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Waxing Holes?

Started by bansidhe, July 20, 2021, 03:28:16 PM

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bansidhe

Hi, 

I just waxed by first cheese. My cheese was at room temperature. I dipped the cheese in the wax, held for 6 seconds and removed it.  The surface had an area that looked as though it had no wax. I redipped and then everything had a coating.    When I dipped that surface into the wax a third time, there were several small areas that did not get the second coat.  They did have a coat of wax from the first dip.  Below is a pic.  What am I doing wrong?
I was hoping to get a nice clear coat of wax so the cheese could be easily seen. Instead it's a mess.  Note, when I did the sides, they came out nicely.

Thanks
Making cheese is easy, making a cheese is hard

rsterne

I have never seen that before, but I suspect that the surface may have been damp, and drops of water boiled off in the hot wax, causing the craters.... I make sure my cheese is dry to the touch before waxing.... Most melt their wax in a double boiler for safety, but I prefer the method of melting mine in a pot directly on the burner to 250*F.... You have to be VERY careful as the wax starts to smoke at 270*F, and its flash point is close to that.... The reason for using the higher wax temperature is to kill any mold spores on the surface.... I dip for 5 seconds each side for the first coat only, then turn off the burner and do the rest of the dips as the wax is cooling, and only for 1 second per dip, allowing the wax to harden between so as to not melt the wax already on the cheese....

Bob
Cheesemaking has rekindled our love of spending time together, Diane and me!

bansidhe

I thought that as well but I did dry my cheese.  It aired dried for two days.  And then I made sure to blot it as well.  Also, that pitting was over a layer that was already waxed...  But your point is taken and I will look more closely next time. 
Perhaps I rushed the cooling between coats phase.  Well, I will be trying this again in the near future and hope to have better luck.

Thanks for your input!

FYI: I melted my wax in an aluminum pan on an electric skillet.
Making cheese is easy, making a cheese is hard