Author Topic: Muenster, Washing Rind - Mold Questions  (Read 2183 times)

megdcl

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Muenster, Washing Rind - Mold Questions
« on: January 25, 2011, 04:12:03 AM »
I've been doing a washed-rind with my muenster (w/ salt brine every other day) and am planning to continue aging with this method—should I expect mold? I thought I read somewhere how washing with salt brine helps to get even mold growth, so I'm wondering if mold is part of the process (like with bandaging). I'm asking because I have a little concavity on the top of the muenster and I noticed a little mold in there... normal or bad?? If bad, what should I do about it? Is it because being in a little concave the salt brine wasn't getting down there, or is the salt brine not expected to keep the mold at bay? :-\

« Last Edit: January 26, 2011, 04:07:39 PM by megdcl »

megdcl

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Re: Muenster, Washing Rind - Mold Questions
« Reply #1 on: January 26, 2011, 04:20:24 PM »
Here are pictures of some of my cheeses with growing mold.. I know bandaged cheeses are supposed to acquire mold, but I just want to make sure this looks right (my mom was a little concerned about the green mold). See for yourself.. the first one is my muenster with the mold in the hole (I talked about this one in the previous post.. though it's a lot smaller than it looks in the picture), the second is my cute little bandaged colby (if you look closely you can see a variety of different color molds growing.. I think this is normal.. right?). The last is another bandaged hard cheese. This cheese was bandaged last, yet it has more mold already then the one bandaged a few days before it.. does it make a difference depending on, say, how much ghee it was coated with?

Thanks for any opinions! As a newbie cheeser, I worry about my little guys just like the rest of you :)

morfeo

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Re: Muenster, Washing Rind - Mold Questions
« Reply #2 on: January 26, 2011, 09:17:09 PM »
I think you are suppose to get  some mold on the cheese during the aging process, I usually clean the cheese with brine or vinegar and a peace of cheese cloth and rubbed a little hard until all the mold is gone. After that the cheese looks like new. I do this once a month if the cheese has mold.