I've smoked my first batch of cheese. I Vacuum sealed it. Now how do I store it, fridge or freezer? Thanks In advance.
Hello mkriet,
In order to answer your question, it would be helpful to know the type of cheese you smoked, hard, semi-hard, soft, or creamy as they require different means of storing, a simple container, vac-seal or waxing are the most common.If you are storing hard or semi-hard cheese for a short period of time, cheese paper may be used.
If storing hard or semi-hard cheese for longer periods you may vac-seal or wax. Be advised though, using cling wrap or vac-sealing can suffocate your cheese, not allowing it to age as it would in wax, also depending on the plastic used, you may find your cheese can take on a plastic taste.
If vac-sealing, don’t worry about moisture on your cheese. Mold is caused by oxygen reaching your cheese, not moisture. Cheese such as cheddar that has been aged for a number of years will naturally expel moisture within its packaging. You may find an example of that here.
2016 Christmas Gift Cheese - Aged - Smoked - Waxed
I let my hard cheeses air dry at room temperature before vac-sealing for cosmetic reasons as moisture can cause streaking on the surface of the cheese. I will let it set overnight if my intent is to wax, this allows a thin skin to form on the surface, which to me, allows for better waxing as you don’t want to wax cold cheese.
Hope this helps a bit.
Have fun smoking your cheese,
Tom