Vacuum sealer or just plastic wrap?

[BrianD9765]

I am doing my first cold smoke with cheese, as it turns out it seems 26 deg with light snow here in southern NH with the vent 50% open (or closed I guess) keeps the box at what consensus seems to think is a perfect 75deg. To my question:

Is a vacuum sealer necessary or can wrap them in plastic after I wipe them and let them age.

Also, what exactly is 'blooming'?

Thanks

[NePaSmoKer]

I am doing my first cold smoke with cheese, as it turns out it seems 26 deg with light snow here in southern NH with the vent 50% open (or closed I guess) keeps the box at what consensus seems to think is a perfect 75deg. To my question:

Is a vacuum sealer necessary or can wrap them in plastic after I wipe them and let them age.

Also, what exactly is 'blooming'?

Thanks

up to you, wrap or vac sealing works. Wrap is cheaper.

Keep your vent full open. Blooming is done for sausage.

[pokermeister]

On my last batch of cheese, I let the cheese "rest" for 24 hours. I double wrapped it in plastic wrap, and then sealed in a Ziploc bag with as much air squeezed out as possible. Let age for 5 weeks, and no problem at all after 5 weeks (only I didn't smoke enough-big hit around our house). Thought I might need a vac sealer, but I picked up this method from the forum, and it works great.

[iceman]

This might be an inexpensive option for vac sealing.
 

[pensrock]

wrap with plastic once completely cool then into a zip bag. only need to vac it up is after its cut cause the smoke seal is no longer protecting it. I have kept smoked cheese like this for over a year and had no problems with mold or dryness.

[classicrockgriller]

If the cheese is for me, I plastic wrap.

If I am going to give it away, I vac seal.

[Sailor]

I had some cheese that I used plastic wrap on and forgot about.  It was in the back of the beer fridge and I thought I hit the mother load when I found it.   It was from Jan 2011........Looked it over and no mold growing.  yippie ........unwrapped it cut a slice and threw it away.  Tasted like plastic....no more wrapping in plastic for me.

It may have been the brand of plastic wrap that I used.....I don't remember what brand I used.  The cheese had a great smoke flavor but the taste of plastic was very pronounced.  Vac Seal that cheese.

[Bear55]

I vacumn seal while resting then after opening zip lock.  Doesn't stay aroung long.