I have a farmhouse cheddar that has been aging for 7 months at 55f to 70f. It has a good wax seal. I squeezed the cheese today and moisture came out of the wax.
After cutting open the cheese it is crumbly and moist. My question is, since it is moist after 7 months is it safe to eat, and how can you tell if it is bad.
There is no obvious mold anywhere.
Thanks
How's the smell? How long did it dry before you waxed it?
I had a double gloucester which I opened last December at about 5 months old. It had been waxed and, similarly, moisture had collected under the wax.
This was not a problem. I dried it off and it was lovely. If there is no other indication of a problem, such as an off smell, I would be inclined to think that it should be good.
I assumed that I might have waxed the cheese too soon but I couldn't be sure because I didn't record the waxing date. I'm leaving the one I have made recently for a few weeks before I wax.
I smells great. Nice and sharp. I aged it about two weeks before I waxed it from what I remember.
I am pressing it again and letting it dry on a rack again before I vacuum seal it.
Quote from: firehack on June 24, 2015, 12:51:08 PM
from what I remember.
So...you aren't keeping notes? ???
How will you know, down the road, what caused the excess mositure after it has aged? ;)
-Boofer-
I've often had a bit of moisture under the wax or in the vac bag -- with the latter, it is more obvious, and easy to open, dry, and re-seal. I've not had any cheeses that seemed to be bad as a result ... at least, not so far. :)
As for the crumbly part -- cheddar can tend to crumble along the junctions of the curds that were pressed together; the cheddaring process makes it challenging to get a really good knit. But if it seems crumbly everywhere, not just at the curd boundaries, it may point to the curd becoming too acidified. That won't make the cheese bad; it just may give you a somewhat different cheese than you were aiming for.