Ripening question

[sillyrudy]

So, i've got this young cheese, gouda and cheddar resting in my cave, quietly doing its thing. I'm tempted to slice off a chunk for a snack, but i'm wondering, if I take a piece, does the rest of it, tucked away in the cave, keep ripening the way its supposed to?

 

[ragu-mozzi7]

This is how I know I am in the right forum! I had a young gouda aging in my pantry cave last summer and couldn't resist a taste. Just cut cleanly and reseal the rest well (wax or vacuum works great), it'll keep aging just fine

 

[MrsDairy]

So, i've got this young cheese, gouda and cheddar resting in my cave, quietly doing its thing. I'm tempted to slice off a chunk for a snack, but i'm wondering, if I take a piece, does the rest of it, tucked away in the cave, keep ripening the way its supposed to?

The temptation is totally understandable, haha! But once you cut into a young wheel of cheese like Gouda or Cheddar, you're essentially changing its environment. The rind, which has been protecting the cheese, is now broken so that carefully controlled process is altered. The inside gets exposed to air, which can cause it to dry out and introduce new bacteria. This changes how it ripens, so the texture and flavor won't develop the same way a full, uncut wheel would.

If you can't avoid trying a slice, I suggest to treat that cheese as your "tasting" wheel and plan on enjoying it sooner rather than later. Keep your main wheels aging whole so you get the full benefit of the ripening process!

 

[Mufasa]

Once you cut into a wheel, it's no longer aging properly, it's just storing. Real maturation demands an intact rind, sampling mid-cave turns it into glorified fridge cheese