Kern, in addition to the saturated NaCl solution with CaCl2 and vinegar added, one source suggests adding a cup of whey per gallon of brine. Her reasoning is that, like CaCl2, the calcium in the whey further reduces the Ca gradient between the cheese and the brine. She said she reuses her brine, filtering it as needed and boiling it at the first sign of mold, slime, etc., and replenishing the salt as needed. So I did add a cup of whey to the brine as well. Is this a common practice?
As for air-drying the cheese at room temperature, that's straight out of the Edam recipe from 200 Easy Homemade Cheeses by Debra Amrein-Boyes. Her Goat’s Milk Gouda recipe likewise calls for a few days’ drying at RT. It seems counter-intuitive to me, but as a beginner, what do I know? Maybe the author figures that the 12-hour soak in heavy brine renders the cheese relatively impervious to dangerous bacterial growth? Or that the application of molten wax will kill whatever might have begun growing on the cheese? Does it have something to do with eye development? Just guessing here..... Anyway, since the consensus here seems to be that room temperature drying is a safety issue, I stuck the cheese in the cave for now.
Stinky, I’m confused. Since the Edam is already dry, what might be gained by an extended drying time of days or weeks? Wouldn't that produce enough of a rind that waxing would be kind of pointless? And doesn't cheese continue to develop even under the wax anyway? (And while I'm asking questions, who is Pav?)