Feedback re: upright freezer as cheese cave

[MrsKK]

I've got an upright freezer that has been replaced by a chest freezer and have been thinking about getting a thermostatic controller to use this upright as a cheese cave.  I've been reading the threads about the issue related to using upright freezers with coils integrated in the shelves (which mine has).  Mostly I see that moisture drips down from these coils.

As I am now vacuum sealing all of my cheeses, would I be okay with using this freezer?

I appreciate any feedback y'all might give me.  (Yes, I say "y'all", even though I am Minnesota born and bred and currently make Wisconsin my home!)

[FarmerJd]

You said that with a perfect Alabama accent!   I used a freezer this way and sealed my cheeses with no problem until I recently got a defrosting kind.

[MrsKK]

Well, this one isn't a defrosting model, so maybe it will work out just fine then.  Thanks!

[Sailor Con Queso]

MrsKK - You're not allowed to say "y'all" unless you've had shrimp grits or cheese grits within the last 30 days.

Hmmm... Stilton Grits. Now THAT's a blending of "cultures".

[FarmerJd]

cheese grits

This is the most common use for our cheese.

[Gina]

I once had some blue cheese polenta (Italian grits ) that was awesome.

[BigCheese]

I am currently using one of these freezers (with the cooling shelves) and its fine. I am not thrilled about all the dripping on the bags, but whatever. A blue or other non-sealed cheese would do fine if it had its own containment. I usually put blues on the lid of a circular 12qt Cambro and then place the container on top. Takes a lot of space, but for only a few blues it is fine.

[mtncheesemaker]

Hey ya'll;
How about reblochon or tomme grits? They're good! (I tell DH it's polenta.)
Pam (Originally from SC)

[MrsKK]

Thanks for the feedback, Nitai.  I'm really interested to see how this will work. as I've been keeping my cheeses in a cabinet during the cold months, but they have to be in the fridge during the summer/6 months of the year.  Not ideal at all.

[wharris]

I am currently using one of these freezers (with the cooling shelves) and its fine. I am not thrilled about all the dripping on the bags, but whatever.

It was that dripping, or the constant condensation from the cooling coils, that keept my humidity pegged at 100% and made me finally throw in the towel on my upright freezer.  I really wanted that to work, but in the end, i decided that I needed to control both the temperature and the Humidity.

I did the baggie thing too, but that became too much of a hassle for me.

[BigCheese]

My humidity still stays around 70% (at least according to my $7 hygrometer).

[wharris]

Wow, that's great,  but also that's hard to understand.

The dripping condensation would indicated complete saturation. 

[BigCheese]

it seems like it does not drip at all times. But I also check it quite infrequently. Maybe its just the 30% innacuracy of a $7 hygrometer...