Here's how I make a round vacuum bag. Takes a few minutes extra, but it gets rid of a lot of bulky excess plastic and it makes a much nicer presentation. Photos are pretty self-explainatory.
1- Start with a bag sealed on one end.
2- Draw a circle on the bag a little larger than your cheese. I draw 9" for a 7-1/4" wheel.
3- Seal in segments along the circle using an impulse sealer or FoodSaver.
4- VERY IMPORTANT. - Seal only on 3 sides.
5- Trim excess, being sure to stay outside of the heat seal marks
6- Insert cheese.
7- Seal along circle on remaining side, but leave a large opening to draw vacuum through.
8- Vacuum bag and trim excess.
The rest of the photos
Sailor, excellent post!
Pretty kewl Sailor! I like that you are smart enough to put the start and finish date on the cheese. I only put the start date, never occured to me to put a finish date. DUH! ::)
Putting the finish date really helps me avoid opening my cheeses before they are ready. Psychologically I look at the date and imagine the cheese saying, "Hey dummy, put me back. I'm not ready." I have a Parmesan and an Assiago with finish dates almost a year away. I look at them every time I open the cave, shake my head, and smile because I know how good they're going to taste.
I hear you! I use a spreadsheet and keep the aging cheeses in the basement out of site.