Oiling Rinds (Starts with discussion on moldy under waxed cheddar)

[Missy]

What is going on with my cheddar lately?  I am so frustrated that every. single. wheel has mold growing.  And I'll see if I can attach a picture for you to see it.  There is orange and black mold and sometimes green.  Yuck.  I didn't used to have this problem and now it's happening all the time.  What am I doing wrong?

If I cut off the moldy sections, is the rest still edible?

[FRANCOIS]

Is the mold growing under some sort of rind protectant or wax?  Can't tell from the photo. 

I would guess that your texture is too open and conditions are allowing the spores to 'do their thing" on the cheese body.  You can certianly eat around the mould, very few are actually pathogenic.

[Missy]

The cheese is growing underneath the wax.  What does that indicate?

What do you mean the texture is too open?  And how do I fix that?

[tnsven]

I'm no expert by any means but, aside from the molds, those look very nice. 

I think Francois is saying that the curds may not be pressed tightly enough together. This would leave voids in the cheese so that molds can grow.

If the molds are on the surface of the cheese (on the rind but under the wax), could it be that something contaminated the outside rind while the cheeses were drying? If so, can you remove the wax, clean them with some vinegar & salt and rewax them?

I would eat them regardless of the mold and just cut it off if you do not care for it. I've got some mozzarella I'm aging (for provolone) and it got both blue and white mold on the outside (I never bothered to wax these as it is too humid here right now). Not much. But they still taste good! And I (and my family) are still here.

Kristin

[wharris]

Traditional Cheddar shops actually let the their wheels of cheddar completely mould over. So I would not worry so much about a little mold.   You can always cut away the rind  get to the good, tasty cheese inside.

In terms of why, there are a myriad of factors that might contribute to this.
>trapped moisture under the wax
>insufficient air circulation in the cheese cave.
>poor sanitation in the cheese cave. (now that you have mold on one, it spreads easily.

I might suggest letting the rind dry for a bit longer next time,  (don't let it split open though)
then wipe it with white vinegar, rub some salt on it, then let that dry, then wax right away.


I have resolved to only wax the cheese once it is ready to distribute. I prefer to let a natural rind develop,
This requires that the curd on the outside of the wheel be completely closed.  No gaps or spaces. Then I occasionally wipe with white vinegar, then salt, then a very light coat of mineral oil. 

I do this over and over and over....About every month.

I really don't want to let mold take hold. Then its a pain to get rid of..

[Tea]

I too have a wheel or parmesan and romano that are both covered in mould.  I have salt rubbed, cut off the salted again, rewrapped, but to no avail.  I decided to try some, and to me I can taste the mould.  yuck
How do you get mould to cover without the resultant cheese tasting mouldy in the end?

[FRANCOIS]

Tea, with parm and romano you can certainly oil them.  So once a month or so rub the rind with a vegetable oil, then two weeks later rub in some salt and possible a light wipe with a vinegar rag.  Then two weeks later re-oil, then salt after two weeks....repeat indefinately.  Just watch out for yeast, it can still grow on the rind.  If this happens wipe the crud back as best you can, give it a vinegar wipe:dry:distillers alcohol wipe: dry: salt rub: dry: oil

[wharris]

i have some 10 month old parms that have no mould on them. the rinds are completely closed and i use the above methods...
The outside rind is like a rock, impervious.

[Boofer]

Then I occasionally wipe with white vinegar, then salt, then a very light coat of mineral oil. 

So once a month or so rub the rind with a vegetable oil, then two weeks later rub in some salt and possible a light wipe with a vinegar rag.

Mineral oil, vegetable oil, and then there's olive oil....
Is there an oil that offers the best sealing protection without contributing a flavor all its own?
Is the choice of oil more than just a personal preference?

-Boofer-

[wharris]

Going way out on a limb here, I use only mineral oil.
My personal thoughts are that vegetable and Animal oils may go rancid while mineral oil would not.
I could be WAY off on that, but those are the thoughts in my head. I would defer to anyone that really knows.

[FRANCOIS]

The choice is personal preference for the most part, any oil with relatively long shelf life will do.  Vegetable oils, when left open to oxidize, will go rancid.  My experience is that their incorporation into the rind makes this a non-issue.

I'm sure Linuxboy can tell you about the fatty acid chains and why certain ones will lead ot long shelf life while others will lead to rapid rancidity.

[linuxboy]

Used in moderation, any oil will work. Some, like grape seed oil are more prone to leaving off flavors. Neutral oils like peanut, olive, and rapeseed (canola) work well.

What happens with any vegetable oil is that it will autooxidize. Oils consist of all sorts of fatty acids usually bound up as triglycerides, and the balance of the types of acids vary with the plant. Generally, the shorter the length of the fatty acid, the stronger the flavor. When typical acids like oleic break down due to oxidation and/or light, all sorts of aromatics are released like ketones and aldehydes, and smaller chain fatty acids, some of which are free and unbounded as triglycerides. End result of this is that all these compounds produce a taste or aroma of rancidity.

If you overapply any oil it will produce a rancid flavor. The point isn't to create a huge slick on the cheese, but to condition the outer layer of the rind. With a very light application, any oil will work. It's easier to use the ones I mentioned, though. Also, you can stabilize oxidation of oils by adding in some citric acid to chelate oxidation byproducts (free radicals) or delay oxidation by using vitamin E (tocopherol).

[BigCheese]

On a slightly different note, I am vegetarian and have wondered about doing a cloth-banded cheddar with clarified butter as opposed to lard. I think the consistency is similar (never used lard though). At cave temps the clarified butter should stay relatively solid. And then there is the added potential advantage of imparting a buttery (and even nutty caramel-y, depending on how cooked the butter was) flavor. Take that diacytilactis!

Thoughts?

I have also wondered about rubbing with clarified butter in general. it keeps for a long time even at room temp.

[linuxboy]

On a slightly different note, I am vegetarian and have wondered about doing a cloth-banded cheddar with clarified butter as opposed to lard. I think the consistency is similar (never used lard though). At cave temps the clarified butter should stay relatively solid. And then there is the added potential advantage of imparting a buttery (and even nutty caramel-y, depending on how cooked the butter was) flavor. Take that diacytilactis!

Thoughts?

I have also wondered about rubbing with clarified butter in general. it keeps for a long time even at room temp.

Without protein, clarified butter is directly comparable to lard. It may even be a little more stable. It's the protein degradation in butter that makes it go rancid. Those heavy saturated fats in clarified butter make it last a long, long time.

So go right ahead, it'll work great. It's just expensive.

[tnsven]

I use ghee, butter, or lard for rubbing on one of my cheeses. It is a stirred curd cheddar style. I played around with natural rinds on this recipe last summer and the kids loved it with ghee, butter, and/or lard.