cheese making how-to's

7/23/2019 Cheese Making How-To's

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Cheese Making How-To's

Step by step tutorials for all your cheese making needs

In this section we've compiled some wonderful tutorials on home cheese making. Each

one's filled with photos and information to help you become a cheese making aficionado.

Choozit Culture Packs

What are they and how will they affect the cheese we make?

These larger packs of culture offer a greater choice in cultures but are intended for larger

cheese batches. Guidelines suggest that they are quantities for much larger vat batches

but we find that they can be divided easily for 25 Gal farmstead or even 8-10 Gal home

cheese maker batches.

MA011

This is the mesophilic culture to use when you want a clean cheese flavor and a

very close curd texture.


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These mesophilic cultures will provide the essential acidity without gas

production sometimes referred to as homofermentive.

Ideal for semi-soft and fresh cheeses such as: Cheddar, Colby, Monterrey Jack,

Feta, Chevre, etc.

Contains

o Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis

o Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris

These are two primary lactic acid producing bacteria used for cheese making

They are Homofermentive bacteria, primarily used for producing lactic acid.

Temp growth range is 10 - 42C (50- 102 F.) with an Optimum growth rate =

25 - 30C (77- 88 F.)

Cremoris is more salt sensitive [


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Another Mesophilic culture for soft ripened, and fresh cheeses such as: Brie,

Camembert, Gouda, Edam, Blue, Feta, Havarti, Chevre, etc.

This culture contains the 2 primary cultures of MA011 but the diacetylactis will

produce CO2 and a butter like flavor/aroma. Cheese made with this culture will

be somewhat more open in texture and in a cheese such as gouda/edam willprovide the typical small round holes.

Contains

o LL) Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis

o LLC) Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoriso LLD) Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis biovar diacetylactis

TA061

This culture works at higher temperatures (Thermophilic) for hard mountain style

cheeses such as Emmenthaler and Gruyere etc.

It is often used in combination with other thermophilic cultures such as:

o Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus

o Lactobacillus helveticus

o Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. lactis

The typical yogurt cultures are a blend of Streptococcus thermophilus andLactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus.

It can also me mixed with other Mesophilic cultures such as in the MA4002where its work is then done primarily in the aging room.

Contains

o Streptococcus thermophilus

This culture will work optimally in the 108-112F range

MD088

This culture is usually used with other mesophilic cultures to enhance flavor(buttery) and produce some small eyes in fresh and soft ripened cheeses cheese

such Edam or Havarti. We suggest you use it as a flavor enhancer for your cheese.


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Used in combination with other mesophilic cultures this culture is a very slow

acid producer and is usually not used by itself but in combination with other

mesophilic cultures such as MA 011.

This culture is used to enhance flavor (buttery) and produce some small eyes in

cheese such Edam or Havarti. Suggest use as a flavor enhancer for your cheese.

It is often used to provide more openness in Blue cheese due to it's gasproduction.

Contains

o Lactococcus lactis subsp. biovar diacetylactis

Using this in conjunction with MA 011 it will be similar to MM 100 but you will

be able to control the flavor and gas producing aspects to your satisfaction by

increasing or decreasing the amount of MD 088 used.

How should we use them?

The key here is that a single culture pack will set many gallons of milk. So ourtask is to figure out how to section out just enough culture for the quantity of milk

we are using and to get the right amount of activity for the cheese we plan to

make.

We offer 2 methods:

Quick and Easy

each pack can be divided up so that 1/2 tsp will inoculate about 6-12 Galof milk.

If using raw milk that can be reduced by 25-50%. We do encourage

everyone to use this only as a guide since setting temp, stage of milk, andtype of cheese being made will call for specific amounts of culture to

reach the proper acidification rate.

Precise Method

An accurate scale is needed for this... The packs come marked in ' Units'

of 10, 20, or 50. We find that utilization of 1-2 Units will set 10 Gallons of

milk, depending on milk and activity of starter desired.


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So, how do we measure what we need?

The standard rate of recomended use is 2 units per 26.4 Gallons of milk or

1 Unit per 13.2 Gallons.

Since my last 20 Unit Pack of MA011 (less weight of package) was equalto 17.7 grams then 1 Unit was equal to .89 grams [17.7/20]

Now I have determined that my rate of Utilization is a bit less at 1 Unit per

10 Gallons and have 18 gallons of milk to set. Therefore, I can calculate

my culture needed as:

.89 (weight of 1 U culture) x 18/10= .89 x 1.8

= 1.6 grams of MA011 will set my 18 gallons of milk in the time I

want

Please do your own tests to find the utilization rate that works for yourmilk.

How To Bandage Your Finished Cheddar

Once you have pressed your curds and removed the finished cheddar from the mold, your

cheese is ready to be bandaged. Follow the directions below and you will have abeautiful, bandaged cheddar to age!


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1.Start by cutting 2 circles of muslin slightly bigger than the top of the cheese.

2.Sanitize and soak these in warm water, then spread evenly over the surface and smoothout from center to edge.


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3.Next bandage the other end and repress for an hour or so at max pressure.

4.The side should now be finished in a similar manner to the top and put back to press

overnight.


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5.Upon removing from the press we have a cheddar wrapped in cloth and ready to age

for the next 8-24 months.

6.It now goes to it's shelf in the cave at 55F.. 85% humidity to be turned once a day for

the first 8-12 weeks.


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7.After about 2-3 weeks the first natural molds will begin to grow and spread over time.

At 2-3 months begin turning, only 2 times each week.

8.This mold will eventually dry off as the cheese moisture decreases leaving a rather

rustic surface after 8-12 months.

Salt Brining Cheese


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The primary reason for salting cheese is to slow

down or stop the bacteria process of converting

lactose to lactic acid. During the brine process,most of the lactose is removed. If the cheese

were not salted, the residual moisture containsenough lactose to produce more acid than is

ideal for a proper curd ripening. The secondary

purpose is for the cheese flavor.

Salting of the cheese will also pull moisturefrom the surface and begin forming the rind of the cheese. This will also tend to inhibit

the growth of many molds.

How do I brine my Cheese ?

When do we salt ?

When the final pressing has been completed thecheese is moved to a cool cave to stabilize it's

temperature to that of the brine. Brining a warm

cheese will increase the rate of salt absorption andcause over salting.

Prepare your brine or, if you have been storing a

good brine, simply pour this into a non reactive

pan.A simple brine formula is :

- 1 Gallon of water to which is added 2.25 Lbs of Salt, 1tbs. Calcium Chloride

(30% solution), and 1 tsp. white vinegar.

This will result in saturated brine at 5.2 pH, suitable for most cheeses.

Place the cheese into the brine. The density of the brine will cause the cheese tofloat, which will result in the surface of the cheese rising out of the brine. This

means the surface of your cheese will not get salted during the brine process like

the bulk of your cheese. To remedy this, simply toss a small amount of salt on the

surface of your cheese. This will cause your cheese surface to form its own brinedue to surface moisture.

How long should cheese be brined for ?Cheeses of different densities and shapes will require varying times in the brine.

A general rule is 1 hour per lb. per each 1 inch thickness of cheese. A very denselow moisture cheese such as Parma will need more time than a moist open texture


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cheese.

How should the cheese be handled

after brining ?Once a cheese has been brined, it shouldbe drained and allowed to air dry, while

turning, for a day or so. Once a dry firm

surface is observed, the cheese is then

ready for waxing or the development ofnatural rinds.

What details are involved in salting with a brine ?

What is enough salt ?

The brine is usually made up to a saturated strength. This means adding salt untilthe salt no longer dissolves when added.

How do we replenish the salt ?

When adding fresh cheese to a brine, always make sure to sprinkle a good amountof salt on the surface of the floating cheese.

What else does the brine need to be ideal?

...Brine should be kept to as cool a temperature as possible. Most folks keep it at52-54F and store it in the cave area to keep cool.

...It should also be stabilized at an acid level similar to the cheesebeing salted.

This is usually in the pH 5.4-4.9 range.

...Fresh brine needs to have Calcium addedbecause low Ca in the brine willcause the Ca inside the cheese (responsible for binding the proteins) to be pulled

into the brine. This will in time cause a weakening of the curd structure and a

softening of the rind.

When making fresh brine, I usually add about a cup of clear whey to each gallon

of brine (for the calcium it contains) and as much salt as will dissolve, then just abit more to see that it is saturated. This will be about 23% at the cave temps. I

then add a bit of citric acid to reach my target pH (that of the cheese being

brined).

How long will the brine keep?I keep my brine herefor a year or two. If it gets moldy or starts looking somewhat

bad, I simply bring it to a boil and refilter it.

Dumping this heavy load of salt down the drain is hard on the water treatmentsystem. I feel that a good brine gets better with time. In Italy and France, I see the

recirculation and filtering of brine almost everywhere. When asked, some cheese


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makers say they can not remember changing the brine.

How should you manage the brine?

Most people keep the brine tankscovered and filter it when it looks dirtyor cloudy. Others use a system of

constant recirculation through filters. I

filter mine with cotton balls back into

gallon jugs between my small cheesemaking batches. I do check the brine pH

and saturation regularly. The calcium

level is not an issue after the first batch or sosince some calcium will always becoming out of fresh cheese until an equilibrium is reached between curd and

brine. Remember to keep the brine cool because at warmer temperatures some

molds will grow (halophillic .. salt tolerant). Also, if the brine saturation dropsbelow 16%, there are many molds that can grow in this. Remember, if you see

this happen, just boil and filter the brine and correct the situation.

I tend to use funnels.

How To Test For Acid

Why is it important to test for acid?

When we are trying to convert the lactose in cheese to

lactic acid by using a culture, there is no visible way todetermine to what extent the culture is working.

Tracking acidity development is one of the surest ways to

know about the activity of your culture and to tell if it is

doing the work it was intended to do

What is required for equipment?

There is actually very minimal equipment needed for thissimple test.

We provide 2 options on our web site:


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Our Acid Testing Kit

You can easily test the acidity of milk, cheese whey, and other

dairy products with our inexpensive acid testing kit. Increasing

acidity levels are an important part of cheese making and this kittakes away the guess work.

This kit is suggested for the home cheese maker who will use it only

occasionally

Our Acidimeter

These burettes make taking titration readings a snap. Small screw

clamp lets you preset drop speed for repeat titration and a quicksqueeze of the bottle will refill the burette to the zero point.

We suggest this apparatus for the serious home cheese maker and farmstead

cheese makers who will be making these tests on a much more frequent basis

How to we do this test?

Directions for using the Acidimeter or Acid testing Kit (depending on which setupyou are using)

1.

If using the Acidimeterfill the glass reservoir with .1N NaOH (SodiumHydroxide Solution)

2. If using Acidimeterfill the graduated column with the NaOH by applying

pressure to the rubber pump. It will go to zero with any excess draining backinto the reservoir

orif using 'Acid Testing Kit'fill the provided syringe with 3 ml of .1N NaOH.

3. Now using a syringe or a pipette, measure 9 ml of milk

4. Pour this sample into a test tube or a beaker (preferably held against white

surface)5. Add 5 drops of phenolphthalein to the milk sample and stir gently

6.

Open the tap (stopcock) or use syringe to let the NaOH run drop by drop intothe sample while stirring gently


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before stirringkeep adding

NaOHstop adding

NaOHthis is the final color

7. Continue until the appearance of a light pink coloring which persists for 10-

20 seconds8. Look on the column or syringe to see how many ml of NaOH were used

.. multiply this by .1 (move decimal point 1place left) for the actual TA%

Example:If the amount of NaOH used is 1.6ml then the titrateable acidity is.16 %

Some books may refer to Dornic acid degrees ... This is simply done bymoving your column reading one place to the right ... i.e. graduation is 1.6 =

16 Dornic degrees.

Note:The life of Sodium Hydroxide Solution : approximately 1 year in a

sealed bottle

Our Best Cheese Wrapping Paper

We have a great supply of quality mold ripened cheese wrapping papers, including bothwhite rind 'crote fleurie' and washed rind 'crote lave'

Our simple breathable wrapis a one layer sheet of clear cellophane. The

principle for these wraps is that The wraps have been selected to allow the

proper amount of moisture and gas to escape and fresh air to enter the ripening

cheese surface.


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CW1is for the mold ripened cheese (white surface). It has a less poroussurface to minimize evaporation but allow any gas buildup from

ripening to escape

CW2is the wrap to choose for washed rind cheese with a more humidsurface. This wrap has a more porous surface to allow the excessmoisture to escape and not build up near the surface of the cheese.

These papers will provide you with a controlled environment for your cheese at

a reasonable cost. The clear wrap also allow you to see what is happening onthe surface as it ages as well.

We also have a more technical paperfor those who would like moreprotection for their ripening cheese when it is to be given away to friends for a

professional presentation or to better withstand the rigors of the retail loop.

(MRP) White

penicillin ripened

rinds such as

Camembert and

soft ripened goat cheeses

(WRP) Washed rinds

(red)

developed with a

light brine wash

such as Munster

Click here to purchase cheese wrapping papers and other necessities

this paper is comprised of 2 layers:

1.. The inner layer is a parafin

coated(cheese side) thin white

parchment paper bonded to...

2.. A 20 micron opaque Whitemicro-perferated Polypropylene

layer

The inner paper is designed to pullmoisture away from the surface of

the cheese and it's parafin coating

also made up of 2 layers:

1.. An inner layer of thin sulphurized

grease proofpaper bonded to...

2.. A 20 micron Transparentmicro-

perferated Polypropylene layer

the sulphurized inner paper will pull

moisture away from the surface of the

cheese (trapping it between the 2layers) and restrains the surface mold

growth ... in addition it will prevent the


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will keep the candidum mold from

growing into the paper (which

would result in tearing the surfaceupon opening)

The outer layer will allow gases tobe exchanged while controlling the

moisture loss .... Essentially

allowing the white mold to remainactive while not becoming

excessive

very common problem of crystal

formation which results in grainy or

sandy rinds

The outer layer will allow gases to beexchanged while controlling themoisture loss

the transparent top coat allows the

cheese to be seen through the thin inner

paper which becomes somewhattranslucent after wrapping

In both of these papers:

The objective is to absorb the moisture from the cheese surface during earlyripening by soaking into the inner layer while the outer layer prevents excessive

moisture loss

Towards the later stages of ripening, as the cheese prepares for market this

moisture reserve is available to the cheese again

These papers are very specialized and will deteriorate if excessive moisture

remains in the young cheeseIf the inner layer becomes saturated with moisture the paper will begin to stick

to the cheese and deteriorate ... This will become worse with overripe cheese

..i.e. high ammonia

...If the cheese is too moist plain waxed paper would be best until the moisture

is reduced

We are currently supplying these papers in many sizes

For the white mold ripened

cheeses

large 400

mm

15

3/4"

Tomme &

Brie

med 250

mm

9 7/8" Camembert

small 200mm

7 7/8" Crottin Style

click here for the mold ripened

For the washed rinds (Red)

large 430

mm

16

7/8"

Munster,

Trappist,

Blue,

Tallegiomed 300

mm

11

7/8"

Reblochon


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papers click here for the washed rind papers

Waxing Cheese

A detailed overview to prepare your cheese for aging.

We get many questions on waxing cheese as well as requests for help when mold formsunder the wax.

We have prepared this page to help our customers in the waxing process and to give some

guidance when things do not go so well with the aging cheese.

Why Wax?Waxing is perhaps the most convenient way to protect the cheese during agingand keep the cheese moisture in the desired range.

Can I save time using wax?

Yes, if done properly the cheese will be much easier to keep mold free afterwaxing and the moisture loss will be reduced. Very little needs to be done to a

waxed cheese other than maintaining the proper temperature/moisture levels and

turning it over on the shelf every week or so. Less time brushing, rubbing andturning cheese.

What about mold?

If the mold is removedprior to waxing and the waxing is done properly, mold

development under the wax will not be a problem. The right wax temperature?

As explained below, the wax temperature really needs to reach 224-236F(Please

see wax temperature warningbelow) then held in the wax for at least 6 seconds to"flash" the mold spores. However, some folks do choose to take the safer route

and use wax melted in a water bath(as described in Ricki's book) and have great

results with that. See below for more details on the two methods.

Which Wax to use?This is a frequent question here. Our cheese wax is a special microcrystalline wax

that will resist cracking and hold up to the daily bumps and bruises of aging

cheese. The color of the wax makes no difference, but our "yellow" wax contains

no colorant. Paraffin is much too soft and will readily crack during aging,allowing molds to enter and grow on the cheese surface. Bees wax is nice but

does not have the strength to survive aging unless handled carefully.

Click on any image for a closer view

Clean the Cheese before waxing


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Once the cheese is formed and pressed, it

will need to dry off for a few days at a cool

temp with good circulation.

A loose pice of cheesecloth laid over the

cheese should keep dust and debris off thecheese but mold may develop as seen here

after a week.

Before the cheese can be waxed, the mold needs to be removed. This can be done with a

brine wash or vinegar wash. Both high acid and high salt will discourage mold from

growing. I prefer the brine wash with ~ 1 tsp salt to a cup of cool water. As you can seein the photos, the mold wipes away easily. Photo at left shows the clean cheese ready for

waxing.

The cheese will dry and be ready for waxing in an hour or two.

Waxing at lower (safer) temperature


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We begin here by heating the wax in a pan of water on the stove.

This will work if you work quickly and have a very clean cheese

surface, but many of our customers do come to us with questionson mold developing under the wax, when it is done this way.

This is the safest method(especially with small children

around).

Using this method, the wax will never reach much more than

198-204F since boiling water can only reach 212F and some heat is lost in transfer. Thismay not be enough to kill the mold spores if they find their way to the cheese surface.

Once the wax is hot, you may begin applying wax with a brush. It is a good idea to put apiece of aluminum foil down to catch the drips between wax pot and cheese. The key

here is to work quickly and use plenty of wax on the brush to get a good cover coat. Do

not over brush. Do the top surface and as much of one side as you can get, then allow thisto harden before doing the remaining cheese surface. Give it at least a second coat to

make sure a good protective layer is created.

This method will allow a smaller quantity of wax to be used since only a container large

enough to dip the brush in is needed. It is, however, a bit messier since the brush is

difficult to clean.

Cleaning the Brush:

Immediately after waxing scrape brush accumulation of wax on the edge of the meltingpot and while still very hot wipe as much wax from brush as possible with rags or paper

towels. Discard these papers/rags when done. The brush will still be stiff but can be

easily softened in hot wax for next waxing.

Store the wax covered and the brush in a bag to keep dust out between waxings.

Pros: This method usually requires less wax to be heated (just enough to dip the brush

and coat the cheese) and it is safer since the wax is never heated to a dangeroustemperature.

Cons: The temperature is not hot enough to kill the mold spores and mold may developunder the wax. If the cheese is dried in a clean environment covered with a sanitized dry

cloth this may not be a problem.

Waxing at a higher temp


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While the cheese dries you can begin heating the wax.

Please look at our CAUTION STATEMENTbelow on direct heating of wax on thestove.

In the pictures above I have heated my wax to 224-236F. At this temperature the wax isextremely hotand remember, it is not like boiling water since it is much hotter and the

wax will stick and retain that heat. Work cautiously and make sure you have a good gripon the cheese before dipping.

The first thing to do after heating the wax is to turn the burner off and place a piece of

foil on the stove or work surface to catch the drips (MUCH easier to clean up). Dip the

top of the cheese, let that cool, then dip the bottom. Once these surfaces are cool rotateone half of the cheese edge in the wax, let that cool, and then wax the other half.

I always do a double dip when waxing - dip - cool - dip again.

When finished, simply allow the wax to cool and then store it covered on the shelf to

keep dust out.

Pros: This method will kill the mold spores on the cheese surface so that you should havelittle trouble with mold growing under the wax. Also, there is no messy brush to clean.

Cons: You MUST use CAUTION when heating wax directly on the burner. This also

uses more wax then the first method since the entire cheese surface needs to be dipped

into the wax.


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In the Cave

Once waxed, the cheese can be stored in your

aging area, but the proper temperature andmoisture levels (usually 52-56F and 85%

moisture) need to be maintained.

You should continue to turn the cheese weekly

and check for any mold growing under the wax.

What to do if mold develops under the wax

If you find mold has started to grow on a waxed cheese, either the surface was not heated

hot enough during the waxing to kill off the mold (wax too cold) or a small pinhole was

left for mold to enter. If very serious, this mold should be taken care of ASAP byremoving the wax, brushing or scraping the mold from the surface, and giving the cheese

a good wiping/scrubbing (depending on how serious) with a cloth soaked in saturatedbrine.

The cheese should be allowed to dry and then re-waxed.

How to Clean Up

The key to waxing is to dedicate cheap utensils and pots to it so you never have to cleanthem. The best job of cleaning though is very hot water to melt the wax then quickly wipe

w/ paper towels and discard. The final surface can then be cleaned with a solvent like

turpentine etc.

A warning on heating wax

Wax when heated will reach a point where vapors accumulate and may ignite withlife threatening results.

I am aware that Ricki says in her book to melt the wax in a double boiler, but in

effect, there is a problem with that. The wax will not be hot enough to destroy the

mold on the cheese surface and enough air can get through for this mold to growunder the wax. I think she is most concerned with the safety of her customers.

To be most successful at preventing mold the wax needs to reach a temp of 225-

240F and the cheese dipped for at least 6 seconds.

The BIG PROBLEM here is that you really need to control the temperature

because if the wax gets hotter it might reach it's flash point and catch on fire.


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Our supplier gives the flash point as 400F, but I would err on the side of caution

and keep it in the range described above.

*** A wax fire is Extremely dangerous and water WILL NOT put it out***

To limit the potential danger here, I use a heavy pot with a candy thermometer andcontrol the wax temps carefully. Others simply get an old electric fry pan, get thewax up to this temp, and tape the temp control dial in place.

It may seem to take a long time to get the wax to go from solid to liquid, but onceit has liquefied, the temperature will rise sharply. Make it a habit to constantly

monitor the temperature of your wax. If that wax reaches the flash point, then the

vapors produced are extremely flammable. The flash point of wax is typicallyabove 300 F. Never let your wax exceed 250F.

Using wood for aging cheese

For centuries folks have been aging cheese on wooden boards and shelves. Primarilybecause it has been local and readily available.

In Jim's aging room (a cellar dug 9 feet feet down underthe kitchen) he uses wood. The shelves are a combo of

tight pine boards (few to no knots or resin spots) and ash.

he also uses pine boards fordrying boards because they will

absorb excess moisture from the

cheese as well as in his plasticboxes for higher moisture cheeses since they will provide a nice

even humidity. All of the wood has been air dried for several

seasons.

The shelf thickness (3/4") and supports are all scaled to support the cheese size and

weight he makes. These are usually smaller cheeses in the range of 5-10 pounds. The

shelf spacing is designed to leave space between the cheeses and also between the cheese

and wall since air circulation is so important. When placed too close tothe wall or other cheese mold will become more of a problem. Also

Jim uses pieces of our cheese draining matto encourage airflowbetween cheese when stacking but these are only for aged cheese with

very firm and dry rind

Another option for increasing space when aging long aged cheese with hardrinds is the upright storage racks as shown below:


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For heavier cheeses the shelves need to be substantially thicker and the support spans

closer together as in the case of these 90-110 lb Beaufort cheese below


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Or these equally heavy Parma's in Italy


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One of the most efficient systems I have seen for transporting and aging several cheeses

is to use a deeper rack that holds boards with many cheeses on each board. The boardsare place in at right angles to the racks rther than parallel.

These can then be moved as a group and carried between rooms, several at a time.


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Multiple cheeses on boards to aid in aging and moving at a cheese shop in Annecy France aboveand at a small farm in the mountains of Savoie pictured below.

Is wood Goodor Bad?

This has been the aging surface of choice forcenturies. The advantages seem to be the

porosity of the wood and its natural character.

The wood will act as a moisture reservoir,holding moisture when the cheese has excess

and returning it to the cheese when low

moisture prevails.

Wood also has the ability to provide a place for the unique microbes to establishthemselves for reseeding the surface molds of many cheeses.

Another recently understood aspect from Ireland is that some of the coryneforms that are

harbored in the wood will naturally fend off (out-compete) the Listeria that tends to grow

in washed rind cheeses.

In recent times the thinking was that wood is bad because of itsporosity harboring many undesirable bacteria that could not besanitized away and the trend was that chefs and restaurants needed to

get rid of the wood cutting surfaces and knife handles. The errors of

their ways were quickly apparent as they found that plastic came withits own problems.

Larger scale cheese makers have gone to plastic and stainless steel

surfaces, especially for the higher moisture cheeses and I do see many

benefits for this. The biggest advantage being plenty of air circulation on washed rinds

and mold ripened cheeses.


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Some regional regulations which require smooth easily

cleanable surface will not allow wood and others will allow "only

hardwood" to be used in any thing that touches the cheese.

Other areas go as far as to require the boards to be held atpasteurization temperatures and times before reuse.

Many cheese makers and affineurs specifically use

rough cut wood boards because these help to let

air circulate beneath the cheese, and some have cut grooves across the grain to

allow air to circulate under the cheese.

What kind of wood

In France folks use primarily a wood called Epicea which is the

spruce tree group. I have also seen folks including Larch in thisgroup.

Wood and especially pine and firharvested in the summer will be wet and

full of moisture, yeasts, and bacteria that will cause a cheese to

age poorly. But harvested in winter this will be drier and moresuitable for cheese aging. Some cheese makers such as in the

caves at Roquefort will dry the wood for several season before

using.

These are some of the woods I have had experience with. If you have used other andwould like to comment please contact me [email protected]:

Good

Spruce:is very open surface and a positive aromatic quality from the resinsLarch:is similar to spruce but not as aromatic

Pine:use clear without a lot of knots and resinCedar:some folks like this but it can be very aromatic and interfere with natural cheese

aromas

Beech:is very tight surface slower to absorb and release moisture

Birch:is similar to beechAsh:is good and strong and has an open grain structure for seed microbes

Oak:may be fine but is quite heavy to move when cleaning or transportingBamboo:is quite neutral

Not So Good

Maple:but this also can cause staining of the cheese


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To Avoid

Walnut:will impart an off flavor and stain the cheese

Redwood:will stain the cheese

Teak:may stain and impart an incompatible flavor

Mahogany:may also cause staining and is too heavyAvoid Exotic woodsand woods that stain or leach natural resins. Many of these have

been found to produce toxic resins.

Cleaning the boards and shelves

First clean

After each use or even as needed the shelves and boards need to

be cleaned. The number one rule here is no detergents orcleaners. Wood is very absorbant and will absorb some of this.

This is not what you want in your cheese.

Most of the cheese makers I visit use only hot water and a good

brush to remove the surface debris. Some of the larger operations can also afford highe

pressure washing systems or even specialized automated wash and brush systems.

... and then Sanitize

Once clean we have to pay attention to any surface bacteria and molds that are hiding onthe surface. Normal sanitizers are not good to use here so what do we do. Mother Nature

has the answer. What I see throughout Europe are stacks of boards drying in the sun. This

is not just to remove the moisture but it is also pointed out that 'Ol Sol' has the ability tosanitize naturally with an abundance of UV. The UV will cut back the numbers ofmicrobes on the board surface.


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Shown above are the boards being exposed to the sun for drying and sanitizingand the racks used for the boards at a small farm reblochon producer in the Savoie region of

France


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It will be essential to make sure that the boards have dried out well before placing cheese

back on their surface.

cheese making how-to's

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