulum into horizontal sheets, the second with vertical wires to cut vertically into horizontal square rods and then again vertically but at 90 degrees to create the cubes. Generally a cross-hatched grid curd cutter is only used for large sized cut curds, as for smaller it generally tears the curd into irregular sized pieces as the forces on the curd are too great.

These professional Curd Cutters are normally built to match the size and shape of the large volume vat. Home/hobby small scale cheese makers commonly use a large stockpot for their vat. For them, a common workaround is to use a long thin food grade object as a Curd Knife and:

  • First, slice the curd vertically into parallel even thickness sheets.
  • Second, slice the curd again vertically but perpendicular, at 90 degrees to the first row, resulting in vertical square rods of curd.
  • Third, slice a third row of cuts but at 45 degrees to the first two rows of vertical cuts and with the curd knife tilted at 45 degrees from vertical to form “diamond” shaped cut curds.
  • Fourth, a row of cuts at 90 degrees to the previous 45 degree row and with knife still tilted at 45 degrees, to fully and reasonably evenly form the cut curds.
  • Fifth, circle the knife around the edge of vat to detach cut curd from vat.

Common kitchen examples for a stockpot Curd Knife are: Bread Knife, Cake Knife, or Icing Spatula. Note, if the tool is too thick (like a metal cookie cooling rack) then the curd will be torn rather than cut.

Method: Rice Cutting

Rennet coagulated cow's milk rested 10 minutes after cutting into diamonds.
Rennet coagulated cow's milk rested 10 minutes after cutting into diamonds.

Drier type cheeses like Swiss normally have the coagulum cut into rice sized pieces using a “Spino” harp shaped tool. Often this is improvised in home/hobby cheese making by using a large metal whisk.

Method: Italian Cutting

An egg shaped device for Italian cheeses. Again, this is often improvised in home/hobby cheese making by using a large metal whisk.

Method: Partial Cutting

Camembert cheese making uses only parallel vertical cuts and sometimes 90 degree parallel vertical cuts resulting in long square rods of cut curd. This is normally done with a long single cutting knife or sword. The partially cut curd is then horizontally cut by a tool called a Pelle or with a flat ladle when removing the cut curds from the vat and placing them into the gravity draining hoops.

Wiki: Dry Salting Curds

Four 10 cm diameter Camemberts after dry salting.

This article discusses the five main factors that control the dry salting of curds method of salting cheese, curd size and temperature, and salt type, amount, and application method. Many cheese making recipes or procedures call for dry salting cut curds after cooking or washing and draining whey and before forming the cheese by placing the cut curds in molds to drain or in hoops for pressing.

US Made Morton Brand Non-Iodized Canning & Pickling Salt
US Made Morton Brand Non-Iodized Canning & Pickling Salt

As reviewed in the Wiki: Salt’s Function article the salt % content in the type of cheese being made is critical, thus it is important to understand the factors that control dry salting curds.

For salt to be absorbed by the curd it must first dissolve and form a brine at the cut curd surface after which it then diffuses into the curd.

Curd Size

Ideally you want all the curd pieces, whether cut or milled, to have the same size so that the same amount of salt is absorbed and the same amount of whey expelled, resulting in a uniform cheese.

Large curd pieces are of special concern as they will result in high moisture and low salt content which can result in sour and fermented defects.

Curd Temperature

Curd temperature during direct dry salting should be between 87-92°F/31-33°C.

Higher temperatures result in a higher flush of whey which will:

  1. Carry away salt before it can be absorbed resulting in the cheese having sub-optimal salt % content.
  2. Carry away excess fat resulting in a greasy/seamy texture.

Temperatures below this range can result in a limited flush of whey and thus a limited brine forming around the curd pieces resulting in lower, sub-optimal uptake of salt.

Salt Type

US made Morton brand 25 pound bag of non-iodized Table Salt with anticaking sodium silicoaluminate
US made Morton brand 25 pound bag of non-iodized Table Salt with anticaking sodium silicoaluminate

Salt types are discussed in the article Salt Type’s, A To Z. For dry salting curds, standard dry crystalline non-iodized no anticaking additive sodium chloride salt is used.

It should be coarse granular sized (not rock or kosher grain size salt) rather than very fine to slow down the speed of dissolving into brine and absorption into the curds. As with high temperatures, fine gained salt can result in a rapid flush of whey and fat which can wash away other salt before being absorbed resulting in incorrect salt % content of the cheese type being made.

Salt Amount

As reviewed in the Salt’s Function, A to Z article, final salt content of the cheese type being made is critical. Thus follow the cheese making procedure accurately on amount/weight of salt being applied versus weight of final cheese(s).

Salt Application Method

Generally, rather than in one large application, dry salt should be sprinkled onto cut or milled curds in several equal increments with gentle stirring or mixing in between. This is for the same reason as correct temperatures and coarse grained salt are optimal, to slow down the rate of salt absorption into the curds.

The gentle stirring or mixing helps to distribute the salty whey fully around the curd pieces rather than just where the salt is applied. Note, excessive or rough stirring is not recommended as it will result in smaller pieces of curds and a larger unwanted size distribution of the curds.

Two to three such increments spaced ~10 minutes apart are common. After the last salting, the curds should be allowed to rest for ~10 minutes to stabilize before proceeding to the next step in the cheese making procedure, normally forming the cheese.

Wiki: Salt Types

US 1 Pound Rock Salt

Chemically there are many types of salts, the ones used in cheese making are common household eating salt, a mineral composed primarily of Sodium Chloride (chemical abbreviation is NaCl) and is essential for human and animal life. Salt is usually produced from evaporating sea water or by mining ancient seabed rock deposits. It is manufactured into different forms:  

  • Raw sea salt which is bitter due to magnesium and calcium compounds and thus is rarely eaten. These are common in bathing additives and cosmetic products.
  • Refined salt which is ~99% Sodium Chloride.
  • Refined flourinated and/or iodized and/or anticaking salt.

Flourinated Salt

US Made Morton Brand Iodized Salt - CheeseForum.org
US Made Morton Brand Iodized Salt

Flourinated salt is manufactured in some countries to promote dental health. The effect of this type of salt used in making cheese is unknown.  

Iodized Salt

Iodized or iodised salt is regular crystalline NaCl salt mixed with a minute amount of various iodine-containing salts such as potassium iodide, sodium iodide, or sodium iodate. Many commercially manufactured table type salts are iodized to help prevent iodine deficient diseases in humans such as mental retardation and thyroid gland problems such as goiter.  

However, iodine also will retard or kill the growth of the cultures in cheese and thus should not be used in making cheese.  

This can be an issue in some countries where all manufactured table salt is iodized by law. However often in those countries special non-iodized “canning and pickling” salt is often manufactured for making brine used in pickling vegetables as iodine can be oxidized by the foods and darken them.  

Anticaking Salt

US Made Kroger Brand Non-Iodized Free Flowing Kitchen Salt - CheeseForum.org
US Made Kroger Brand Non-Iodized Free Flowing Kitchen Salt

Many manufactured salts are anticaking and are often labeled as “Free Flowing” or “Table Salt” as they are made with NaCl salt and anticaking ingredients such as sodium aluminosilicate, sodium ferrocyanide, potassium ferrocyanide, calcium carbonate, or magnesium carbonate. These additives prevent the formation of lumps caused by moisture “melting” salt crystals together and thus provide easier packaging, transportation, and consumption.  

Some anticaking agents are soluble in water; others are soluble in alcohols or other organic solvents. They function either by absorbing excess moisture, or by coating particles and making them water-repellent, calcium silicate, adsorbs both water and oil. Anticaking agents are also commonly used in manufactured cake mixes, powdered sugar, non-dairy creamers, dry cheese products, and many other dry mixes.  

Because of the properties listed above, anticaking salts should not be used in direct salting cheese as they can affect the moisture content of cheeses and/or the dissolution of salt in the cheese. However they can be used in brines where the intent is to imbibe salt into the cheese and to dehydrate the surface to build a cheese rind.

Recommended Salts

US Made Morton Brand Non-Iodized Canning & Pickling Salt - CheeseForum.org
US Made Morton Brand Non-Iodized Canning & Pickling Salt

Common retail grocery store food grade dry salts that can be used in making cheese are: 

  • Regular salt, if non-iodized and no anticaking additives.
  • Canning or Pickling Salt which normally is non-iodized and no anticaking additives and is manufactured fine-grained to accelerate its dissolution when making brine.
  • Rock or Kosher Salt, which is large crystal normally non-iodized and no anticaking additive.
  • Food grade swimming pool or water softener salt for brines as as large size pellets.
  • Flaked flat crystal salt normally non-iodized and no anticaking additive which packs lighter than common sand crystal type salt, melts easily, and does not easily bind together. Sometimes called “cheese salt” and is often not readily available in grocery stores. Note, there is no advantage to this salt when used to make brine.

US Made Kroger Brand Non-Iodized Free Flowing Kitchen Salt With Sodium Silicoaluminate
US Made Kroger Brand Non-Iodized Free Flowing Kitchen Salt With Sodium Silicoaluminate

US made Morton brand 25 pound bag of non-iodized Table Salt with anticaking sodium silicoaluminate
US made Morton brand 25 pound bag of non-iodized Table Salt with anticaking sodium silicoaluminate

US 1 Pound Rock Salt - CheeseForum.org
US 1 Pound Rock Salt