I got creative over the weekend and built these new aging boxes.
2L tubs with snap tight lids I bought at dollar store for $1.50 and 3/16" spruce dowels I bought in Walmart's craft department.
1st I drilled some 3/8" holes in top and bottom..the number of holes will vary how much air and therefore the humidity in the box. Some experimentation is needed there..also my cheese cave is a giant wine cooler with wooden racks for air to move from top to bottom. If your cave has solid shelves you could drill the air holes on the bottom sides of the tub below the dowel holes.
Then in the sides about 1 to 1.5" from the bottom of the tub I drilled 4 - 3/16" holes to line up with the opposite side..
Simply slip the wooden dowels thru the holes to create a support rack onto which your cheese rests.
Oh yeah, these plastic tubs are very brittle and don't respond well to a drill bit without cracking, pretty much destroyed my 1st effort. So I heated my drill bit tip with a lighter to help it melt it's way thru the plastic as it spins. Then simply trim any plastic that is left around the hold with a paring knife. Be sure to do this in a well ventilated area..the off gasing of the plastic melting is pretty gross and likely not good to breath in.
Washed thoroughly and sanitized with vinegar..I now have a 1/2 dozen of these tubs which take up far less space than a big bulky square tub, and they're a lot cheaper!! About $1.75 each vs $6-8 per tub for the larger ones..plus the cost of the mat material.
If I feel so inclined I'll take a few minutes and buzz the ends off the dowels with my bandsaw in the shop sometime.
2nd I also built a couple of these larger size boxes for bigger cheeses when they come along..hole in either end for air flow, the same wood dowels then a small piece of 1"x1" with holes drilled thru for the rack. They can be removed for cleaning as they just sit in the box.
