# cheesemaking



## carolakern (Jul 20, 2013)

I have a particularly bad problem with several different molds on a pressed, brined cow's milk cheese that's been aging around a month. i waxed it initially, but mold was growing under the wax, so i removed the wax, air dried it again (it was quite wet) and am now aging again with no waxing. mold is better, but not responding to vinegar/salt solution wiping. 

my question: do you think i could re-brine the cheese for 12 hours, to stop the mold?


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## chewie (Jun 9, 2008)

good question and i have no answer. in fact, needing some of that info right now myself. if no answer here you might try cheesemaking.com, those guys are serious about making cheese.


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## bluefish (Jan 27, 2006)

In my limited experience, mold goes with cheese, no matter what you do. I've found that as long as you've got a tight pressed cheese with not much in the way of crack or such, the mold stays as surface mold and is very easy to cut off. I've quit worrying about it. 

As an aside, when you bandage a cheddar instead of wax it, you get lots of molds growing on it. This is actually desirable as it effects flavor.


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## chewie (Jun 9, 2008)

ok so then you just allow to mold to stay on? a few batches ago i cut the mold off as it was simply impossible to wash it all off and the cheese underneath was some of the best i've had! then i was sorry i didn't just let it mold and age that way. '

right now i am aging a havarti, from raw goat milk. one batch had a pretty heavy layer of grey fuzz. the other is clean. the fuzzies are in a very small roaster pan, it has a bottom that promotes not sitting in moisture and has a lid that is not tight. the clean batch is in a square enamel pan, with plastic wrap covering. both in small aging fridge around 55*. my recipe says to turn daily for a week, then every other day for another 3 weeks then wax/vac pac. i'll be vac-ing it. would i be better off to vac it now?


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## bluefish (Jan 27, 2006)

Unfortunately, I don't have much experience with anything besides cheddar. My family REALLY likes their cheddar and I have a hard time keeping up. I am dying to try something different!!! Especially a good Bleu!

Sorry, I'm not much help.


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## chewie (Jun 9, 2008)

ok, thanks anyhow. what milk are you using for cheddar? 

i tried blue a couple times and the last one was so nasty the barn cats literally made faces before running from it!! i'm the only one in my house that likes blue anyhow so i am lucky enough that the local store carries a very nice blue and a pretty good price, so i'll just have to buy my blue fix.


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