amonia smell

[wharris]

I need to wash the rinds of my parms every two weeks or so with salt water to knock down mould growth.  This week, one of my wheels has developed a distinct smell of amonia.

what does that mean?

[FRANCOIS]

I wouldn't wash parms with brine every two weeks.  Maybe monthly with heavy, heavy brine.  Parms are best scrubbed for mold growth and rubbed with dry salt.  If you get the rind too wet you'll have yeast growth that is very hard to kill.  I would guess that could be your problem.  All you can really do now, if that is your problem, is scrape the rinds back, dab with grain alcohol, dry and then oil.  That has been the only way I could save grana cheeses.

If the rind is fine, you have ripening in the wheels which is either from incorrect storage conditions (too humid and warm) or excessive trapped whey that is feeding microbes.  Just my experience anyway.

[DeejayDebi]

I do alot of rubbing with salt and olive oil on most of my Italian grating cheeses. A slightly damp piece of cheesecloth in the begining with a bowl of kosher salt and they will polish up like a bowling ball. It will give you a very thin crusty rind that nothing will bother. Kind of like making a 2 year old parm in a few weeks but on the outside.

[wharris]

I will try this immediatly Deb.
I have stripped and quartered the offending wheel and vacuum sealed. 

I will say that it has a serious "funk" in the meat of the cheese.

[DeejayDebi]

If it smells like dirty gym socks it's doing good!

[wharris]

I can smell that.  That normal for parm?

[DeejayDebi]

GOOD parmensan is smelly! The store bought stuff is too new I think. Good Provalone is too. The more it ages the stronger it gets. You will not need to use as much at a time when it ages a year or more.

I have a few small pieces of parmesan and Romao left that are about 5 years old now I few good swipes on the grater is all you need for good rich flavor in your soup of pasta.  Salute'!