Where is cheese aged

Aging cheese occurs when bacterial culture is added to milk, it creates lactic acid from the lactose, which makes the milk sour. Rennet causes the coagulation of the fats and proteins, creating a curd.

Then, salt is added throughout the rest of the process. While not all cheese requires aging, the ones with a bitter and distinct taste do. Allow our CheeseMaker expert to explain why. As the cheese making process is quite fascinating, one of the most fascinating things about cheese is the aging process. All cheese is essentially made of the same core ingredients, but the aging process plays a role in changing the flavor and texture, resulting in thousands of cheese varieties.

Each type of cheese requires a different aging period ranging from 3 months all the way up to 12 months for certain types of cheese. These ingredients for cheese affect the taste. Certain cheeses require months or years of aging while others are better fresh. The following types of cheese require an aging process:. On the other hand, some cheeses need to be aged and each specific type of cheese has a different period of aging time it must reach in order to reach its desired consistency.

The type of cheeses that require some aging are the firm or crumbly cheeses like cheddar, gouda, camembert, and parmesan-types of cheeses. These lend themselves well to the aging process due to the intensity of their flavor and aroma. With this technique, cheese is ripened from the inside outward. Cheesemakers will often cover the cheese in wax or wrap it in bandages to isolate the surface from aging. When it comes to aging cheese, few factors are as important as temperature and humidity. Most cheeses thrive in a narrow range of humidity and temperature.

Although the exact numbers vary, most cheeses appreciate high humidity and temperatures around 50 degrees Fahrenheit for the best results.

Too much or too little can ruin the rind or interior texture of the cheese. In addition to all of the above, cheesemakers can make subtle tweaks to the cheese aging environment that have big impacts on the final flavor of their cheese. Why, you ask? Cheesemakers use everything from oak planks to pine and even birch wood! You can get award-winning Wisconsin Cheese delivered right to your door with our continuously updated list of cheesemakers and retailers that allow you to order cheese online.

Award-winning Wisconsin Cheese is just a click away. If you want to cook a full meal, try our selection of over handcrafted recipes featuring Wisconsin Cheese. Share your creation with us on Instagram or Facebook and become part of the largest cheese community in the world.

In Wisconsin, we make more flavors, varieties, and styles of cheese than anywhere else in the world. That is why older Cheddar is sharper, because the culture has had more time to eat the lactose and change it to lactic acid. Eventually, all of the lactose in the milk will be eaten and changed into lactic acid. That is why cheese that is eight months or older is safe for lactose intolerant people to eat. After eight months, all of the lactose has been converted to lactic acid.

The second process is called proteolysis. This process is a chemical process. As cheese ages the long protein chains that were glued together by the rennet start to break down. Each protein chain is made of links of amino acids and as the cheese ages the chains break into smaller and smaller sections of links. While the lactic acid provides the basic sharpness or tanginess, each amino acid compound is responsible for different flavors and textures in the cheese. The smoky, nutty, meaty, and even bacon-y flavors that you get in long aged cheddars, parmesans, or goudas are impossible without proteolysis.

Sometimes you even have tyrosine crystals, that slight crunch that is found in long-aged cheeses. Visit our guide on Bandage Wrapping Chedar for information on how to apply the wrap. If the cloth becomes loose, the cheese will not be protected while aging. To fix this, remove the wrap and try to get most of the mold off the cheese surface, scrape stubborn bits.

Then wash the cheese with full brine and either re-wrap with lard and cloth or wax the cheese. When bandaging with lard, we recommend soaking the cloth in melted lard, then pull it through two fingers to squeegee off any excess. Smooth the cloth as best you can, making sure the top and sides overlap. Do the top and bottom first and then press. Then, do the sides and press again.

The next day, repeat it. It usually takes days for pressing and bandaging. When you do this, the cloth actually imprints into the cheese. We usually do a two layer bandage and the molds at bay. If you see mold forming under the bandage it can be problematic. If mold has grown underneath, you will need to remove all cloth and brush or scrub all of the mold off. Then, when it is clean, try waxing the cheese. Mold can grow as it likes on the outside of the bandaged cheese, but if it gets too heavy, simply brush it off.

When the cheese is ripe, pull the cloth off and enjoy. Bandage wrapped cheddar will become quite furry and multi-color molds will grow at certain points while aging, this is all normal. The advantage of bandaging is breathability. Mold will still grow on the exterior of the bandage. Wax does not breathe as well but has no mold growth. Both methods will still need to be turned once a week or so.

The key to a natural rind is to properly dry the cheese after salting and before aging. You may need to spend more time in the beginning with them, but after a month or so, wiping them down every other week should be enough. To label cheese, you can use a prismatic style water color pencil while the cheese is still moist. The pencil mark will remain only on the surface of the cheese. Softening of the cheese, after days of aging, is a result of the ripening process.

After brining, the cheese becomes tough. As the salt migrates to the center of the cheese, the outer texture softens substantially. As the cheese continues to age, turn it and wipe mold off with a dry cloth as you see it. If the mold gets away from you, use a cloth dampened with a light salt water solution, and scrub it off. If there is a lot of mold on your cheese, grab a cloth soaked in brine and knock that mold out of there.

The excessive mold growth could be from too much moisture in the cheese or aging location. If the rind is too moist, the mold could work its way into the rind, producing off flavors in the cheese. We would scrub the cheese well with a brush and brine and if needed, use the edge of a sharp knife to off scrape stubborn dark spots. Then air dry the cheese for days. Watch for the rind to darken and toughen up slightly before moving back to the aging area. The amount of mold on your cheese depends a lot on how you would like them to develop.

Cleaner rinds make a more appealing presentation but involve more work. All wax is highly flammable. Read the instructions well and never walk away from the pot when it is over the flame. Do not use a microwave to heat your wax. Paraffin is very brittle and does not come off easily after the cheese is aged. It cracks and leaves small pieces all over the surface of the cheese that need to be cut away. When we started off making cheese in , paraffin was all that was available, so that is what we used.

However, the results were disappointing. This was a little better, but still very crumbly. Then we found actual cheese wax, from a large scale commercial location, we were amazed. It was soft and pliable and easily peeled off the finished cheese.

We melted, strained and reused it over and over again. You can use beeswax for aging cheese. The drawback to beeswax is the price, and it can be brittle. We suggest adding a small amount of vegetable shortening, to the wax, when melting.

Red wax is seen most often and is commonly used on Dutch cheese. Our clear wax has no color added, so if you are concerned about colorants, this is a good option.

Using a lighter color also makes it easier to see if any mold growth occurs under the wax, while aging. Before waxing, air dry the cheese until the surface darkens slightly and there is no free moisture underneath.

The surface should take on a matte finish when it is ready to wax. A small fan can help dry the cheese properly. It is always best to stay ahead of any mold development before waxing and to air dry in a cool location around F.

To help prevent mold growth, wax needs to reach a temperature of F and the cheese needs to be dipped in the wax for 6 seconds. Use caution when heating wax, if the temperature gets too high it can reach a flash point and catch on fire. To melt wax we use a heavy pot with a candy thermometer and control the temperature very carefully.

A one pound block of cheese wax will coat two pound cheeses, when applying the wax with a brush. When dipping cheese into the waxy a five pound block of wax works best, so the wax is deep enough. Although if using a very wide melting pot the wax still might not be deep enough. We recommend double or even triple dipping to be sure there are no pinholes. When applying the second coat, wax can cool to about F, to avoid melting off the first coat of wax. You can sample the cheese before it is finished aging.

After removing a sample, wipe the surface of the cheese with cider vinegar, let it dry and then re-wax. This can also be done if you accidentally break a piece of cheese off the wheel. Make a clean slice across the break and re-wax the area. When aging the larger the cheese is, the better it ages. So, we always recommend waxing and aging the whole wheel of cheese in one piece.