Here are a couple of images of my new cheese caves - one for white molds and one for non-molds.
Non-moulds:
The cheeses are standing on stainless steel bars and have a glass shelve underneeth to colect any drips etc. Now I do need to make a lot more cheeses... Right now there are two Harvarti, a Drunken Cow and a Caerphilly. The fridge is temperature controlled by an external temperature controller 12 degrees Celcius).
White-moulds:
I have a lot of brie lying there in boxes with small air holes - it works perfectly. Unfortunately they are all way too salt (brine bathed). Temperature: 5 degrees Celcius.
Please comment and ask any questions - sorry that two of the images are not rotated correctly... :-)
"Danbo"
Wish I had that amount of room in my cheese cave---wish I had that amount of cheese in my cheese cave :)
Welcome to the forum.
Qdog
Hi Qdog,
Thanks for commenting. I'm lucky to have a basement where I can make and store my cheeses. It has become my biggest hobby.
:-) Danbo
Ah, I envy you. It's so nice and roomy.
Hopefully it will get crowded over time... ;-)
Hi Danbo. Turns out if you click the picture it rotates to the right aspect (at least for me). Great looking set-up but I have a questions: In your "white mold" cave (or rather mini-caves) it looks like you have a aging mat on the bottom and the top. Is the top mat there to help flipping?
Yes - I just flip the entire box. It works fine... :-)
What brand of refrigerator is that? I have never a refrigerator that large without a freezer compartment.
It is a Siemens. :-)
Danbo,
Where did you get the containers from? They look great.
I need to find a better solution.
They are from IKEA. I drilled a hole on each side in order for air to get in. Be careful when drilling - the material is a bit tricky to drill.
:-) Danbo
It looks great to me. Were the metal shelves standard? I see there are also glass shelves below. Mine has all glass shelves and I want to replace them. I was planning on making them out of pine boards with plenty of ventilation.
Thanks.
Shane
Hi Shane,
The metal shelves are actually also from IKEA. It was just plain luck that they fit 100%.
The original glass shelves are placed so that drips from cheeses does not affect any of the cheeses below.
:-) Danbo
That is excellent. My cave is quite wide (75cm), so it seems of the shelf is out of the question unfortunately.
Thanks.
Shane
Hi Shane,
I think that pine shelves sounds just as nice as metal shelves. I hope that you post a couple of pics when it's ready. :-)
The metal shelves are made of "stainless" steel but from time to time some light rust shows because of the frequent salt water washes. That is why the cheeses are placed on plastic ripening nets.
:-) Danbo
Yes, I'll try and post some photos when I'm done. It might be a few weeks away.
As you've experienced many grades of stainless steel will not be happy in salty moist conditions. At work we use many grades of stainless steel (some for very high temperatures > 800°C), but I also use stainless steel with demineralised water. The minimum grade of stainless steel I'd use is 316. You can possibly get away with 304L though. I'm guessing that what stores generally call "stainless steel" is not one of these grades.
Shane
I know... I have a couple of vats that does not like boiling brine... Annoying...
:-) Danbo
Danbo - You mentioned that it is a Siemens refrigerator - possibly not available in the USA. But what is the product number?
Hi Susan,
The model is no longer being produced but I guess that KS36VNW30 is the product (still being sold) that comes closest regarding specs. I'm using an external digital temperature control.
:-) Danbo
Very cool! What do you do for humidity? I was looking into a setup like yours here at my shop however was told I needed 85% humidity.. Thx for any info!
Ken
Thank you KenK2. :-)
Actually I'm doing nothing at the moment regarding humidity - just watching that it is OK. I'm having around 80% and that seems fine.
If I need higher humidity my plan is to place a water filled dish at the top shelve right in front of the fan. Maybe I'll even hang a damp cloth (in contact with the water) in front of the fan if needed.
On the other hand if I need to lower the humidity I will place an absorbant bag (not chemical) in front of the fan and see if that works.
Perfect-cheese.com also has some solutions to control humidity - take a look at the site.
:-) Danbo
Very nice cave!! :D
Thanks Al. :-)