My first cheddar is now 1 month old, being kept in a fridge turned up to 10c. I have bandaged this one (covering in lard first) rather than waxing so I can keep an eye on it. Spots of black mould are appearing all over it - my wife reckons this will form a lovely rind, but I'm not so sure and was wondering if I should remove it? Any thoughts?
(http://www.cardrunners.com/blog/images/poker-blogs/11513/mouldy_cheddar_400.jpg)
Most commerical mommy cheddars have black areas covered by white mold on the rind so black mold is fine but rule of thumb is never under the bandege only on the problem is checking thats why
you want to ensure a very smooth surface ,usually by repressing the cheese after larding so there are no air pockets or cavities for mold\yeast to penetrate and contact the accual inner rind.
You could drop a nuke and dry salt the hell out of it,it shouldnt effect the cheese it self since theres a barrier between the two so the salt wont be absorbed.
Thanks for the info...this really is turning into a voyage of discovery!
Some of the black mould is definitely under the bandage. The dry salt option - would I just apply that to the bandage, or upwrap the cheese and salt it directly?
If its under it you have to unwrap, remove the mold (concentrated brine,sand it down with dry salt and\or wipe with strong vinegar),apply lard and rebandage (press to ensure a better\tighter fit).
I wouldn't worry too much. My first bandaged Cheddar ended up covered in mould. I unwrapped it early after 3 months and some of the mould did appear on the rind in various different colours, black, green, yellow and some red as shown in my profile pic. The rind was not eaten but the cheese inside was fine and all that ate it enjoyed it.
T
I reckon that if your going traditional you might as well do it properly otherwise you could just wax it with the cloth and be over with.