Tough rinds on PC mould cheeses

[Jen R]

I've been making a range of cheeses lately such as St Marcellin and Cambozola. While the interiors have been fine, I've been disappointed with the rinds which have been tough and quite thick relative to the size of the cheese. All the cheeses I make are aged in plastic containers with a mesh base and a lock that allows air in or not, depending on whether it's open or closed. I use a wine cooler to maintain temps of around 50 F.What am I doing wrong?

[akhoneybee]

Me too, my Crottin is doing the same thing and I'm following the rules!!

[Tomer1]

Do you tap the rind to flatten it?  this minimizes the thickness of the white rind.

[Lycorys]

Yeah, a little late to this thread.......

As Tomer points out, tapping down the rinds will help keep the rinds thinner without hampering the action of the penicillin. Additionally, if you are inoculating your milk directly with the penicillin and geo try reducing the amount you use. You can also bring your aging temp down a bit to slow the penicillin growth.

It's a juggling act to find the best methods and environment depending on your particular situation - make some test batches and, as always, take good documentation.