Is anyone using vacuum packing to age cheeses?
We have a ‘Food Saver’ used for vacuum packing vegetables and bulk meat. Was thinking it might be an alternative to waxing? Any one with experience, please.
I have seen others use vacuum packing for their cheeses but I’m not sure it’s a good way to age cheese.
It seems to me that a vacuum might hinder the aging of the cheese since there is absolutely no air exchange.
It’s my understanding that cheese wax does still allow the cheese to “breathe” but I don’t know that for a fact.
Just some thoughts that I’ve had on this method but I do not have any first hand experience.
OK Nabil, you failed to go to the final statement. If Waxing or sealing are not the best options, what is? Are you thinking of bandaging, or nothing at all?
-Cheddar is bandaging with lard
-Parmesan coated with olive oil
-Swisses just wiping it with brine with continuous cleaning and brushing
all the above require a hard conditions (continuous humidity) and extra rind care which is very difficult for artificial caves (if u have a natural cave then u live in heaven) natural cave is cold and very humid all over the year..
Waxing is fine for us (home cheese makers) but is not the best
i have a wheel of traditional cheddar aged in wax for over 14 months now, i re-dressed the wax twice , and let the wheel breath for few hours before rewaxing
when u cut ur wheel , and cut the cheese to be eaten, allow 20 minutes before eating, this will make all trapped breath to escape leaving the wonder aged cheese alone.
Those gases are not nice to smell, this is not my advise as home cheese makers, even when u buy cheese in vacuum pack (like cheddar or emental) u can read that instruction on the pack “allow 20 minute between open package and eat” or something like that, i read that many times. but when i cracked my aged mature cheddar i can tell that is 100% true.
So I haven’t actually made any cheese, so am looking for info.
First of all, vacuum sealing cheese doesn’t meet my vision of a fantastically moldy rind but ...
here’s a company that vacuum seals and matures at fridge Ts. http://www.loletacheese.com/cheesemakingprocess.html
and I have a vacuum sealer and I’m thinking when the weather is hot (and my “cave” gets hot and dry) or I have to go away then maybe vacuum sealing and aging in the fridge might be a good idea. Otherwise I’d be only able to make cheese in winter and even then I’d have trouble with long aging.
What would happen, do you think, if you aged the cheese naturally for awhile and then vacuumed it?
I would stick to waxing, Im in the same boat in that I dont make cheese in the summer, crappy fridge. no industry ages cheese in a vacume package.
Actually .. don’t wanna be argumentative but ... if you google vacuum aging cheese you find lots of dairies that age that way. But of course they are making that sanitised version of cheese with no rind that you see in the supermarkets.
The vacuum thing appealed to me over wax because a) I have a vacuum sealer and b) I thought you could put it on and off as the weather changes and still get the benefit of microbial aging. But it looks as though if I do it, I’ll be a pioneer!
Hmmm .. maybe not ... This page suggests that putting the plastic seal on and off might be OK,
“
With our new vacuum seal packaging, you can keep cheese in the refrigerator or freezer for up to three months unopened. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator after freezing. Once the package is opened, use the cheese within 21 days. After the package seal is broken, an increase in mold growth takes place ,which gives the cheese a stronger flavor.”
Of couse their intent is different but still .... necessity and invention and all that. And they recommend freezing their cheese? They can’t be all that proud of it!
Braufrau….
First of all, welcome to the forum since I don’t believe that I’ve had the opportunity to “speak” to you.
I’ve talked to a couple of my cheesemaking friends (that I respect highly) and they agree with others on this forum that vacuumn packing cheese will work as well as waxing.
I honestly can’t say where I’ve heard that wax will let the cheese breathe, whereas vacuuming will not, but it seems that my information might have been wrong.
I personally have bought several varieties of cheese that have been packed in a vacuum sealed container, swiss and parmesan are two that come to mind.
I’d say to go for it, but I would suggest giving it a try with a fast aging cheese so you can test the results quickly.
Two candidates that come to mind are Gouda and Farmhouse Cheddar.
Regardless of your success, I would love to hear of your results.
This is something that would interest me greatly if it does in fact work.
I hate waxing. It’s slow, messy and somewhat expensive.
Thanks for your input on this topic.
The vacuum thing appealed to me over wax because a) I have a vacuum sealer and b) I thought you could put it on and off as the weather changes and still get the benefit of microbial aging. But it looks as though if I do it, I’ll be a pioneer!
Hmmm .. maybe not ... This page suggests that putting the plastic seal on and off might be OK,
Go for it. There are advantages with using vacuum sealing to age your cheese, the most important of which will be a thinner rind. With home cheese making and the smaller wheel a thick rind is wasteful leaving less edible cheese.
In the days when we bought cheese, (heaven help us) we used to buy in fair sized chunks to portion it out, vacuum sealing the majority to keep it fresh. It worked for us, as we had stuff that was 3-4 months old without deterioration.
We have some vacuum packed aging in the cave right now and plan to cut and reseal when it’s of the right age.
Certainly easier than waxing.
* Vacuum and/or gas flush (N2 and CO2) in gas and moisture proof film are common.
o Vacuum alone is not recommended because complete evacuation of oxygen is difficult and small unsightly mould spots often appear.
o Gas flush with CO2 or blends of CO2 and N2 effectively prevent mould growth.
+ CO2 is water soluble so it is absorbed into the water of the cheese and the package becomes tight.
+ N2 which is not water soluble is useful for applications, such as shredded cheese and cheese curd, where a loose package is desired.
* High density plastic (rigid containers) are used for fresh cheese such as cottage.
* Oxygen permeable wrap such as grease proof paper and foil-laminated but unsealed wraps, are preferred for surface ripened soft cheese
Ahhh I see!
Vacuum sealing is probably a bit of a misnomer here.
These vacuum sealers can seal at any point in their evacuation stage.
For cheese, i would think, one would hit the seal button at the point that the plastic has wrapped itself snugly to the cheese, but no more. Otherwise, at the very least, you would probably get squished cheese, depending on the variety.
So rather than calling it vacuum aging, we should call it aging within a plastic membrane applied in such a way as to exclude air between the surface of the cheese and the membrane. But that is a bit of a mouthful!
On an empirical note .. newbie is aging cheese this way with no noticeable deterioration. It may be that for home cheesies a bit of mold is a small risk, but in industry it would be a terrible imposition on profits.
