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GENERAL BOARDS => Buying, Storing, & Cheesemongering => Topic started by: Npsperl0863 on April 04, 2012, 02:21:53 AM

Title: Aging purchased wheels
Post by: Npsperl0863 on April 04, 2012, 02:21:53 AM
Hi everyone,

I was given a few wheels of cheese purchased in the Netherlands, aged 6 and 18 months. Right now they are still wrapped in the original paper, and are sitting in my cheese cave.  That said, I have a few questions:

Should I unwrap them? I plan on eating the 18 mo first at some point, just not sure when.

I would like to age the 6 mo for another 3-4 mo, do I need to be washing it with brine?

ANY advice would be great, as I have never mongered cheese before. Thanks!!
Title: Re: Aging purchased wheels
Post by: Tomer1 on April 04, 2012, 01:35:44 PM
What cheeses are these?
Are they wraped under vacuum\plastic or waxed\plastic coated?
Title: Re: Aging purchased wheels
Post by: Npsperl0863 on April 04, 2012, 08:44:09 PM
I have 2 Dutch Boerenkaas's, aged 6 and 18 months, both wrapped in the original wax paper. The other one is a small wheel of Gietenkass, most likely 5-6 months aged, with a very thick rind.  Right now I have them both sitting on the bottom shelf of my cheese cave, and I'm not sure how to manage these.
Title: Re: Aging purchased wheels
Post by: Tomer1 on April 04, 2012, 10:18:02 PM
Id vacuum seal them if possible. fire and forget.

Another option is to wax.
Last option continue with natural rind and age at 85% RH brushing them occasionally to avoid mold growth.
You could oil the rind to minimize further thickening of the rind\drying out.
Title: Re: Aging purchased wheels
Post by: Chris K on April 16, 2012, 06:32:09 PM
At the least, you should probably be turning them routinely - and given that I assume you have other cheeses in there, you'll get cross-contamination... which could certainly lead to interesting results.