Hi all,
First post from a new member here. I started my first farmhouse cheddar a week ago, have already realised that I really should elevate it on a rack instead of setting it directly onto a cheese board whilst it dries
There was some visible blue mold that appeared just this morning so I thought this would be a good time to wax it AFTER removing the mold. I used a damp cloth (vinegar and salt) to wipe it down and it got rid of the blue just fine....but now there was lint from the cloth on the cheese! So off to the supermarket I went to get a brand new synthetic brush to scrape THAT off. Success...I think. I may have been a bit rough on it but I wasn't going to wax it with little threads from the cloth on it.
My question is, I keep hearing that it should be "dry" before I wax it. Is that "dry" as in, moisture from the vinegar has evaporated? Or "dry" as in there should be a semi "hard" rind on the whole thing? I suspect the latter, but I'm worried that the sides will dry out too much while I wait for the top and bottom to catch up.
Thoughts? And what do people do to avoid lint?
Thanks in advance everyone