Okay Gouda is drying and now I have a question about my cheese cave.
How should I prep it for it's first use. It's a brand new fridge so it's not a cast off from someone's days in the dorms.
Would Star San be enough to clean it or should I use something else?
Sure that should work to sanitize the space.
Just watch out putting it on any metalic stuff since its a strong oxidizer and may accelerate corrosion.
That worked great as there is no exposed (non-coated) metal in the fridge.
However, my eggs are now in it since our 11 year old Amana side by side is on the fritz.
Hope the eggs don't affect the Gouda!
Star San is great. Just make sure that it's actually clean first, no visible dirt stuck on it. These are the things that gets bacteria and yeast to develop. If this isn't a wine fridge, you would need a temperature controller.
You said you are doing Gouda so I assume it is waxed? For that you really don't need much, just temperature control. If you want to get into any cheese that is rind-dependent you will have to take care of humidity, air circulation and enabling microorganisms to survive naturally in the fridge.
No it's not waxed and I'm not planning on waxing it. If anything I'll vacuum seal it. I have a food saver and it's a small enough cheese to handle it. It's more of a matter when I seal it.
BTW, the fridge is dead :'( RIP Amana fridge. I'm going fridge shopping (again!)
Vacuum seal is the same deal - no need to worry about moisture control, just keep the temp going.