Cheese Wax Will Save Us All

JamieA · March 28, 2009 at 4:56 am

awesome post – thanks for all the great information!

Karen · March 30, 2009 at 2:07 pm

Has anyone done this and tested the cheeses at later dates. I am wondering how much stronger the cheese tastes as it ages. I would love any information on this that I can get.

brittty · March 31, 2009 at 3:35 am

I can’t think of anything better than being able to save cheese! Thanks for the link!

practicallysisters · March 31, 2009 at 4:00 am

This is a great recipe!! I was literally considering making enchiladas this week! I’m definitely going to have to add it to next weeks menu!!! Thanks!

http://www.practicallysisters.wordpress.com

Kellene · March 31, 2009 at 4:31 pm

Consider this. Cheesemaking was an art long before refrigeration was ever available. While the sweating of the cheese will be more rapid in room temperatures or a hot and humid environment, the best cheeses in the world have come from similiar environments. Enjoy!

jpodbuild · April 9, 2009 at 3:15 pm

Your “Cheesy Roughin’ It Enchiladas” make me want to “rough it” all the time. Awesome dish.

It is good to see you on the camp-cook forum!

Kellene · April 11, 2009 at 8:43 am

Woohoo! Kudos for you Emily!! Another cheese maniac after my own heart!

kathy napier · April 25, 2009 at 4:46 pm

Kellene….I would like to try this in Relief Society. would that be okay? And where is the best place in Salt Lake county to get the cheese wax>

cheesenbread · May 4, 2009 at 10:25 am

Fantastic information. I also appreciate your comment on my blog: cheesenbread.wordpress.com
I am adding you to my blogroll!

Al · June 4, 2009 at 1:10 am

How do you clean the brush after you wax the cheese?

Kellene · June 4, 2009 at 3:02 am

Good question. I just put it in a small pan of water and let it boil a bit. It melts away and the boiling water takes it away from the bristles.

Kelly Bastow · June 5, 2009 at 5:39 pm

Hi Karen!

I too am wondering if when you store waxed cheese over a period of time if it gets stronger in taste.

If so, what is your suggestion as to the kind of cheese to wax that is mild so as to ward off having it get strong when being stored?

Kellene · June 5, 2009 at 5:47 pm

The cheese wax itself has no taste. But yes, the cheese will “sharpen” with age. That’s how you have “mild, sharp and extra sharp” kinds of cheddar cheese. It’s all about the time they were allowed to age. The kind of wax you use will not affect whether or not your cheese ages. It’s a fact of being. Cheese will age. But I’ve never had cheese age to the point that I didnt’ like it. In fact, I find that I simply need less of the sharper cheese to give the dish the taste I was looking for. This is especially true with the cheddar and Swiss varieties.

TNDadx4 · June 10, 2009 at 5:26 pm

This is a great article! Thank you so much!

I have several questions…

1. Is there any special prep needed when buying cheese that has already been refrigerated?

2. Can refrigerated, but waxed cheese be left out?

3. You mentioned cheese life at cool temperatures. How does it’s shelf life compare at warmer temps?

4. How can I tell if the cheese is bad when we unwrap it?

I’m sorry for all of the questions, but we are really new at this.

Thanks again!

Kellene · June 10, 2009 at 6:05 pm

Don’t worry about the questions. Most folks ARE new to waxing their own cheese.
Before I wax the cheese, I like it to sit at room temperate for just a bit in order to ensure that it doesn’t get condensation from being too cold and then applying the cheese wax. If your cheese is completely sealed in wax, then yes, it sure can be left out. Mine is in my basement. At warmer temperatures (say consistently above 77 degrees) the shelf-life of the cheese will be compromised. Many Europeans used to keep their waxed cheese underground in a cellar to ensure the right environment. When you unwrap the cheese the only indicator of whether it’s bad or not will be mold or it has completely dried out. I prefer the mold. The reason being is that when it comes to cheese, you can actually cut off the mold and still salvage the remainder. Bottom line, just dont’ skimp on the cheese wax and make sure you get it completely sealed with it.

sally mcbride · June 19, 2009 at 11:41 pm

Hi
thanks for this site! I heard about waxing cheese, but I did not know about cheese wax. I used paraffin wax. I put about 15 coats of the wax. I just noticed there is a yellow liquid coming out of a couple of the blocks and some yellow liquid in one of the blocks. Should I reseal the two that are leaking? Should I open the one with the yellow liquid?
The others seem fine should I just put them downstairs and keep them in my storage?

Thanks,
Sally

Kellene · June 20, 2009 at 2:59 am

I dont’ recommend using paraffin wax, as you may already know now. If it’s leaking, I would open it up and use it up, not try to seal it again. Usually when this happens it’s because the cheese was too cold when you waxed it, causing it to expand when you put the hot wax on it, then shrink when it cooled down. This causes a gap. The liquid you’re talking about is probably just moisture. But I wouldn’t take any chances. If the others are fine, I’d put them in cool, dry storage.

Lillian · June 26, 2009 at 2:52 pm

I was told that if cheese has mold that you should not use it as the bacteria or whatever caused the mold is throughout the cheese, even if you do not see it. Has new information been found or was I told wrong by the science teacher?

Kellene · June 26, 2009 at 3:26 pm

Because cheese is so dense, mold penetrates from the outside to manifest itself. Whereas with bread, it penetrates all the way through and then manifests itself on the outside. So yes, you can cut off the molded area of cheese and then still consume what’s remaining that has not developed mold.

Kim · July 10, 2009 at 1:31 am

Cheese will definitely save my family!!!
However, I have to get this waxing thing right.

A friend and I waxed some cheese about 2 months ago. We used cheese wax from a reputable company. We waxed mild cheddar that was bought vacuum sealed like at the grocers and SAMS. We waxed a 16oz block and four 1.25lb blocks that were bought as one 5lb sealed block.

When I cut the 5lb block I was not wearing gloves. So it is possible that I could have gotten hand oils on the cheese. We wore gloves when we waxed and the cheese was at room temp.

We waxed all but one by brushing 3 layers on and made sure they were completely covered. The one I “dipped” got way slick and fell into the pot. I let it cool and it looked fine. All of the blocks were stored on a shelf at room temp.

We have since experienced 2 problems with our waxed cheese.

First, it leaks an oily substance, but only from one block. It is yucky!! Thought this might be the one I dropped in the wax.
Or, could it be the buttermilk separating from being stored too warm?

Second, the other blocks have cracked at the corners. They look as though the cheese shrank and then the wax cracked.

Thanks,
Kim

Emelie · July 17, 2009 at 7:16 am

Thank you for this info! I have been interested in doing this for some time. I’m not necessarily too worried about waxing it and then sitting it on the shelf for 25 years, I intend to use it much more frequently thatn that to make sure it stays good and I am not wasting my ca$h. I contacted a reputable cheese making website and asked questions about where to store my cheese living in las vegas where its pretty hot most of the year. He said he was hearing more and more questions like mine from out west: utah, arizona, nevada. I don’t think that’s a surprise 😉 What are your thoughts on where to store my cheese? He also said that I shouldn’t be buying store bought cheese to wax because it hasn’t matured yet. I’m doing a homemaking meeting on this and want to make sure I have the best info.

Kellene · July 17, 2009 at 4:51 pm

First of all, you do know that I’ll be doing a class in Vegas next week, right? Check our “schedule” on the first page you see here.
Secondly, I would store the cheese under beds in your scenario since you likely do not have a basement. Store them on top of a cardboard layer first–not plastic or foil. This is fine for the heat. When it’s cold down there though and you’ve got the heat on, store them in a less confined place where they would be less suseptible to the heat vent. I’m a big proponent of hanging it from the ceiling of a room, but that’s not always practical in the NV and AZ homes. Fortunately many homes in Utah have basements, us included. So we store ours that way. If your cheese is too soft, it will not store properly. My favorite place to buy cheese is from the dairy farms that sell it and focus on quality cheese specifically. Matured, hard cheese is ideal to wax.

Bonnie · July 18, 2009 at 9:54 pm

While the tillamook cheese in the 1lb size was on sale for $1.19 I bought 30 lbs I would like to wax. Few questions after reading this blog.
Can I do that type of chees
Where on the web do you get the wax
If I come to your house will you help me.

Bonnie · July 18, 2009 at 10:53 pm

While the tillamook cheese was on sale I bought 30 lbs. Now I need to find the wax. I looked locally. (Salt Lake) and can not find it. So a couple of questions.

Where is the best place on line to buy the wax?
Will this cheese work for waxing
If I come to your house will you help me? (kidding)

Kellene · July 20, 2009 at 9:43 pm

Bonnie, YOu can go here to buy your wax. I prefer the red wax. http://www.cheesemaking.com/store/p/63-Red-Wax-1-pound.html
Yes, your cheese will work for waxing, however it’s a softer cheese, so I would use the additional papers that the cheesemaking site recommends along with your wax. Hmmm…coming to my home. That will be quite the trick with all of the classes I have planned. But perhaps I should try to schedule a class just on cheesewaxing. I’ll keep you posted.

Jackie · July 21, 2009 at 12:41 am

Where do you buy your cheese wax and brush and how many pounds of cheese will 1 pound of wax do?
Thanks
Jackie

Kellene · July 21, 2009 at 2:37 pm

Jackie,
See the comment just above for a place to buy your cheese was and the boars head brush. How your cheese is shaped and how small it is will determine how much you can wax. I would say a pound of cheese wax will do about 12-20 pounds of cheese if you brush it on. If you plan on dipping it, then you’ll need about 5 pounds of wax for the same amount.

howlingduckranch · July 27, 2009 at 3:45 am

Interesting post. I’ve been teaching myself to make cheese this past year or so but I’ve been to scared to use the wax after reading that it is incredibly flammable. You make it look and sound ‘do-able’.

Incidentally, do you have a ‘recent posts’ section? I don’t see it.

cheers,

HDR

Kellene · July 27, 2009 at 2:26 pm

Many readers and those attending my classes have had great success with the cheese waxing. I LOVE it!
You can see the “recent posts” simply by scrolling down the landing page of prepreparednesspro.wordpress

Karen · July 30, 2009 at 5:37 pm

Okay I need some help!! I have been waxing my cheese and loving it. I have cheddar, parmesan, monterey jack, cheddar jack and mozzarella.

I have had great success with all but the mozzarella. It is consistently going bad. I had read that mozzarella was great to wax because it aged so slowly. My mozzarella is bloating the wax covering and when I cut into it is is very obviously fermented.

All of my cheese is kept in the same room on the same shelf at between 60 and 65 degrees.

Any thoughts? Is mozzarella to soft to wax?

Kellene · July 30, 2009 at 6:10 pm

Not all mozzarella is created equally. I too love my mozzarella, however, I choose to use the harder mozzarella. One trick you may want to use though is to pat your cheese with a paper towel to blot all of the moisture prior to waxing/dipping it. You’ll find more success this way, I’m certain.

Karen · July 30, 2009 at 7:06 pm

Thank you for the reply. I do blot all of my cheese with paper towels before dipping; I find that to be a good practice regadless of the variety.

I will purchase harder blocks of mozarella and give that a try.

thanks.

BONNIE · July 31, 2009 at 6:41 pm

please do. West Jordan will do nicely

Becka · August 2, 2009 at 1:57 pm

I have a question regarding the cheese wax. No where can I find whether you can use bee’s wax. Can you? We have a close friend who raises honey and we get a lot of honey and wax from them. I have bought and used the commercial cheese wax, I was just wondering about the bee’s wax. A long-term ready supply.
Thanks!

Kellene · August 2, 2009 at 5:33 pm

Becka, Sorry. I have no idea about honey wax. However, given that honey is the only food that never spoils, I’d actually be a bit attracted to the idea since my thought would be that the wax would be great as well. But alas, I haven’t researched or used that method.

Becka · August 3, 2009 at 1:52 pm

I found an answer regarding the use of bee’s wax from Steve at http://www.thecheesemaker.com

“Yes, bees wax is natural but you should heat the wax to 160f so it is pasteurized.”

We are going to try with our next batch of cheddar.

Didn’t know if anyone else would be interested in this.

Kate@LivingTheFrugalLife · August 20, 2009 at 5:06 pm

This sounds like a great storage technique, and one I’ve heard little about. I have to admit though that I’m a little nervous about it. Handling a room temperature ingredient and then putting it into airtight storage for a year or more just sounds like a recipe for spoilage to me. What am I missing? How could the random critters on our hands and in the air *not* have a grand old time on that hunk of protein, fat, and carbs once we let it hang out indefinitely at room temperature. I guess I could see dipping a block of cheese in really hot wax as something that would take care of any bacterial contaminants. Brushing wax on sounds more risky.

I’m generally not alarmist about food safety, but I sure would hate to spend the money to put up such an expensive item and then find it spoiled later on.

Kellene · August 20, 2009 at 5:21 pm

Kate, check out our other aritcle that was posted yesterday “Settling the Cheese Wax Controversy” I believe you’ll have your questions answered there.

Kellene · August 20, 2009 at 5:25 pm

Bees wax is my second choice if cheese wax is not available. However, be sure you have the right temperature. you need 180 degrees F, not 160 degrees F, in order for pasteurization to take place. In that case, since your wax will cool a bit when it comes in contact with the cheese, you need to heat your wax to 200 degrees F. in order to be safe.

John · October 19, 2009 at 12:21 pm

I want to wax 2lb pieces of deli type provolone cheese and age for 2-3 years. Will it get sharp like good aged provolone?
Thanks for all the great information!

Kellene · October 19, 2009 at 3:30 pm

Yes, indeed it will get sharp. However, provolone is a softer cheese. Until you’ve aged it well so that it hardens a bit, I wouldn’t recommend you storing it outside of refrigeration initially.

Joe · October 19, 2009 at 3:45 pm

This post just made my day! Thanks.

Carol · October 20, 2009 at 3:33 pm

Hi, what a great idea! Thanks so much for this. I’m going to try it. How do you keep the cheese from rodents and such if you don’t put it in containers? Carol

LuAnn Gardner · November 6, 2009 at 11:10 pm

Is there a way to can sour cream? I know you can buy it canned, but can you can it at home? If not how do you make sour cream out of powdered milk? Thanks so much. I love your blog and all your information is so helpful.

Denise · June 18, 2011 at 5:57 pm

Now I am very hungry. Yet another item I cannot wait to try. My husband lives and surely will die by the cheese… I am handing off the enchilada recipe to him, we’ll likely have this tonight for dinner…Thank you!

mostafa · February 29, 2012 at 3:37 pm

a Cheese Toastie or jlfafe. Mum used to make them with tinned salmon instead of cheese, it just wasn’t the same :(Love the picture 🙂

Amara Russell · April 14, 2012 at 7:09 am

Thanks for great instructions…very helpful.

Re: using Bees wax…I suggest making sure your beekeeper doesn’t use *any* petrochemicals of any kind in the hives from which the wax comes. Yes, bees wax is natural, but any additives to kill mites, moths, fungus, etc. are definitely *not* natural – or non toxic – substances…residues will be in the wax as the bees wax absorbs contaminants within the hive to it’s capacity, the excess is detectible in honey when it’s analyzed in a lab. “Cosmetic Grade” bees wax is *loaded* with contaminants…a treatment-free apiary is worth supporting when you find one.

Randy · April 28, 2014 at 11:24 pm

My wife and I saw this on a
My wife and I saw this on a Prepper show and did wax a few different types of store bought blocks of Mild Cheddar, Pepper Jack and Mozzarella… waxed in late ’11.. the Mozz didn’t hold up over time and did bloat like another post mentioned.. My wife doesn’t like the “Bite” she gets from the aged cheeses? Do they need a little fresh air after opening them up to kinda take the sharpness out?? Rinse them and dry? They seem fine but scare her! LOL.. I did also try a sliver of the bloated Mozz… it tasted a little like Parmesan to me… was it bad with that water in it? Thanks for your time!! I LOVE TO WAX CHEESES!!

Preparedness Pro · April 28, 2014 at 11:32 pm

Unfortunately, you waxed

Unfortunately, you waxed cheeses that would not have qualified for waxing. The key is DRY/HARD cheeses. Mozzarella would never qualify.  When I purchase store-bought cheeses, I always let them “weep” on the counter for several days, blotting them with vinegar as they dry out. (The manufacturers nowadays pump their cheeses and meats up full of water in order to eek out a little bit more money.) Then, and only then can you wax them. But if your wife doesn’t like sharp tasting cheese, then this is definitely not the answer for you. The longer a cheese sits, the more sharp it will become.