Making Basic Cheese (Part 3 Sealing and Aging)

Welcome to Part 3 of Making Basic Cheese.  Have you ever opened a package of store bought cheese and then placed it back in the refrigerator without sealing it properly?  When you go back to use it, you see that the outer exposed edges of the cheese is darker, hard, dried out, and thus, inedible.  To eat it you must cut off the hard part.

The next step we do in order to age the cheese we've made is to place a coating of wax over it to protect it during the aging process so that the cheese doesn't dry out.  If you have ever eaten those little babybel snack cheeses that are wrapped in wax, you know what I'm talking about.  So we've purchased a block of cheese wax from a cheesemaking supply website and now we've got to melt it.  We do this by placing the whole block of wax into a double boiler.

Melting the cheese wax in a double boiler

The object of our process is to fully encase the beautiful wheel of cheese below in wax to protect it from drying out during the curing process which takes several months. Prior to waxing, you want to leave the cheese in the fridge for a few days wrapped loosely in a cotton rag to allow for any additional whey to come out.  You want to turn it to make sure it air dries and it makes a rind on the outside.  Put it on a rack to allow the air to circulate around it fully.

A hanker for a hunk of cheese...

Our block of wax is now fully melted in our double boiler.  We're using the liner to an old rice cooker that doesn't work anymore to hold the wax.  We don't throw too much away at our house.  Items that no longer work get recycled into a second purpose other than what it was originally intended for.  Gallon jugs of apple cider vinegar get cut to become feed scoops, etc. etc.  Back to our wax, though, we're ready to coat the cheese.  

Melted Cheese wax

There is nothing too technical about this next step.  Simply dip the cheese halfway into the wax, ensuring that wax has gotten into any nooks and crannies.  Dip it, wait 10 seconds and then dip a second time.

Dipping the cheese

Sit this on a sheet of wax paper on the counter and allow to fully dry.  It doesn't take too long.

Drying the wax

Now, grab the cheese holding it by the side that you've already waxed and dip the unwaxed section into the wax so that it is fully coated.

Fully sealed

We're done!  While the wax is still wet, make a little label with the date and variety of cheese and push it into the wet wax.  This is important as it will let you know the date you began the curing process, so you know when it is done.  If you're making different types of cheeses, it will let you know which variety it is as well. Here's the neat thing about the wax - when you cut it open, you save the wax, re-melt and re-use it.

Sealed and Labeled 2 Pound wheel of Our Maker's Acres Homemade Basic Cheese

Now, for the curing process, we place it in the wine cooler.  This is a nifty new purchase.  This appliance costs $500 new which is outside of our budget, but Tricia was able to find this on Craigslist for $75!!  It has 2 separate, dual digitally controlled sections so that you can cure/age different types of cheeses.  The wooden racks and glass front door are nice features as well.  You can see that we have two other wheels of cheese that we'll be waxing today.

Wine cooler cheese ager

Take a close look at the object in the picture below and see if you can guess what it is.  (Answer Below)

Beeswax

It's beeswax.  We have a friend that is a beekeeper and he gave us a couple of pounds of beeswax from his colonies of bees after we asked him for some of it.  We'll trade him some cheese for it.  Instead of purchasing wax for sealing our cheese, we'll barter for it.  That fits in nicely with what we're trying to do in being as self-sufficient as possible and then bartering for items that we don't have.  Our friend doesn't want to milk cows and we don't like being stung by bees!

There once was a woman named Tricia,

Who made a bunch of cheese,

But when she ran out of wax for sealing,

She used some made by bees.  (Oh please!)

So here we are melting the beeswax in a double boiler, using the same process.

Melting the beeswax in a double boiler

Since the beeswax came directly from the hive, there is going to be some impurities in it.  I blew it off real good with an air compressor, but there are still a few specks that I can't remove.

Beeswax is fully melted

As a result, we pour the beeswax through a strainer to catch the remaining impurities.

Straining out flecks of residue

Now we have a container of beautiful, strained beeswax that is ready to seal another wheel of cheese.

None of your beeswax

Here is the finished product.  A beautiful wheel of beeswax sealed cheese ready to be aged!

Ain't that a pretty sight

Tune in tomorrow for the final installment of our Cheesemaking exhibition.  I think it is the best part since it involves tasting it!