Pressed Cheese Rind - How Get Smooth & Sealed?

[BigCheese]

I have searched through some threads for this but was unsuccessful. If someone has a keyword I might use I would greatly appreciate it, as I am new here. I do not want to repeat what is already available.

I am trying to get a very small scale semi-commercial cheese operation going. I have had some mixed results, but one thing I want to learn for the next go-round is how to get those beautiful rinds. I see some people rub with cacao and other such things and it looks very nice in the end. Any advice?

Thank you
nitai

[linuxboy]

Which rind? Which cheese?

[BigCheese]

Well, a number of them really. I want to make the presentation as nice as possible

Gouda - I suppose I could wax and therefore skip any more complicated rind..?
Havarti - What is the standard for this?
Parmesan - Is this just oiled and let the outside dry?
Gorgonzola - no rind unless I let the mold take over like crazy, right?
Manchego -same as Parmesan?

I was inspired by this cheese http://www.cowgirlcreamery.com/prodinfo.asp?number=DJACK to make some nice rinds. Any and all advice is appreciated.

I guess overall I just see so much difference throughout books and videos that I never know what to follow. I will be documenting very carefully when I start again.

Nitai

[MarkShelton]

The link you posted comes up with a dry jack (which is what I assumed when you said cocoa) and there is a thread here somewhere about making a paste to rub on the rind. I think John started it.
Gouda and havarti are traditionally waxed, which is simple and quick.
Parmesan and manchego are oiled, yes, but the procedure is a little more than just that. They are allowed to air dry for a few months, then rubbed with olive oil every 1-2 months after that.
I've not made gorgonzola, and it confuses me a bit. From what I know, it is pierced so that it can blue on the inside, then wrapped in foil to keep the outside free from mold. Somebody needs to help me understand how oxygen gets to the inside to fuel the blue mold if it is sealed with foil, though.

[BigCheese]

Well Gorgonzola I have actually done, and very successfully to my surprise I did not seal it nor did any recipe I encountered say to. Rather it was rubbed with salt everyday for about a week and then stowed away in a cave (temperature controlled mini-fridge). Every couple weeks it could use a scraping of the reddish schmear that would develop. But very little mold came. We used a thermometer to puncture for the veins and that worked wonderfully. The penicillium roqueforti inhibits mold growth, being in the penicillin family.

Anyway... So then are Parmesan and Manchego usually not oiled at all for the first few months? One of my parmesans was left to dry for maybe 2 weeks then oiled and caved for a few more, then vacuum sealed. And 4 months later (yes a lack of patience) when I opened it the rind was quite nice, hard and dry. Not quite requiring a chisel, but not too far off.

Perhaps rather than looking for the intricate rinds I should just be thankful the cheeses I am amking do not really require them. But I can't help but be attracted nonetheless...

[cmharris6002]

I use oil on the Italians, Provolone, Parm etc. I use Lard on Cheddar. Some of them develop beautifully without much care at all like my Goat Swiss. For me the key has been to regulate the humidity, get good circulation or air exchange, and lots of dry brushing. This gives me a clean, firm, flexible rind.

Christy