Vacuum Plastic Sealing - Large Cheeses

[Likesspace]

Okay, I did a little searching online, and here's what I found at Wal Mart. It looks to me as if you can get a pretty good vacuum on these things.
If it doesn't work out my wife said she can always use them for storage. Win, win situation.

[DeejayDebi]

Just wondering .. We are so fussy about food grade PVC etc. What are these bags made of and what is going to leach into my cheese? Some of these plastics really smell strong.

[linuxboy]

IIRC, the Harbor Freight ones are a mixture of nylon and polyethylene. They don't smell very plastic-y.

[hplace]

I wrapped my cheeses in food-grade plastic bags first, then in the vacuum bag just in case, but like linuxboy says, they do not smell like plastic at all.

[Boofer]

Yeah, my wife tried these huge bags for blankets, bedding, etc., some time ago. They were okay... for a while. I believe the recommended suction device at the time was a vacuum cleaner. Not really an efficient vacuum pump.

-Boofer-

[Likesspace]

Debi....
I think you bring up a valid point concerning the possibility of the plastic transferring an unwanted taste/odor to the cheese.
I'm not exactly sure how I am going to approach this tomorrow, but I do plan on giving it a try to see what happens.
My wife brought home the bags this evening and I currently have them airing out to hopefully get rid of any unwanted odors. Honestly, they didn't smell bad but there was some stale air inside the bags since they were shipped with the seals closed.
I have no idea if this will work, but it's not like I'm going to lose a batch of cheese from trying.
I'm sure I can still get the curd to knit together regardless but I'm dying to know if pressing under a vacuum might be the answer to a totally closed curd.
I finally feel as if I have the taste and texture issues going my way. Now I need to concentrate on a cheese that appears commercial quality as well.
I'm sure that this will nowhere nearly equal the vacuum that commercial makers use, but if I see an improvement then I can start thinking about a better made design.
I honestly don't know what that design might be, but with enough thinking I'm sure I can come up with something.
I'll be sure to let everyone know what results I come up with.
If this test is a total failure it won't be the first of my ideas that have not worked out.
Regardless, I've certainly spent $20.00 in worse ways since my wife says she will use the space bags, regardless.
Wish me luck....

Dave

[Sailor Con Queso]

Take pictures Dave. We'd like to see how you do this even if it doesn't work.

[DeejayDebi]

Good luck Dave!

[Likesspace]

Sailor....
I'll be sure to post photos of the pressing as well as the interior of the cheese when cut. I'll probably cut it in half within a week just to see how things have gone.
I guess it will be tomorrow before I can give this a try since I just had way too many commitments to devote a day to cheddar making. Hopefully tomorrow will be less hectic so I can give this a try.
Hope everyone is having a great weekend.

Dave

[DeejayDebi]

What's the plan for getting rid of the expelled whey? Or will you just leave it until pressed?

[DeejayDebi]

I found this article on vaccuum treament for stirred curd cheddar a while back and finally found it again maybe it will give you some ideas.

[Likesspace]

Debi...
You have no idea how much I appreciate you finding this link. The information is fantastic (even though some of it went right over my head).
The final findings seemed to be that pressing under a vacuum is the answer to reducing the mechanical openings that most of us have seen in Cheddar cheese. That just reinforces my desire to give this a try.
I'm sure that I won't be able to produce the amount of vacuum that was used in the study but it might be a case of a little is better than none at all. I guess time will tell.
As for the whey issue, here's my idea.....
I normally will press for 10 minutes at a low amount of force......flip and press for 20 minutes at a slightly increased force.....flip and press for 2 hours with another increase in force and then flip and press for 12 hours x 2 at my highest pressing weight.
Since I want keep the cheese under vacuum as much as possible, here's my revised pressing schedule.....
Press at low amount of pressure for 30 minutes.....increase pressure to a moderate amount for 2 hours......remove cheese from the vacuum bag, flip, re-dress and drain the accumulated whey. I will then put the cheese back into the vacuum bag and press at my maximum pressure for a total of 24 hours, flipping and draining the whey at the halfway point.
There is no doubt that this is an experiment that will need to be refined and I honestly have no past information to go on. I will simply see how this works out and then, according to the results I see, refine the process.
I really do hope this works because it could be a very simple answer to achieving a nice closed curd. If it doesn't I'm not out much other than some time, a little bit of money and having to admit that another one of my hair-brained schemes amounted to nothing. 
I'm really looking forward to doing this and will keep you all posted on the results.
Thanks again for the effort you put into this Debi. It is appreciated.
Dave

[DeejayDebi]

Maybe if yo use enough vaccuum the whey will be sucked out of the bag with the air? I know my Food Saver will suck until the moisture hits the trouth.

[hplace]

I had mixed results with the Harbor Freight vacuum bags. After a opening and sealing a few times, the valve on one of the bags gave out and no longer holds the vacuum. The zip lock is still air tight, but the valve won't hold any longer. My wife remembered she had some space saver bags, so I tried them and after a few days, they no longer hold the vacuum.

So I purchased a Rival brand Seal-a-Meal at Kmart for $45 and it works very well. Powerful vacuum and easy to use. If you are looking for a vacuum sealer, do not get the Deni brand.

I cut my large wheels in half so I could fit them in the 11-inch-wide bags. I sealed probably 10 wheels which would be around 80 pounds of cheese in less than an hour with this sealer. I wish they had rolls that were wider than 11 inches so I didn't have to "manufacture" my own bags or cut my wheels in half.

[Likesspace]

Squirrel...
I have a food saver vacuum bagger, (that will handle an 8" wheel) but I still nearly always cut my wheels in half.
I do this both to maximize the room that I have in my mini fridges and to limit the amount of cheese that I open at one time.
As for the space saving part, I really don't know that it works, but it seems that a half wheel could be inserted into certain spaces that a full wheel could not.
Although I love making cheese I don't eat a lot at one sitting.
If I were to open a full 8" wheel, that would be a LOT of cheese to eat so I prefer to open a half wheel at a time.
I've actually considered cutting my wheels into fourths for that same reason.
I will say this....
After having used a vacuum sealer I don't see myself ever going back to wax. It is so much faster and easier using the food saver.

Dave