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GENERAL CHEESE MAKING BOARDS (Specific Cheese Making in Boards above) => EQUIPMENT - Aging Cheese, Caves => Topic started by: Martin on November 20, 2016, 07:00:59 AM

Title: % humidity for clothbound cheddar
Post by: Martin on November 20, 2016, 07:00:59 AM
Mary Karlin says that 65-75% humidity is ok for a cloth bound cheese: http://artisancheesemakingathome.com/pdfs/temp-humidity.pdf (http://artisancheesemakingathome.com/pdfs/temp-humidity.pdf)

Most other resources say keep an cave at 85%+ for humidity.
Any thoughts? Does cloth bound mean that a cheese can develop properly at a lower humidity?
Title: Re: % humidity for clothbound cheddar
Post by: Al Lewis on November 20, 2016, 04:00:45 PM
I've never done a cloth bound however Mal "ozziecheese" does them all of the time.  You may want to message him.  It's my understanding that cloth bound seals them so the RH shouldn't matter but I could be totally wrong.  Try this link.  https://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,13778.msg104297.html#msg104297 (https://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,13778.msg104297.html#msg104297)
Title: Re: % humidity for clothbound cheddar
Post by: dc-k on March 08, 2018, 06:33:57 PM
Quote from: Old Goat on November 20, 2016, 07:00:59 AM
Mary Karlin says that 65-75% humidity is ok for a cloth bound cheese: http://artisancheesemakingathome.com/pdfs/temp-humidity.pdf (http://artisancheesemakingathome.com/pdfs/temp-humidity.pdf)

Most other resources say keep an cave at 85%+ for humidity.
Any thoughts? Does cloth bound mean that a cheese can develop properly at a lower humidity?

I'm following one of her recipes at the moment and have a cloth bound farmhouse cheddar in the cave in that humidity range now. My guess is that the cloth binding is much more permeable than wax and that this is the reason for the difference.