Hello,
I just finished pressing a round of Cheshire. For the most part, the rind is smooth, but there are some minor cracks and as it dries I'm imagining those cracks will get a bit bigger.
I plan on waxing it, but the recipe I'm using (Debra Amrein Boyes 200 Easy Homemade Cheese recipes) specifically says, " Remove the cheese from press and unwrap. If it has not formed a closed ring, rewrap and return to press and increase the pressure for another 2-3 hours. Remove from press and rewrap. If the rind is still not closed, dip cheese in scalding hot water." It then gives a "tip" that says, "When pressed properly, the rind should be smooth and closed with no cracks or open spaces." FYI...I made this cheese with a friend and he unwrapped it and decided it was okay as is. I guess I might have been inclined to follow the instructions to further try and get a closed rind, but I am a bit intimidated by the idea of scalding the cheese (since I haven't done it before, I don't know what I'm doing or what the result would be) AND I guess I'm unsure of what the negative result would be from not having a fully closed rind (other than aesthetics).
My questions are:
Since I am going to wax the cheese, what, if any are the fatal flaws of me not having been able to achieve a fully closed rind (pictures are included as attachments)?
What does dipping the cheese in scalding hot water actually do? What is the end result? Does the rind close on it's own or are you supposed to re-press it?
Thanks for your help.
Dave