Author Topic: Cream wax: the good, the bad and the ugly. No Sticking. **UPDATE 3**  (Read 19686 times)

Offline Boofer

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Re: Cream wax: the good, the bad and the ugly. The discussion.
« Reply #15 on: July 03, 2012, 12:45:09 AM »
After all, with all the expenditures in making this a worthwhile endeavor, what's a couple of more dollars?
Ah, there, that's the spirit!  ;)

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hoeklijn

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Re: Cream wax: the good, the bad and the ugly. The discussion.
« Reply #16 on: July 03, 2012, 06:18:47 AM »
Well, reading all your stories about vacuum sealing cheeses, I'm thinking about buying a Foodsaver as well. But certainly I will be coating my pressed cheeses. Dulcelife, I hope your experiments with coating will give you the results you are looking for, keep us posted. And if you have any questions about my experiences with coating, please let me know...

Dulcelife

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Re: Cream wax: the good, the bad and the ugly. The discussion.
« Reply #17 on: July 21, 2012, 01:52:20 AM »
I am still experimenting with this cream wax as a rind treatment and confirming if indeed the cream wax can serve as an alternative to a natural rind sans the vinegar brines, mold, brushing and oil rubs.

Today as I was cream waxing a wheel each of  my Fast and "not so fast" Double Gloucester as well as vacuum packing the other wheels, I observed that my Gouda No. 4 wheels which were the first to be creamed waxed and vacuum packed for comparison, displayed a notable difference in size between the cream waxed specimen and the vacuum packed wheel.

This observation confirms what Sailor has posted insofar as the cream wax not sealing the cheese and loosing moisture.  I believe he indicated having a cheese dry to the extent that it was unusable for anything but grating.

For some reason the photo does not do justice to the difference observed.  Suffice it to say that the cream waxed wheel of my Gouda No. 4 is considerable smaller than the vac-packed wheel. When observing the photo, keep in mind that the layers of cream wax are quite thick on the top wheel.

The plan is two open both the cream waxed and vac-packed wheels at two months and see what differences exist in both approaches.


hoeklijn

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Re: Cream wax: the good, the bad and the ugly. The discussion.
« Reply #18 on: July 21, 2012, 10:28:44 AM »
Interesting. I just recently started with weighting my cheeses after brining, triggered by what I saw on this forum. I'll keep an eye on the changes in weight as well...

Offline Boofer

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Re: Cream wax: the good, the bad and the ugly. The discussion.
« Reply #19 on: July 21, 2012, 02:30:42 PM »
This is good stuff!

I wonder what the moisture/weight loss is with waxed, cloth-bound, or natural rind cheeses? Of course I believe with those you DO want some adjustment of the initial paste. How does the cream coating treatment compare?

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Dulcelife

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Re: Cream wax: the good, the bad and the ugly. The Verdict. **UPDATE**
« Reply #20 on: July 25, 2012, 01:16:08 AM »
Well here's my verdict on the cream wax versus everything else.

Cut into Machego No.2 Wheels at the curado stage of 30 days.  One wheel had been cream waxed and the other left to develop a natural rind with olive oil rubbed in faithfully as needed.

First off, its good to know I can reproduce the make; taste and texture are similar enough to make no. 1 that I can claim consistency.

The natural oiled-rind wheel was like no. 1 at this same stage: nice hard thin rind, subtle flexible paste with a pretty creamy center.  Taste was once again young though nice.  This wheel was kept in a high humidity ripening box and developed green mold on one side only.

The cream waxed wheel was considerably drier, with thicker rind and more solid paste.  The texture from rind to maybe 1/2" in was identical to what one would expect in a hard Gouda or Edam  There is no doubt that in three to six months time I would have a hard grating cheese as Sailor con Queso experienced and reported.  I like the taste and consistency of this wheel and have made a mental note that it must be bagged or hard waxed at 30 days to mitigate drying out.  This also explains why the instructions indicate to hard wax two to four weeks after cream waxing.  If this is indeed the sole treatment given Gouda in the town of Gouda then I imagine it is being kept in a high humidity environment.

My verdict is that cream wax most definitely produces a breathable skin over the rind.  I find it is useful as a rind treatment as long as you either: 1) limit the time to 4 weeks before hard waxing or bagging or 2) keep the cream waxed cheese in a ripening box or other high humidity cave.  Seems useful if one does not care to wash and brush and rub oil or otherwise spend a lot of time playing with the cheese.

I have Gouda no. 4 cream waxed for 37 days and will bag it tonight knowing that I risk too dry a cheese if I let it go.
I also have the Double Gloucesters and will let those breath in the cream wax for 30 days each before bagging.
At least now I know how to get that super hard half inch rind I love so much in the Gallo Azul Edam cheese I can't find anywhere.

Might be time for some more washed curds.

Picture is of the Manchegos: Natural on the left and Cream waxed on the right.



 
« Last Edit: July 25, 2012, 01:24:08 AM by Dulcelife »

hoeklijn

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Re: Cream wax: the good, the bad and the ugly. The Verdict. **UPDATE**
« Reply #21 on: July 25, 2012, 04:42:18 AM »
To start with: A cheese for you for this experiment!
I'm a bit surprised by this result. I wouldn't have thought that the natural oiled rind would be different. On the other hand, I opened a 4 month old baby Gouda (1 kilo) a while ago and experienced again that considering the size of the cheese the rind was relatively thick. Taste was good and mature however. Having only experience with coated Gouda's I think that after my holidays I'll try a contra expertise and do a Gouda with an oiled rind!

Tomer1

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Re: Cream wax: the good, the bad and the ugly. The Verdict. **UPDATE**
« Reply #22 on: July 25, 2012, 10:31:19 AM »
I would think that using a simple plastic\seran wrap over it will limit moisture lost without the need to vacuum bag.

Dulcelife

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Re: Cream wax: the good, the bad and the ugly. The Verdict. **UPDATE**
« Reply #23 on: July 25, 2012, 11:24:58 AM »
@hoeklijn: I too did not expect too much of a difference and was surprised to find that four thin coats of olive oil are more impervious to moisture loss than two thick layers of this cream wax product.  It was a good surprise however since I love the thick rind and firmer paste.  I have high expectations for Gouda no. 4

@Tomer1: That's a very good option that never crossed my mind. There should be no concern about mold hence no need for a vacuum seal, reduced space requirements since no need for a ripening box and a savings in costs.  Great idea!  I never did get to vac-pack the Gouda, thus I will seran wrap and see how it goes.
« Last Edit: July 25, 2012, 01:39:14 PM by Dulcelife »

Dulcelife

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Re: Cream wax: the good, the bad and the ugly. The Verdict. **UPDATE**
« Reply #24 on: August 10, 2012, 12:26:10 PM »
Opened Gouda No. 4 to find a very nice hard rind beneath the cream wax.  The rind graduated from very hard to softer as you proceeded into the interior.  As it should on a good Gouda.

My recommendation is to use the cream wax once the cheese is dry and then vacuum or hard wax anytime after the first full month after the cream according to taste.

As can be seen in the photo, there is no issue with sticking cream wax.  Just follow the directions on the product container.
« Last Edit: August 10, 2012, 12:48:55 PM by Dulcelife »

Offline Boofer

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Re: Cream wax: the good, the bad and the ugly. No Sticking. **UPDATE 3**
« Reply #25 on: August 10, 2012, 01:54:35 PM »
Hey, Luis, now we're talkin'! Excellent pics.

Thanks for that clarification on the cream wax sticking issue.

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Bread, beer, wine, cheese...it's all good.

hoeklijn

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Re: Cream wax: the good, the bad and the ugly. No Sticking. **UPDATE 3**
« Reply #26 on: August 10, 2012, 08:04:53 PM »
Nice pics, nice cheese! Just came back from holidays and I hope to start making cheese again next weekend. Still planning to repeat this experiment for myself and compare coating versus oiling!