Parmesan Update - Humidity Issues

Hi Everyone,

This morning when I went to check on my Parm, this is what I saw. Now remember, mould isn't bad for cheese as long as it's not black mould. Blue, green and white is just fine as long as you wash it off as it develops; or cut it off when you're ready to eat it. As long as the mould hasn't completely taken over the cheese, it's okay.

But...this Parmesan wheel is growing mould WAY too fast. I check it twice a week and I shouldn't be seeing so much! Unfortunately it started to creep into the little cracks in the cheese which I'm not happy about. Also, I've noticed brown spots forming on the wheel as well. I thought it was a by-product of the mould growth, but my gut was telling me otherwise.

I cleaned up the wheel by wiping it with brine and using a little brush to brush off the brown spots and get the mould out of the little cracks. I washed it with brine and let it sit for a while to dry as I tried to look up why this was happening.

Good old Cheese Forum! I found a thread where someone was saying the same thing about his Beaufort cheese - which is similar to a Parmesan - both develop rinds, both are hard cheeses and both need to be ripened at 85-95% humidity at 10C (50F) as they age.

Two different people said they thought the humidity was too high. But the man who posted the issue said that his ripening box was holding a steady humidity of 93%.

My ripening box is holding a steady humidity of 91%. One of the more experienced cheese makers on the forum explained that most cheeses ripen in a controlled humid environment that is larger than a home cheese maker's ripening box is. He continued to say that the larger cheese caves have more air flow as the humidity and temperature varies now and then. 

He said most recipes for cheeses that need to age in ripening boxes, don't assume that the cheeses will age in a little tupperware (like most home cheese makers use), so the humidity, though at the right range, is still too high for that small little space.

Eureka. That was likely my problem. So I put the Parm wheel in a larger ripening box for more air flow and put a smaller piece of wet paper towel inside. I'm going to keep an eye on it for a week or so to see if that solves the problem.

If it doesn't I have two more tips:

1. Rub olive oil all over the wheel. This is supposed to inhibit mould growth.

2. Vacuum pack the wheel. I don't really want to do this because it won't age as well.

I'll update soon!

Emergency Cheese Cave! Cheese Updates

Hello Friends!

How are you all doing today? I think that summer is officially over this year, sigh. Usually we get an especially hot and humid September. For the last x number of years, I've been swimming in the lake all the way to the beginning of October! But this year, it's already close to zero at night. Oh well.

I wanted to give you an update on a few things. Firstly, I've made two new Fontina cheeses using two different types of culture for comparison. They are air drying and will be ready for ripening boxes in a few days. I'll post about that in the next few weeks! I have a goat milk cheese going too, which I'll also post about soon.

Also...I got too big for my britches lol...I ran out of room in my cheese cave! It's a small fridge and I have four wheels in there already, plus the Parmesan in a ripening box and the brine...For the next three cheeses, they need to be in ripening boxes for 2-3 months too and I have no more shelves!

So the "emergency cheese cave" has been born. I took an old Styrofoam cooler we had in the basement.

I added two blue cooler thingies (dollar store) and did a 12-hour test to see if it would hold my temperature between 10-12C. It passed the test! It varied from 9.6C to 11.3C - perfect!

My emergency cheese cave will now sit on the counter in the kitchen - safely away from the pets. I'll have to replace the blue cooler thingies every twelve hours to keep the temperature right, so I'll have to hit the dollar store in the next few days to get a few more.

Necessity and lack of funds are the mother of all invention!

Jarlsberg Update: My Jarlsberg is aging at room temperature in the kitchen. If you look close, you can see that the cheese wheel is becoming a little spongy, it's also really expanding in the vacuum seal. This is normal as the "eyes" or holes are developing on the inside of the cheese! I have to watch to make sure it doesn't burst out of the seal. If it does, I have to simply reseal it. This will be ready in about 3 weeks!

And here is a video update of my Parmesan. It's doing what it's supposed to do!

Update after I filmed this video: After doing some more research today, I learned that it's a good idea to have your ripening box slightly open for air circulation. This is how I accomplish that:

A binder clip on the edge of the box with the top on. This leaves a slight crack in the opening for air flow.

Also, I read that you need to wipe the lid on the inside daily to make sure no moisture drips on your cheese, which causes it to mould faster! Forever learning!!! :)