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How to Wax Cheese for Long Term Storage
I do my grocery shopping differently than most people.
I like to buy something each month in bulk each month.
Cheese is one of those things I like to buy in bulk.
The way that I am able to keep bulk cheese is buy waxing it for long term storage.
Things Needed to Wax Cheese
You don’t need a lot of things to wax your own cheese.
Here is the short list of resources needed:
- Obviously, cheese. Hard cheese is preferred over soft cheese. Soft cheese tends to mold more quickly than hard cheese.
- Vinegar
- Bowl
- Paper towels or rags
- Flour sack cloths or towel
- Cheese wax. Not paraffin. Not candles. Use a special wax made to put on the cheese.
- Double boiler or two pots for boiling water and melting wax.
- A chopstick or skewer works well for stirring wax while melting
***I use the same wax kettle over and over. If I have leftover wax, I just leave it right in the pot. I cover it with a fresh cloth and set it aside until I am ready to wax cheese again.
Step One:
Cut the cheese into blocks.
I set mine on cookie racks so the cheese isn’t laying flat on any surface and air can flow around each piece.
I cover the entire thing with a clean flour sack cloth.
The cheese is left out on the counter for 2 – 3 days in order to dry out.
You want to give the cheese enough time to leech out all of the fluids.
Step Two:
After the cheese has dried out, it is time for step two.
Pour a bowl of vinegar and completely dip each piece of cheese into it.
Use a paper towel or a rag to completely wipe off the vinegar.
Set to dry.
Step Three:
Using a double boiler, or do what I do and put water in one pan and the wax into another pan.
Melt wax slowly.
Sidenote: I use red wax instead of yellow wax because it is hard to tell the wax from the cheese when using yellow wax. That makes it difficult when trying to apply the wax.
Step Four:
Some people choose to paint wax onto the cheese, but we find it easier to just dip it.
Sarah dipped one half of the cheese, then stood it up on its end to dry.
Cheese wax dries super fast.
Once it was ready, she dipped the other side making sure it overlapped the first side.
This was done twice.
We have found that one coat isn’t enough and three coats is too much.
Two coats is perfect.
Step Five:
The last step is storage.
Since it is now waxed, it can be stored right on your pantry shelf.
I haven’t had the best of luck with this though.
The problem is any tiny pinhole in the wax will allow the cheese to mold.
I lost a lot of cheese through little pin holes unfortunately.
For years now, I store my waxed cheese in a drawer in the refrigerator.
I have a dedicated drawer just for my cheese.
One time I had a little dorm-size refrigerator that I dedicated just for my cheese.
The key to keeping your cheese fresh is to go in every week or so and turn the blocks over.
How Long Can It Last
I am not really sure how long waxed cheese will last.
Personally, I have had it last over a year.
We really enjoy it.
The longer it sits the more it ages.
How to Wax Cheese for Long Term Storage
Sounds easy, right
Are you ready to give it a try?
Leave a comment and let me know if you wax some cheese.
Resources for Waxing Cheese:
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