unplanned cheese experiment

[Steve Calvin]

ok, you're gonna think I'm nutz and that could be true but....

This started quite by accident when I found a piece of extra sharp
cheddar that I'd vacuum sealed and put into our crisper drawer... then
promptly forgot about.

Re-discovered it probably a couple of months later.

No mold or anything growing so I figured I'd try it. I opened the bag
and took it out. The cheese was wet on the exterior. Not slimy, just wet.

So, I took some paper towel and dried it off, cut a small slice, and
tasted. Dang it it wasn't sharper and have a better consistency than
when it was first brought home.

So I dried the inside of the bag material, sealed it back up and tossed
it into the crisper again for a few weeks.

Repeated this process a few times and ended up with some cheddar that
was unbelievable in flavor. The texture was dry and somewhat crumbly
but some of the best flavored cheddar I've had.

There's now a bag or two continually in process in the crisper!

--
Steve

[Jerry Avins]

Thanks! There are lots of cheddars. Can you tell us more about the kind
you use?

Jerry
--
Engineering is the art of making what you want from things you can get.
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

[Joan F (MI)]

It's called aging which is good for cheese and wine, not so good for humans.

[Gary]

"Joan F (MI)" wrote:
>
> It's called aging which is good for cheese and wine, not so good for humans.

Depends on how you look at it, Joan.
At this point, I'd hate to stop aging. :-O

[Steve Calvin]

Jerry Avins wrote:
>>
>> So I dried the inside of the bag material, sealed it back up and
>> tossed it into the crisper again for a few weeks.
>>
>> Repeated this process a few times and ended up with some cheddar that
>> was unbelievable in flavor. The texture was dry and somewhat crumbly
>> but some of the best flavored cheddar I've had.
>>
>> There's now a bag or two continually in process in the crisper!
>
> Thanks! There are lots of cheddars. Can you tell us more about the kind
> you use?
>
> Jerry

Not sure I can Jerry.

We were on our way back from Burlington, Vermont and I got some from
Dakin Farm. They make their own.
(http://www.dakinfarm.com/xq/aspx/dept_id.171/qx/DisplayGroup.htm)

That's why I was vac sealing it. There's only two of us and I bought a 3
lb wheel. That's a lot of cheese... lol

So some got sealed and into the freezer, but this one back I tossed into
the crisper for when we ran out of the first piece we were using. Yup,
you guessed it, I forgot about the dang thing.

I'd say just get the best and sharpest you have available to you if
you're going to try it. I think the key is to open the vac bag
periodically and get the water off of the cheese and the inside of the bag.

--
Steve

[Jerry Avins]

Thanks. There's a difference between "fine" cheddar and the supermarket
bricks, and now I know which side of the fence you were on. I sometimes
splurge on Cabot's waxed aged cheddar, and I wondered if even that could
be improved. I'll start with Stop&Shop NY State cheddar and see where it
goes. What do you think of wrapping the cheese in a washcloth to absorb
water as it forms in the vac bag?

[Joan F (MI)]

Yes, the alternative is not good.

[Steve Calvin]

Jerry Avins wrote:
> Thanks. There's a difference between "fine" cheddar and the supermarket
> bricks, and now I know which side of the fence you were on. I sometimes
> splurge on Cabot's waxed aged cheddar, and I wondered if even that could
> be improved. I'll start with Stop&Shop NY State cheddar and see where it
> goes. What do you think of wrapping the cheese in a washcloth to absorb
> water as it forms in the vac bag?
>
> Jerry

Don't see why it wouldn't work with market cheese as well. I'll probably
give it a shot after the Dakins is gone.

Dunno about the washcloth idea - may work. If you try it before I do,
report back please? From my limited experiments, ya gotta be patient on
this one. Speaking of which.... I've got some tomato wine that's just
about to have it's 8th birthday... I should probably open that sucker up
and see how it turned out.

--
Steve

[zydecogary]

Has anyone heard of wiping down the outside of the cheese brick with
vinegar or lemon juice or 'something' before storing it? Or maybe
after opening the cheese from storage removing the wetness after first
rubbing the outside with vinegar, lemon juice or 'something'?

I'm just searching

Gary Hayman
Greenbelt, Maryland

[some...@thedoor.com]

I believe it used to be an old method of storage, to keep the cheese
in a cheesecloth wrung out in vinegar (refreshed regularly).
CJ