Seems I'm really lucky (or am I?)

[Zoey]

I put a temp. meter in my fridge yesterday, just pure curious reasons. I have this vegetable container plastic box at the bottom of a huge fridge, and the air conditioning and cooling thingies are at the top (so very far from the veggie box). It seems the veggie box temperature is pretty stable at 12.5C (56F if I'm correct). Also, the box itself is not sealed in any way, but separated enough to not dry out and easily retain some moisture.

I've been getting this idea in my head about a perfect mini-cave in the box. It could easily accommodate three loafs of cheese (+ possible stacking). If I get the humidity right, this should work, right?

- any problems with the fruit box idea that I didn't make an explicit question out of? Like smells that could come from groceries and affect my cheese flavors, bacteria contained in other fridge-stored products, etc?

I'm currently already aging my gouda in the fridge, but now I'm wondering whether this is a lasting solution or whether I should still continue to look for a "real" separate cave.

Webmaster Edit: Zoey, great idea/question, I moved your questions in same post on aging Blues with other Cheeses in same Cave to new Topic.

[Cheese Head]

Zoey, I think you are very lucky.

Many fridges are colder at bottom where plastic vegtable humidity controlled drawer is located as cold air drops, plus many fridges thermostat's will not let you go that warm, so using that drawer as a mini "Cheese Cave" doesn't work for them.

To get around their fridge's thermostat, many people buy an external thermostat controller. With this you can control the whole fridge's temperature and thus use all of the fridge's space as a "Cheese Cave", albeit only vegetable drawer being higher humidity.

I wouldn't be worried about smells from other food contaminating your cheese, (unless something very poignant), if anything your cheeses contaminating your other food!

Good luck and let us know how works, pictures are always good !

[DeejayDebi]

I think it will work fine if ou can keep the humidity up - which it not usually a problem with new style fruit and cheese drawers. Good luck hon!