Cheesemaker Hygiene

[wharris]

I did notice that in the FXCuisine pages, one of the tasks was scooping out the black flecks of ash from the fire below the vat.

[Cartierusm]

I agree chili, I wipe down everything with Star San everything that would come near the vat cell phone included, I tend to drop stuff, if I know it's sanitized I feel comfortable keeping the batch.

[LadyLiberty]

I agree chili, I wipe down everything with Star San everything that would come near the vat cell phone included, I tend to drop stuff, if I know it's sanitized I feel comfortable keeping the batch.

Can you make this in such a way that it's in a spray bottle?  how do you wipe everything down, wouldn't it make a phone soapy?  do you wash your hands with it too?  Does it make your hands slick or do you wash it off?

[wharris]

Yes you can. and in fact, I typically keep a spray bottle of that laying around when sanitizing. Just need to keep the surface moist for about 1-2min.

But, on the other side of the coin, in don't wash my clothes in it, and i have caught myself wiping my hands on my cloth apron or jeans and then going back to my work.

I'm really not sure what to say, except that at some point, and I'm not sure what that point is, when does it make sense to keep a set of cheese clothes and hair nets to work in?

I personally don't see myself ever getting there.  Apron, yes, but the whole shebang?  i don't think so.

[Cartierusm]

I don't wash my hands with it. For my hands I just use dish soap.

[wharris]

My new Cheese Making suit:

[Cartierusm]

At least it's the right color.

[Tea]

LOL Wayne, I love that.   

Well did anyone what those video's on the cacio cheeses linked above.  The men there are touching everything, then going back to making cheese.  One has a note pad fall out of his pocket, so bends down, picks it up, puts it in his pocket, all the while holding the cheese in the other had, them immediately goes back to forming the cheese.   

We can only do the best that we can do.  Washing hands etc every time we come into contact with the cheese etc, is about the best we can do in the home environment, as well as sterilising everything that the cheese touches.  If we get too padantic we would never make anything.

On another note, other things that you can use for cleaning apart from vinegar is tea tree, lavendar and eucalyptus oils.  They are natural anti bacteral, anti fungal.

[chilipepper]

Even has a hook on top... you could probably hang from your cheese press with it like some kind of new neck traction therapy!  I certainly would pass gas in it like this poor sap did.. no wonder his face looks kind of green!

[LadyLiberty]

We can only do the best that we can do.  Washing hands etc every time we come into contact with the cheese etc, is about the best we can do in the home environment, as well as sterilising everything that the cheese touches.  If we get too padantic we would never make anything.

If I could I'd put that on the front page of the cheese board as the quote of the day.

[Likesspace]

Well this is a timely post since I just mixed up my first 5 gallon bucket of Star San this evening.
I've always used bleach as a saintizer for my cheesemaking but never really felt comfortable despite rinsing to the point of weariness.
In the past I've used Potassium Metabisulfate (K-met) as a sanitizer in winemaking but the smell of the stuff is horrible.
I'm pretty much like everyone else..
Wipe all surfaces and utensils down with bleach. I also steam the items that CAN be steamed and bleach the rest. I wash my hands, well, before even getting close to the cheese and try to keep my hands sanitary at all times.
The only problem is, like Wayne, I have found myself wiping my hands on my jeans and have also wondered if I'm defeating the purpose of washing since I use paper towels (on a rack in the kitchen) to dry my hands.
As far as I know, I've never had a cheese that has become contaminated, but who's to say for sure?
Oh well, as long as I nor any of my family or friends become ill from eating my cheese I guess I'm doing okay.

Dave

[Cartierusm]

Dave I've always wondered how sanitary paper towels are.

[Cartierusm]

It only takes once to become vigilant. I'm pretty vigilant but when I was transfering all my cheese to my new cave I notice one of my Parmesan's had blue mold on the bottom where it was touching the bamboo mat. Granted this bamboo mat had probably been in contact with blue mold but I do sterilize them by leaving them in a bucket of Star San for 10 minutes or more. And this was a bust batch I was jut keeping around, it's probably still good, but I stopped turning it so it has been sitting in the same spot for weeks. I washed it off with brine and wax it, I did that for a few reasons, my text books say you can wax Parmesan and it was all cracked anyway so this way it'll keep some moisture in. Oh, and when I left my little cheddar out in the small frig in the garge for weeks it naturally had made blue mold and blue mold is just natural so this mold was just in the air not from anything I did.

The whole point is I sprayed the entire kitchen down with Star San just to be safe. I won't be using bamboo mats anymore, but not just for this reason, but I'll post this as another thread.

[Cheese Head]

Well this thread makes me realize that all three of my currently aging cheeses, originally from the old world of Germany, France, and Britain, namely Limburger, Camembert & Stilton, are using three very different red, white, & blue molds and as all living in the same cheese cave (picnic box) are probably going to be somewhat similar!!!

Maybe they should form a new country and make a flag!

OK, probably too late, but I've just put the Limburger in quarantine in it's own container.

If it is too late then I'm probably making a new national cheese for the USA!

[wharris]

You have a mini- UN of Cheese.

Speaking of,  I ordered some Penicillium roqueforti today.  I will be branching out to a UK cheese in the form of a stilton-style cheese