Every time I buy Camembert, I can't seem to age it. I have got Camembert aboard Cruise ships and it is always smooth and creamy, but when I buy Camembert locally it is hard and rather tasteless. I have let it stand outside of the refrigerator and it just gets brown and dry. Letting it stay in the refrigerator doesn't seem to help either. What is the secret? :'(
Humidity. The molds in camembert like a humidity approaching 95% in order to grow and ripen the cheese. I'd suggest trying to age the camembert at 50-55F, on a draining mat in a plastic box, with a small bowl of water and a wick in order to increase the humidity.
Alternatively, finding a decent cheese store near you who will properly age the cheese themselves may help. It sounds like the cheese you're buying hasn't been properly handled.
Depends on the camembert, too. If you buy cheap, stabilized camembert, it will not do much after you buy it. If you buy a traditional style camembert, it continues to age.
Quote from: Geo on December 03, 2013, 07:20:47 PM
Alternatively, finding a decent cheese store near you who will properly age the cheese themselves may help. It sounds like the cheese you're buying hasn't been properly handled.
Quote from: linuxboy on December 03, 2013, 09:19:47 PM
Depends on the camembert, too. If you buy cheap, stabilized camembert, it will not do much after you buy it. If you buy a traditional style camembert, it continues to age.
Unfortunately there is no decent cheese store near me. We go to Sams in Joplin, MO, regularly and "Resors" in Langley, OK, but I don't know if they carry any "good" cheeses. So my next choice is the internet with their high shipping and handling.
Or you could try the fun of making your own!
I've gotten President brand brie at BJ's, and it does not ripen any further no matter how long it sits. A while back I was asking here trying to find a recipe to imitate it; but Iratherfly convinced me to make my own cheese, so I used his recipe for Chauorce. It had some flaws, but it was not difficult to make. Even with its flaws, it was better than what I was used to. An imperfect home made Camembert is bound to be better than a stabilized product made from ultra-filtered milk.