Weighing cheese to gauge moisture loss?

[mikekchar]

Yes, I would -- just wash off the dark and leave everything else.  Use a 3% w/v brine solution (3 grams of salt in 100 ml of water).  It's hard to tell from the picture.  It may be mildew (which would mean that your humidity was just a touch too high) or it may be mucor.  Mucor would be a bit unlucky as it is likely to spread and give your cheeses a mottled look.  Won't really affect anything else, though.  If that's the case, you can feel good that your cheeses are authentic as they would have been before 1970 when the industry decided that only white would do ;-).  If it is mildew, then it will probably stain the rind, but for a bloomy rind you won't see it anyway. Just in case, I would isolate that one cheese in another box if you can.  But they are looking really good so far!

[Shalloy]

Thanks again Mike. I will give them a wipe and see how it goes.  The box is fully covered with a fine mist each day so perhaps I will start leaving the lid cracked open slightly all the time now.

[Shalloy]

So tonight I patted the mould down and Im not sure if I was too rough or the cheese is too wet as the edges off one of them sort of broke off. It seemed quite moist underneath. This cheese is still being stored in a box in my garage with the lid on and the RH is around 95%. Day temps are still 13-15C and well under 10C at night.  Is it maybe too wet? I do have a fine mist covering the lid and sides of the box everyday which I wipe as I turn them? 

Also should I now wrap and store them in my house fridge? Or maybe keep the lid off the box and let them dry out for a few days?

[mikekchar]

Yes, they are very fragile.  I've done that myself.  The big temperature swings may be a problem because when the temperature drops the humidity will go up.  So if it's up over 90% humidity during the day, it will be 100% humidity at night easily.  I would move them to the normal fridge now.  I have a double cream in my fridge that is stubbornly slow to grow mold on the outside, but it is slowly getting there.  You just might have to age it a bit longer is all.

[Shalloy]

Should I wrap them with cheese foil first or leave them in the container as is? And if I leave them ion the container do I keep the lid cracked and turn them everyday?

Or I was even thinking of maybe putting the container in the salami fridge thats running at 12C and 75%RH?

[Bantams]

I'm sure there are many ways to do it, but when I made Camembert-style cheese commercially it aged at a higher temp/humidity for about 7-8 days until the cheeses were completely covered in mold (turned daily, no patting), then wrapped in the correct cheese paper (for aging bloomies) and aged for another 20-30 days at around 45 degrees until soft/ready. No turning during the second aging.

[Shalloy]

I'm sure there are many ways to do it, but when I made Camembert-style cheese commercially it aged at a higher temp/humidity for about 7-8 days until the cheeses were completely covered in mold (turned daily, no patting), then wrapped in the correct cheese paper (for aging bloomies) and aged for another 20-30 days at around 45 degrees until soft/ready. No turning during the second aging.

They are at 9 days now but still aren't completely covered with PC, is there enough on them to wrap and put in my regular fridge?

[Shalloy]

Is this slip skin thats happening? Anything I can do about it?

[Bantams]

I would wrap them now - that should minimize the slip skin.
Next time aim for a drier aging environment. Essentially it should be as dry as possible but still enough to allow a full coat of mold by a week. If the edges of the cheese are getting dry then you need more humidity.

[Shalloy]

Last time I made cams the box was too dry. This time I was getting a small misting on the container lid and sides everyday without it forming droplets. It was around 90% and I had read that was optimal. Now it turns out that was too wet.

Its all very confusing. making beer is so much easier...lol

Thanks for the help, Ill wrap them up.

[Shalloy]

Problem number 15...

The cheese seems to thick for the cheese wrap. I had a large sheet which your supposed to cut into 1/4s for wrapping 4 cheese.  When I filled my hoops I did notice that I had heaps of curds left over. So as the hoops kept draining I kept adding more. In hindsight I probably should have just done this once only after 15 mins.

So to fix this stuff up should I

1. Cover the gaps with tape?

2. Double wrap the cheese

3. waste the wrapping paper and cut bigger squares?

[Bantams]

Rewrap with a bigger paper.

[Shalloy]

That’s what I ended up doing. I just had enough.