I was reading in a book that in the old days of Netherlands that waxing semi-hard washed curd cheeses like Gouda was primarily only done for shipping for protection against microbial growth and weight loss due to moisture evaporation and that for aging they used to rub the rinds with unboiled linseed oil, also known as flax seed oil.
From what I understand (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linseed_oil) edible linseed oil has three special characteristics:
1) It has a strong odor and flavour, OK not good.
2) In liquid form it goes rancid quickly thus better to store in fridge to maximize it's life.
3) It polymerizes or dries into a solid form which would be ideal for sealing cheeses and in which form I assume it doesn't go rancid?
Any thoughts on this for sealing pressed cheeses?
QuoteAny thoughts on this for sealing pressed cheeses?
Yes. Don't do it! Linseed oil does have a strong odor and does get rancid. It must have been used before man-made wax was invented. What's wrong with wax or vacuum sealing?
Fred
Thanks for the feedback, so you are saying it still goes rancid after polymerizing . . . from what I've been reading washed curd cheeses are not aged in wax, it is just for shipping, I believe the reason is that in wax like in vacuum bags the cheese cannot breath.
I don't think the linseed odor would ever go away plus I think it would create a hard almost polyurethane-like finish. Linseed oil has traditionally been used in oil-based paints. If you wax gouda when it has the correct amount of residual moisture, it should age well.
Fred
Here is what the Mayo Clinic says about Flaxseed oil http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/flaxseed/NS_patient-flaxseed (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/flaxseed/NS_patient-flaxseed)
The essential fats in Flaxseed oil would bind to the proteins in the cheese making them more easily absorbed by the body.
I'm thinking it's far different than the Linseed Oil I have in the shop for wood projects. I use both Boiled and non boiled Linseed oil.
Hope this helps.
The problem with linseed oil is not that it's not digestible, but that it smells terrible and quickly becomes rancid. Read what wikipedia says about it.