Air -drying cheese is sweating..?

[megdcl]

My fifth cheese has been air-drying for a couple days now and I've been noticing a small amount of moisture on the top.. why would this be? I've done four other cheeses without this happening and used (pretty much) the same pressing method for all of them, and they all formed a very nice rind in a short amount of time and have been either bandaged or waxed, but I'm wondering with this one.. do I just wait, and will it eventually form a rind despite the sweating, or is there something I should do?

Thanks in advance!!

[Cheese Head]

Hmm, what type of cheese and what source of milk did you use and is it just normal water moisture during air-drying? Or is it possibly oil sweating as high milkfat content and high air-drying temp?

[megdcl]

Hmm, what type of cheese and what source of milk did you use and is it just normal water moisture during air-drying? Or is it possibly oil sweating as high milkfat content and high air-drying temp?

I used this recipe and the milk is fresh from our cows. I'm pretty sure it's water moisture, not oil. Otherwise, it looks good and the rind around the sides is forming nicely.. just that top that has me worried (and sometimes the bottom feels a bit moist). Anyone experienced this before? I don't know if there's anything I should do, if this is harming the cheese in any way.. or if this issue will resolve itself? Glad there are a lot of experienced cheesers here to ask!

[megdcl]

Here's a theory -- my mom pointed out that she was boiling down whey for Gjetost all day yesterday, which would have raised the humidity in the house a substantial amount and might have caused the sweating.. could this moisture coming from the cheese be the result of too much humidity, and if so will it resolve itself with an extra day or two of drying?

[Cheese Head]

Hi again, that's an interesting idea, like condensation on a cold mirror if have a hot long shower. Could be that your high ambient humidity reduced the evaporation of excess moisture being expelled by the cheese and or combined with cheese still being very high moisture content and with minimal pressing not a strong tight dehydrated rind being formed.

Also, I've had gouda shaped wheels that during air drying after pressing are uneven with drier sides than top or bottom.

I wouldn't worry, but you need to get it dry on or risk mold (which loved to have it's feet in moisture) or yeast (which likes higher amounts of water) infection. To do that you need good airflow on all sides including bottom, at reasonable humidity, see Wiki: Air Drying, also you may want to paper towel it dry 2-3 times a day until the excess moisture expulsion slows down and you are ready to start long term aging.

[MrsKK]

Are you turning this cheese every  day?  Some moisture does expel during the intial drying phase, which is why it needs to be air dried for a bit before it is waxed or otherwise coated.

Drying times are variable because temperatures, humidity levels, barometric pressure, what the cow is eating at a given time, point in her lactation, etc., can affect the cheese.  Throw in variables in the make, slight though they may be, and you can see why drying times are usually stated as 3-5 days, for instance.

Just keep turning it until it is dry to the touch.

[megdcl]

Thanks for the input! I had read a lot about air-drying when I was at that point with my cheeses, so I had come up with a way to dry my cheeses with good air-flow on each side. And yes, I turn it every day. It seems like the moisture content has dropped.. there isn't really any visible moisture now, and it's just slightly damp to the touch. I think it'll dry ok, and drying it with paper towel will probably help speed up the process. I'm thinking it might be ready to bandage tonight or tomorrow.

Let's hope the sweating won't have any negative effect on it in the long run!

[Boofer]

Do you have it in a plastic box to control humidity and reduce airborne contaminants? If so, is it possible that the lid is condensing and dripping on your cheese?

-Boofer-