Camembert Aging Question

[zrim]

Hello,

I currently have a few Camemberts that have been aging at 54F, 92% humidity for roughly 8 days.  I have nice mold coverage at this point but I am noticing that on the sides of the cheese, the mold covering is no longer in contact with the underlying cheese.  For example, when I press down on the sides, I can feel that there is air between the layer of mold and the cheese. 

This is not a problem on the top and bottom of the cheese (as they make contact with my mats). 

Is this indicative of a moisture problem? 

Also, according to my recipe, I should turn the temp down to 45F in a few days.  Should I do that now to slow things down?

Thanks in advance for your help.
-Zach   

[Oberhasli]

Hi Zach,

It sounds like you might have the beginnings of "slip skin" on your cheese.  If you search through some of the old threads on camembert, you will read quite a bit about the dreaded slip skin.  I would lower the temp and cut back on the humidity to hopefully nip this in the bud.  Do you have your cheeses in a ripening box of some sort?  If you do, make sure your wipe out any condensation in the box, as that can be a big contributor to ripening problems.  Also,  elevating your cheeses off the bottom of the ripening box, so they don't rest directly on the mat will help with air circulation and mold growth. 

Good luck with your cheeses.  Cam's can be finicky little buggers at times, but even with some slip skin they are still edible, just not as pretty as you might like. 

Bonnie

[zrim]

Hi Bonnie,

Thanks for your reply.  I was afraid that it might be the case. 

My cheese is in a dorm-room style refrigerator with very good temperature control.  My humidity control, however, is not as good.  I am getting condensation in the refrigerator which I wipe out twice daily.  Furthermore, I am shielding the cheese from condensation drips. 

I will try elevating the cheeses, dropping the temp, and reducing the humidity further.  Let's hope this helps.  If not, I'll try again.

Thanks again,
Zach

[Oberhasli]

Zach,

Maybe you could fit a small rack (like you would cool a cake on) that is elevated, into your fridge.  You could also leave the door open a crack for an hour or so to let the humidity out.  Do you have any ammonia smell?  I should have asked - but how old are these cheeses?  Getting rid of that condensation will help a lot.

Good luck.

Bonnie

[zrim]

Hi Bonnie,

My cheeses have been aging for roughly 8 days.  No ammonia smell so far.

I put the cheeses on a cooling rack and I also made a tent under the cooling element of my fridge so condensation doesn't fall on the cheeses.  I've attached a pic.

-Zach

[Oberhasli]

Zach,

Those cheeses look darn good - but, they look further along than 8 day old cam's.  The "crinkling" along the sides of the cheeses looks fairly normal.  Slip skin usually starts on the top layer and goes all around.  I don't see that.  Have you pressed on the cheeses to see how soft they feel in terms of ripening and readiness to eat?  I would still cool them off a bit more and lower the humidity to curb the mold growth and promote some slower aging. 

When you made these, did they sit at room temp for a while before they started the mold bloom and then you transferred to the fridge?  Or have they been in the fridge from the beginning?  They still look great - and they may just be ready to eat a bit earlier than you planned.   

Bonnie

[zrim]

Hi Bonnie,

So I made the cheese on 1/28.  I let it drain at 75F overnight.  On 1/29 I started drying the cheese at ~60F, 70% humidity.  On 1/30 I put the cheese into a 54 degree fridge, 92% humidity.  So the cheese is now 12 days old and has been in an aging environment for 9 days. 

I'm happy to hear that the crinkling *may* be normal. 

I have pressed on the cheeses and they don't feel very soft, though I am admittedly inexperienced as to what a ripe cheese will feel like.  I won't be disappointed if they are ripe early, as they are for my personal consumption!

Thanks again for your help and I'll post an update either way.

-Zach

[Oberhasli]

Zach,

They will ripen from the outside edge first.  You should be able to feel the center getting softer as the days go by.  I like my cam's somewhat soft, but not too runny.  If you let your cheese cave breath an hour or so every day, you should be able to keep any ammonia build up away. 

Good luck on those beauties.  Keep your wine and bread handy. :-)

Bonnie

[anarch]

OK, I've had similar issues with my cam's.  Good info!

[anarch]

Quick question, how long do you guys age your cams on average?  My most sucessful batch, I'm pretty sure I aged too long.  They ended up being too soft/runny at about a month out. 

[FRANCOIS]

Cheeses are aged 10 days at 13C, 95% RH, then kept overnight in 6C, 60%RH to dry before being wrapped and put in normal 4C refrigeration.  They then will keep another 60-90 days depending on recipe and format.

Stabilised are edible on day 10, while traditional makes are kept for 21 days after wrapping before grading.

[zrim]

anarch,

This my first batch so I can't tell you how long you should age Camemberts. 

However, for this batch I'm using the guidelines from the following Camembert recipe:  http://www.cheesemaking.com/Camembert.html

-Zach

[anarch]

Cheeses are aged 10 days at 13C, 95% RH, then kept overnight in 6C, 60%RH to dry before being wrapped and put in normal 4C refrigeration.  They then will keep another 60-90 days depending on recipe and format.

Stabilised are edible on day 10, while traditional makes are kept for 21 days after wrapping before grading.

OK, thank you .  I definitely kept mine in the cave too long then, so they over ripened before I wrapped them and put them in the fridge.