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Deviding large aged wheels for consumption, How?

Started by Tomer1, March 15, 2011, 11:53:28 PM

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Tomer1

I  have always wondered how this is done and if its even possible.
In case of waxed cheeses you could always split it and re-wax the exposed side but what about cheeses which have a natural rind  like stilton for example or hard italian cheeses?

Say Im making a large 2kg wheel cheese instead of 4 smaller 0.5kg.
I dont want to eat it at one go (usually a wedge lasts a week or so in the fridge)  and im not having a cheese evening with friends.

Should one stick to making "personal" smaller sized cheeses for "day to day" use and crack a big one at spacial occasion with alot of people or is there a way to devide a cheese and maintain its ripening and extended shelf life without killing it (drying out,unwanted mold and so on)?

MrsKK

I make virtually all of my cheeses in 5 gallon batches, resulting in 4-5 lb cheeses.  I vacuum seal the hard cheese after cutting it and the one blue I made I cut into wedges and wrapped the individual wedges in foil, then put them into a plastic bag to keep them in the fridge.  It was already very strongly flavored and I didn't want it to get any sharper.

I have waxed cut edges with some success and have also larded them, according to how I coated the rest of the wheel.  Larger cheeses age better and you have much less loss to drying and thick rinds, so making smaller isn't usually recommended.

iratherfly

I only do this with cheese I can re-vacuum or re-wax. Anything with rind is no longer very good if it is beyond the point of growing a decent rind on the freshly cut side. It must be sealed somehow. It's a bit like cured meats; Prosciutto can be aged 18 months, but once you sliced it open it stops aging and begins spoiling, know what I mean?

Tomer1

#3
"It was already very strongly flavored and I didn't want it to get any sharper."

So how long does it keep?   


"Anything with rind is no longer very good if it is beyond the point of growing a decent rind on the freshly cut side. It must be sealed somehow. It's a bit like cured meats; Prosciutto can be aged 18 months, but once you sliced it open it stops aging and begins spoiling, know what I mean?"

Yep.
I want to make a few large 8-10 gallon parms\sheep romano for extended aging time but Not sure what to do with it once I open it.  will Waxing or heat shrink be a possibility if I dont have a vaccum sealer.

iratherfly

Not a great cheese to vacuum. It needs its rind. You can coat the rind with some paraffin wax but not dip it like a Gouda. Many people use oil rubbing.

If you are not sure what to do with it once opened perhaps you should consider a smaller cheese? You can give to friends, perhaps even sell in the market or to a store if your production is legal. Parmesan does keep for very long time. You can cut to wedges and vacuum bag them individually. Shred some of it and have it stored in vacuum bottles as shredded cheese etc.  It is a lot easier to consume a large wheel of cheddar than Parmesan!