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GENERAL CHEESE MAKING BOARDS (Specific Cheese Making in Boards above) => STANDARD METHODS - Aging Cheese => Topic started by: wharris on May 06, 2009, 12:51:27 AM
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I am thinking about buying a refrigerator for my cheese aging requirements.
Is there any way to use this single fridge for both waxed rind/sealed rind/ natural rind cheese, and those cheeses that are allowed to mold over like stiltons, certain cheddars, and camemberts?
I have about 4 wheels of bandaged and larded cheddars that i have allowed to crust-over with natural mold.
I see no way these moldy wheels can co-exist in the same cave with cheeses like parmesean and gouda with natural rinds.
My question is how do others deal with this? Do you maintain seperate caves?
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That's a great question, Wayne.
I have two wine fridges, one with a single compartment I label loosely 'hard cheeses' and another with two compartments, one I use for white mould and the other blue mould. It doesn't always work out as neatly as that as demands surface, but I try to keep to it as closely as possible.
I have also tried a few washed rind cheeses, and am not sure where they fit into my scheme, given that I can't afford yet another fridge!
But a wine fridge is still a problem with humidity and I find that I have to cover the cheeses, and that becomes a problem with air circulation, and if I leave the cover to enable air flow (even a tiny bit) those b....y vinegar flies get in and devastate the cheese - anything soft or damp gets targeted. I have lots so many batches in the last few weeks, particularly the washed rind ones plus a stilton and a camembert.
It has been interesting (not sure if that's the correct word!) - they have not been a problem for almost a year and now that my cheese making is getting a tad better, the flies are into it. Discernment, I guess!
B
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Just a thought but mold is a spore - I would guess air circulation would have an affect on cross contamination. After reading you post on the new fridge first I don't think you'll have a problem. Just keep them in separate chambers.