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GENERAL CHEESE MAKING BOARDS (Specific Cheese Making in Boards above) => EQUIPMENT - Aging Cheese, Caves => Topic started by: Cheese Head on May 10, 2008, 12:32:36 PM
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When I made my first Gouda, I followed the recipe which said place in fridge to age, turning initially every day. Within 2 days it had developed cracks from shrinking. Two possibilities, either it was too moist after pressing or more probably because my modern fridge was not enough cave like. Therefore at Reg's recommendation I bought a battery operated remote thermo-hygrometer to measure temperature and humidity in my fridge. The model I chose and bought from Amazon USA was a well liked Honeywell brand model TM005X with wireless sensor for USD25. The description on Amazon was a bit misleading in that the base station is also a thermo-hygrometer, so effectively I got two units. The remote unit also has a small LCD screen, picture of units in packaging with fake readout stickers.
Tested new units together in house, very same readings, tested together in our household fridge:
- With door open while taking picture beside the problem Gouda (picture below), remote unit measured 4 C / 44 F and 43% humidity and base station measured 11 C / 52 F and 32% humidity!?
- Put old non-remote gauge in fridge, waited 20 min to stabilize, open door and quickly took readings; both remote and older unit reading almost the same at 4 C / 40 F and 39% humidity.
- So new remote is accurate in fridge, new base station is accurate only in house, not in fridge and possibly elsewhere, maybe different internals?
Looked at another Gouda recipe which says age in home cave (not household fridge) at 50 F / 10 C and 80-85% humidity. Found the reason my Gouda is not not looking so gooda, temp at 40F is too low and humidity at 39% is way too low.
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I found this thermometer/humidistat at Wal-Mart for $6. It takes one AAA battery. It seems to work well. The sampling rate is fairly slow. I checked the thermometer readings against one I knew was accurate and it was right on.
(http://nexterra.org/gallery/d/4961-2/Cheese+008.JPG)