Mold, Gray On Surface While Air Drying & Waxing With Cracks Discussion

[aprentic]

My wife and I recently tried to make some Monterey Jack. The recipe said that we should dry it for 1-3 days and that the rind should yellow a bit when it's ready. Before the rind yellowed we started seeing some gray mold all over the cheese.
The mold doesn't seem to wipe off easily partly because it seems to be in crevices in the cheese.
Any advice on:
1) Is this safe?
2) How do we get rid of the mold before we wax it?
3) How do we avoid it in the future?

Thanks!

[FarmerJd]

Welcome to the forum. I usually wipe my cheeses down with a vinegar and salt solution while I am drying it. In your case you need to really scrub the mold spots with a brush or cloth using this same solution. If you get on it quick you can save the wheel. Good luck.

[mcfly]

So vinegar is used to kill the mold? Do you dilute it with water or just add salt and rub it in?

[aprentic]

Welcome to the forum. I usually wipe my cheeses down with a vinegar and salt solution while I am drying it. In your case you need to really scrub the mold spots with a brush or cloth using this same solution. If you get on it quick you can save the wheel. Good luck.

How much time do you think we have?
Yesterday morning there was no mold.
We noticed the mold last night but didn't have time to deal with it.
This morning we put it in a 55f fridge.

[FarmerJd]

Steve: Yes vinegar and salt both work toward killing/retarding the mold growth but the salt also gives a sandpaper effect which is helpful in removing the mold already present. I use straight vinegar with salt added and then a coarse salt to help remove tough spots. A brush is helpful, too.


Aprentic: The sooner the better but you should be able to contain it. Just act fast and scrub well. Even if the outside is messed up you can still have good cheese inside sometimes. Good luck.

[MarkShelton]

All good advice. Here is what I suggest:

• Clean, as recommended by FarmerJD. Really scrub it well until you can see no visible mold.
• Chill the cheese in a sanitized container; this helps the wax to adhere better, and will make sure the wax cools quickly after its on the cheese.
• Heat the wax to a high temperature. I go to about 250*F. This will ensure that any contamination (mold, bacteria) that has gathered on the wax will be eliminated.
• Dip the cheese while the wax is still at a high temperature. This will kill anything that may still be lurking on the surface of the cheese. If you brush wax on the cheese, I'm not sure how effective this is as the wax surely cools on the brush; I'd stick with dipping.
• Subsequent dips can be made as the wax cools a bit, to ensure an even coverage.

[Gina]

Mark, how long is your initial dip in the hot wax? I've seen anywhere from 6 to 15 seconds mentioned.

[mcfly]

I do find as wax starts to cool down, it applies itself thicker to the cheese which really helps.. I usually just need to dip it twice rather than 3 or 4 thin coasts. I'm new to cheesemaking so I'm not sure if this is the correct way of waxing?
 

[MarkShelton]

@Gina: I dip for just a few seconds. It's something I never really thought about, but at 250*F, I don't think dipping for any longer than a few seconds is necessary. I imagine going for 15 seconds will start to melt the cheese. With proper cleanliness before waxing, I have only had a mold problem when I bumped a sharp edge of the cheese and cracked the wax.

[Gina]

Thanks. 250* is a higher temp than I've seen in my limited searches, but then I've also seen it written not to go above 120* - which is lower than the melting point of wax. Perhaps they meant 220*.  I'd rather go at a higher temp and shorter dip - it just makes more sense to me. Yesterday I waxed at 230* but dipped longer (hand held).  I did not like the idea of keeping it in hot wax for so long but got that info at the following link  (about 8 min into the video).  From Crowly cheese in Vermont, where they dip for 15 seconds.
 

Making cheese with Mike Rowe

I did get some light cracking after my first dip, but then re-dipped twice more (fast dips), and that mostly covered them. After cooling, there were still a couple cracks so with a heat gun and an artist's palette knife (back of a spoon would work too), I 'melded' any still remaining.  Next time I'll wax at a higher temp and for less time. Althought I've worked with wax for years (candle making) I've only heated wax in a double boiler before and was a bit leary of the higher temps on a direct flame, but I was careful and it was OK. But next time I'll have fewer concerns. 

As to wax thickness, yes, wax at a cooler temperature does go on thicker, but I'm not sure that's desirable since thinner wax is more flexible. Wax applied cooler also doesnt adhere as well as hotter wax applications. If you pour some melted wax directly on a silcone sheet and let it congeal in different thicknesses, you can see the thinner it is, the more easily you can bend it, and the thicker, the more likely to crack. Of course that may just be the wax I am using, which is not official cheese wax, but a blend of a very flexible food grade microcrystalline wax and paraffin, and I may not yet have the best mix ratio.

Add: with repect to the original question, I dont much worry about mold anymore, just wipe it off when I see it. I think mold comes with the territory.

[MarkShelton]

120*C is about 250*F, so that may be the units that your source meant.

As for the silicone sheet test you mention, that's a good concept for me to test with my "authentic" (haha) cheese wax. I always thought more was better. Granted, I'm sure I don't want to go super-thin on the wax coat, but my wax will go much farther if i don't put on a 1/8" coat, especially if it's counter-productive to do so.

The first time I heated wax directly on the stove, I had the fire extinguisher close by, just in case. I've not had any problems with it though. I make sure to open the windows and turn the fan on because I've heard the fumes may be harmful.