Stop the Ripening of a Camembert or St. Marcelin

[elmangomez]

Hi guys,

It has been years since I last made cheeses. And I’m picking it up again!

I have been reading and boning up on it all over again. I have a question.

After the maturation in the cave (cheese in lidded container in wine fridge) - the cheeses are wrapped and placed in regular fridge where ripening is slowed. After a few weeks, is it possible to stop the cheese from ripening further?

This way I can keep the cheeses stored longer without over ripening. It has to be possible right? How do store bought Camemberts do it?

Thank you!

[Bantams]

I've found you only get about a 7-10 day window before the cheese becomes overripe.
Large scale commercial cheeses use a different recipe - do a search for "stabilized paste" camembert/etc.   

[elmangomez]

Thank you Bantams. Will search for stabilized paste. Can’t wait for all my supplies to arrive.

[bansidhe]

NE Cheesemaking just posted a stabilized paste camembert recipe.https://cheesemaking.com/collections/recipes/products/camembert-recipe-stabilized

[mikekchar]

Absolutely key point in this recipe: "While draining, keep the draining curds in a space that is between 65-70F. "

[OzzieCheese]

I find that the addition of extra cream in my Malemberts is enough to slow the ripening process. You won’t stop it altogether. I get about another 3 weeks window of enjoyment.

[broombank]

If you compare the keeping properties of a Double creme like Brilliant Savarin or Creme de Borgogne they will last for several weeks unlike Brie /Camembert which easily overshoot. This very much backs up what Ozziecheese just said. The extra cream seems to stabilise the paste.

[Bantams]

Right, adding additional cream and using thermophilic culture both help create a "stabilized paste" cheese.