Waxing Cheese for storing up to 15 years

[Gazrok]

This came up in another thread, and I am kicking myself for not really considering this sooner.

My family LOVES cheese, and somehow, I completely missed this idea when considering my preps, so sharing it for anyone else who may have done so too. WAX IT! Still can't believe I missed this.

 

[jimLE]

great find on the video...

 

[jontte]

must be simply 'cause you can't find waxed cheese here any more,when I was a kid that was standard,now they wrap them in plastic...found a place that sells wax here for 36 euros/about 11 lbs

 

[Gazrok]

Nice thing is though, you can dip the cheese in wax yourself to preserve it.
Here, we're just so conditioned to seeing it refrigerated, that shoppers would question it if it wasn't. So, the stores do, even for waxed cheeses.

 

[jontte]

have to try this,definately have to....

 

[Gazrok]

I love that you can get the wax in different colors, to denote different kinds of cheeses too.

From a non-prepper standpoint, this is a GREAT way to take advantage of sales, and buy a lot of cheese, and then preserve it to last. For example, the cheese blocks in the video routinely have BOGO specials in addition to vendor coupons, so you could really clean up with the right sale.

 

[jontte]

found here in Finland black and white wax,must make room for cheese in rootcellar

 

[Gazrok]

Oddly enough, my searches had me settling on the same cheese wax supplier mentioned on the video.
(before I even watched the video).

http://www.cheesemaking.com/redcheesewax.html

Buying the 5lb block is a much better bang for the buck though.

I'm thinking:

RED - Cheddar
YELLOW - Mozzarella
BLACK - Gourmet Cheeses (like Edam and Gouda, etc.)

Just make labels to then go on the wax cover.
There goes one of the shelves of the inside prep closet......

 

[jontte]

old ways come back...absolutely great.

 

[Brent S]

This came up in another thread, and I am kicking myself for not really considering this sooner.

My family LOVES cheese, and somehow, I completely missed this idea when considering my preps, so sharing it for anyone else who may have done so too. WAX IT! Still can't believe I missed this.

That's awesome! I'm going to try it soon. I'll take your advice and look for sales, but I really want to get with danilgrl on how to make it too.

 

[Gazrok]

From what I hear, it is a pain in the butt to make cheese. From reading through the site, I believe it.

 

[Graynomad]

Thanks for that Gazrok, I "knew" about this but had totally forgotten. Something I will definately get into.

 

[CharlesSibley]

How long does the cheese last when you wax it? And can you then store and seal some in mylar bags for longer self life?

 

[Dani]

How long does the cheese last when you wax it? And can you then store and seal some in mylar bags for longer self life?

The cheese will still ripen when waxed and even if you put it in mylar bags. If choosing to do this, choose the mildest cheese you can find. Some like a sharper cheese and others do not so it really depends on your taste buds but some say that it can last a year on the shelf in wax. The idea is to keep the air off of it so that it will not mold, but it will still ripen regardless. Making cheese is actually easy, just time consuming and you need an accurate thermometer. Once you take a cheese out of the press, most need to ripen for 3 months before optimal taste like goudas & cheddars. Parmesan can ripen for 24 moths, Romano for 12 months, it just depends on the kind of cheese. Best temp to ripen is 55 F. Lower will slow down ripening and higher will speed it up. Best place to store your cheese (if not refrigerated) would be a root cellar or the coolest area in the house

 

[Brent S]

The cheese will still ripen when waxed and even if you put it in mylar bags. If choosing to do this, choose the mildest cheese you can find. Some like a sharper cheese and others do not so it really depends on your taste buds but some say that it can last a year on the shelf in wax. The idea is to keep the air off of it so that it will not mold, but it will still ripen regardless. Making cheese is actually easy, just time consuming and you need an accurate thermometer. Once you take a cheese out of the press, most need to ripen for 3 months before optimal taste like goudas & cheddars. Parmesan can ripen for 24 moths, Romano for 12 months, it just depends on the kind of cheese. Best temp to ripen is 55 F. Lower will slow down ripening and higher will speed it up. Best place to store your cheese (if not refrigerated) would be a root cellar or the coolest area in the house

Thanks for the input. Since I really like sharp cheeses, is there such thing as overripe?
I know the Romans used cheese as a major food source, and carried it unreferigerated but I don't think they let it go too long before eating it. I don't know if they waxed it or not, but my guess would be yes. I've often wondered how people wax those large rounds of cheese. There so heavy it would be hard to hold it (without dropping it in), while dipping it.
I'll have the root cellar closed up pretty soon and will get a temp reading. I know I won't get close to 55 but will be happy if I get below 70deg. Either way, I'll definately store some mild cheese in there now.

 

[Gazrok]

So far, most sites I've seen state it can be stored for years. Many areas in Europe even still do it this way.

 

[Dani]

I am curious to hear how it turns out from someone who has tried it first hand on how it taste after being stored that long on a shelf in the pantry. Hope it turns out well for you. I do remember reading one poster, just can't recall how long she put it on the shelf before she tried to eat it, but she had said that it was inedible and I don't believe she mentioned what kind of cheese it was. I just remember that it was yellow, but that could be quite a few different varieties.

 

[Gazrok]

Important to remember it still ages, so you don't want to start with any kind of cheese that has sharpness to it.

 

[jimLE]

Yeah.the mildest you can get.on acount it'll be pretty sharp after 8 to 12 years

 

[hlrive]

The first time I ever saw this it was on doomsday prepper show, I started doing it soon after. It will last for years and years. You can buy some already in the wax through Swiss colony or Figi's, however I prefer doing it myself and it is much cheaper.

 

[Maverick]

I get waxed cheese in 1lb blocks made at the local dairy (I can get 5lb blocks) of sharp cheddar, we store about 20lbs. If stored correctly @55deg will last longer than 25yrs, my root cellar stays about 64deg.

I remember reading about a Wisconsin cheese mart in Milwaukee selling 40yr old cheddar cheese in 20lb blocks? and 28yr cheese and was going to release 35yr old cheese, the article was several years ago, I don't remember the price that was paid but the buyer said the cheese was very good.

 

[Brent S]

I get waxed cheese in 1lb blocks made at the local dairy (I can get 5lb blocks) of sharp cheddar, we store about 20lbs. If stored correctly @55deg will last longer than 25yrs, my root cellar stays about 64deg.

I remember reading about a Wisconsin cheese mart in Milwaukee selling 40yr old cheddar cheese in 20lb blocks? and 28yr cheese and was going to release 35yr old cheese, the article was several years ago, I don't remember the price that was paid but the buyer said the cheese was very good.

Cheese is an amazing food source. It fed the Roman military even. The first thing the Romans did when they took over a new area was to take over the dairy production. They realized it was as important as the weapons they used.

 

[WGregMiller]

Yep. We've got about 20 pounds put away. I did screw up the first we did - I tried it with sharp cheddar and a few years later that stuff was SHARP...

 

[Maverick]

Ya, it will get sharper the older it gets, sharp cheddar don't last long here given it's always on rotation, I have mild cheddar that doesn't rotate as often