Finaly Waxed Cheese That Looks Presentable

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oregon smoker

Smoking Fanatic
Original poster
First I MUST Thank MR "T" for all his help and coaching and many others that had helpful input as well, too many to list.
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this was a long ordeal getting the wax smooth. my first run ended up all dimpled due to trying to dip the whole piece and then placing on a cooling rack. did I mention how many times the cheese slipped out of the tongs and fell back in splattering RED wax all over Mrs OS Kitchen, OH did I mention ALL OVER !!  
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so time to regroup and rethink this.

next Great plan was to dip again only use a sheet pan with a layer of tin foil placed on a layer of ice packs to flash the waxed cheese off thinking I could lift the cheese off and just trim off the flashing/flowing if any around the edges. did I mention the wax will stick to most of the tin foil and then tear and THEN you have to peal all these pieces of tin foil from the wax once again did I mention the slipping out of the tongs and splashing all over ,,,,
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Again Mrs OS NOT impressed, time to regroup and rethink this. one would think this is not that big of an obstacle to overcome.

so yesterday while slicing and packaging the cheese then bacon I had a thought, so out comes the pot of wax for the fourth time. I will not bore you with the third round , much of the same just different. 

all this work over cosmetics (you know the cheese has to look good and the key is keeping it in the pot or on the cheese Not counters and splashes etc.
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once the wax was up to temp I pulled out all types, sharp Cheddar, Gouda, Swiss, Jarlsberg, Provolone, Parmesan, white Cheddar etc.

printed labels and this time I grabbed the cheese with one hand and dipped it 1/2 to 2/3rds into the wax. then lifted it up to drip and flash off . then placed them raw (uncoated) side down on the trays that are over ice packs. by the time I got thru them I was able to go back thru them again dipping the opposite side and just repeated the process three times (how much more simple could this get???

and the BEST part no mess in Mrs OS'S kitchen. the finished pictures are below, I hope you enjoy them and see the above humor in the journey, the wax coating is not perfect but a work in progress.

Thanks for letting me share,

Tom 


 
Nice job... looks perfect to me... Now, how do you store the cheese, now that it is wax coated...
Thanks Dave for the kind words,

currently the cheese is in my deep cooler, all my cheeses were put into vac packs and as we all know with vac packs there is the edge flaps that take up space or are hard to store (take up lots of space) so the waxing for us is it stacks well and stores well (less space) if I had a root cellar or something like that (maintain an even temperature) like some are lucky enough to have it could be just out on the shelf so to speak.

keep on Smokin,

Tom
 
Hi Mr Oregon,

There are a couple of ways to wax cheese that we do in the UK and you found out one of the ways by trial and error. However the trick is to just have the melted wax at just half the depth of the cheese when dipping then allow it to set and do the same the other side (half) so you end up with a seam around the middle like a Baby Bel. Its best to chill the cheese for a good few hours first.

The other way to the job is just brush the wax on and do 2 or 3 coats. Have the cheese on cling film (saran wrap) or parchment paper then when the rest has set just dip the bottom in the wax, touch up any areas with the brush. You can also fix a label to the hot wax on the bottom and it will hold the label when set.

Hope this helps for the future.
 
Looks like you ended up doing an outstanding Job!!!
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Now you're set for a good while!!
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Bear
 
That looks great Tom! It sounds like you had quite the journey to get to that point.
Mrs. OS must be a good woman because you're still around to tell the story. Not so sure my wife would have been so forgiving.[emoji]128516[/emoji]
Points too!
 
 
Looks like you ended up doing an outstanding Job!!!
drool.gif
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points.gif


Now you're set for a good while!!
icon14.gif
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Bear
That looks great Tom! It sounds like you had quite the journey to get to that point.
Mrs. OS must be a good woman because you're still around to tell the story. Not so sure my wife would have been so forgiving.[emoji]128516[/emoji]
Points too!
Bear and JW Thank-You for the points and encouragement.
it was more like an adventure. my wife is not only the best but a blessing as well. we celebrate 39 years in 5 days, together 43. she has been dealing with this kind of madness for a very long time.

Keep on Smokin,

Tom
 
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Hi Mr Oregon,

There are a couple of ways to wax cheese that we do in the UK and you found out one of the ways by trial and error. However the trick is to just have the melted wax at just half the depth of the cheese when dipping then allow it to set and do the same the other side (half) so you end up with a seam around the middle like a Baby Bel. Its best to chill the cheese for a good few hours first.

The other way to the job is just brush the wax on and do 2 or 3 coats. Have the cheese on cling film (saran wrap) or parchment paper then when the rest has set just dip the bottom in the wax, touch up any areas with the brush. You can also fix a label to the hot wax on the bottom and it will hold the label when set.

Hope this helps for the future.
Kiska,

The brush method was the third go around and what I did not care for was the brush strokes (trying multiple different types of brushes). I had in my mind that my goal was as smooth as possible surface (just as you might see in a store)

the cheese was cold prior to dipping 35 -40 degrees to also help with the flashing off of the wax .

the first dip was the deepest with each coat being less (more like layering it ) with the goal to be not to have the look of a seam. (just my quirk)

I started with holding the wax temp at 180 - 185 degrees for the entire process. I did have a spike to 203 degrees so I just turned it off and let it cool to the 185 degrees before continuing on.

thank you for your input and suggestions,

Tom
 
 
it was more like an adventure. my wife is not only the best but a blessing as well. we celebrate 39 years in 5 days, together 43. she has been dealing with this kind of madness for a very long time.

Keep on Smokin,

Tom
Congrats on your 39 Years!!----That's Awesome!!

47 coming up in Dec for us.

Bear
 
Hi Tom,

I agree about the brush marks. Dipping is the way to go. I do 4 quarter turn dips and then top and bottom. But you look like you did a great job anyway and looks like store quality to me so well done and congratulations on your anniversary
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I was thinking about this before.

If you put dental floss around the cheese block and dug it into the cheese at the corners would you be able to dip it by the "handle"?  You could leave enough floss to tie into a loop so you can hang the cheese to cool, then trip off the excess.  This would also let you be able to split the wax off nicely to be able to reuse it (assuming you can).

If you have a ridiculously large pot, you could recoat like dipping candles.
 
Good looking cheese. I'm certain it will be appreciated as gifts.

When waxing  cheese, the wax should be applied at two different temperatures.  The first coat should be applied at a higher temperature in order to kill any bacteria that may encourage mold growth.  Additional coats may be applied at much cooler temps and are used for physical protection and as an air barrier.  As you may have found, it is much easier to use your hands rather than tongs. To help deter contamination, the use of rubber or latex gloves is recommended.

The following was taken from http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/123130/mr-ts-smoked-cheese-from-go-to-show-w-q-view

 To prevent mold, heat wax to 225°F - 107°C - 240°F - 116°C or the wax manufacturer's suggested temperature.  BE CAREFUL  if taken too high, the waxes flash point may be reached.  To prevent pinholes, apply three coats by dipping or brushing the wax on.  To prevent melting the first coat of wax, apply the additional coats at a lower temp, 160°F - 71°C.

You will find that the cooler wax will go on heavier and cool much quicker.  I personally use a shallow dipping method, when applying wax to a rectangular block of cheese, it takes dipping six separate times to apply one coat.  Waxing cheese is a slow process,  there is no need to refrigerate cheese prior to dipping, after all we want heat on the first coat so it can serve the purpose of killing bacteria.

If you desire a seamless block of cheese, you may use a flambé torch or possibly a hair dryer to blend the seams in.  Like myself, many prefer the artisanal look of hand-dipped cheese.

If you are storing your cheese at warmer temps (70° or less) it may be necessary to turn it a quarter turn from time to time, as in time, it may begin to flatten.

Tom
 
 
Hi Tom,

I agree about the brush marks. Dipping is the way to go. I do 4 quarter turn dips and then top and bottom. But you look like you did a great job anyway and looks like store quality to me so well done and congratulations on your anniversary
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Kiska,

Thank you for your methods and point.

What makes this neighborhood so wonderful is as far reaching in this world Jeff has figured out how to make it small enough that we all can share our ups and downs on our journey to success and have the input of many others experiences to ultimately come to your style (a little from here and here etc). 

keep on smoking,

Tom
 
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