# waxing or vacuum



## chewie (Jun 9, 2008)

would there be any reason vacuum packing a wheel of cheese would be any different than waxing?? could I use it like waxing?


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## cmharris6002 (Jan 27, 2006)

Chris, 
I hate waxing. It is a waste of wax and you can't see what is happening with your cheese so for many years I only did natural rinds and loved them. This is my first year using a vacuum sealer for my cheese. So far I have not noticed any difference in flavor and the texture is far creamier. 

I was sooo skeptical at first it took a few years before I'd try it but all my savvy artisan cheese making friends assured me it was okay to leave my purest ways and join the 21st century  I'm glad I did! Natural rinds need a lot of attention and air circulation. Vacuum sealed cheese and be ignored until you are ready to eat it. There is supposed to be a gas exchange that needs to take place which is hindered by the plastic but people who know far more about cheese than I do say it is not a legitimate concern. 

I like the ease of care and having more space in my cave but I miss the beautiful, rustic natural rinds.


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## chewie (Jun 9, 2008)

i was planning to seal and leave in a fridge turned warm as possible for now. are you saying you leave vac. sealed cheese totally out? "more space in my cave" is what makes me think this. 

just toying with ideas! and when you seal, do you vac seal or just seal? thanks so much


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## cmharris6002 (Jan 27, 2006)

No, they go in the cave. I have more space in the cave because I can stack the vacuum sealed wheels. Natural rind cheeses have to sit on racks, not touching each other so the air can circulate around them.


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## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

Tell me at what point you seal? Do you air dry first? how long?


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## fols (Nov 5, 2008)

I'm interested also. Do you have to do anything special to the cheese before vacuum sealing to prevent mold from being under there and propagating? I tried wrapping mine in saran wrap and then in a plastic bag, but it got wet and a little slimy feeling on the outside. Took the wheels out, cleaned then, set them out in my cave (unheated room in my house) and now they are getting more dried out than I like. Was wondering if I could vacuum seal at this point (1-2 mos old cheese).
Thanks for any info-
Diane


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## cmharris6002 (Jan 27, 2006)

You can seal them at any point after they are dry. Sometimes I wait a few weeks until I have a bunch of wheels to do. I keep them on racks in the cave until I'm ready to seal them. I was worried about mold growth under the plastic too, but I was assured that there would be absolutely no mold growth.


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## chewie (Jun 9, 2008)

and after all this air drying, the rinds are still good to eat? tough? this is all very interesting!


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## BlackWillowFarm (Mar 24, 2008)

chewie said:


> and after all this air drying, the rinds are still good to eat? tough? this is all very interesting!


I vacuum seal my cheeses too. I don't have a cave, just my fridge. After the cheeses have dried for a few days and have a hard, dry rind, they get vacuum sealed and put in the fridge to age. After they're sealed, the moisture from the inside of the cheese makes its way back to the rind and everything is evened out so you get a nice creamy cheese when you open it a few months later.


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## cmharris6002 (Jan 27, 2006)

chewie said:


> and after all this air drying, the rinds are still good to eat? tough? this is all very interesting!


When you do natural rinds without sealing the cheese the rinds become hard and leathery. They are edible and some people love to eat them but they have a strong pungent flavor. But like BlackWillowFarm stated, once sealed the moisture evens out.


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## Timberline (Feb 7, 2006)

BlackWillowFarm said:


> I vacuum seal my cheeses too. I don't have a cave, just my fridge.


Same here, it works great for me.


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