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GENERAL CHEESE MAKING BOARDS (Specific Cheese Making in Boards above) => STANDARD METHODS - Aging Cheese => Topic started by: mrawlins on December 03, 2011, 09:34:48 PM

Title: Mold on Natural/Oiled Rinds
Post by: mrawlins on December 03, 2011, 09:34:48 PM
I finally got my cheese cave built, and it's been working nicely.  I'm just over 1 month into my first aged cheese (a jack), with a provolone and manchego in the cave as well.  All three have oiled rinds.  When I rotated them the other day I noticed some white-ish mold that was turning blue in the most well-grown places, just on the oldest cheese.  It smells like blue cheese, so I suspect it's just fine.

The question I have is how much do I tolerate the blue mold?  The cheeses don't have many surface imperfections, so I don't expect the mold to go very deep into the cheese.  The rinds have developed pretty nicely.  Should I let it go and have a nice hint of blue to my cheeses, or fight it off?

I understand this may not be the sort of question that has a right and wrong answer, but I'm interested in opinions.
Title: Re: Mold on Natural/Oiled Rinds
Post by: linuxboy on December 04, 2011, 02:55:59 AM
Quote
Should I let it go and have a nice hint of blue to my cheeses, or fight it off?
Do you want to have the option to introduce additional flavor notes to 1) The paste 2) The rind? If so, encourage mold. If not, fight it.

Quote
has a right and wrong answer, but I'm interested in opinions.
It kind of does, it's not really an opinion, more so a cause-effect situation to arrive to the flavor and end result you desire. If you want the proteolytic and lipolytic compounds from the molds, then encourage them to grow. If not, wipe them off and keep the cheese clean. If you like what they do to the paste, but dislike what they do to the rind, cut off the rind before eating.
Title: Re: Mold on Natural/Oiled Rinds
Post by: zenith1 on December 04, 2011, 05:19:28 PM
I agree with LB. Obviously the inclusion of the mold coating your bandage at this juncture of aging will add some depth of flavor. If the humidity is right in your cave you should by maintaining a good brushing schedule eventually get rid of them. The bandage will eventually not have enough moisture and they will die off. Or as LB said let them propagate for a while to see what flavors are added.