Aging manchego

[AlbinoPolarBear]

We are 12 days into aging a wheel of homemade Manchego and my sister and I just noticed a small crack forming in the rind. A few days ago, we saw some mold starting and applied a light olive oil and paprika coating. It had been in a container at 70 - 95% humidity, but it seemed too damp, so we moved it to a wooden board with a mat a few days ago for better airflow. Now we’re wondering did it dry out too fast? Should we increase humidity again or just reoil the rind?Would love any advice on preventing rind cracks this early in the aging process. Thanks!

 

[Cheeryjoke]

Yeah, I think you dried it too fast and you did that abruptly. To avoid this in the future, make sure to gradually reduce the humidy and tweak it accordingly. At this point your option is to put it in a container and ventilate it for 15-20 minutes per day, maybe twice a day. This should bring the humitiy up more naturally and gradually, so I think it's your best option for now.

 

[AlbinoPolarBear]

Yeah, I think you dried it too fast and you did that abruptly. To avoid this in the future, make sure to gradually reduce the humidy and tweak it accordingly. At this point your option is to put it in a container and ventilate it for 15-20 minutes per day, maybe twice a day. This should bring the humitiy up more naturally and gradually, so I think it's your best option for now.

You're probably right, it dried too fast and too abruptly. I'll try the container method and ventilate it a couple times a day like you suggested. Just to be sure, should I monitor the humidity inside the container with a hygrometer, or can i just go by feel?

 

[ILead]

One concern is that the shift in humidity may've caused the rind to dry unevenly, leading to that crack. I'd reoil the rind gently and slowly raise humidity to rebalance moisture loss

 

[AlbinoPolarBear]

One concern is that the shift in humidity may've caused the rind to dry unevenly, leading to that crack. I'd reoil the rind gently and slowly raise humidity to rebalance moisture loss

Thanks! Will take note of this..

 

[cheesealchemist163]

Absolutely, keep an eye on it with a hygrometer. Trusting your gut can sometimes miss those tiny changes that really matter at this stage

 

[AlbinoPolarBear]

Absolutely, keep an eye on it with a hygrometer. Trusting your gut can sometimes miss those tiny changes that really matter at this stage

I thought the same, thanks for confirming!

 

[TheCheeseWhiz]

Yeah, I've gone through that too! That sudden change is likely what caused the crack. It might help to slowly increase the humidity back to around 80-85%, and consider applying a little oil to the crack to prevent it from worsening