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GENERAL CHEESE MAKING BOARDS (Specific Cheese Making in Boards above) => STANDARD METHODS - Aging Cheese => Topic started by: pseuodrand on December 09, 2012, 03:12:30 PM
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I finally have my first cheese (a Montasio) aging in my cave (a fridge kept at 55F with open container of water for humidity). It was washed in salt water for 12 hours and then dried at room temperature in dry Colorado air for 3 days. It's been aging for about 1 week. The entire rind was initially a slightly darker color all over, but now the edges are turning white again. What do I do?
- Remove open water from fridge? My humidity monitor says it's at 75% If I drop the humidity, what does that do to the finished cheese? What about other types of cheese I make?
- Remove from fridge and let dry longer? What does this do to the aging process?
Any other ideas?
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Your humidity is a bit low, so I suggest you dont remove the water container. In my experience cheeses continue to lose moisture for quite a while after they go into the cave. As you have such a dry environment it could be that the rind has dried out perhaps a bit too much and has trapped whey inside, which is now seeping through. Does the surface feel damp? The white stuff might be wild mould, which you could rub off with vinegar and salt or leave to see what eventuates. There's lots of information elsewhere on the forum about ageing, with great advice from cheesemakers much more experienced than me.
Margaret
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I don't think it's mold because it looks just like fresh cuts as it did before drying. I also don't think it's whey seeping out because it's happening on the edges, not the bottom. The edges are the thinnest part, so that's where I would expect it to start if it was too humid and the rind was getting wet from the environment. My humidity is also 75% per a humidity/thermometer in the fridge, but the measurement changes depending on how close I set it to the container of water.
If I take it out of the fridge to redry the rind, do I ruin it?
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Does it actually feel wet? If it doesn't I'd leave it be. However if it is wet, a short spell outside in a cool dry spot won't hurt it.