Help needed - Natural blue developing surface cracks

[olikli]

I have been ripening a natural rind blue cheese from 12 litres of milk in my fridge for about 8 weeks now. It is loosely based on Fourme d'Ambert. Unfortunately I ran out of sealable storage boxes of this size so I improvised a container from a bowl and a separate lid. Today I discovered that the lid must have been pushed away for a while which lead to surface cracks developing. I am unsure how to proceed now. Should I just leave the cheese covered and forget about the cracks or would it be better to cut it now even if it might not be as mature as desired yet?

[awakephd]

I would be inclined just to cover it and go on. If this were a cheese that you were trying to keep mold out of, the cracks would be problematic because they would be entry points. But in this case, you are encouraging mold to grow, and you have already the desired blue (and whatever other) mold well established. This should simply grow into the cracks ... and the problem will "disappear" in short order.

[olikli]

Thank you, that sounds logical.

[Gregore]

 I agree the cracks if they are not deep will not be a huge issue , and if you bring the humidity up a lot they might even close a little

It can not be too far of of the time is was expected to be ready , do you have a way to pull a core sample?

[olikli]

It can not be too far of of the time is was expected to be ready , do you have a way to pull a core sample?

Not really, other than poking a hole. But I have a tendecy to cut too early, so I may wait maybe two more weeks.

[Gregore]

I just noticed that this was a blue cheese .  Thus it was pierced ?

If so there is nothing to worry about , there is no  way that  a little extra blue mold that will soon form in the cracks will make any difference in the flavor .

[olikli]

I cut the cheese today because the rind began to emit ammonia noticeably. The cracks indeed had no effect on the chesse. The PR has spread very well throughout the cheese but is not developed very strongly. The interior has the same bitter tang to it that I know from cheap commercial blues, so I suspect it just needs more time. Elswhere in this forum I read that this bitterness will mellow out over time. So I will cut the cheese into pieces and seal them in vac bags for a few more weeks.

[awakephd]

Looking good! I routinely cut my Gorgonzolas into quarters after 6-8 weeks and lightly vacuum-bag them -- meaning that I let it draw the air out to where it appears to be all done, but hasn't yet begun to really press hard onto the cheese; at that point I hit the "seal" button to stop the vacuum and go ahead and seal it. This stops further development of the blue, but allows the cheese to continue to mature. Another 6 weeks makes a huge difference!

[Boofer]

Andy, you've nailed the process that works for me as well. Amazing how well it works for my Fourme d'Amberts and other blues.

-Boofer-

[awakephd]

I probably got the procedure from you! Or at least from someone on this forum.