Hi folks,
I have a pair of cloth bandaged cheddars aging in my cave (which is a 3.2 cuft mini fridge) that are giving off a strong smell. I wouldn't describe the smell as bad, per se (though not good either). More of an earthy smell (as if I were sniffing a handful of dirt perhaps, though I haven't actually gone out and done a nose to nose comparison).
There is, however, a bit of a problem. I opened up my first cheese a couple of days ago, a drunken cow, and that has the same smell on the rind. You really have to get your nose close to it to notice the smell, but, unfortunately, you do when you're sticking it into the mouth (otherwise the cheese tasted good). For other cheeses I could cut off the rind, but that seems to defeat the purpose for a wine soaked cheese.
What I'm wondering is, if there's a good way to either remove the smell from the rind or to keep the smell from getting on the rind of other cheeses. Aside from completely segregating my cheddars, which isn't feasible at this point.
Thanks for any suggestions (or commiserations).