# Alternative to waxing cheese?



## eam

I've been making a fair amount of cheese and have gone through almost all of my pound of cheese wax. I'm thinking that maybe I don't need to wax all my hard cheeses - just refrigerate in plastic wrap, maybe turning regularly.

Any thoughts or opinions?

Thanks.
Elizabeth


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## gone-a-milkin

There is also the wrapping method where you take some strips of cheesecloth and grease them with shortening and wrap the cheese up like a little mummy. 

The cheese is also 'breathing' dont forget. The fresh cheeses I have tried to seal-a-meal...they bloat up while aging. Its fine to seal them once they go to the fridge but I have had no luck aging cheese w/o waxing it or oiling it or wrapping it somehow allowing it to breathe. Maybe somebody else has had a different experience though.

Also, you can reuse your wax. It gets hot enough to kill any bacteria while you melt it.


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## cmharris6002

Plastic wrap doesn't work. I've tried some different kinds and never had the cheese turn out very well. It really does need to breath.

The best alternative is a bandage like gone-a-milkin suggested, Olive oil, butter or lard work well too. Check and clean your unwaxed cheese regularly. You can clean them with salt water or vinegar and salt.

Christy


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## eam

Thanks - not the answer I was hoping for but I'd rather do it right! After all the time spent making the cheese I'd hate to wreck in the last stages.
Elizabeth


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## linn

There was a good discussion on aging hard cheeses at the Christian Homesteader forum. I will post the link; but you may have to register to get into that section.

http://farmwoman.proboards106.com/index.cgi?board=hq&action=display&thread=3373


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## Leo

Also, maybe if you can get ahold of a local beekeeper for some wax might be helpful. 
If you put the beeswax on thick it'll crack, also, it'll crack when you cut it, but I blend some my hive's beeswax with cheesewax and that's been working good. And I never tried bandaging before, but herd from those that do both(wax and bandage), bandaged cheeses have superior flavor.


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