First Cheese!

[pensrock]

I vac sealed and froze cheese once and would never do it again. It got kind of dried out and crumbly, not very good at all. Now maybe some other types of cheese will freese well?
On the plus side I have vac sealed smoked cheese and left it in the fridge for several months and it was great.

[iceman]

JNB that looks fantastic buddy!!! I've got to make a run to Sams Club and follow your lead. I'm drooling just thinking about it.  :D ;)

[JNB]

I've pulled the cheese that was in the freezer into the crisper/meat compartment (actually did that shortly after reading some of the issues folks have had).

I opened one of the regularly refrigerated blocks yesterday (Cheddar, 4 days resting) and it didn't smell too appetizing, very much a "ashy" aroma.  Didn't bother tasting it.  Re-vac sealed and back into the fridge.  Oddly enough, I can smell them all through the  plastic, and they smell wonderful!  It's all gaining a nice darker coloring, too, sort of a "caramelization" layer.  Very interesting, as they still looked like the unsmoked color when I first pulled them.

The Muenster shows the coloring best (rack side): 

[wp72]

When is the tasting?   I plan on smoking some cheese on new years day.

WP.

[JNB]

When is the tasting?   I plan on smoking some cheese on new years day.

WP.

I'm open and give it the "sniff test" again today.  It's been 8 days now, and still a bit early.  Gonna smoke some catfish chunks & salmon over Alder today.