Author Topic: Oil Bath - Aging Cheese In Oil  (Read 7975 times)

caciocavallo

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Oil Bath - Aging Cheese In Oil
« on: December 26, 2008, 08:58:06 PM »
Hello Everyone, enjoy this forum.

Our family is used to make hard cheese and we age our cheese in oil. This of course is after we let them dry in air and rubbing them with oil/vinegar and chilie peppers. The results are amazing and we have cheeses that have been in oil for the past 3-4 years. As long as they are stored in a cool area (cold room). Last year we decided to vacuum pack them instead, since when they are in oil it requires a Little work to clean them up before cutting pieces.

Anyone else do this?

I have noticed that in the vacuum bags the taste has not changed as much as it would have if we left them in oil.

 Anyone know why?

Offline Cartierusm

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Re: Oil Bath - Aging Cheese In Oil
« Reply #1 on: December 27, 2008, 06:06:14 AM »
A couple of reasons with a vacuum bag there is absolutely no air exchange and when cheese ages it gives off a lot of different gases.

Do you rub them with oil or actually have them completely submerged in oil? Sounds interesting.

Cheese Head

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Re: Oil Bath - Aging Cheese In Oil
« Reply #2 on: December 27, 2008, 02:20:25 PM »
This is also knew to me, aging "in" oil.

Like Cartier, also appreciate more info, such as temperature? Plastic container? What type of oil? When you say rub with chili's, what type and fresh or dried? Thanks in advance!

 

Tea

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Re: Oil Bath - Aging Cheese In Oil
« Reply #3 on: December 27, 2008, 08:41:36 PM »
This sounds intriguing!!  So could you age a provolone in say EVOO and rub the surface with say, garlic and herbs??

Also what do you mean by the clean up process of the cheese?  How does this process effect the exterior of the cheese?

Offline Cartierusm

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Re: Oil Bath - Aging Cheese In Oil
« Reply #4 on: December 27, 2008, 08:59:56 PM »
Evoo, Tea? Someone's a Rachel Ray Fan.

Tea

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Re: Oil Bath - Aging Cheese In Oil
« Reply #5 on: December 27, 2008, 09:23:57 PM »
umm who is Rachel Ray?? Never heard of her.

I usually don't like acronyms, but I figured someone who used oils in their business would know what EVOO was and I would have to write it out in full.  For those that don't here goes.  Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Offline Cartierusm

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Re: Oil Bath - Aging Cheese In Oil
« Reply #6 on: December 27, 2008, 10:31:58 PM »
Are you pulling my leg, you really don't know who Rachel Ray is?

She's the cooking equivilant of Oprah. She has 4 shows on TV right now, Books, lines of cookware for sale and a magazine, my girlfriend loves her.

Cheese Head

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Re: Oil Bath - Aging Cheese In Oil
« Reply #7 on: December 27, 2008, 11:35:20 PM »
Cartier, Tea is in Oz and maybe Rachel Ray hasn't got there yet and you while and might like watching a woman do a TV cooking show, I suspect Tea would prefer a guy like
Crocodile Dundee
:o.

Offline Cartierusm

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Re: Oil Bath - Aging Cheese In Oil
« Reply #8 on: December 28, 2008, 02:04:45 AM »
LOL...I don't watch Rachel, my girlfriend does.

Tea

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Re: Oil Bath - Aging Cheese In Oil
« Reply #9 on: December 28, 2008, 07:52:09 PM »
Quote
I suspect Tea would prefer a guy like Crocodile Dundee .

ROLF Ch, please, give a girl some credit, he's old enough to be my father!! and no he is definately not "my type"  ::)   That was purely a "spoof" character and if there really are any they are found only in the deep recesses of the Aussie outback, or are already eaten by croc's.   :D

I think you American's have some weird ideas about what goes on here in Aussie land.

Cartierusm, Oprah I know of, but Rachel Ray I don't.

Cheese Head

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Re: Oil Bath - Aging Cheese In Oil
« Reply #10 on: December 28, 2008, 08:02:43 PM »
Tea, I was just teasing, ouch, sorry, rarely seen him since this movies, forgot he's aged since that movie, :-\. My family and I spent one month in Perth & south and 2 weeks in Gold Coast/Brisbane in 90's, so have reasonable idea of Oz. Sadly I guess Olivia Newton John has aged also as Grease movie was a while ago. (PS, I'm mostly Canuck and there are lots of those characters there too, also a bunch here in Houston as lots of Cajuns and Coonass's from Louisiana and Alabaman's on our block).
« Last Edit: December 28, 2008, 08:08:17 PM by Cheese Head »

Offline Cartierusm

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Re: Oil Bath - Aging Cheese In Oil
« Reply #11 on: December 28, 2008, 08:20:04 PM »
I hope we didn't forget Yahoo Serious!

Tea

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Re: Oil Bath - Aging Cheese In Oil
« Reply #12 on: December 28, 2008, 08:25:10 PM »
I know you were teasing, just having a tease back myself.

I was 14 I think when I first saw "Grease", so yes, I think she has aged a little, but gracefully from what I see.

Now see I have no idea at all what any of the following means; 

Quote
(PS, I'm mostly Canuck and there are lots of those characters there too, also a bunch here in Houston as lots of Cajuns and Coonass's from Louisiana and Alabaman's on our block).

I am assuming that this is local "speak" for you, but I am at a loss to decipher it.

caciocavallo

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Re: Oil Bath - Aging Cheese In Oil
« Reply #13 on: December 28, 2008, 08:59:22 PM »
Hello Everyone.

I was a little surprised that no one else has done this with cheese. Let me explain in more detail.

After making cheese we age it in our cold room which is normally (we always make our cheese in the winter so as to get good temperature in our cold room) about 14-16 deg Celsius.

We air dry our cheese turning them daily and having added salt only once to each side. Once we get a nice firm rind and whey stops seaping out we place them in pastic container and add oil, vinegar and dried ground chili peppers (just enough so that we can cover them with the mixture by turning/rolling them in it (1/4inch).

We turn them in this oil mixture every day for about 14-20 days, the rind will be hard and yellow. Then we simply submerge them completely in oil using a plastic container, the oil is simply canola oil, EVO will become a gel which is why we wouldn't use that.

We can keep this for years in a cool place, we do the same for sausage we make.

The "work" required when you want to have one to eat is having to remove it from the oil letting it drain. There may be some mold which will form at the top of the oil which is normal and you may have to clean that every now and then. After that simply clean the rind which has softened because of being in the oil.

That's it. I will try and find some pictures if I can and post it here.

Let me know if you need any more info.

Tea

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Re: Oil Bath - Aging Cheese In Oil
« Reply #14 on: December 28, 2008, 09:17:23 PM »
Many thanks Caciocavallo for this information.  Reg, is the person who advised me to oil my cheese, but I don't know whether he actually immersed them completely in oil.  I know I was surprised at the rind that the provolone produced, I was expecting a soft mushy surface.
Also once the cheese is submerged in the oil, does it need to be kept in a cave, or could it go into the fridge?  (I live in the tropics.)

When you say "clean the surface", do you mean it needs to be wiped or cut.

Yes I would love to see some photo's of this process.
Thankyou very much.