Hi everyone, I’m still waiting to get cheesemaking since leaving home a month ago, I have all of my equipment gathered together from my old home, all I need is the pan and I think I can get started again
  After my first 3 cheddars went off because I made the cock up of aging them in a cool room, not realising that a mini fridge would be needed, my 4th cheddar moved house with me, when I did my quick escape. Its now 6 weeks old, recipe is one month minimum maturing. I also had a slice from the top of it at the time of making it so that I could use that one as the sampler cheese each week to give me an indicator of what the waxed one might taste like but the sampler one ran out 2 weeks ago. still tasted great till that point.
  I went to turn my waxed cheese over today and still no mould anywhere, but the wax was slightly puffy on top as though gas inside was making it slightly expand, this happened to all of my room temp aged cheeses, but hasn’t happened with this mini fridge one until now.
  I dont know whether to cut it open now incase there’s some gas inside that could make the cheese ‘turn into something putrid’ or just wait till maybe week 8 and take a risk of ruining the whole cheese. It looks fine through the wax, just dont want to waste it if it could be eaten earlier and my waiting turns it into something unedible.
Love,
rach xxxx

i hope ur puffy cheese will end up to something like swiss, otherwise :( did u use raw milk? if yes then u r 80% safe ,,, if not oops

tell us what will happen to u when u cut it…

or u can cut it in two, see it , taste it , then re-wax it both half

I would leave it and watch it for discoloration. Opening it wont prevent anything realy, if the cheese is gaseous then it will continue to be so till it stops, the wax at least protects it from outside influences.

I dont use raw milk, but this is something that has happened every single time, only less so this time possibly because of aging it at the right temperature. I dont really want to cut it open with there being no mould growths but would hate to waste a whole cheese by leaving it when its might be ‘turning’
  I hope the cheese doesn’t turn into something swiss seeing as its cheddar hehe, I’m off to switzerland for a few days next week, might buy some swiss cheese while I’m there I havent bought a special pan just for waxing yet since moving home so I might wait until i can open it up and rewax it at least.
  In the past i don’t know if this gaseous expansion was the cause of the cheese ‘turning’ because they were aged at room temperature so it would have been that that made them go off after a month of sitting. I picked up this current cheese and squeezed it to release the gas and it hasn’t inflated since so fingers crossed!
  Has anyone else had cheese with ‘wind problems’ before?
Love,
Rach xxxx

Make sure u keep to the posted temps and keep all your equipment clean. I always dip them in bleach, cloth and all. Keep good records of what u did and types of milk/culture u use.

yeah all of that goes without saying, doesnt stop it from happening though xxx