Vacuum Plastic Sealing - Large Cheeses

[LtPiper]

Got my vacuum sealer here http://sorbentsystems.com/sinbosealer.html. They also have a variety of different size/types of storage containers on the site as well.

[DeejayDebi]

Some pretty kewl baggers there.

[hplace]

I had access to a very cheap vacuum sealer (Deni brand) and it had no suction. I also struggled with making bags large enough for my wheels. I was going to purchase a better quality sealer but instead was at Harbor Freight and noticed a box of vacuum storage bags - the kind you put your pillows and blankets in and hook up to your household vacuum to suck out the air. I thought I would give it a try.

I put two large wheels in individual produce bags, stacked them inside the storage bag and put a small experimental Havarti wheel on top. Zipped the storage bag closed, grabbed the household vacuum out of the closet, and hooked it up. There was certainly A LOT more suction than the cheap sealer I tried earlier. Here is a picture of the result. The half wheels on the left are from my failed test with the cheap sealer. If this works (time will tell), this will be a very easy way to package large wheels - and as a bonus, the bags are re-usable.

[DeejayDebi]

You could just stick one big bag in the fridge and keep adding to it! 

[FarmerJd]

Definitely gonna try this on my 10 and 12 inch wheels. I wonder if the seal will hold for a long time.

[hplace]

Good question. The box doesn't say anything about how long the seal will last, but it does say it will keep items water proof for storage, so I'm hoping "storage" means a long time. There were actually two bag sizes - two the same size as the bag in my photo and one that is quite a bit larger. I suspect I could fit at least four stacked wheels in it.

[Sailor Con Queso]

They seem to be pretty expensive - $10 for 3 bags. But if they are reusable.....

Here's a link to the page at Harbor Freight

               Vacuum Bags

[hplace]

True - but three bags will seal at least 7 10-lb wheels and they are reusable. I did a search online for vacuum storage bags and you can get them much cheaper elsewhere.

[Likesspace]

I had a thought concerning these bags just the other day.....
According to some of Wayne's posts, pressing under a vacuum might be the answer to getting a completely closed curd on a Cheddar cheese.
I'm wondering if I could use one of the large bags as a type of vacuum chamber, with my press sealed inside.
The press that I use has a very small footprint, even with the air tank so I'm sure I could make it fit into one of the larger bags.
Anyone have any ideas of why this would not work?

Dave

[Sailor Con Queso]

Dave - I would worry about sharp edges that might poke a hole in the bag.

I love the ingenuity and creativity from everyone on this forum. You keep my gears well lubricated so the old brain doesn't start slowing down.

[linuxboy]

They seem to be pretty expensive - $10 for 3 bags. But if they are reusable.....

Here's a link to the page at Harbor Freight

               Vacuum Bags

Sailor, I've bought those bags before from Harbor Freight for $2.99 and $3.99 for the pack on sale or after coupon.

Dave, pressing cheese in a bag and periodically drawing out the extra air would work OK, but I don't know how strong of a vaccuum you could form and if you sealed the press inside, it would be pokey. Maybe a better way would be to put the bag directly into the mold? Or perhaps put a hoop inside the bag so the cheese keeps its shape, and then press only from the top?

[FarmerJd]

What about pressing in the cloth without the hoop for the final pressing and placing this inside the bag. Would the cloth not be strong enough to keep the wheel in tact for a hard cheese?

[Sailor Con Queso]

It seems if you put the bag in the hoop or the hoop in a bag, there is no way for the whey to escape. Need a hyperbaric chamber with negative pressure.

[linuxboy]

1.21 Gigawatts? Great Scott!

[Likesspace]

Okay, now you guys have given me some ideas.....
After Sailor's first post I started thinking I could build a PVC frame to go over the entire press/air tank assy. This would keep any sharp edges away from the bag and as long as the vacuum didn't break the frame I would be good to go.
Well after reading the above posts I'm thinking that sealing the tomme mold inside the bag might be the best way to go with this idea, since I can continue to press as normal only under a vacuum. Also, I would not need nearly as large of a bag which is also a bonus.
I just asked my wife if our local Wal Mart store stocks these bags and she said she thinks they do. If so, I'm going to give this idea a try this weekend.
As far as how much vacuum can be created, I really don't know.
We do have a Kirby G4 vacuum cleaner and this thing does provide a ton of suction.
As for the whey issue, I'm sort of up in the air concerning whether or not this will be a problem.
On my cheddar cheeses, I usually get the most whey out during my initial 10 minute press.
Since I will have to remove the cheese from the vacuum to flip it,  I can also dump the whey at this time.
After the initial 10 minute press I get about a 1/4 as much whey on the 20 minute press and get nearly nothing during the two hour press.
Once I put the cheese in for the final two 12 hour presses I am lucky to get even a teaspoon of whey in 24 hours.
As I said, if I have to flip the cheese anyway I can simply dump the whey at that time. At least that's the uneducated guess at this point.
If it doesn't work, I'm not out much. If it does work this might be the way to figure out if pressing in a vacuum is the answer.
If anyone sees any problem with this way of doing things, please let me know. Sometimes I have a problem with seeing problems before they happen.
Thanks for the ideas guys. Now I remember why I love this forum.

Dave