Hi everyone,

I made my first ever cheese about five days ago now, and all was going well until I turned the cheese over this afternoon.

It’s a cheddar type, and I’ve bandaged it in cheesecloth stuck down with butter as per the instructions I had.

The instructions did say that you may get mould on the cheese if it’s bandaged in this way rather than waxed, but I was wondering whether all moulds are created equal?

It might be silly of me, but I was expecting only white mould to grow.  There are about seven or eight spots of mould on both the top and bottom of my poor little guy, and while they are white on the outside of the mould circle, the inside of each circle is a deep blue/green colour.

Is this evil mould?  and if so, is the cheese still salvagable?  What I’ve ended up doing is taking off the cheesecloth, scraping the mould away, and then giving the whole thing a wipe with vinegar.

I was then going to let it dry out a bit before digging out some wax to seal it for the rest of its maturing time.

The mould hadn’t gone any further than the surface of the cheese, so I’m hoping it’s ok.  I also couldn’t resist cutting off a bit of the cheese to taste (after the mould was gone!) and it’s currently got the exact texture and flavour of Babybel.  And it’s been an hour and I’m still alive!

Since this is my first cheese and I have absolutely no idea what I’m actually doing, I was hoping that some of you more knowledgeable types would be able to let me know what the best course of action would be. 

I think perhaps my downfall had been the fact that I thought it would be a good idea to put a bowl over the cheese to protect it while it matures.  From reading around this forum and other sites, I’ve figured that this has resulted in too much humidity?

Many thanks
Nicola

Nicola

Sounds like you’re on the right track by using vinegar to remove the mold.  Waxing it will probably be your best bet.  Do you have cheese wax?  I think that works better than paraffin or other waxes.  If it doesn’t have a rind, let it set for a few days, just on the countertop with maybe a tea towel protecting it, until a rind forms.

And, yes, the bowl and resulting humidity was probably where the problem started.

Good luck!  Keep us informed on the progress of this cheese.

- Jeanne -

Thanks very much for your advice, I’ll get the cheese waxed as soon as it has a rind on it.
Only have paraffin wax at the moment but I don’t think I’ll be able to get my hands on cheesewax in time for this particular cheese.

Nicola , cheddar cheese, and in five days u found 5 molds spots !!! this is strange… plus cheddar cheese needs few days before u wax it, and if u bandage it , no need for wax !!!

Hi indispensable, I removed the bandage to scrape off the mould.  I’ve now put vinegar on it and am waiting for it to dry a bit more before I wax it instead of putting more bandage on.

hopefully with the wax on and having more room to breathe (taken the bowl away from it) it will fare a little better.

my name is Nabil

cheers

Its the black/grey mold that is the kiss of death if u have any hidden mold on the cheese when u wax it it will grow underneath. The bad mold does not like salt, u might want to try and dip the cheese in brine and scrub the surface with salt then wash it let it dry, and do it again when its dry. Make sure their is no collected moisture around the cheese, leave it several days to see if their are no mold formations then wax. I do not recommend paraffin because it will crack and spores will get in their. Alternatively u can salt the outside and maybe smear olive oil on it to protect it.
Good luck.

(welcome to the group )

Hi again everyone

Just to say that I waxed the cheese in the end after giving it a good going over with the vinegar and hoped for the best.
It found a new home in our disused walk-in wardrobe and it seems quite happy there.

The recipe I used said it was possible to try the cheese after a month but that it would mature best if left a lot longer.  So since I have three separate cheeses made from the same recipe, of course I had to give it a try

It’s currently very mild but had a lovely pale yellow colour and a texture that is actually exactly like cheese! (I guess everyone must have felt dubious about whether their first cheese could possible work or not?)

So a took a good bite from it, and I’d say it currently tastes quite a lot like babybel or edam.  Very mild but with a creamy and pleasant flavour.  I can’t wait to find out what it ends up like after a proper maturation time

Ps Sorry Nabil.  Was looking at entirely the wrong part of the post to find your name *blushes*

Congrats on your new baby cheese hope they grow up well and taste
Now time to make more wile u wait

Cheers Neil, I know I’ve been looking through Ricki Carroll’s book to see which of the ones I’m most interested in have the quickest maturing times. 
I’m a very impatient person but for some reason I seem to keep trying new crafts/hobbies that take time to complete.  And I thought waiting one month for soap was bad!

Hi and welcome!

You might try the Goat “Cheddar” in Ricki’s book. I made it back in January and used what I had on hand—.5 gallon goat milk and 1.5 gallon cow milk. It matured for only three weeks before I ate it. It says to age four weeks but it was really good at three, believe it or not. My calendar was off a week.

I had some brave co-workers offer to try my creation and they loved it.

Heather

LOL, I make soap as well, I make 2 batches a year and thats how long it last
Looks like u need to learn patience, listen to your subconscious Bloomed cheese actually are a good time span, 2-3 months, or try Gouda .

camambert 4 weeks