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GENERAL CHEESE MAKING BOARDS (Specific Cheese Making in Boards above) => STANDARD METHODS - Aging Cheese => Topic started by: spydersvs on June 08, 2012, 09:35:13 AM

Title: Surface Molds, Unwanted - Normal?
Post by: spydersvs on June 08, 2012, 09:35:13 AM
Before I launch into my problem(s) - can I say how great this forum is... we haven't long joined and its been an invaluable help!


So we decided to try gouda and at first it seemed to be all ok... it was put in our cheese fridge at 55f and around 85 - 90% humidity.... we were going to wax it after 3 days... but the wax didn't arrive till today (7 days later!) 

Horror of horrors - we went to turn the chees and we found 5 little blue spots!  We washed them off with brine - but now worried that we have done something wrong.  Could this be caused by poor ventilation?  The cheese wasn't on a proper cheese mat.

Is it too late to wax the cheese?

All help/advice gratefully received

T & S
Title: Re: Surface Molds, Unwanted - Normal?
Post by: hoeklijn on June 08, 2012, 10:23:50 AM
Hello, here an answer from a small town in the neighbourhood of Gouda, although that doesn't make me an expert on Gouda cheese  ;)
It's fairly normal to get some mold on an unwaxed or uncoated cheese. You did well to wash it with brine and I suggest you do it again a couple of hours before you wax it, so it has time to dry. I'm cleaning my cave and my coated Gouda's from time to time with some water with vinegar.
Title: Re: Surface Molds, Unwanted - Normal?
Post by: spydersvs on June 09, 2012, 09:33:42 PM
Hi Herman
Thank you very much for your answer, we are very new to cheese making and probably overreacting a little.
We cleaned all the mould specks with water with vinegar and looks like worked well.
Thanks again for your advice.
T&S